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Traveller

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Everything posted by Traveller

  1. What is surprising is that no one from the mentioned brokerage has latched on to this thread. Surely they must visit these forums! If they do one would expect them to offer some pretty strong defence. On the other hand I suppose it is quite possible they do not really care about the boating fraternity and its many facets and therefore do not bother with forums.
  2. Could you not have taken the boat back for repairs on the basis they agreed to do the work? Or was it not documented? If the jobs were supposed to be done prior to taking delivery it may have been prudent to check before paying the cash over. But we are all guilty of things like that. The excitement of the moment can, and often does, get in the way as does geography and where one lives in relation to, in this case, Whilton. It should not happen though.
  3. Good points, Neil2. Thanks!
  4. Thanks nicknorman, that really does help. Where did I get the 5mm thing from? I am certain I read it somewhere but for the life of me I cannot remember where. Also on the last survey I read there were words along the lines of "hull being close to insurance limits due to pitting". The plate was 6mm and there was recorded pitting up to 1mm. Thanks again,. I will not worry about 6mm plate any more (well, not if it is in good condition).
  5. As I understand it the hull of a narrow boat must be a minimum 5mm to be insurable. Is that the base plate only or the entire hull? Given the 5mm requirement, is it really sensible to build boats with 6mm plate or to over plate existing suspect hulls with 6mm? Presumably subsequent surveys will look only at the thickness of the over-plating and not what is under it? Given that a boat may be constructed with 6mm steel (or over-plated with it) what would the lifespan be and what sort of maintenance regime is required to attain/prolong it?. How long before a little over 1mm is worn away? It seems that most do not paint the base plate for obvious reasons so that must be a suspect area. I am sure this has all been asked before but being something of a newbie when it comes to hull thickness all information would help me immensely in my search for a boat.
  6. Well, got the surveyors report and what a good guy he is - he halved his fee. I shall use him again - if I ever try again! The survey was really bad and an awful lot of it must have been evident when the boat arrived at the brokers. Notwithstanding buyer beware and all that how on earth can a broker put a price on a boat that is clearly no reflection of its condition? I am sure an awful lot of people work on the basis that the brokers valuation is, to a large extent, based upon the condition and age of the boat.
  7. nicknorman, our experience was much the same. Hung around for ages for the sales guy to turn up, then the lock to get into the boat was seized and finally the boat would not start as all the services had been left on! Sales guy says he will get it going so we hang around but after an hour we just drove off. And this was a pre-arranged appointment....never again.
  8. Lady Muck, I never said this forum recommended novices to rely on brokers. What I said was who can novices rely on? They may not even know this forum exists and in any even a forum is not like having a knowledgeable pal with you at the initial viewing.
  9. Having moored on the Nene in the past I concur, it can be a minx and often so in the winter months.
  10. Everyone says if you do not know boats take a friend who does. But not everybody has a friend who does and such people will rely on the brokers honesty (misguidedly?). Someone earlier has picked up on slippage fees and if this is paid to the broker it is likely this is another source of income. So the more slips the better eh!
  11. We have told the broker that we intend to walk away so now awaiting return of deposit. As a matter of interest, are there any brokers that can be recommended? Those I have dealt with so far hide behind "nothing to do with us we are just an estate agent for boats". Quite true of course but does not fill a buyer with confidence! We have tried an outfit around Great Haywood and just walked away after talking to the sales guy. It was a bit like buying a boat from a Petticoat Lane stall!
  12. Having driven over there today we have decided the noise pollution from the M5 is too much for us. And as stated, Droitwich itself is seemingly nothing fantastic, although it probably has many hidden gems.
  13. The surveyor has been good about it and has reduced costs. A true gent who also appreciates the problems. Nicknorman I agree the bsc is about safety and the hull of a boat should form part of that. I do not mean to suggest that a 5 year old boat should have an integrity check but maybe a 15 or so year old should. My last Broads boat came up to twenty years old and the insurance company insisted I had a hull condition report before they would re-insure. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. And how can I possibly drag the rest of you down with me, And we are not just talking hull degradation. However I do agree I can only move on and that given the circumstances it is the best £650 I have ever spent - all I need now is my deposit back!
