Before I tell you more about my discovery day service, let me establish my credentials and why I think my service is essential if you're thinking of buying a narrowboat. After all, you've probably been casually browsing the eBay narrowboat listings without a moment's thought about helmsmanship training or discovery days. Maybe you didn't even know such a service existed. It does but, as far as I know, the service I offer is unique. You can learn about basic boat handling by taking a widely available RYA Inland Waterway's Helmsman Course. It's pretty good (although I have been told a number of times that my relaxed teaching style makes for a much more enjoyable day of instruction), but the course only teaches you boat handling. My days are as much about the practicalities of living afloat as they are about steering a twenty tonne articulated lorry sized flat bottomed boat along a thin ribbon of wind blown water. My name is Paul Smith. That's me on the right. I've been living on my own narrowboat now for over five years. When I moved on board I knew nothing about the boats or the live aboard lifestyle. The way everything worked was a mystery to me. It all differed so much from the life I was used to in my comfortably large bricks and mortar home.Unlike you, I didn't make a conscious decision to buy a boat. It was a bit of an accident really, forced on me by the need to quickly find somewhere to live when my marriage failed. My marriage failed partly because my business failed so I was in a mess both financially and emotionally.I moved onto a semi derelict boat in April 2010 at the Warwickshire marina where I started working part time a few months earlier. I didn't particularly want to move onto a boat but it was somewhere “cheap” for me to stay while I sorted my life out.Five years later I'm still on the same boat, although you wouldn't recognise it as the same craft. I've spent a considerable amount of money to transform it from its previous dilapidated state to the very comfortable home it is now. Not only is the boat very comfortable to live on but it's also superbly equipped to stay for weeks or months at a time “off grid”.  Something which is essential for me now that I spend up to eight months each year exploring the UK's inland waterways. Over the last five years I've learned an enormous amount about narrowboats. My work involved moving hundreds of narrowboats in and around one of the busiest marinas in the country and working closely with fitters, carpenters, electricians, painters and engineers who have been happy to share an enormous amount of information about the UK's inland waterways and the peculiarly long and narrow boats which use them. While I've been learning I've also been sharing my knowledge on my web site . I even give away a to living afloat to site users as a thank you for subscribing to my weekly newsletter. I've become a bit obsessed with the site really. I've invested over 5,000 hours creating more than 8,000 posts and pages. I've also written a collection of guides and developed a narrowboat budget calculator which is available on the site as a package I call “”. The collection of digital books and software has proven very popular indeed. Almost every day I receive emails thanking me for the volume of information in the package. But sometimes I think there's almost too much information.Just over a year ago I was having a drink with friend and fellow boater Allan Izatt. He purchased my Narrowbudget Gold package before he moved onto his boat a year earlier. He told me that, although the information had proven invaluable while he was making his plans, he wished that there had been some sort of hands on advice available, practical as well as theoretical assistance to help him make sense of everything he'd read.The result of both our conversation, plus feedback from hundreds of subscribers to my weekly newsletter, was the launch in June 2014 of a real life, hands on, “discovery day” on board my own narrowboat James No 194. My discovery days are now available for aspiring narrowboat owners like you. The Discovery Day is your chance to learn how to handle a 62'  sixteen tonne narrowboat. If you can manage a boat of this length, you can manage any narrowboat on the inland waterways. You'll steer it along the canal, into both wide and narrow locks on the Grand Union and Oxford canals, reverse it in a straight line, do  a three point turn, moor securely against the bank using piling hooks, chains or pins, learn the best knots to use and all you need to know about etiquette on the cut and generally gain enough confidence on boat handling to take one out on your own, with or without a crew.Boat handling is only part of the day though. Steering your boat is the easy part. Choosing the right craft is far more difficult. You need to consider the overall length and the impact your choice has on the waterways you can use, why the boat's draft will determine how enjoyable your cruising is, which stern to choose to suit the boat's purpose, the pros and cons of front and rear deck covers, how to balance on board electrics, which home appliances you can use on board and which you need to steer clear of, pros and cons of the different types of toilet suitable for narrowboats, how to avoid condensation, solid fuel stoves and central heating systems and which fuels work best with them, telephony and broadband solutions, television on board, the importance of on