A TikToker has revealed why she loves living on a London canal and says she couldn’t afford an apartment as nice as her boat.
Maisy Dewey, 24, originally from Savannah in Georgia, lives on a narrowboat on the River Thames with her fiancé Harry and Dalmatian Kipper.
Maisy says she never intended to live on a boat, but found it by accident while looking for an apartment after it was advertised as a property “on the river,” and didn’t realize how literal the description was.
Their boat is permanently moored, meaning they are connected to the normal sewage system and can still have utilities like electricity and Wi-Fi, while getting water and gas from separate tanks.
Maisie gave her 25,000 TikTok followers a tour of her boat in a videoshowing off his spacious and brilliantly decorated boat.
Maisy Dewey, 24, lives on a boat permanently moored on London’s River Thames.
Speaking to the camera, he explained: “Let me give you a tour of our ship while I tell you why we love living here so much. First of all, looking around, we couldn’t afford an ordinary apartment as nice as our boat.
‘We have a beautiful kitchen, we even have an extra room that is our office/closet and the boat is surprisingly spacious.
‘We have lived with our dog Kipper in three other apartments before moving to our boat and this is by far the most spacious place we have ever lived. We also have plenty of storage space.’
A narrowboat is a type of canal boat, purpose-built to suit the narrow waterways of the United Kingdom. Most are about six feet wide and are semi-permanently moored or constantly underway.
Maisy filmed the boat’s stunning interior, which includes a combined lounge and kitchen area, a spare room for an office and wardrobe, a large double bedroom with additional storage and a bathroom.
The couple moved on board in November and, despite a “drafty” winter, are generally loving boat life.
Maisy continued: ‘As well as having a generally nice place to live, we love being on the dock and on the river. It’s a great atmosphere and our neighbors are very fun.
‘We’re still getting used to the boat lifestyle, but so far we’re enjoying life on board and all the fun little quirks. I really love waking up and going to bed by the river every night, it’s a great dream.’
The interior of the boat is bright and cheerful, and they have a spacious double bedroom (pictured, with Kipper in bed).
Maisy filmed the boat’s stunning interior, which includes a combined living room and kitchen (pictured), an additional office and wardrobe room, a large double bedroom with extra storage and a bathroom.
He added that the boat, which they rent, is the only living space they have ever had that is big enough for their dog Kipper to run around in.
For the most part, the boat manages to remain stable due to its large size, but it can become rocky when it is windy or at high tide.
It has a 50 gallon water tank in the back that provides enough water for the entire boat and they refill it when it is empty.
They also have a gas tank, which the owner refills.
Maisy has not revealed the exact location of the boat or how much she pays to rent it, but she says it is cheaper than the flats she has rented in the past.
His boating video has racked up 1.8 million views as people have been intrigued by the idea of boat life in the capital.
One viewer commented: ‘It’s beautiful!’ while another also backtracked and said: “It’s HUGE.”
Others question the safety of life on the boat, writing: ‘A trailer that can easily sink. Cool.’
His boating video has racked up 1.8 million views as people have been intrigued by the idea of boat life in the capital.
It comes amid a growing trend of people leaving their expensive London flats for a cheaper life on the water.
Emily Jones, 32, originally from Merseyside, has lived on her boat called ‘Florrie’ in London for four years with her dog, Beautiful.
She made the decision after feeling “trapped” by the London property market, having previously shared a house with five other people for £800 a month.
After her father passed away in 2020, Emily bought Florrie for £21,000 using a loan.
His rent is now the price of his bills, but he has also warned people that sometimes life on a boat is not as glamorous as it seems.
He spends around £3,000 a year on costs including licence, insurance and diesel, but admits he “cruises more than most people in London”.
Emily added that any repair is always more expensive than a house repair, and boaters are advised to always have £1,000 spare in case of an emergency.
According to the Canal & River Trust, there are more than 34,000 boats on its 2,000-mile stretch of waterway in the UK.