BlueStringPudding

Cheers Dominic - I'll keep perusing the website and do that. Fair point - I'm sure the only reason I haven't given Crick a bell as yet is because I haven't found a boat in my meagre price range for the kinda size I'm looking for. But you're quite right, Alan, irrespective of price, the write up should be fair and representative of what's on offer.

True

Hi Chris, I suspect this response is as a direct result of my complaining to them face-to-face and specifically naming Sue as the culprit who told me on the phone that there's defintiely no rust - which I told them was a blatant lie and I'd have preferred either an honest "yes" or a slightly evasive "I dont know" than a complete heap of doggy doos. I suspect they haven't had enough home truths before and she may well have had her wrists slapped this time (but she's only one of three different staff members who each gave me different and contradictory information about the boat) so they're probably as bad as each other. Hi Dominic, I didn't know there were only two brokers who are members of ABYA - thanks for the info. Incidentally both Crick and VC have really good websites with plenty of useful information about each boat. If the staff are as user friendly, then great! Thanks Hi Magnetman, Although the photo thing is a very good point, it was only an illustration of what I think to be the real misrepresentation, which is being lied to on the phone - (see the list of statements towards the bottom of my original post). These weren't just random statements but the answers to specific questions I put to them. That really is misrepressentation.

Someone saw me on the Trent & Mersey, obviously...

Thanks chaps - yes, I'd only ever seen hull thickness quoted in three parts before, not four, hence my condusion. But thank you for educating me! I've e-mailed both marinas (of Harry and Ella Mae) to request more info and photos. I look forward to seeing what they come up with! Cheers Lisa

Just spotted "Harry" at Alvechurch: Harry It states that the hull thickness is 10/6... now does this mean 10mm at the bottom at 6mm at the sides, or 10mm originally and down to 6mm in places due to age? Oh, and Ella Mae: Ella Mae Although the hull thickness is unknown... which scares me somewhat. What do y'all think?

Thanks Charles, I'm by no means expecting to find a boat over 50ft for that kind of money easy - and my budget is £25k-£30k (not just £25k on the nose) and the length isn't necessarily 57ft (not sure where that came from in fact) but I'm in no hurry and can spend time shopping around and waiting for the right boat. There have been some good candidates advertised over the last year (when I first started trawling ads in order to get to know the market), but I'd not started viewing anything till yesterday's adventure! It could be that a boat needing a lot of work on the interior comes along for less that £25k, or that something that suits us really well comes along nearer the £30k mark... who knows? I can wait...

Thanks John, So the older boats are more likely to have a thinner hull anyway? Ok. But feasibly there's been more time therefore more of a chance of rusting/damage so that 6mm could be 4mm or less in places, I suppose, than on a newer or indeed thicker hull. So is the moral of the story, a 6mm hull is okay as long as the boat has been looked after really well?

Yes - that's partly why I've set my price at around the £25k mark - it's the maximum amount you can borrow with an unsecured loan. I was chatting to a marine finance company about marine mortgages a few months ago. They were very helpful, but the red tape is lengthy: you need to prove that the deposit you have is yours and not borrowed; valuation surveys by their recommended surveyors only, (similar for insurance) and just proving to them that I exsist (when I don't have a driving license and don't (yet) have a passport is nigh on impossible! And you could do all this and still not secure the finance at the last hurdle and so lose your deposit through no fault of your own. And yet there's companies out there willing to lend me £25k based on nowt other than a webform and a signature. I know companies like Collidge have these procedures for a reason, and let's face it, I'd be getting any boat I was interested in surveyed myself anyway, but I'd prefer to have the freedom to choose a surveyor that's been recommended by a friend, or to use my overdraft for the deposit if I so desire... and also to minimise the factors that might contribute to my deposit being lost. There's a reason that the literal meaning of mortgage is "death pledge"... Thanks Alan, Yes - unbelievable really, that a brokerage can get away with that. Anyway, as I said, no harm done.

Cool - thanks Lady Muck! I'll keep at it, fear not!

Go for it - good idea. You'd think they'd change the ad by now and remove the statement about the survey...?! Bet they won't. I'm tempted to e-mail them one of my photos and suggest they update their online ad with it instead of the one they're currently showing!

Hello again, What's the minimum hull thickness you'd recommend when buying a second hand boat? There are some around that are 6/6/4 or 6/4/3 which are in my price range, but I would want to buy a boat that needs thousands of pounds spent on it in a couple of year's time, coz I simply won't have the money! I know there are nice ( 'n' priceier) 8mm and 10mm out there, but what about these 6mm ones...? Worth a look or keep away?