board storage and why you should avoid “open plan” live aboard narrowboats and just about anything else you care to ask.Then there's choosing a mooring. Finding the right mooring for your boat is arguably as important as your choice of boat. You'll meet me close to my own mooring at one of the most beautiful marinas in the UK. I'll talk to your about different types of mooring, the importance of access, location, proximity to busy roads, access to your own vehicle, facilities you'll need and facilities you'll want, hidden charges to look out for and restrictions to avoid. You may be able to avoid taking on a permanent mooring at all, but you'll have to be sure of your facts. After your discovery day, you'll be a step ahead of many boat owners I've met in the past.I've seen dozens of new boat owners here at the marina soon after they've parted with a substantial sum for their new toy. Sometimes they are very unhappy. Often they could have avoided some very costly mistakes by investing in a discovery day. One such couple came to us to  get some remedial work done, quite a bit of remedial work done, after they purchased their 60' long live aboard narrowboat. One of the first questions I ask new boat owners when I meet them is how much boating experience they had before they made their purchase.The answer, which once would have amazed me but which now I almost expect, is that they hadn't set foot on board a narrowboat before they parted with just over £40,000.Some aspects of living on board came as quite a shock to them. The first was that they couldn't get any electrical appliances to work on the boat. Just a quick glance by one of our fitters was all that was needed to identify the problem.When they viewed the boat it had been connected to the national grid via a shore line. The boat was fine when it was on a mooring with a handy electricity supply but no good for them to use to continuously cruise the network.The solution was easy enough, but it came at a price. They wanted to be able to use some pretty heavy duty appliances so they needed to have a generator fitted in the boat. They didn't want the generator running all of the time so they had to have a large battery bank fitted, a 3KW inverter and a better alternator. They didn't get much change from £7,000.Their expenses didn't stop there though.They had bought the boat after simply walking through it on a beautiful summer's day on a mooring in a marina. They hadn't taken the boat out for a test drive. In fact, they hadn't even asked for the engine to be started.If they had taken the boat out for a short cruise they would have discovered that (A) the starter battery needed replacing, (B) the boat handled terribly and (C) the drive shaft was squealing like a stuck pig. The repairs cost them another £1,500.If they had come out with me on a Discovery Day before they started looking seriously at boats to buy, they wouldn't have made the mistakes which cost them so much money. They probably wouldn't have purchased that particular boat at all.The on board electrics would probably have been a deal breaker for them but there were so many other aspects of living afloat which didn't suit them.The husband had a bad back so found bending and lifting both difficult and painful, which was a bit of a problem in the winter with so much coal to lift in and out of the boat, and equally heavy gas cylinders to lift in and out of a difficut to reach bow locker.Considering the practicalities of living afloat is an important part of the Discovery Day.You'll spend a full day, ten hours, with me on board my own 62' narrowboat. I've been living on this boat for over half a decade now. It was barely habitable when I moved on board with my single rucksack on a frosty morning in April 2010.It was a very steep learning curve, but living and working at a well staffed marina with experienced fitters and engineers, there were plenty of people to steer me in the right direction. I am very happy with my boat now. It  is very well equipped both as a static home and as a long term cruiser.You will be able to walk through the boat and compare it with the plans you have for the boat you hope to buy. This part of the day alone will help you to avoid some expensive mistakes made by new narowboat owners. I could wax llyrical about my service all day long, but prof of the pudding's in the eating so here's what a few happy customershave to say... "An excellent introduction to boat handling and living afloat"   "I had actually been living on my own boat for almost a year before I contacted Paul. My problem was that, although I had taken my boat out a few times with a crew, I had never cruised on my own, and that's what I wanted to know.Paul's service normally involves potential boat owners visiting him to discuss living afloat and some training on his own boat but because of my slightly unusual situation, he agreed to come to me to do the training on my own boat moored in Braunston marina.I started the day as a nervous wreck but ten hours later I was confidently handling the boat on my own. In addition to the single handed boat handling instruction, Paul ran me through a very useful pre cruise check list (I ended up with a big shopping list), explained in detail what I needed to know about the dreaded weed hatch, and discussed boating etiquette.  