Narrowboat Guide

by Tony Jones

The UK has over one thousand miles of navigable canals and rivers, which are home to an estimated seventy thousand boats. To the untrained eye, canal boats can all look similar, but there are very important distinctions, and a new buyer has several important choices to make. This book discusses those choices, taking into consideration the various boating profiles. From those choosing to live on board permanently to constant cruisers, weekend boaters, and fair-weather cruisers, each will require a different type of boat if they are to fully enjoy their vessel.

This book covers finding and buying a boat, the legalities of purchase, the different features and utilities, finding a mooring, boating health and safety, the cost of boating, boat maintenance, boating etiquette, and many other frequently asked questions. This is the inside story on buying, maintaining, and using a narrowboat, from someone who has done so for over five years.

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2014

About the author

Tony Jones is the author of The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors (2024) and an award-winning outdoors writer. He’s written a dozen books, including Did God Kill Jesus? and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. Tony hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary. He served as a consultant on the television show, The Path, and he owns an event planning company, Crucible Creative. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Tony is married, has three children, and lives in Edina, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical useful knowledge about narrowboats

I remember going to the UK in the mid 80s, And seeing these boats all along the canal at Stratford on Avon, they brought to mind gypsy wagon some how, and I was immensely curious about them.
My American guide at the time had no clue or interest and therefore was unhelpful – this book is helpful and I now know quite a bit more about narrowboats.

[Mike Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, interesting and easy to digest. I'd read quite a lot on the internet on narrowboats but this book revealed something new on every page. Exactly what I was after. It would help if it had a map of the canal network with marinas and locks marked. This would be useful to idly plan your route cross country or just to show where boats could be seen.