All mod cons?
Most boats that are designed for cruising will have a large water tank built in. Capacities vary, but most will have sufficient capacity for a weeks’ worth of normal use. River and canal authorities have taps for boaters to fill their tanks from and most moorings should have one.
If you are on a static boat and aren’t planning on moving for a long time then the simplest option is to plumb the boat permanently onto the nearest tap. It’s a good idea to carry a bag full of assorted hose and tap adapters when you’re cruising because all the taps seem to have different hose connectors on them…
The most common question we get asked by non-boaters is "Doesn’t it get cold in the winter?". The answer’s NO. I get asked that question so much I sometimes reply 'Yes, it's freezing, why on earth did I ever decide to live on a boat', just for variety. If anything most boats are too hot in the winter and summer. It’s a small space to heat and won’t cost you much.
Fire!
By far the simplest way of heating a boat is a cast-iron solid fuel stove. It’s small, reliable and kicks out a lot of heat. Some people also run their hot water from it as well but you don’t want to light the stove in the summer to heat your water... An additional advantage of a solid fuel stove is that it cuts down the condensation in the boat, looks cool and you can roast your nuts on it...
If you’ve got the space then a solid fuel Aga is a good option. This can cook your food and heat the boat and the water. You don’t want to have this lit in the summer though so you’ll also need a normal cooker and another means of heating the water.
Gas
If you buy a boat with a gas hot water heater on it, great news because it’s the cheapest and best way of heating your water. If you want to install a new one, tough because they’ve outlawed new installations. There’s no really affordable alternative either.
Some boats have a gas central heating system. These are still legal but really get through the gas quickly.
Electricity
Electric oil radiators are a good idea if you have a mooring with a 240V supply from the shore. They’re relatively cheap to run, very slimline but best used as a backup to the solid fuel stove.. On Havana we have an oil radiator in the bedroom for really cold nights. If you don’t have a 240V supply then they’re a non-starter.
Diesel
Diesel heating is becoming increasingly popular mainly due to the boat safety certificate people outlawing the installation of new gas instant hot water heaters. The system runs off the same fuel (and tank) as your engine and is safe and cheap to run. It’s not cheap to install however. If you do decide to go down this route then it’s probably best to go the whole hog and have it installed as a full central heating system. One thing to bear in mind is that your mooring may be a long way from the nearest diesel filling point. What happens if you’re running low on fuel and the river’s in flood or the canal’s closed for repairs? Diesel heaters need to be very well silenced otherwise they’ll keep your neighbours awake with their distinctive jet engine sound…
It's a well-known fact that if you get more than two residential boaters together then they'll start talking about toilets within 20 minutes. That's because toilets are the most unsavory part of living afloat. There are several types of toilet you can use but all have their pros and cons:
'Bucket and chuck it'
This is what they did in the old days and some people still do. You do the business in a bucket and then dig a hole in the bank and chuck it. Disadvantages are obvious, but at least it's environmentally friendly!
Portapotti
Simplest solution is a normal chemical portapotti. They're cheap, you can move them around easily and they don't go wrong. Disadvantage is that they usually smell bad and you have to fill them with nasty chemicals to keep the smell down. This means that you can't empty them onto the bank or into the water. On the other hand there are numerous disposal points (Elsan) along the rivers and canals. At a push you could empty it down the nearest toilet.
Cassette
Works the same way as a portapotti but is fitted into the boat so it looks neater and it's easier to unload the waste container. I've got one of these on Havana and it works fine and doesn't smell like portapotti's do.
Pumpout
This is a normal looking toilet that flushes into a large holding tank in the base of the boat. When it eventually needs emptying you'll need to take the boat to the nearest pumpout facility where they'll empty the tank for you (they'll charge for this service). Advantages are: No bad smells, doesn't need emptying very often, less likely to unnerve land-dwelling guests. Disadvantages are: More mechanically complex therefore more likely to go wrong, it costs to empty it and what are you going to do if it reaches full and the nearest pumpout facility is 2 days' cruise away?