Not only was the day very informative, it was fun too.I highly recommend the day to anyone thinking of buying a boat or, like me, who owns one already but doesn't really know what to do with it!" Steve Singleton, Braunston   Yes, Steve's situation was unusual but wasn't unique by any means. In fact, I have since taken a booking for a similar day from another local boat owner. I met Steve on his mooring at Braunston. We went through a pre cruise check list, then turned right out of the marina up through the Braunston flight, through the tunnel, executed a flawless three point turn at Norton Junction, negotiated the tunnel and the Brauston flight once more, threaded our way through heavy traffic through Braunston, turned right at the junction to experience the frequent tight bends and blind bridge holes of the North Oxford before going down the narrow Hillmorton lock flight before turning the boat in a winding hole and heading back to base. It's all a matter of confidence, which Steve lacked when we set off in the morning. By the day's end though he was an entirely different and very happy solo boater. All he needed was a little encouragement and guidance from someone with more experience than him. I left Steve hunched over his Nicholson's guide as he enthusiastically planned his first solo cruise since he purchased his boat over a year earlier. Here are some more happy soon-to-be boaters... "After being shown by Paul how to handle a narrowboat in the relaxed way he does it gives you confidence that you will be able to handle a boat on your own." "I have considered buying a narrowboat for some time now and thought it would be best to get some idea of how to handle a narrowboat and find out more about life aboard one. All the information we were given before and on the day was excellent.  The directions given to the boat were spot on and we located it straight away. After being given a tour of the boat and everything explained in detail we were shown how to set off correctly. Instructed how to handle the boat round bends, under bridges and locks and to be courteous to other boat users. After being shown by Paul how to handle a narrowboat in the relaxed way he does it gives you confidence that you will be able to handle a boat on your own. We would recommend a discovery day to anyone who is interested in living afloat as the day is very informative rather than just hiring one and being given 15 minutes instruction." Karen and David Holt, West Houghton, Greater Manchester "I was extremely pleased with how the day went" "I have been considering the idea of living on a boat for a number of years however I have very little practical experience of boating.  I felt that if I was serious about the idea then I needed a bit of a 'reality check' and also to learn how to handle a boat, negotiate locks etc.  When I found Paul's website it was a brilliant resource for information and I thought a discovery day would be a great start to learning more about life on a liveaboard. I was extremely pleased with how the day went, Paul was happy to answer questions and I felt that I gained some real insights and lots of useful information. Handling the boat was really great and Paul has a relaxed but assured teaching style which put me at ease and made me feel confident in my ability which was brilliant. I would definitely recommend a discovery day to anyone considering a life afloat. I feel galvanised by the course and ready to move onto the next step - I would not have that confidence if I had not been on the discovery day with Paul.  Thank you again!"
Zoe Marsden, Northampton "We were particularly pleased that you provided us answers to questions we didn't yet know we had!" "Since taking a short holiday on the cut recently we have flirted with the idea of becoming live aboards, if not full time then at least for part of the year around work requirements. Armed with some existing engineering knowledge and lots of research we felt we had a plan of how to make our dream a reality. I guess we just wanted to hang out with some canal folk to give us the confidence to make the leap and also to make sure that we're fully prepared for the lifestyle and that there's nothing glaring that we've not considered. Directions were amazing, very detailed and accurate. Presumably I must conclude that the list of kit wasn't emphasised enough to make a plonker like me remember to bring everything (or anything at all!). Probably a lot to do with our running around like mad things for the past few days but an emailed "don't forget" list a day or two prior to the day might be an idea. The discovery day was everything we wanted it to be. We're still discussing the conversations we had with you throughout the day and the salient points. We were particularly pleased that you provided us answers to questions we didn't yet know we had! Having had a canal boat holiday and done lots of research we didn't feel like scared rabbits in the headlights anymore and it was great that you didn't dwell too much on the basics and that we were able to just discuss canal related matters with you and then relate these back to potentially living aboard when necessary. We'd recommend it to anyone even considering a holiday afloat to be honest. The experience is well worth the price. We would've been much more confident on our first holiday if we had done this day first. For potential live aboards, the opportunity to discuss future plans with someone of your experience is a real bonus as you inspire confidence and provoke thought on the subject."
