Our fourth month into living on a narrowboat gives us a fair take on the pros and cons to living in smaller spaces, and the ones that pop to my mind immediately is that cleaning can be done in a flash. Counter that, small spaces look messier quicker, and needs to be kept clean and tidy to maintain it's coziness and homely feel.
WARNING:
This is not a "ShowBoat"
It's how we live and use every nook and cranny of our humble habitable space.
Our Daily Life
Living afloat and working online means that we spend the majority of our days inside. Therefore, to jazz things up in subtle, inexpensive ways, we tweak the soft furnishings, which makes our space feel fresh like a change of outfit.
Open Plan
Our Narrowboat Badger has a reverse layout, which the previous owners did an excellent job with the usage of space, as installing a saloon/galley, wet-room, and a bedroom in a 28 ft (8.53 metres) cruiser stern narrowboat, needed a good plan. There are some changes in the pipeline, starting with the saloon/ galley area, that will make the area user-friendly and practical for everyday living as continuous cruisers. Still, Badger is a stunner; liveable, modern, and newly renovated. Our biggest challenge is storage space, which we'll get more creative with overtime, hence the reason my photos show everything in it's actual state.
Galley / Saloon
This sitting area is multi-purpose,where we tend to have most meals, but it's also a converted work space for me, especially during the night time.
This area will be converted and upgraded in a few months time.
Flooring
We have laminate wood flooring which requires no special attention, however, we inherited a fluffy centrepiece carpet rug which felt snugly and cushiony under our feet, but it was like a spotlight for showing up debris, crumbs, lint, and litter, that is unavoidable in a busy area in this narrow passage. Everything would stick to the fibres like a magnet, and was super annoying to clean.
When living on a boat you avoid using hoovers to save power, and choose to sweep with a broom, which was literally a mission impossible. We would knock and brush it daily, and lay it down, and we'd be back to square one.
My husband @scubahead, who tends to run errands for food shopping while I tend to the boat (yuh know, we feel more comfortable having a visible face onboard when moored up in some areas). So after spending a few days puttering along the canals in this particular area, we became familiar with the nearby hardware and supermarket. Cameron syked himself up for walking approximately 14 km round trip to purchase some replacement rugs. The small changes have made a big difference and gives the entrance a welcoming look.
Wet-room
Small sink with hot/cold water, cassette toilet, and a powerful hot/cold shower.
On the side of the toilet, there's a colour light indicator, that changes to red, when filled to capacity. This is something we monitor well so we can map out to locate the closest Elsan to discard our waste.
Bedroom
For privacy, I added this curtain which makes me feel like I'm in my own little world.
It just happens that I spend most of my time in the bedroom looking out from the bow of the boat. The doors lets light in, and increases air flow. I like to sit crossed legged Buddha style on our double berth, using the top of this narrow chest of drawers as a converted table top for my laptop while cruising or day time when the skipper is in action.
Bow
Another favourite area of mine, is where I water my herbs, and the water tank is in this area, so I always need access when we pull up at water stations.
Stern
We enter the boat from the stern of the boat. This type of stern is referred to as a Cruiser Stern, because it is a large space which allows boat occupants to sit on while cruising. We sometimes have meals on this area when the weather is nice.
Does Size Matter
Yes, it does. Narrowboats as the name implies requires a minimalistic approach to your way of living. For our boat which falls under the "smaller boat" category of narrowboats, our biggest challenge is storage. The benefit of residing in this tiny abode is that I've curbed my hoarding habits and I'm learning to live a simpler, minimalistic lifestyle which gives me clarity and peace of mind to appreciate the slow, hassle free canal lifestyle and enables me to live in harmony with the stunning flora and fauna on the English Waterways and Countrysides.
Thank you for stopping by. Do you think you could downsize to the perimeters of this 28ft long, 6ft 10 inches size narrowboat?