  14. You did get your deposit back though? Surely if you buy subject to survey then it is the result of the survey that drives your actions. As things stand, the survey is independent in that the buyer appoints the surveyor and if that surveyor finds against the boat that is the end of it, deal cancelled.
  15. How ridiculous my statement is? You are making statements that are borne of no knowledge of my circumstances past or present. I have owned boats for many years both canal and Broads based. All of those boats have come out of the water at least once every 3 years for blacking/antifouling. Would it be so difficult to have a hull integrity check at that time? If it were a general requirement I am sure the cost of the process would come down anyway. In any event better that than having rusty wrecks travelling the waterways. There have also been comments made about having a good poke around and taking someone with you who knows about boats. Well, not everybody knows or knows someone who knows about boats. It seems though that we cannot trust the surveyors either - seems an unholy mess to me and one that requires sorting. Would I trust the sellers surveyor? Maybe, maybe not but then if the surveyor is trusted by insurance companies why should I doubt them. Incidentally can some kind soul please explain how I poke around underwater?
  16. The surveyor has said the boat is not a good proposition. He also believes given some detailed inspection of engine oil etc that the engine is in poor health. I just cannot get my head around the fact that sellers can put something up for sale and brokers can value same at a price that does not match condition and then leave it to the purchaser to run up costs finding out why. Some of these faults, especially hull ones, mean one could buy a boat that could not be insured. True if the rectification is only a couple of thousand then a reduction in the asking price offsets the work but sometimes the amount of work required means you would end up with a boat that you possibly could not sell later. Incidentally it has a bss until 2016. Maybe the bss should bring hull condition into the mix. that would help.
  17. Having just had my potential purchase hijacked by a bad survey (well the survey was good but the boat was bad) it occurred to me that someone had put a boat up for sale without knowing or caring about its condition and at a price (set by the broker) that certainly does not represent the facts. Indeed the purchaser might even have put the boat up for sale knowing the defects but hoping some punter might just buy as seen. Either way, the net result is I pay some £650 slipping and survey costs to tell someone else their boat is not fit for purpose. This all seems very unfair to me. Why cannot a system be put in place where no boat (or no boat over a certain age) can be sold (or at least sold via a broker) without the benefit of a full condition report. The alternative is perhaps to have the survey undertaken by the prospective purchaser with subsequent reimbursement of related costs by the seller should that survey show previously undisclosed defects. I prefer the former and under such circumstances the purchaser could recoup the survey cost in the sale price.
  18. We are thinking of moving our boat to Droitwich Spa Marina and indeed relocating to the Droitwich area to live (but not live on the boat). Can anybody give us a feel for what the general area is like and especially Droitwich as a town? It would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks
  19. +1 again, but it does seem to do well with the cheapo food.
  20. Thanks Jus11972. Our project seems to get bigger as whilst wandering around the area we fell over Hanbury Wharf Residential Park and viewed a couple of places there. They are excellent and my only concern was the M5 noise. As the park is further away from the M5 than the marina it might be ok then...hope so. Quite fancy living at Hanbury Wharf with the boat in the Marina. We can all meet up for a beer! Don't know the cruising area very well. Is it lock free in the immediate vicinity? I quite like easy days out on the boat sometimes :-)
  21. HI Nic&Ann, Congratulations! We are going through the same sort of thing, although we are returning to the cut after a 6 year interlude on the Norfolk Broads. Our survey is tomorrow so fingers crossed. We have been looking at two marinas, Crick which we have used before, and Droitwich which looks great and has the benefit of being a new cruising ground for us. My concern re the latter is its proximity to the M5. The motorway is Ideal for getting there but on those lazty days spent in the marina or when working on the boat in the marina is not the M5 noise a bit much? We are going up there later in the week to have a look and listen but any views would be appreciated. Sorry to wander off topic.
  22. Excuse my ignorance, but what is the best way to "attack" a tunnel passage. I have only ever done a couple and do find them slightly intimidating and I am sure first time hirers must find it likewise.
  23. Thanks, I shall get in touch with the suggested outfits.
  24. Thanks for that and what you say is apposite as evidenced by, for example, Crick Marina. I think the problem is that all I can seem to find is marinas of that quality when perhaps a "boatyard" might do. Names/sugestions would help here
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