Carl & Jane Britt, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire "I had a great day Paul. You were so easy to get along with and take instruction from. It was just like spending time with a friend."
   "The main reason for booking a discovery day, was to pick up some tips on solo boat handling and to see if it would be something I would be confidently able to do, and also to get a better insight in to the layout of a narrowboat that was geared towards full time live aboard. My plans for the future in the short term include hiring, shared ownership, and then ultimately narrowboat ownership.The pre-event information was clear and concise and very well written with clear directions to the boat. Of the emails I did send with questions, they were always answered in a friendly and timely manner. I had a great day Paul, and you were so easy to get along with and take instruction from. It was just like spending time with a friend.It was a very well thought out day to cover the things I requested when you gave me the chance to tell you what I wanted from my day on board the boat. I had all my questions answered with patience and understanding.I would definitely recommend the day to anyone looking to consider living afloat, but also to anyone looking to hire a boat because you can get real “ hands on “ experience. There is only so much you can learn from reading the books, or watching the videos.  Yes, I would go again!!" Roy Griffiths, Grantham, Lincolnshire I've received dozens of emails from happy discovery day customers. . I'm certain that you're going to spend a highly informative and enjoyable day out with me but I want you to book your day with complete confidence so... You can't go wrong with this bullet proof guarantee!
I'm so sure that you'll love your day on board narrowboat James as much as the previous attendees above that I've made the offer 100% risk free. So many guarantees tie you up with terms and conditions, limitations and get out clauses. This one doesn't. If, after spending the day with me, you're not happy with the Discovery Day for any reason at all, just let me know and I'll instantly, and without question, refund you every penny! Booking and organizing your
day is simple If you have any questions at all about the day, you can either contact me via eBay or directly through my site. I can't add an email in the text here or the eBay technical wizards shout at me. If you want to email me directly just .
  Are you ready to book a date? Just click on any one of the "click here to book now" links on this page to view my calendar. Please note that there are a number of different options available, You can choose a single person day, an exclusive single person day, or a couple's day. I take a maximum of two people out on a day. If you choose the single day, you'll have one other person with you. You'll have another person with you if you choose the couple's day, but you're likely to know the other person on this day as you'll be bringing them. At least, I hope you will! The exclusive single person day allows you to have the boat and yourself for the day, so if you want some intensive helmsmanship training on your own, this is the day for you.
  Click on the link for the correct calendar to view all my available dates. If you can't find a suitable date there, please contact me. I may be able to add another date for you. If you see a date you like in the calendar in the left hand panel, click on the 8am - 6pm grey button on the right to open a short form where all you need to do is add your name and email address. That's it. Your date is provisionally booked.
  You'll receive an email from me immediately with a link to the checkout page to secure your day. You're booked!
  Once you've confirmed your booking you'll receive more information about your day; comprehensive directions to the start point (CV48 9HX if you want a pretty good idea where I am), a list of essentials to bring with you on the day (a sense of fun and adventure is the most important of these) and I'll prompt you to let me know what your priorities are for the day.
  That's it. This is the perfect opportunity for you to find out all you need to know about handling a narrowboat and the idyllic live aboard lifestyle I've enjoyed so much for the last five years.   I've created the day for people just like you. All you have to do is book a day!
Update Saturday 14th May 2016 I still have a few June dates available. My days are normally booked by now. I don't know why I still have some free, but every cloud has a silver lining. The silver lining to this particular cloud is a whopping 25% of my normal price if you book one of the remaining dates. If you are interested, please don't click any of the links above to book your day. I'll send you a discount code immediately.  I hope to meet you soon on an idyllic cruise through rural Warwickshire.