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P R

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Posts posted by P R

  1. Routes out of brum

    in Holidays Afloat

    Posted · Edited by P R

    We're planning a trip up to farmers bridge in a couple of weeks starting from Crick. We're going up via hawkesbury and fazeley, but want to come back another way i.e. down hatton. As we've never done either of these return routes before before we're wondering whether it would be better to return via the Stratford canal (Lapworth etc) or directly down the GU. We are tempted by the Stratford because there are a few less locks. No idea what the terrain or overnight stops are like.

     

    Any comments or suggestions gratefully received.

    IIRC there are more locks on the Stratford way plus you still go via hatton

  4. shell building

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted

    Just reserch stage at the mo, have been looking into buying a shell to fit out, have spent last ten years in building trade, mainly plumbing and electrics, but was motor trade before that. but grew up around steam loco's and did steel fabrication when first left school so thought it worth looking into building my own boat from scratch, the boat bug bit a few years ago but to be honest, the prices for new boats and ok quality second hand ones is prohibative, especialy when i have a lot of the skills to build my own.

  5. shell building

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted

    Yes I have :o Acorn plans in the nineties very comprehensive at the time will sureley have been updated for tighter regs nowadays I have no experience of the other plans you mention.

    Thanks, do you know of any photos? I have recently read your thread about your build with no plans, doing it from memory, most impressed!

  12. Finding lost threads

    in Technical & Account Support

    Posted

    There was a thread running a year or two back where a very clever chap was building his own steel shell, he was building the bow and stern sections at home and then planned to transport them to a yard and put the whole thing together there. I have been trying to search for this thread to read again but having no luck, any ideas?

  14. Trying to get AC protection right

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted

    My thoughts are that the most vulnerable part of the incoming shore feed is outside the boat,and a "downstream" RCD isn't going to protect against shocks from cable damage. The shore power cable shoud be protected by an onshore RCD (which should be part of the shore power installation)

     

    Also, the system should be arranged so that the immersion heater cannot run off the inverter, which is a recipe for flat batteries :blush:

     

    Gibbo's AC page is a good starting point.......

     

    Iain

    Agreed. If you still wanted 2 onboard RCD's maybe a consumer unit with a split load (many available screw fix ect) could be set up this way?

  16. House letting

    in Living Afloat

    Posted · Edited by P R

    Well..you have bought your place in heaven haven't you.

     

    You won't get rich like that.

    if I was to 'Drive people back to parents etc'...how much does that cost..?

    I figure...driving back....£50 and hour at least..plus petrol.

     

    I suppose if you have nothing else to do with your life...go on and do that...

     

    You can do lots of driving about...and fill your life with work...if you do it for nothing.

    Your diary...will be full..and your rental properties...will be trashed and owing you money.

     

    And yes..I did lots of things with Nicky Hoogstraten in the 1970/1980s..

    He was OK...knew how to make money...and was only brought down by crumbs who ran about doing good..

    By the way...he is no more...as he changed his name..to Adolph Van Hessen..?...if I recall rightly..!!

     

    Its like aligators and swamps...the name of the game is to get money...not to be nice to people..

     

    The original intention...is to drain the swamp...NOT to fight aligators !!

     

    bob

    I guess the brighton and hove references gave away the Van Hoogstraten link (are you really sure your not him?) I do really feel sorry for anyone who has the misfortune to end up as one of your tenants, with any luck one of them will end up paying you the same sort of visit you arranged for your students.

    ETA i cant belive you would say he was o.k.! he got done for manslaughter and for having a hand grenade thrown into someones house!

  17. House letting

    in Living Afloat

    Posted

    I have a selection of properties I let out..that fall into 2 distinct types.

    Executive flats in Hove...and student accomodation in Brighton.The flats are unfurnished..the student houses...furnished.

    Because of the two different types..I shopped about for agents who specialise in each type. I negotiated hard for commisions..and they both operate 'fully managed' for 7%. Having said that..I do not give them open book to arrange repairs. The few times I have done that...the bill ends up higher than I would have liked.I have the advantage that I have various companies of my own..that can handle this side of the operation.

    The letting agents..inspect the properties on 3 monthly basis. The flat agent..uses a referencing agency to check perspective new tenants. The student agent...communicates with university and parents to ensure they really are students...and take deposits from parents where possible. This connection with parents was useful a while back...where a stroppy little mare was being a premadona ...and threatened to withhold her share of the rent.and the agent phoned up her mother...and told her she would incur a daily late fee..and lose her deposit. It instantly shut her up !

     

    Council tax wise...if the unfurnished flats were empty for a few weeks..I do not have to pay council tax..as they are technically uninhabitable...this is up to 6 months...in a 12 month period..not that they would be empty for long anyway. The students houses...do not fall under council tax when occupied...as the students send exemption certificates...HOWEVER...if there is a leaway period between student changovers..because they are furnished..I have to pay a week or 2 of council tax.That is because..in the words of the council...'I..or somebody could live there'.They would only cancel the charge if I stripped the house during that period. I do haggle with the council and get my discount though...as I tell them that I am living there..in single occupation...(as if I would live in those pits !!)

     

    The agents handle the deposits...but if you take the deposit yourself....due to changes in the law.. legally cannot keep it. You have to open an account with one of the government agencies...IE the DPS ( deposit protection scheme) They take the deposit..and hold it under a reference number that you have and the renter has. When the renter moves out...and you are satisfied all is well..you use your number online and release the deposit. Although the letting agents deal with deposits...and lodge them legally with DPS...you..the landlord are still responsible for them. If a letting agent went bust..you would have to find the dosh to pay back any losses.

