I’m an American living on a canal boat in London – there is an annoying downside you can’t escape

An American woman living on a canal boat in London has revealed the pros and cons of life on the river.

Maisy Dewey, from the US but living in London, ‘broke up’ with her ‘toxic landlord’ and moved onto a narrowboat in 2023 and has shared her biggest pet peeve – which can prove to be an obstacle, especially for those who suffer from dizziness or vertigo.

In a video posted on her TikTok account @maisydewey on March 11, the content creator revealed some of the negatives and positives of living life fluently.

Captioning the clip ‘Pros and cons of boat life in London’, Maisy revealed just how much the vessel can tilt to one side when the tide is low.

At the start of filming, Maisy has recorded herself applying make-up while explaining the ‘positives’ of living on a boat.

She said: ‘We start with a pro: we’re on the river all the time. I don’t know what it is – but I really love and appreciate being near a body of water.’

Maisy lists another positive, which includes having a ‘surprising’ amount of space for her dog, Kipper, and herself to ‘run around’.

Moving on to some of the downsides, Maisy admits that life on the water means you have to get used to living in an often ‘humid’ environment.

Although she insists it doesn’t ‘bother’ her too much, the content creator then explained that having a water tank can be a hassle.

She said: ‘We don’t have, like, unlimited water, we have a water tank that we fill – and when it runs out, we have to fill it up again.’

Finally, Maisy highlights how the boat can ’tilt’ when it ‘gets stuck’ in a muddy shoal during low tide.

She explained: ‘When it’s low tide we’re actually sitting in the mud – we’re not floating all the time.

Finally, Maisy highlights how the boat can ’tilt’ when it ‘gets stuck’ in a muddy shoal during low tide

‘When we’re sitting in the mud, we’re a bit of a mess. It’s just annoying sometimes’.

Maisy pans the camera to a length of the living room and galley on the boat, which shows the entire vessel leaning to one side as she stands straight.

The sofa, appliances, walls and ceiling appear to tilt to the right as she shows the slanted 75 degree angle the boat is positioned at.

It comes after another woman from London ditched her £900-a-month house share and left the rat race to live off-grid in a narrowboat – and says it saves her £6,000 a year.

However, Shannon Lane, 29, revealed it hasn’t all been smooth sailing and says she experienced ‘boat burn’ as she battled freezing weather, learned to move the boat, flush the toilet and refill her water.