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@roadwarrior
I'm a RYA certified Inland waterway's helmsman, for what it's worth, and spent a little time working on the canals around Birmingham under a grizzled skipper who'd spent all his life living on the canals.
Driving them takes a while to get used to, especially if it's a longer one (I was on a 65 footer) because all it's essentially rear 'wheel' steering as it were, and it takes a while to figure out how what you do at the back does to the front.
Thought about living on one for a while, granted there are benefits but it's not as idyllic as it seems, and the cost once you add in maintenance, mooring, liscence, pumping out, fuel etc it's not that great. Getting the smallest possible would make sense to save on those costs. I think the fibreglass boats tend to be cheaper than traditional narrowboats as they are not as sort after.