Effigy

I have seen it advised that the prospective purchaser of any second hand boat should ascertain ownership and to see if the boat is subject to any H.P. Sounds very good sense, but how do you do it? Is there some sort of boat register? I have tried searching here, but couldn't see anything.

And another 'Phoenix' rises from the ashes! I see this so often in business. A company goes into liquidation, scrapes off all its liabilities, then usually the same directors buy the assets and start up as a brand new business! Its not illegal, but in my view its certainly immoral. The quickest turnaround like this that I have seen is two days! The director even had the front to come back to us to see if we would supply his new company, after taking us for £250k!! Creditors from the previous company have no claim whatsoever on the new company. In my opinion, it stinks!

This has been our experience to date: a sub-standard level of fit-out which is not reflected in the asking price (presumably because it actually cost an arm and a leg to do!) Being brutally honest with myself, I would probably fall into the same category of starting out well, but just not having the polished skills to complete the job to anything like a professional standard. Thanks for the good points, well made. I think you have helped me make my mind up

Some interesting comments here that deserve thinking on - thanks! One point in the favour of sailaways is that although it takes months and a lot of money, you don't have to outlay all the funds in one go. After buying the shell, you can spend as the build progresses, thereby spreading the cost. As I do not want to take out any finance for the boat, I am looking to the 'piggy bank' (and it looks a skinny little runt at the moment!) Plus, having spent the day on a friends boat the weekend, my impatience will probably get the better of me, and I will end up getting ANYTHING just get on the water!

My thoughts at first were to buy a nice second hand boat, that we could use from day one. Then in looking around, my comments were "if I am going to have to pay this, then I might as well get a sailaway". Then someone suggested that if I bought a second hand boat, it would be somewhat easier to replace things, as I could simply retrace the plumbing or the electrics, replacing key components as I went. I must admit that I would prefer a new sailaway - at least I shouldn't have to worry about the engine and the hull. Its just the time it will take to fit out. Reading the blogs on here, it is going to take the best part of a year to get to a reasonable stage.

As I am looking to get a boat, but do not have unlimited funds, I think I am faced with the stark choice of either: 1). Buy a lined sailaway and fit it out myself or 2). Buy a secondhand boat and refit that. I have generally come to the conclusion that trying to find a presentable narrowboat that will not require anything replaced on it, is going to be outside my budget. So all you 'old salts' out there, which would you choose and why?

Why have you discounted Liverpool Boat Co? I am also looking to purchase, and they are on my list. Thanks

Thanks Alan. That should do for starters!

Being a complete novice to boating, but seriously considering fitting out a Sailaway, what are the essential books that you have found to be of help? As suggested in an earlier thread, I need to get as much information assimilated as possible, so that I can at least talk sensibly about the fit out and what I want/need. Are there any recommended books that explain how to wire up a boat? Or what about plumbing requirements? (Sigh) So much to learn..... PS I have tried a basic search on here. Any help is greatfully received, and faithfully applied

Thanks for that. Where is the location?

@bottle: Thanks. I will be getting all the mags from now on! I know that there will be a cost involved, its just if I can get an estimate to factor into my calculations. @Breals: I pretty much came to the conclusion that £25k is not going to get my ideal boat! What I did expect was that it would get me one that didnt look like the previous owner had kept chickens in it! I honestly didnt expect to find such a poor state of fitout - I thought that there would be something that I could work with! I can wire up electrical fittings, I would feel nervous about the actual 'wiring layout' and connecting up to boards etc. With the plumbing, again I can connect sinks and taps etc - it would be the whole layout thing: what goes where, how to connect the pumps etc. One thing that would make life easier is that I would prefer a Thetford loo to a pump-out one.

Hi, I would just like to introduce myself and say 'hello' to everyone. I have been lurking in the shadows around here, hoping to pick up useful informaton. We (me and the missus) are new to boating, being introduced to it over the past couple of years by boating friends, and naturally, as we have always enjoyed ourselves we are now looking to buy our own boat - nothing too large or grand, around 35' to 40'. My wife and I went 'boat shoping' over the weekend. First up was a private sale. A 39 footer priced at £20k. The bottom and sides had been replated, and was described as a tidy boat ready for cruising. Whilst the hull seemed sound, the cabin looked very dated and dirty; and in my opinion, would have had to be ripped out completely. Feeling dissappointed, we went onto a large marina offering over 50 boats. Surely there will be something there, I thought. We started looking at boats within our budget - nothing that I thought justified the price. So we went up to the £25k to £30k level - pretty much the same. Intrigued as to how high we would have to go to get something that looked half decent, we looked at boats up to £38k. Eventually we saw something that we would both be happy spending our time on, but even this required some work. Am I wrong in expecting to find for £20k a tidy, clean boat that while it may require some DIY, doesnt require a complete refit? We are now considering a lined sailaway, which we can fit out ourselves. However, while I am confident of doing most of the fitting, painting etc, I would be aprehensive about fitting the gas, plumbing and electrics. Is it possible to get these services installed by a third party?