Cruising our New Narrowboat for the FIRST TIME: Bumps, Scrapes & Tranquility
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- This might just be the most exciting day we’ve had on our house boat yet… today, we’re heading out for our first ever cruise on our fully electric floating home.
We’ve never cruised an electric narrowboat before…and it’s been a little while since we’ve been for a cruise, so a few bumps are to be expected, right?!
There’s a reason we’ve got to put our fully electric boat to the test… and we’ll let you know when we get to where we’re heading! Also see how much battery we use up in our four hour solar-powered cruise!
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Jack and Gabby xx
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WATCH NEXT
Summer on a narrowboat: • Summer on a Narrowboat...
Why we choose this slow living lifestyle: • The Joy Of Slow Living...
A tour of our narrowboat home: • Narrowboat Tour: Come ...
How boat life saved me: • Why We Live Off Grid |...
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ABOUT US
We're Jack and Gabby. Since 2019 we've lived an alternative lifestyle travelling the canals of the UK.
Truthfully, we had wanted to find a slower, more simplistic way of life for a while. But, it was a shock redundancy that gave us the final push. We stumbled across boatlife and haven't looked back since.
Living on a narrowboat is not without its challenges. For example, the lifestyle is fully off-grid so we have to manage our resources such as power and water. For us though, boatlife has provided that 'real' life that we were desperately craving.
If you enjoy this video, we'd love for you to see our other vlogs. We have a playlist of each episode in order here:
• Building our narrowboa...
Also, please subscribe to come aboard and never miss an update! Click this link to join the crew: www.youtube.com/@thistinylife...
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FIND ME
Website/blog - thistiny.life
Subscribe to our mailing list - thistiny.life/signup/
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CONTACT US
thistinylife@outlook.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:49 Untie the ropes!
01:31 Powering up an electric boat
02:02 Let’s set sail!
03:09 First challenge
04:34 Let’s head south
06:20 Lock time
08:55 Feeling Proud
10:03 Drama ahead
12:05 Meanwhile inside…
14:42 The last lock of the day
15:37 Let’s find a mooring
16:53 A home with a view
17:17 How much battery did we use?!
18:01 Pan con Tomate
20:45 Breakfast Al Fresco
21:59 Thank you!
23:04 Fin
Thanks for watching this week's video, we're still amazed by how quiet the electric motor is and totally forgot how much we love cruising! Are you more of a nomad or do you like to be rooted? Let us know! Jack + Gabby xx
I'm definitely a nomad evan as a young boy l used to use the canals to see the brave new world by bycicles. Why go up steep hills just for the shortest route when the alternative is a beautiful route around the bottom of the hill which might be slightly longer but far more beautiful 😎😎😎
I’m interested in the tech video for the solar and engine details. Boating with an electric motor would be amazing. Thanks for the video :)
@@Deb_Downes thank you for watching! We'll get working on a tech video soon as we're back on the boat after her paint work :) is there anything you'd particularly like to see us cover? :)
@@thistinylife thanks for the reply :) I live in South Australia, we don’t have canals, but we can have a similar lifestyle on the Murray River. Different type of boats, of course, they are shorter and fatter, but generally slow cruising 😻. So, I’m interested in size of PV system, electric engine output/consumption, rough weight of boat, what sort of electrical appliances yr running, size of battery bank, size of inverter (I’m guessing 3Kw on a comment you made). Hopefully that contributes some ideas? Also, Narrowboat Life Unlocked have recently launched their electric boat, do you know Paul and Anthony?
