Matt72

Thanks John Very useful Matt

Tony Both yours and all the others advice is just what I was looking for when joining the forum, although sometimes the answers may not be what I want to hear it is all giving me the information I need to make an informed decision (eventually lol) Matt

Crikey I am starting to doubt whether a cruiser is a safe option at all !

presumably though as long as you are careful and sensible the risk is low, otherwise there would not be many cruisers around

Getting away from Bilge blowers - I have had a look at a centre cockpit Viking 26 the other day and the petrol tank was in the aft cabin under one of the seats/bed in a compartement which had a vent slot to the outside. The petrol tank was metal not plastic. I was told it complied with all current safety etc. Matt

Thanks both, Off to have a look round David Mawby boats tomorrow so will probe him for more info - looking at previous posts on here he sounds helpful. Matt

Thanks Tony - unfortunately one answer tends to lead to more questions What happens if petrol fumes get into the Bilge? Matt

Hey Graham Thanks for that really useful info - do you mean the engine has a 12 litre tank, also the 15 litres - do you store it outside the boat or inside (sorry if that is a daft question) THanks Matt

Thanks TWBM, I can see this is going to be a rollercoaster of a journey ! Matt

Hi Another couple of basic questions on cruisers :- What sort of range do you get out of a petrol outboard on an inland cruiser and also how do you go about refuelling - ie/ from what I read you cannot get petrol canalside so is it a walk to the local garage or do you carry spare fuel on board? Thanks Matt

Thanks both - I think I would be best to look for one with a shower in the first place as I doubt my skills would successfully fit a shower, sounds like the height is not really an issue though Thanks again Matt

Hi Sorry some more questions I think there will be a lot more to come Buying a cruiser for use on both canals and rivers I know it needs to be 6'10" beam ? but are some cruisers higher than others - will they all get under the canal bridges? quite a few of the cruisers I am seeing advertised do not have showers - is it possible to get one fitted if the boat does not come with one and roughly how much might this cost? Thanks Matt

Thanks - thats good news Tony

Strangely my mate didn't seem to rate Normans but maybe thats a personal thing. What sort of budget should I look at - would £4-5k be realistic for something not too new and as a starter boat? Cheers Matt

Thanks everyone for all the advice - AA for the waterways sounds good, as for being near the sea I live about as far from the coast as you can in the UK so its canals and rivers for me, spoke to a mate earlier who has had cabin cruisers and he suggested viking as a make to look for, are there any other good makes to look out for ? Cheers Matt

You are instilling me with confidence lol - how much does a survey cost (roughly)

Hey thanks for the welcome, yes Sawley is close by and I think there was a boat sales in Nottingham that was mentioned somewhere - in no great rush going to take this slowly and carefully !

Hi everyone, Just joined the forum and looking for some initial advice. we have had several hires over the last few years on narrowboats and this year a cruiser on the broads, now find that I am in the position to seriously consider buying a boat, narrowboats are way beyond my reach but just starting to look at GRP cruisers. Bearing in mind we live in the east mids, I am looking for guidance in initial purchase - what sort of budget should I look at for a cruiser with 4 berths, shower etc , able to use canals and rivers (I think I read under 7' beam for canals??). Not looking for anything too fancy or new but something that would allow us to have a few days or a week away every so often. There is so much to think about - moorings, insurance, licences - any friendly souls who could give a bit of advice? Thanks Matt