Retired customs officer Keith has been living and working in New Zealand for 25 years. Now, he wants to return to the UK for part of the year and go touring the waterways of the UK with his wife Pam. He's commissioning a brand-spanking-new semi-cruiser narrowboat complete with all the latest gadgets. However, Keith has never owned a boat before, let alone skippered or crewed a narrowboat, so he needs to learn very quickly.

Londoners Lily and Natasha are in their mid-twenties and keen to get onto the property ladder. Currently renting a one-bed flat in east London, they have impulsively decided to buy a 35-year-old narrowboat at a knock-down price that needs considerable work. They are determined to save money and do all the work themselves, but it's a significant challenge as neither has any experience of fixing up - or living on - a boat, let alone any knowledge of plumbing, electrics, fabrication work or anything renovation-relevant.