I'm a little of both. I used to be a long haul truck driver. It was great to see the country and travel and get paid for it - but - after about 4 to 6 weeks I needed home time! 😁
I'm watching it on a very cold winter day and dreaming of warm summer:)
I think the word you were searching for is "pride". Such a sense of pride you were feeling to see your boat doing so well. I'm new to your channel. This was my 1st video. Might I suggest a no music video. Nature and natural sounds make for a more enjoyable experience. Safe traveling. Wishing you all the best, D
Thank you for finding us! I think you're right, definitely a proud moment 🥰 thanks for the suggestion - we tried to balance it but it would be nice to do just a natural sounds video! Hopefully see you on another video ✌️
Arti looked lovely quietly gliding through the water! Happy cruising!!🤗
It was so lovely! Really appreciative of this amazing weather too 🙂 thank you for watching ✌️
Electric boats are definitely the way to go, when it comes to canal cruising! Imo
I’m actually eating an artichoke as I’m watching ☺️. Just discovered you guys and I’m binge watching 😁
my doy spud and l are no mads on our 58ft narrowboat since november 2022 on the K&A wish l started this life style years ago thanks for vlogs you do l enjoy the journey that you share with us from spud and l stay safe happy cruising
Oh lovely we want to do the K&A at some point! Do you have a mooring there or CC? Thank you ✨✨
@@thistinylife l CC have been since November 2022 was my plan to once getting solar sorted
RE: Nomad or stay in one place. I live in a Toyota Prius. I spend most of my time boondocking in the American National Forests for free. I, too, have to move every two weeks and in many places, I cannot return in a 60-day period…or more. In Winter, I spend in one of the Long Term Visitor Areas in our Desert Southwest. There is no snow in Arizona and the temp rarely goes anywhere near freezing. But Summer in the desert is not fun AT ALL, so that is when I hit the road and move from forest to forest.
This sounds like such a unique lifestyle! How do you find it? I can imagine summer in the desert is not fun, it's hot enough in a boat in the UK haha. I bet the landscape is amazing around you?
@@thistinylife “Unique” it certainly is. Like continuous cruisers, I am restricted to 14 days in one place (as I wrote) but the desert is not a place to be in the summer. Temps there can easily spend days in the mid-40sC, so about the only people there are in large RVs, but even those systems are tested. I love the quiet found in forests; if there was a way, I would buy a narrowboat, preferably an electric, and spend the rest of my days tooling around the Cut. Alas, immigration is hard these days…
Congratulations to both on building your boat ,now to enjoy your travells ,Me to watch gd luck guys ,😃
Please can you put the date on screen? Would be useful to know when it was filmed/season especially for future viewers.
Good idea! Will consider for future eps, thank you 🙌
Can’t you just click on “more” and it shows you the date? I know it’s not exactly, just when it’s posted, but close enough, right?
More travel the better!
🙌🙌🙌
I have been both a nomad and a home stopper. I live in Bangkok now, by a canal, but have lived in Germany, Kazakhstan and China. Bangkok is a good jumping off city for most of S.E. Asia. having not left Thailand since 2018, I have to get out and see some new places. Best wishes from Bangkok.
What a quiet motor. Nature must sound much louder. I saw one which the boater could remote control into the lock as she stood on the tow path, she was worked the narrowboat from her phone.
Oh wow that sounds incredible, but a little too futuristic for us 🤣🤣 must be incredible if you're a solo boater! The electric motor just enhances the peaceful nature of cruising - so peaceful!
Aww how lovely you could cruise at last what a lovely vlog you are both so nice luv your dog to tc till next time the oldies👋👍👋👍
Thank you Ann! It's been a long time coming but great to finally be moving once again. Looking forward to seeing her coming out of the paint shed in a few weeks!
At 3:20 minutes of the video, beautiful music
Need stats on solar generation and usage, my reason for subbing! ❤ solar is the future! ❤❤
Nice to see your boat out and about. I think everyone has been so wrapped up in your DIY videos that we all forgot that it's an actual boat and it can go for a nice cruise. Good luck on the painting.
I know! Looking forward to the paint being done and seeing her without the battleship grey
Such a peaceful cruise. ❤
It was so good to get back cruising again!!! ✨✨
Really love watching your videos. Jealous of your lovely life, looks glorious!
Oh thank you ✨✨ the sun makes it pretty special!!
Just come across your videos new sub shout from Manchester
Welcome aboard! Thank you for watching and subscribing :) 🙌 🙌
I've wanted to be a nomad all my life, but it takes me so long to find stuff and get used to things that I have to stay put. :< But in virtual spaces I found I actually enjoy settling down for a bit and building semi-permanent homes.
Either way, the satisfaction of a project that shows it's really coming together is a really great feeling! :D
Hnng! I fancied what you're eating _before_ you said "bruschette". Now... I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow to get me some bruschette!
