Houseboat + Kittehs = fail
Slight pearoast.

Got back from the boozer on a cold December evening, several pints down. Heard a desperate yowling from the towpath as we approached our boat - our 6 month old birman kitteh had fallen in the brent and unable to get out due to the sheer steel pilings holding the bank in place, had swum to the relative but very cold safety of our neighbours' rudder pintle.
For comparison, the next door luxmotor was four times the size of ours and there was no way I could hang over the stern of the boat to rescue the little bugger in the same manner as his slightly older ginger brother some months previously.

I did what any concerned parent would do - I stripped to my keks, lowered myself in over our stern, swam to our neighbours boat and detached the cat from the rudder. I then swam back to our boat where the future ex Mrs Magictorch the first leaned over, plucked him from my cold hands and wrapped him in microwave-warmed towels.

Id like to say he learnt his lesson, but he did it again a week later.
(magictorch, Thu 9 May 2013, 17:14, 8 replies)

tell me about your houseboat.
a houseboat is mine and hubby's retirement plan.
( janet aylia y'all motherfuckers need jesus, Thu 9 May 2013, 17:23, closed)

What exactly are you retiring from, Janet?
Being a fat mental?
(woocfot friends with Sacha Distel, Thu 9 May 2013, 17:26, closed)

fingers crossed it's b3ta

( 2 Can Chunder Word to your mums, I came to prod bums, Fri 10 May 2013, 18:45, closed)

That's a good idea. At least he won't be able to push you down the stairs again if you get a houseboat.

( 4Q just lurking, Thu 9 May 2013, 20:53, closed)

well...
you wont be able to get a mortgage - some companies do specialist houseboat loans, but youll need a bigger deposit and it has to be paid off over a shorter term. mortgages linked to land you see.

once you cleared that hurdle, go for it. lovely thing to live on. lots of things to think about re upkeep and if you want to live in the same place and not tootle about youll need a boat that has a mooring going with it - which will increase the asking price a bit.

my boat was a 1928 dutch barge luxmotor. lovely thing. they need painting every few years and every five years or so itll need dry docking and the hull painting. also, have lecky on board wears the hull out so you may need plate work too.
(magictorch, Fri 10 May 2013, 10:19, closed)

sweet gentle Jesus
You have a husband?
(andythepieman Is surfing the waves of indifference on, Fri 10 May 2013, 16:38, closed)

Careful or you'll end up like the ex Mrs Magictorch
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-20389119
( 2 Can Chunder Word to your mums, I came to prod bums, Fri 10 May 2013, 18:47, closed)

dont joke, the week i moved in, there had been a fatal fire up the canal somewhere
we had an escape hatch over the double bed in the bows.
(magictorch, Mon 13 May 2013, 15:05, closed)