Questions for French Canal Cruisers

[Cactus Bum]

Ahoy there, My wife and I will be cruising French canals before long and I wanted a few bits of information. I appreciate any responses.
1. Does anyone know how much it is to store a boat on the dry at a marina in N. France on a canal or river? I need how much per month per meter for lifting out, storage for 6 months, and lifting in. Also, is storage on a mooring lots less expensive?
2. I assume canal cruising for a 65 year old American is an acceptable reason to be granted a long stay visa. Has anyone had to supply proof of dental insurance as well as medical insurance as well as evacuation insurance? The Dutch, I hear, require this.
3. IF you are a canal cruiser please allow me to have a private e-mail discussion with you. Thank you for your time, Cactus

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Afraid I can't help you with any of the boat questions - though it sounds like you're planning on buying or bringing your own boat. There are a number of companies here in France who rent canal boats - so you could avoid the maintenance fees.

As for your question #2 - canal cruising would probably do it, yes, but provided you can show the resources necessary to support yourself for the entire time you're planning on staying in France. The medical insurance you need only needs to cover as much as the national health care plan does - and the national plan here is not great when it comes to dental insurance. But it will also depend on how long you plan on staying in France - for a limited stay (say, one year) they often ask for health insurance that would evacuate you back to the US in the event of serious injury or illness. If you're staying longer - or indefinitely - you'll need expat insurance (without the medical evacuation coverage but with more open ended coverage).
Cheers,
Bev

[NickStrong]

Bonjour
I can't immediately provide you with detailed answers to your questions, however a) there are a number of places where haul-out storage is available, although b) most boats stay in the water over winter.
I would have to dig out American-related long-stay requirements - there are quite a few Americans living aboard, here in France.
It looks like this forum does not allow immediate messaging to newbies like us, but if you go to my website french-waterways com- which is the internet's leading resource of information about enjoying the French rivers and canals, you'll find a Contact page, so send me an email.
If this forum will not allow web links, then just Google 'french waterways' and the site should come top, or nearly top.
Cordialement N S

[Xrac]

What a fantastic website! Soo much interesting information. Thanks for sharing NIck.