The homeowners selling up for a life on the water

The cost of living crisis is well documented and for many people a mortgage is a millstone around their necks - but a growing number have chosen to cut costs by swapping their houses for a narrowboat.

The BBC took to the waterside in Leeds to find out how it's worked out for some of them.

Ken Tracey, 57, sold his house in Suffolk in 2022, citing the need for "a change in life".

"The cost of the house, it was really tricky to keep up with everything, keep the payments going," he says.

"I've not got a mortgage any more, but I own this, so it's safe."

However, he admits there are "swings and roundabouts" to his new lifestyle.

Alongside trying to save money, Ken says he bought the boat to "live an adventure" - but admits he had not realised how difficult boat life would sometimes be.

"You're not really prepared for it at the start - things like winter are a different thing.

"You've got to deal with a whole load of things that you wouldn't have to deal with if you're in a house. And then travelling around, you've got to solve problems every day."

He described life on a narrowboat as "not a land of health and safety" and warned: "Locks are dangerous places".

"This is technology that's a couple of hundred years old now and you can see that in some places," he claimed.

It also took him more than 18 months to "get to grips" with steering the boat.

"It takes weeks and weeks of bumping into things, scraping along the side of things, before you can work out the best way to steer it."

Ken spent £75,000 on his boat and a further £20,000 on unforeseen maintenance.

However, he still feels the decision was the right one.

"I wouldn't necessarily choose the same path to get here - but I like being here," he says.

"It's amazing, it's genuinely amazing."

Ken is not the only person to have opted for a new life on the water.

The Canal and River Trust says that, post-Covid, our waterways have increasingly become "places of dwelling".

According to the Trust's annual Boaters' Survey for 2026, in Yorkshire and the North East just over a third of respondents (34%) said they used their boat as a permanent home - compared to 27% in 2025.

Just under half (49%) of respondents in Yorkshire and the North East said they used their boat as a temporary home.

After holidaying on narrowboats, Andy Brown said it was "a fairly easy decision" for him and his wife to move into one post-retirement.

Before they retired, their son died, which they say also influenced their decision to make the move.

"I'm sure he would have loved to have done all this so he's always at the back of our thoughts wherever we are and wherever we go," Andy says.

They traded their life at home in Edinburgh and have been living on board for around two and a half years since having the narrowboat built for them.

"It's been fantastic," says Andy.

"It slows you down and you get to see places you just wouldn't see in a car. We've seen places we just never would have dreamed of stopping at before."

He says the Leeds Liverpool canal is among his highlights, as was "skirting along the southern edge of the [Yorkshire] Dales."

Though a significant downsize from a house, Andy says it's not necessarily much cheaper.

"It's probably a bit cheaper than living in a house, but not significantly so," he says.

Ken Marshall, from Wakefield, has owned his boat Willow for about eight years. Two years ago, he decided to sell up his house and move on board full time.

"There's struggles involved living on a boat, but I enjoy it," he says.

Moored up in Leeds city centre's Granary Wharf, with his son on board for a few weeks, Ken says he still feels a sense of community despite not having permanent neighbours.

"I find in general that that people you know are very open to talking and helping," he says.

Now working part-time, Ken says he has "no regrets whatsoever" about his decision to sell his house and move onto the water.

One of the main things he bears in mind when deciding where to moor up is ensuring he can get to and from work from there.

Ken says his favourite thing about moving onboard is being able to choose your surroundings.

"I like being here in the city centre, but then I also like to be able to get back into somewhere quiet, where you're surrounded by fields and nature."

Eric Wilson is new to the waters. He has been living on his narrowboat for just over a month after cashing in his pension to make the move.

He says he found the transition "easy enough", but travelling around is difficult.

"I was supposed to be living the dream, but it's not turned out that way really," Eric explains.

"I was expecting to go off and travel the canal network, but I tried doing a couple of locks and it's too hard for me now.

"I think you've got to be fit, really," he admits.

Eric is hoping to get used to locks and steering so he is able to travel the network in his new home.

Alex Hennessy, the national boating manager at the Canal and River Trust, urges anyone considering a life on the water to "do [their] homework".

"There are so many great hire boat operators across our network and it's a great way to get a flavour of what life is like on the water," he adds.

"I would certainly recommend trying a hire boat holiday first, and you can gradually build it from there."

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