Welcome to Houseboats, I'm your relatively inexperienced host, Maude. I started this "Tribe" on an impulse because I am looking to purchase and learning about English Narrowboats. I've always dreamed about living on a houseboat, and here in the Midlands of England, with its many canals, it seems a viable possibility. The Narrowboats in general are not expensive (finished 12,000 GBP + up) and do not cost that much in maintenance and upkeep (much less than a house or a flat here). It is kinda like living in a trailer or a caravan, just prettier, for the most part. The loan I will take out, is nothing compared to my student loans! (debt- It is a way of life!!!) It will hopefully be the first home I've ever owned! The first thing I've learned about living in houseboats is that the mooring is the most expensive thing about them: moorings in London, Birmingham, Paris, and Amsterdam for instance are difficult to find and breathtakingly expensive. Often here on the canals people just tie up next to a field in hopes that nobody will notice that they have been there for more than a night! My challenge for now, is not just to find a boat to live on, it is also to find adequate mooring close to my University and with a phone line for work! I've posted pictures of the inside of my dream Narrowboat. My two cats I know will be happy on the boat because I'm sure there will be plenty of rodents around where ever I moor! Hopefully I won't get the chance to see if they can swim!!

So, outside of my desire to learn more about liveaboard life in the UK, I also wanted to hear about other experiences of houseboat life and culture from around the world. (perhaps just in case this does not work out) Feel free to post your experiences, stories, links to relevant and interesting sites, classified ads and questions! Also, pictures of your houseboat or a houseboat you've stayed on would certainly be a plus!!!