Very exciting! So ... key questions: what was the average power in W needed to cruise at what speed? What is the total (usable) capacity of your battery bank? What is the maximum power output in W from your solar panels? How long to recharge what you used (a) sunny day (b) mixed (c) overcast?
I can't see any video where you go through the electric installation ... is there one? Very interested!
Lovely vlog. Lovely dog. Lovely lunch too. Must try it x
Thanks! Do give it a go, so simple but tasty 🙂🙂
Great to see Arti on the move at last - being a boat rather than a project or a workshop. It’s a gorgeous boat and beautifully quiet. I can’t wait to see the paint go on next week!
Pretty special seeing her move finally!! Thank you ✨ We've got so used to that grey, hoping we'll love the paint too 😅
Incredibly exciting!! Being able to cruise in relative silence, and enjoy the birdsong, rustle of leaves, etc. 🥰 I think that if I lived in a moving home, then I'd definitely want to be moving. 😊
It’s a day for coincidences for me but I was going to say I’d love to see what you cook and eat as you work and travel. Voila 🍅
What are the chances! We do want to do more foodie bits and bobs so lovely to hear you're interested! 🍅🍅
Great vlog, great life, well done 👌
Oh thank you!! ✨✨
Hi Jack and Gabby. Brilliant that you are out cruising the canals again. Can’t wait to see what colour you’ve picked. Take care. Nick
Great vlog guys
Really enjoyed this one
Thank you!! Hopefully we can get some more cruising vids out this summer 🙌
Lovely life you’re having!!!
🐔✨✨
What beautiful weather you had and fair play for all the navigating 🤓
Lush wasn't it!! Thunderstorms all afternoon today though 😅
I would say seeing your floating home go past must be extremely satisfying!
Thank you - watching it quietly float ahead from the towpath was really special!!
Ahhhh..how lovely to see your lovely solar boat gliding thru such beauty!The elderflowers!Everything looks so lush..Am watching from Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain,so am loving the english greenery-very different from here.Yooze have done so well!Enjoy! Love your vids,thank you XX
Ooo amazing!! It is very green over here at the minute, made for such a pretty cruise!! The elderflowers are looking perfect at the moment, time for a spell of foraging next week ✨ Thank you ✨✨
Like Micheal Jackson song ,Keep on Moving ,👍
You now become my 15 th Narowboat channel that l whatch every week and your the only electric powered vlogers l subscribe to. So l ll look forward to your next vlog😎😎😎
Oh thank you for adding us to your list!! ✨✨✨
Thanks for the vlog today😊 This is the first time that I have seen you guys together at the tiller, VERY adorable couple❤ I think Gabby may need to get Tilly a harness to help her with the lock gates…hope to see more cruising videos in the future…
Haha yes she doesn't pull her weight does she 😅 The plan is summer time cruising so hopefully we'll fit in some more this year! Winter we don't think we'll have the solar for cruising...but you never know!
Enjoyed the cruise,fabulous picture quality and you answered my concern about the paintwork 👍
Thank you! Lovely to be able to share a cruising video finally 🙂 can't wait to get the boat painted! What colour would you go for?!
@@thistinylife l’ve been experimenting with paints for years(weathering aspects)in the form of landscapes sign writing..l have to admit blue is a good colour with a pale blue roof to help reflect the heat
Can’t wait to see what colour you paint Arty 😊
What do you reckon we'll go for?! 😁
Sage green? I thought she’d already been painted…so lovely to see her cruising along so quietly
That was lovely, so nice to cruise quietly without disturbing the peace.
I agree with another comment on here about no music videos, your music level isn't intrusive or stopping me from hearing what you're saying but it's even more restful just hearing the sound of silence or nature around you.
Look forward to seeing the colour you've chosen which I think is a shade of green.
Interesting! We do love the natural sounds, just thought we'd mix it up throughout the video but maybe we could do a bit more raw sounds! The bird song is so lush at the moment ✨ thanks for watching ✌️✌️
I think as our climate revolts against our use of petroleum-based products, electric power will be the way of the future. I would own one in a heartbeat.
