On rivers, canals, seas and lakes all over the world you’ll find a diverse bunch of people who have chosen to trade a traditional home of bricks and mortar for the freedom of life on the water. In floating craft, large or small, with all the comforts of home, these happy liveaboards prove that home is where the water is.

Living afloat holds many attractions – for some it’s the love of water and being close to nature. For others, it’s a lifestyle choice – the ability to build a home that can be moved from place to place when you get tired of your surroundings.

A floating home can offer a flexible way of life that you can’t achieve in a conventional house or apartment. Imagine waking up to the sound of ducks quacking next to your bedroom window, or looking outside to a different view every day and you start to get the idea. Idyllic as it sounds, life afloat is not without its challenges. Moorings, especially in big cities, can be very hard to find and are often expensive. Boats can have many of the same upkeep problems as a house with the added risk of sinking. A boat or ship doesn’t tend to appreciate in value at the same rate as a house and will require more maintenance of a specialised nature. Larger ships need to come out of the water at least every five years for a survey to satisfy an insurer, which can be a very disruptive process if it is your only home.

For all the disadvantages however, there are many people who would never go back to a conventional house and are happily floating around the waterways of the world taking their home with them wherever they go. This book lets you take a peek through the portholes of some amazing floating homes – from boats that are permanently moored, to ones that are permanently travelling, or somewhere in between. And just like their skippers and crew they come in all shapes and sizes with budgets large and small.

If you’ve ever wandered along a foreshore, riverbank or canal towpath and wondered what those unusual floating homes look like inside, then that is what this blog is all about. If you have a boat you’d like featured then feel free to get in touch via the contact form.

I hope you enjoy it

Gary Cookson