A COUPLE who sold their seaside home and moved into a tiny canal boat have revealed how they save £1,000s on their rent.
Ula and Josh left life in Hastings, East Sussex, behind in December 2022 and made the major move to their 60ft narrowboat.
Ula and Josh left their seaside home in Hastings to move into canal boat in December 2022[/caption]
Their decision meant they joined an estimated 30,000 others who currently live on waterways across the UK.
In a YouTube video posted to their 37,000 subscribers, the couple took a tour of their much-loved boat ahead of its sale.
The pair showed how well utilised their space is, with a diesel heater nestled near the kitchen acting also as a way to boil water in their kettle.
Inside, the space is efficiently furnished, with a coat rack and storage space kept right at the doorway of the stern.
The video also took viewers through six days of being “frozen in”, where they were trapped inside the boat due to cold winter weather.
However, the couple revelled in the situation and enjoyed “hunkering down” in their boat.
The couple’s kitchen features modern furnishings as well as a pull out storage space that also acts as a table.
They also managed to fit a comfortable and smart bed space as well as a spacious bathroom and shower.
Moving towards the bow, the couple showed their living room area, kitted out with stylish sofas, a wood burning stove, and elegant wooden furniture.
In another video, they also explained how much they saved with their new style of living on their boat named Inca.
Six months after making the move, the couple upgraded their canal boat in order for it to be full off-grid, meaning they were free from energy bills.
Ula said: “We are completely set up with enough power to continuously cruise and be able to power our laptops, charge our cameras – do everything that we need to do for our work and for YouTube.
“We’re all set comfortably now.
“[It’s] a massive weight off our shoulders.”
They did so by installing two solar panels, a pair of lithium batteries, and a range of other controllers to help generate electricity efficiently.
Combined fuel and energy costs onboard narrowboats typically cost around £1000 per year, according to insure4boats.
Rules on living in a canal boat
IF YOU are interested in living in a canal boat there are some rules you have to follow
You can live on a moored canal boat so long as you follow mooring rules.
While short term mooring is allowed on most canal towpaths, no boat can moor for more than two weeks, or even just a few days in some areas.
While long term moorings are where most boaters pay to keep their boats – and they can be kept there long term – you are not usually allowed to live on the boat for more than a few days a week.
Residential moorings are needed if you want to live aboard your boat anywhere on the canals for more than a few days whilst staying in one place or area.
Continuous cruising follows on from that, allowing you to live on your boat so long as you keep moving, although you are not allowed to “shuffle” between nearby short term moorings.
While home mooring may seem the easiest option, many may opt for continuous cruising as there is not an abundance of permanent mooring locations, especially in major cities.
The cost of a continuous cruising licence, without any discounts, is likely to cost over £1,000 per year but can still serve as a huge saving compared to typical home renting prices.
The typical cost of a canal boat itself is estimated to be £57,000, around five times cheaper than the average UK home.
Their home could sleep up to four adults and had “plenty of storage”.
Overall, living on a canal boat can often be cheaper than traditional living methods, with monthly total expenditures estimated to be £714.66, according to insure4boat.
This includes more than £100 monthly on a Canal & River Trust Licence as well as £314.67 on mooring, £52 on maintenance, and £25 on energy costs.
In comparison, the average UK household spends nearly four times as much on monthly expenses, according to NimbleFins.
While Ula and Josh vlogged countless episodes of their boat life, the pair unexpectedly announced last year that they were selling their 60ft 1989 cruiser stern for £57,000.
Ula said: “We’ve had the most wonderful time living on the boat, it’s been an epic adventure.
“We’ve learnt so much about boating and so much about ourselves and each other.”
Ula and Josh outside their canal boat, Inca[/caption]
