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This is where we publish our boat related stories and articles, which range from world circumnavigation to rescue missions, humour and much, much more. So make yourself a coffee and settle yourself down to a good read.

Could You Live Aboard?
Could You Live Aboard?
Wednesday, 29 February 2012

There are almost 35,000 canal boats on Britain’s inland waterways*, but it’s quite difficult to estimate how many of those are floating homes. I was recently interviewed by a journalist who seemed to want to find out what ‘type’ of people...

Do You Know Who I Think I Am?
Do You Know Who I Think I Am?
Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Following my earlier blog about How to Sell a Boat on the Inland Waterways
I thought I’d share a bit more about who we are at Boatshed Grand Union.

Next boat auction starts in 9 days: BoatBid.com
Next boat auction starts in 9 days: BoatBid.com
Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Check out these quality boats in the next BoatBid.com boat auction.
The Auction starts in less than 9 days from today.

Roving Traders and the CRT Council
Roving Traders and the CRT Council
Wednesday, 15 February 2012

So, voting has now opened for boat owners to elect four boaters to represent licence holders on the Canal and River Trust’s National Council. The council will consist of 35 members but only four of these will be boaters! Voting is open until noo...

Boats That Blog
Boats That Blog
Wednesday, 08 February 2012

I recently wrote about #BoatsThatTweet, but you will find that a lot of canal and narrowboaters who tweet, are also boats that blog. Many narrowboat blogs are cruising logs, and while some are a written diary, others are more focussed on keeping a...

Canal Diary 2012
Canal Diary 2012
Thursday, 02 February 2012

As usual, Boatshed Grand Union will be attending as many festivals this year as possible. We will be showing our ever-growing list of Narrowboats for sale at many of them. (Those in bold)

Buying a Houseboat - Part 1 (of 3)
Buying a Houseboat - Part 1 (of 3)
Wednesday, 01 February 2012

The following article is by our good friend and top boating lawyer, Hannah Cash. As well as being a leading authority on the legal aspects of buying a boat, Hannah has lived aboard Katherine of London (which we have for sale here) for a good few ...

Thousands of Miles of Waterways
Thousands of Miles of Waterways
Monday, 30 January 2012

I have heard many figures quoted for the number of miles of navigable waterways in the UK: It is certainly several thousand. How do you find your way around such an extensive network?

#BoatsThatTweet
#BoatsThatTweet
Thursday, 26 January 2012

Yes, I too was one of those people who asked, “What is the point of Twitter?” I had already wasted hours on Facebook keeping in touch with my friends’ status updates, and I didn’t need a whole other social world on line to mysteriously suc...

Tring Summit Closure
Tring Summit Closure
Friday, 13 January 2012

British Waterways are about to close the Tring Summit from Lock 39 Startops to 49 Northchurch. This area is not river fed and is suffering from the worst water shortage in many years.

New website backs Government’s encouragement for living on boats
New website backs Government’s encouragement for living on boats
Sunday, 11 December 2011

New website backs Government’s encouragement for living on boats
THE world’s number one online yacht brokerage system is about to launch a brand new website which could boost the government’s campaign to have more people living on the wa...

Narrowboat or Narrow Boat?
Narrowboat or Narrow Boat?
Wednesday, 07 December 2011

How does the old song go? You say potato, I say tomato? A narrow boat was traditionally a cargo carrying boat found on the British inland waterways from the 18th century onwards. On the UK navigable waterways locks and bridge holes are a minimum o...

Barge for Sale
Barge for Sale
Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Most people who know me, know that I live on a narrowboat.
“Peggy lives on a barge,” they say, assuming that they are one and the same. I usually smile and nod. But a barge is “a long flat bottomed boat for carrying freight on canals, r...

Living Aboard - Part 10: Children on Board
Living Aboard - Part 10: Children on Board
Wednesday, 02 November 2011

I live aboard a narrowboat with my husband and two young children. The first questions that people often ask us are about safety. Our children were born on board and have had the risks stressed to them every day. If you are planning to move a fami...

Living Aboard - Part 9: Pets on Board
Living Aboard - Part 9: Pets on Board
Wednesday, 26 October 2011

I was recently asked how practical it would be to keep a pet if you are a living aboard a canal boat?

Living Aboard - Part 8 Where's My Nearest...?
Living Aboard - Part 8 Where's My Nearest...?
Wednesday, 19 October 2011

If you're thinking of buying a boat to live-aboard and go on an extended cruise you may well like to know how far would it be between Elsan points and water taps, shops, pubs, visitor moorings and winding holes.

Living Aboard - Part 7 Computers and Internet
Living Aboard - Part 7 Computers and Internet
Tuesday, 11 October 2011

When I first started living on a narrowboat in the year 2000 my computer connected to the internet very slowly via a blue tooth connection to my mobile phone, but technology has improved a lot since then.
If you're looking for a used boat to ...

Living Aboard Part 6 Home Comforts
Living Aboard Part 6 Home Comforts
Monday, 03 October 2011

I am sometimes asked, have you got a TV, shower or toilet on a live-aboard narrowboat? Most boats for sale have all of the above and depending on your budget you can have all mod-cons including a bath, microwave, dishwasher and washing machine! Th...

Living Aboard - Part 5 Is it Cold in Winter?
Living Aboard - Part 5 Is it Cold in Winter?
Wednesday, 28 September 2011

The short answer is NO. It is a bit of a running joke amongst live-aboard boaters that this is the most common question that people will ask. However, it may well be a question that you need to ask when you are looking for a boat to buy on the Gra...

Living Aboard Part 4: Finance and Insurance
Living Aboard Part 4: Finance and Insurance
Wednesday, 21 September 2011

If you're looking for a boat for sale on the Grand Union Canal you will already be thinking about finance. Your budget will determine the sort of liveaboard boat that you are looking for. Whether you wish to buy a second hand narrowboat or a wide ...

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This is where we publish our boat related stories and articles, which range from world circumnavigation to rescue missions, humour and much, much more. So make yourself a coffee and settle yourself down to a good read.