A Few of Our Favourite Bits
A list of things that make living on our Narrowboat easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable. Our Top 10 Boat Items - Disclaimer, these are all Amazon affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing anything a tiny percentage of your purchase will be given to us as a commission. It's not a lot but it all helps fund our journey. Thank you
Huawei mobile internet router - This is number one as it has been a game changer on the boat. Coupled with an external aerial and an all you can eat data sim from 3 we are now plugged into the web permanently. The only downside to the new Marina was that the signal was to weak to penetrate the boat, so you would often find us hanging out of the doors or side hatch trying to connect!!! Not anymore!
Kindle E-Reader - This is an obvious win due to it's size and portability. My only gripe though is the price of books. I resent paying the same price for a digital copy of a book as the actual book. The way I see this is that to create a digital copy requires virtually zero work on behalf of the publisher so therefore the product should be less, even better, much less. This has resulted in more 99p sale purchases and less reading of the books that I actually want to read. I lurch between the beautiful minimalism of the object and its pointlessness. I'm currently waiting for Akala's book, Ruins of Empire to be discounted!
Magnetic PIR Lights - These are awesome and magnetic!!! Which is a HUGE bonus on a steel boat!. Dotted around the bow of the boat, getting on and off in the dark is transformed with these little beauts'. And I have to mention I have only changed the batteries once in a 12 month period....
Stove Fan - Two years in to #boatlife and I am still to be convinced of the effectiveness of these fans. I love the aesthetic of them and there is nothing nicer to sit in the warmth and watch the stove and all its little propellors!
Black Diamond Head Torch - Needed now more than ever as we have moved in to the dark nights of the country and the pontoons are literally less than half of the width of those at our previous mooring.
Fruit Bowl - I love this piece of practical storage. It obviously saves on precious counter surface but the next level element is the seperation of the bananas from the rest of the fruit.... Did you know why this is important?
Micro fibre Towels - Washing and drying towels can be a huge expense and very difficult to do within the confinement of a Narrowboat. That chages though with the micro fibre amazingness. super awesome at getting you dry quickly, two hours later hung up near an open window and they are dry!!! Game changing towelness right there. Top tip, dont ever put them in a tumble drier.
Twin Tub Washing Machine - We are currently striving to cut back all waste in monetry terms. A big portion of this weekly cost will be the almost £20 we were spending on the marina wash and dry facilities. Whilst it's suposedly Summer, we have begun doing our washing in this little beastie. A little more effort is involved and occaisionally we may need to use the tumble drier, but in a standard week we are probably saving £15 easily. A not so insignificant sum annually!!
Axe - Number 9, was almost our little Spear and Jackson chainsaw , but the little bugger has been leaking recently so is on the naughty step. The chainsaws shame is the axes gain. Yes I am no poet you are right! So another essential tool in the arsenal to live more frugally and utilise what is available is our mahoosive axe. It's a fibreglass shaft with a 7lb lump of sharp metal at the end to ensure a longing for a lumber jack shirt!!! Just ensure when it's swinging down you haven't got anything of yourself in its path!
Bialetti Espresso Maker - Good coffee. This doesn't need explaining, surely!?
So there you have 10 items that have become an essential part of boat life. Not all are boat specific, but have become essential to our new way of life.
If you also live on a boat, what would be listed in your top ten items, pop your answer in the comments below.......