Canal boat engines & motors
I’ll cover outboard motors further down the page but the de facto powerplant for a modern narrowboat or widebeam is the inboard diesel engine. Known for long reliability and substantial
Continue readingAuthor: David Johns
Canal boat interior layouts
I’ll start with traditional narrowboats because by far and away they have the most variations in their designs. Widebeams and cabin cruisers will be mentioned further down this page. Interior
Continue readingCanal boat exterior layouts
For a type of boat that’s really quite limited in what you can do, and which has the same basic elements such as bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and so on, there
Continue readingCanal boat construction & maintenance
Metal-hulled boats Modern narrowboats and widebeam ‘barges’ are almost entirely constructed of mild steel. Given that this stuff rusts when exposed to water and air, this might seem like a
Continue readingTypes of canal boat
Narrowboats When you think of a canal boat, most people (in the UK at least) would bring to mind a traditional narrowboat. Definitely not to be referred to as a
Continue readingThe reality of life aboard a canal boat
Every day when I woke up on the boat, I counted my blessings for having this lifestyle, and the circumstances in my life which enabled me to choose it as
Continue reading
Vlog 322: Make It So
In May 2022, I published a video about a narrowboat being built for a couple who had specific mobility and agility requirements following illness. This is a follow-up video to see how they’ve been getting on with it since launch.
Continue reading
Vlog 321: Cruise Control
After various friends raved about enjoying holidays on cruise ships, and having wanted to go to the Canary Islands for a week over winter anyway, I decided to take the trip as a cruise, choosing a fly-cruise on P&O’s ship “Azura”. This is my review of the vacation.
Continue reading
Vlog 320: Things to Come
Happy New Year! Here’s a “fireside chat” video where I discuss what plans I have for the coming year in terms of videos and travels and so on.
Continue reading
Pets on Boats! (and Merry Christmas)
Merry Christmas to all my viewers; here’s a quick message of thanks from me followed by a video compilation Q&A with narrowboaters (or ex-narrowboaters) who have pets.
Continue reading