I agree! Hopefully as battery technology improves the efficiency will get better and better. It certainly feels a much cleaner way to travel 🙂
Hi your enthusiasm is so infectious i can't wait each week to watch your videos you nearly answer my next question how will you change your batteries in the winter also if I was like you starting from scratch would you say the cost of going diesel or all solar is best 😊
Thanks Ronald that means a lot! In the winter we are essentially planning on going into low power mode, so staying put on a mooring. We don't consume that much energy other than charging laptops etc. and heating, hot water and cooking will all come from the wood burner so aiming to just use a lot less power when we don't have the solar. Cost wise.... Good question!! It's a tricky one because it's cost us a lot more going electric than had we gone diesel. The motors not too bad, but it's the extra solar and batteries etc that really add up. But whether you go diesel or electric, we now think the key is just good batteries (probably lithium really) that really hold their charge! We'll do a cost video of the whole build at some point...once we've come to terms with how much we've spent 🤣🤣
love a audience lol, i would have started to turn before the winding hole so as too miss parked boats ,and the motion would bring the back end round, face pulling lol
, grating tomatoes ? oh and that tyre at the front it lets your boat down lol
In hindsight... Yes haha we overshot the gap! Give the toms a go 🍅
Well, I'd put a wager on some sort of artichokey-green!
🤔🤔🤔
That stuff in the tupper- the stuff you say you like to ration thru the year - what is it? The audio cut out right when you said it and so did the caption? I'd like to know what is it? Some kind of spice maybe?
Great video! Thanks! 💕
So quiet. Been reading about diesel and how bad it is, particularly the fumes for people's health. Also bad for the environment. Good on you for choosing to go solar.
Are there plans for all narrowboats to go solar, like vehicles?
Slowly more are coming onto the market and I think narrowboats are part of the no new diesel/petrol by 2050 initiative. Also, some parts of the canal are starting to bring in electric charging points that you can book onto for a few days. It's definitely the way forward but needs a slight lifestyle change as there's no way the solar will provide enough to cruise and live on during the winter. We plan to stay in one place and use less power during the darker months
Great to see you creating a home as opposed to buying off the peg how much power do your solar panels make in perfect British “summer” conditions
We have just over 2.2kw of solar on our roof which is currently more than enough, even on cloudier days. The winters will be different but we can adapt our lifestyle to reduce our power needs over that time... We shall see 🤞
Brilliant vlog!! Loving the electric propulsion of the barge. Are you based on a particular river/canal?? Hope all is well, take care
Hey Peter! We are currently based on the Oxford canal but plan to head down either on the K&A or some of Thames soon... Depending on the season. Looking forward to getting travelling again
Lovely vlog had forgotten u were electric. Brilliant. Something close to my heart as I do want to eventually live in the canals. I have ev cars currently a leaf. Can I ask what battery pack size you guys have ? I’d imagine 40-60kw ? And do u have a generator for winter top ups or purely solar. Loving your journey. Looking forward to seeing your colour choice too. Every best wish. ❤
Hey Trevor! We have a 15kwh lithium set up.. the beauty is we charge as we travel! We do have to be fairweather boaters, but that's the best time to cruise 😅 we don't have a generator for the winter - we're aiming to just go into low power mode, staying on a mooring (no shore power) and relying mostly on our woodburner! We'll have to see how we get on, but we have all intentions of adapting our lives to stay diesel free! If you live on the water one day would you go electric do you reckon? 🙌
@@thistinylife that’s brilliant. I priced up packages at crick this year. I’m not so good on power so my car has 30kw battery pack and I was thinking the same or similar again for domestic power. I’d love to be all electric and will be great to see how your journey with it goes. Huge inspiration. One thing puzzles me is why can they not replenish power with the prop turning ? Bit like they do on some weirs ? Just seems it would help replenish power. Loving your journey. Can’t wait to see the paint colour ! Every best wish.
Are the boat controls half finished? Surely you don't plan to be leaning into the companion way to control the boat, especially on a wet windy day.
Glad you guys got her running, I bet it was a real pleasure on a beautiful day 💙
Hey! Nope those are all sorted. We were planning on a slightly longer tiller arm but apparently they're not meant to reach past the sides of the stern! It's not too bad a lean and we can keep the top hatch closed on a rainy day 😊 it was such a lush cruise, perfect weather!!
Wonderful as always, thank you and bless you both.
Thank you ✨✨ lovely to be able to share a cruising vid!
