supersid Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 hi! i am keen to know whats involved in possibly living on a barge or boat in brittany - can anyone offer any help. sid hamba kahle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs may Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Advertising post deleted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Hello SidI have no practical experience, but as I understand it, you will need to pass a French Inland Waterways test if the craft has a motor over 6hp or is over 5m long (which it is almost certain to be). Depending on the craft size and engine power different rules apply.There is a lot of practical info on the particular requirements under French law here:http://www.mer.equipement.gouv.fr/loisirs/06_fluvial/00_regle/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedon Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Lots of info on http://www.billandnancy.com/links/FAQ.htmland http://www.narrowdog.com/ Their boat may be related to the 2nd poster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Don't think so Weedon, but I have suggested to Mrs May that she contact the OP privatley and/or uses their link as a sig.Looks a good book - I read Watersteps through France by someone else (Will knows who I mean - I can NEVER remember their names [:(] )and really enjoyed that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 You need to be careful if using an ICC from the UK. Certainly a year of so ago this would only cover you is you were using a UK registered vessel. Use a French register vessel and the RYA ICC used to be no good. I do not know if this is still the case.Obviously the French qualification is better if you are in France.Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersid Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 hi! thanks for the response ! sid hamba kahle . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Ians comments about licences are correct but you can buy UK registered boats in France but you must make sure they are still on the Small Ships Register. This gives the added advantage of knowing the history and providence of your boat.Three things to keep in mind. The UK is the only EU country that allows you to use red diesel to drive your boat (very cheap). France allows you to use it for heating and electricity generation only. I have heard that some people illegally have a change over hidden tap on their boats but I would not recommend it as the red diesel leaves a deposit which can be easily checked with a hand held device that the customs people have. Not sure how it works but the stick a probe down the exhaust pipe.You need good insulation if you live on it permanently. The best form by far is spray insulation and in my personal experience is a must.You can't dump 'grey' water in the canals here so you must have a holding tank. Again because it's difficult to find places that allow you to dump it, and of course there is a cost to do so, most people again have change over valves. I would suggest you get a big 'black' water tank as well, the normal UK sized ones last about a week with two people. In the UK you can get an electric powered 'pump out' pump and can save money by locating a man hole cover lifting it and pumping out yourself else it costs between 10 and 15 Euros a throw at a marina (or pumpout station) and works on a timer the same as many UK ones.We cruised the UK waterways for two years on our narrowboat and it was great fun. It's the winters that are hard more so for the ladies as there is little to do. For blokes there is always something to tinker with on a boat.Most boating of this type is the same, the boat is the cheapest cost then you really start to spend money.As I said great fun and I wish you well, here is my old boat.:[IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q99/ckenway/Picture_0143.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Yes, RH - that book was by Bill and Laurel Cooper, an American couple who wrote several books about downsizing to live afloat, on the oceans as well as inland.What has been said about licenses etc is pretty much correct as far as I can remember. If in Britain the RYA has a lot of knowledge, as does the Inland Waterways Association (though they are less concerned about 'foreign' travel). I remember another amazingly knowledgeable and helpful organisation being the Dutch Barge Association. It is well worth buying (and probably contacting) the specialist magazines like Waterways World, as well as the more general boating magazine like those you will find at www.ybw.com which often cover French inland waterways. The equivalent French magazine and website can be found at www.fluvialnet.com . You will find some very useful links at http://www.canals.com/french.htmNice boat Chris. Takes me back to a previous life [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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