     

    Test certificate wise...you have to have the electrics certified initially ....but this is not a yearly event. It can be handled every few years..or even more... UNLESS there are any portable appliances (which I would not recommend !!)...hence you do not need a PAT.

    Gas however..is a yearly test and certification.

    I would seriously thing about basic electrical appliances you supply...as you may be held accountable for a large quantity of food that perishes if a freezer should fail.

     

    I use the services of a seperate inventory company...separate to the renting agent. They attend the property...check out previous tenants...take photos and inventory etc..and then check in new tenants...and agree condition or items..carpets...walls.. etc. If there is a problem..they are insured and accountable in court.Using them gives you considerably more 'clout' and legal proof should there be any damage.

     

    You need to verify mortgage companies will accept renting...and as such..my buy to let mortgages are at considerable higher rate than standard mortgage !!. When you fill in your tax form..if you do it online...there is a seperate section for incomes from rental properties etc...and descriptions of what you can and cannot claim for differing rentals.

     

    I rent the property on 6 month AST..12 months for the students.which means that the tenant does not have to stay 6 months..they can give notice at any time..but as landlord...you cannot require them to leave before that. At the end of the AST...you can extend onto another...or rolling one month ...as I do sometimes...

    If you rent to student types..etc...beware...local councils are changing the laws regarding their definition of HMO (house of multiple occupation).

    In Brighton..this was only places that were 3 stories or more...or had more than 4 seperate people...but councils like Oxford...or maybe Brighton...are planning to make it any house with 2 or more unrelated people...which means...fire alarms....fire doors...a yearly license..etc...yearly ungoing costs of about £800.

     

    Don't forget...your normal insurance company will need to be notified...and you will probably have to change to landlords cover with special liability covers..and you may also want to consider..legal expenses cover..and loss of rent cover...

    and extra cover..in case your cover...doesn't cover..your cover.. :rolleyes:

    I never leave anything in a property that I wouldn't like to see ending up on a bonfire. Most of my furniture comes from the 'Y'..and once you fumigate the beds..they are fine.

     

    I have also...established to myself..that if I go to the expense of storing stuff...my own furnishings etc..when I get it back..I don't like it any more...so could have saved storage money and given it away..or sold it on Ebay....and oneday bought new...

     

    All in all..it runs fairly well. I only had to send..bigger boys to visit the students once in the last few years...

    It could have been dealt with by the agents..but I do get annoyed sometimes.

    Silly really...as ultimatley..it was me had to pay to put a new door on and rebuild the wall..BUT..I did feel better!!

     

     

    Good luck.

     

    bob

    Well you sound like a great landlord. NOT. Your names not van Hoogstraten is it?

  18. Breasting up

    in Boat Handling

    Posted

    But is there any reason why we can't discuss something again?

     

    We're not going to fill up the interweb, just yet, and it is a discussion forum, not a wikithingy.

     

    If you don't want to go over old ground don't join in.

     

    All you've done is start an off-topic discussion which, surely, is worse than a new member not mastering the search facility?

     

    I was only talking about the kids to Swmbo, the other day, and she said "Shut up! We talked about them last week."

    What they said

     

    That's a curious attitude to take.

     

    If something that should be simple to use intuitively is actually complicated and non-intuitive, that says to me that it isn't really fit for purpose.

     

    Boat handling is fun, and worth practising. Wasting hours trying to come up with an optimum strategy for the forum's search function, isn't.

     

    Hi

     

    The only problem is the search facility is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard and tends to bring up all sorts of unrelated threads to wade through so why not ask the question again ? after all thats what keeps the forum going. :)

  20. Suggestions please!

    in Holidays Afloat

    Posted

    Hello everyone,

    Just wanted to know whether anyone had any suggestions about holidays in springtime on the canals i.e. best routes, bases, canal boat companies, length of holidays, etc etc. Oh and can anyone recommend a good value company? cheaper ones? lol.

    It would be my 6th canal boat holiday (on a hire boat) we have just sold our boat last year. (it was old boat and didn't get anywhere really!)

     

    I'd love to do another holiday and i'm persuading a couple of friends to come along so there'd be four of us. I wouldn't want to put them off with a route too energetic and boat too expensive!!

     

    Suggestions/advice welcome! :)

     

    Amy x

    My personal choice would be clifton cruisers near rugby, very well presented boats, a lot of which are quite new, good value and good choice of routes including the Warwickshire and Leicester rings.

  22. A big thank you to Quddich of Wychnor

    in General Boating

    Posted

    This all does seem to have gone a bit overboard dosen't it. homer i dont blame you for not naming your boat, it seems the chap in question has many friends here. Only the people present will ever know what realy happened, but i too think it odd that it caused 2 supposedly seperate people to join the forum just to join this debate, were they avid readers who never felt the need to join until now? or were they directed to comment by someone? or are they figments of someones imagination with nice new hotmail accounts?

  24. Share boat and chug for 6 months

    in Crew Swap

    Posted

    Anybody out there who would like to share a boat with me and chug for six months in UK or France.

    I have had my own boat but had horrible expense on the engine. (it was a money pit) Ideally you will have no work commitments eg. Retired (or wealthy) Don't mind male or female. So dare to contact me

    Have had? does this mean you dont have a boat?

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