Hey, great vlog guys... just out of curiosity as im thinking of the electric root. What engine brand and model do you guys have and what size solar wattage are your panals and how many do you have. I love idea of being fully electric. For a carbon neutral lifestyle.
Heya! So we'll do a full video on this soon. We worked with a really good electrician who worked out the plan for us! Our motor is a Lynch swordfish - UK made in Devon. The panels are just over 2.2kw... Its a set up that will do us well in the summer, with plenty of cruising days but winters we will have to limit our lifestyle to reduce our power demand. Worth looking into the motor though, really impressed with it!
@thistinylife yh iv been looking at that particular electric motor with the twin drive. And getting 3.3 kw solar. With the roamer batttering that ula and josh have but going 24v as i am a high-energy user. Even with minimal living. I want to make sure i have the right amount of energy for my daily life and work stuff.
Good to know i thought of the right engine though thanks.
@@enthusiasticforchrist yeh the twin drive is what we've gone for too, most likely looking to increase our battery capacity eventually when we can afford to. Did look at the roamers but couldn't get the stock
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hi, i am in the final stages of selling my house to buy a narrowboat, i am interested in an electric propelled boat but there is very little info on youtube about it, is there a chance that you could do a vlog about it, solar power needed, the motor, the cost of the system, by the way, you seem to make a lovely couple, cheer's Tony
Hey Tony! Yes, we're definitely going to do a video explaining it all soon. I think more people are heading down this path too, especially with hybrid set ups! A man to checkout is someone called Phil Specialist Electrical on Instagram. He really knows his stuff and designed our set up... Motor we use is the Lynch swordfish, we have just over 15kwh of batteries and the solar is just over 2.2kw. It should be fine for summer time cruising but winter we'll have to sit on a mooring and use a lot less power to avoid having a generator 🙂
Would it be possible to add small thruster motors to each side of the bow to make turning easier?
Probably, but not that necessary on a narrow!
Hi guys, are the hire boats supposed to be parked up in the Wynding Hole. Chris from Sydney, Australia.
Hahahaha... No comment. There are quite a few hire boats at that wharf which always makes it tricky to turn... Although I royally ballsed it up too 😂
Be a lot easier if your throttle wasn’t so far away!
I think you should have bought a bigger sale away
Sorry forgot congratulations xx
Hello again Iam watching this clip that says 3mths ago. Is it possible to date at the beginning of your new videos of dat stamp or say eg September . The one I saw was you hd 2mths to go before baby arrives
Hi Lynda - we do have a playlist which means you can watch all the videos in order. Or if you head to our main page the videos are also listed in date order. Otherwise yep just look at the date stamp which says how long ago the video was uploaded!
Nice bruschetta recipe! Nice scenic views! Looks like you guys had a lovely day.
Can you tell me more about your mobile and internet access please.
Hey Jake. We have a wifi router which we pop a SIM card in that's loaded with unlimited 4G. Because we live in quite a rural spot with awful reception, we then also have an aerial connected which extents about 3m above the boat! The only thing it's not got the speed for is uploading our CZcams videos otherwise it works for video calls, watching TV and streaming music etc. Are you looking at boat life or something similar?
Hi, what's the name of the narrow boat?
She's called Artichoke - but we use Arti for short 🙂 It honestly took us so long to decide, I reckon harder than naming a child, right?!
@@thistinylife Are there any plans to put the name on your narrow boat in the future, any way thanks for the quick reply
@@pgee-1969 we will do soon! Might have to hold off for a little while depending on funds 😂 either that or Gabby'll be outside with a permanent marker haha!
Love the red nails! Very feminine, suits your hair colour
Thank you! Not normally a nail varnish person, a treat!
Disturb the gowff people brought about a near audible eye roll from me. Gowff is the most offensive use of land! I am so prejudiced against golf pitches unless they are owned by the coonsil and open to all. Looks fabby. well done both of you. xx
Haha I do tend to agree...!
I like having a home base, but I love to explore. I think cruising in the summer and having a permanent mooring in the winter would be the perfect compromise for me!
Can’t wait to see what colour Arty ends up! She’s really coming together - you’re doing a great job!
She's definitely coming along nicely... Little pause in the DIY whilst we're in the paint shed! Definitely agree with the exploring when the weather's good... If you can't be a fair weather boater then what's the point haha