Most residential moorings will have a metered 240V supply for you to use. Boats connect via an extension lead and a waterproof plug & socket. This means that you can run normal appliances inside the boat. Bear in mind though that they won’t work when you’re off the mooring. Most boats will have a bank of lead acid batteries on board as well though. These can be kept topped up with a normal charger via your 240V supply, or if you’re cruising they keep charged from the engine. On Havana most of our appliances will run off 240V or the batteries. Some of our lights are mains and some are battery powered. Unfortunately most 12V lights are seriously 'caravan style' and therefore our enemy.
If you want to run small mains powered appliances off the batteries but can’t convert them to battery power then the best option is an Inverter. This box of tricks converts your battery power into (limited) mains power. Useful for small appliances like Hi Fi, TV and phone chargers. You can get very powerful inverters for bigger appliances but they will drain your batteries very quickly so you’ll also need a much bigger alternator on your engine to keep them charged.
If you’re a real power freak then the only option is to generate your own electricity with either a petrol or diesel generator. This can be expensive and noisy, so you will have to plan when you use it. It’s not always an option to have it running all the time. While it is running, however, you can use it to charge your batteries much quicker than the engine’s alternator could.
If your electricity consumption is low and you’re happy to run everything from batteries then wind turbines and solar panels can really help you. However, solar panels are expensive to buy and don’t produce much electricity in the winter. Wind turbines are better suited to the UK climate but make sure you use rubber mounts otherwise the vibration noise is liable to drive you nuts.
Some (but few) residential moorings have telephone landlines in place. These connect to your boat via a waterproof plug so you can disconnect when you go cruising. BT are obliged to provide you with these as part of their installation fee. However, the chances are that they’ll make a pig’s ear of it because the engineers are unlikely to have done a boat installation before.
Most boaters will be limited to mobile phones. Apparently the best one to go for is Orange. If you want to plug your phone onto a computer and use it for email and internet, Orange will let you include their internet dialup number in your free monthly call quota.
The vast majority of inland boaters cook on gas. It’s cheap and simple. The alternatives are:
Diesel
Diesel cookers are very safe and cheap to run, but they’re very expensive to buy and don’t kick out as much heat as a gas cooker.
Solid fuel
A solid fuel Aga can heat the boat, the water and cook for you but they’re best used in conjunction with a normal gas cooker because you don’t want to be lighting one of these in the summer.
Electric
You’ll need a big generator to run one of these. The only advantage I can think of is that they’re safer than gas and have that 'wipe clean' ceramic hob which doesn't really interest me in the slightest (or you probably).
Most boaters use the same fridges that caravans use. They can run from mains, battery or gas. Problem is that they have to be completely level to work properly, and a boat rocking around isn’t ideal. They work quite happily from the gas bottle but are useless on the battery setting and drain the batteries very quickly.
Many boaters are switching to a new type of fridge that powers from the batteries but consumes very little power. These work very well but are also very expensive at present.
Most residential boaters just put up with not having a washing machine and use a launderette instead. Some give up washing altogether. If you really want the luxury though, here are some points:
All normal automatic washing machines use a lot of electricity. You can reduce this by buying one where you can disable the internal heater element and just use hot water from your boat’s system.
All washing machines use a lot of water. Will your tank carry enough for a cycle?
The water pump on your boat needs to provide adequate pressure to the washing machine (most do though).
Where are you going to dry the clothes?
It is possible to run a washer/dryer but these will require a big generator and they also need some ducting to route the hot damp air out of the boat.
19/02/01: I've finally found a washing machine that fits Havana. It's basically a normal automatic washing machine but it's miniaturised to about two thirds normal size. If anyone's interested in getting something like this, it's a Servis Compact 386. They're MORE expensive than a full sized one if you buy new, but I picked up a nearly new one for £130.