Narrow Boats: Care and Maintenance Hardcover – January 1, 1995

Very useful book. All the information you need

I bought this book for my mom and dad who were selling up their family home and moving onto a narrow boat, they love the book; my dad in particular finds it incredibly useful and helped prepare my parents for all the challenges of narrow boat life. I bought it as it had several good reviews, and I wanted something that would give sound and practical advice, whilst not hiding any challenges that may be faced. This book meets all of those criteria and is an excellent read for anyone considering living on a narrow boat.

This book gives an overview of the systems onboard a narrowboat and some basic maintenance tips. There is very little detail about different systems, pros & cons etc, and the recurring theme seems to be "maintain it or break down". A little obvious, but this book won't give you enough information to actually do that maintenance. Not worth the money - I read it from front to back in 2 hours and was little the wiser at the end. However, there is a good section at the end on boat safety certificate requirements.

All systems are well explained and the various options fully discussed, the author has then given his opinion on why he has chosen a particular way of doing things which I find helpful. By reading and following the advice I hope to avoid some of the pitfalls of fitting out and equiping a narrowboat.

Very useful, easy to read, covers all systems on a narrowboat

This an excellent book but it could do with a refresh. The photographs look as if they were taken in the 1950's and no one listens to music son cassettes any more. But good value none the less.