Alan de Enfield

Ours certainly did - it had a deep well-deck and when stood in it your head was lower than the cabin top - if the boat could get thru, you certainly could even standing up.

They don't (didn't) allow liveaboards, and I don't think any of the moorings are long enough for a 70 footer. They are mostly 30ish foot GRP cruisers. You have to be interviewed by the Commodore and if you 'pass', you maybe invited to join. Part of your commitment is to do X hours work on the site each month (mowing grass, paining the sheds, paining/repairing the moorings etc) My Brother in law was there until recently Forget all of the above ................... The club has 132 Moorings occupied by a variety of craft up to a maximum length of 40ft, however members are limited to a max length of 32.8ft for the first 2 years.

You need to wait a few hours / overnight

You want laws ? According the the Waterways laws they can only be used as a home IF the navigation authority grants their permission, technically if you do not request, and receive permission, you are breaking the law. Use of vessels as clubs, houseboats, etc. 30. No vessel on any canal shall without the permission of the Board be used as a club, shop, store, workshop, dwelling or houseboat. What I'd do is wrap a sheet of kitchen roll around every joint in all of your water pipes. Whichever piece gets damp is where the leak is (unless you have frost damge and a pipe itself is split)

Exactly, if you are buying from a broker representing a private seller you have no protection at all - just as If I just answer a "House for sale" postcard stuck in the newsagents window, walk up to the house, hand over the money and take possession. No lawyers, no surveys, no guarantees. If the broker is selling a boat owned by the broker (which few admit to ) then you have legal pretection. If you are so risk averse that you will only buy a boat with a guarantee then buy it from a business that owns boats.

If buying a secondhand boat owned by a business (rather than a private sale) then you have full legal protection, with all the comsumer rights and legislation.

Which is not what you said ! You specifically said a survey is legally required. And the answers to the TA6 are : Non known Non known Not known Non known which is exactly what you will get on your boat buyers details form. Brokers are very careful in their advertising so they do not have to admit to any known problems and will typically say : Boatshed The particulars detailed herein are intended to give a fair description of the vessel but their accuracy cannot be guaranteed, these particulars are not a part of any contract or offer and are supplied on the understanding that all negotiations shall be through Boatshed Brokerages, who are acting as brokers for the vendor. The vendor is not selling in the course of a business unless otherwise stated. The prospective purchaser is strongly recommended to check the particulars and where appropriate, at his own expense, to employ qualified agents to carry out surveys, structural and/or mechanical & electrical. ABNB PLEASE NOTE: This is sales information and not a survey report; providing content details only. The specification in these pages is based on ABNB's visit to the boat and on information given by the owner. This is to help you decide whether to investigate the boat further, be it by surveyor or otherwise. The information here is given in good faith but no description, statement, promise of work to be done, or suggestion for future use, constitutes an offer. If the craft leaves the UK, any necessary VAT paid status may not be available. If you are not happy with this, then only buy from a dealer, or broker who owns the boat and is not acting on behalf of the owner. You will then get the full might of the law on your side - including a full money back guarantee.

I think you may have been listening to the wrong people again. In Scotland sellers have to provide a 'Home Report' Not in England (according to many sites on the interweb) : example Not a legal requirement Do I Need a Survey When Buying a House? In the UK, it is not a legal requirement for a house seller to provide a survey when selling a house. However, sellers can choose to commission a pre-sale survey to provide an independent view of the property's condition, which can be beneficial for pricing, avoiding last-minute price reductions, and giving buyers greater confidence.

What laws are there to prevent you buying a 'lemon' of a house ? You can buy a house for 'cash' just as you can a boat. There is no legal requirement to have a house surveyed - just the same as a boat You can insure a house without a survey - just as you can a boat If you need a mortgage/loan to buy your boat then it will require a survey (just the same as buying a house with a mortgage) You can buy a residential static caravan without any surveys or guarantees You can buy a campervan to live in without any surveys or guarantees What do you think needs changing in the boat buying process to bring it in line with land-based purchases ? It is time people took responsibility for their actions and not just relying on the state to be there as a back-stop.

Are you sure you have a calorifier in the bow, and another in the 'engine room'?

That's pathetic - a Dog poo sign is bigger than that, I'd have expected something like .....................

I'd suggest that in the circumstances (working at a fixed location and Teenage daughter school/work/ friends) you may be better to start off based in a marina with transport connections. You can still go out cruising for weekends and the odd weeks holidays. As you 1st boat you really want to have as few problems in adjusting to living in a sewer-tube as possible, the continuous-cruising rules are just another potential headache on top of managing a boat. Get a 60 footer and spend your 1st year (an get winter out of the way) in a marina with all the extra facilities they offer.

A 57' boat with a mooring licence fee is over £400 per annum cheaper than a 72 foot boat without a mooring. Yes - a mooring will cost you a lot more than the £400 you save but, the benefits are additional security, water and electricity 'on tap', normally washing machines, showers, car parking, & maybe even cafe or bar. No need to double shuffle fetching cars and trying to find car parking after each 'move'. If it is not too late - maybe have a look at some smaller boats - we went looking for 57-60 footers and ended up with a 45 footer the boat layout makes a huge difference to the usable space, the 45 gave us more space than the 57s we looked at. We were not full time liveaboards but used the boat as a liveaboard from May to September, and often extended the season either April or October if the weather was good. (Being retired makes life good !) On a different subject - the River network is not somewhere you want to be in the Winter. Partcularly the likes of the Soar (to the West of Nottingham) which can go into flood if someone empties their toilet - you can be stuck for weeks on end - not ideal if you have to go to work.