barmyfluid

Noice. My previous 'liveaboard' (not joking) was a 70's Series III Land Rover, and while it was a bit of a pig to maintain certain bits of it myself, you could always have a go, it never really 'broke down' as such (far from it, getting it to stop sans brake fluid was always fun), just 'went wrong' and kept going, and the ubiquity of available parts, it being basically an agricultural machine was lovely, it felt like a 'car for life', massively practical.

If that's most of their savings (whatever the figure, mine's a lot less) and they've a £10-20k repair or re-engine spectre looming, then that's a legit worry. I agree that the initial cost shouldn't be scrimped on, but only for future security unless you've deep pockets.

The JD3 is an interesting topic, there are a couple of tugs with this fitted I'm keeping an eye on. Other than the smoke issue, the other negative comments seem mostly about it not being a proper canal engine, not having the 'right' sound etc, which doesn't bother me overly. To me, an industrial or marine grade, easily maintainable/repairable and long lasting engine is more of a 'real' choice than something with heritage and authenticity (only personally, I've got to make pragmatic choices) - the "if these had been around when they were fitting X engines to the fleet, they'd have chosen it instead" reasoning I guess. By and large, are JD3's maintainable with stock parts from the JD non-marinised unit?

I've heard prices of '£10k per pot' spoken regarding the DM's, guessing meaning the new DM2's....but a running DM3 in assumed good order installed in the boat you want....what sort of price do you think it adds to a hull? It's not very clear to me why they're so desirable (as in people will pay a lot for them initially and ongoing), I hear quite a lot of negative comments about them - I was pleased you chipped in with your positive experiences magnetman btw. I'd understand paying a lot for a super bomb proof, reliable lump that I thought would outlast me, keep some value 20 years down the line etc, but it feels like much of their value is just because they're 'posh' and have vintage historical cred, and that a Lister or Gardner would be better, cheaper and more suited. Just seems you're paying 50%+ posh tax for them. I could get that if it was like the big old Mercs that are still going, but....

It is and I agree, it's a very nice boat.

It's got 12/6/4/4 steelwork, and I'm more enamored of Davis' maritime engineering credentials than traditional re-creation stylyings, seems like a solid and practical boat worth spending a bit more for. If it had a Bukh DV36 in an engine room....*drool* The DM3 does sound like a bit of an albatross in it and they must know that - it's *someones* dreamboat, but how long before they come along?

I'd have to go in low regardless, it's right at the top of my budget, but I don't think it's the right engine for me. Lovely shell though. Browsing the Gardner spares catalog, much more reasonable.... bx

I doubt I could afford a RN badge after the boat, or fuel. that's why I'm so wary of the engine! I could polish the brass with my own tears I suppose.......

Thanks all, and for the PM's too. The boat is a rather nice RW Davis that ticks a lot of boxes, shame about the engine. It could of course outlast me, have little trouble and how often does a crankshaft snap.....but if it didn't.... *shudders*. bx

...on a 60 foot boat, river duties, quite a lot of liveaboard charging at moorings over winter.... Overkill on motive power, underworking for charging/heating asking for trouble? Future issues with certain spares - have read that they're not building DM3's any more? Other than just the 'phwoar' factor of the magic number, any mechanical maintenance pro's and cons of DM2 vs DM3? I've got my eye on a DM3 trad and it just seems such a lot of engine, and I hear of far more DM2 installations.... bx

Belle isle marina on the Witham.

It's a halfway house (boom boom?), but if the chap really is "buying a mooring", a bit of land attached with access etc (as opposed to some kind of long term lease), then that's the nearest thing to a boat that'll appreciate value over time. I'd say they're not making any more land, but the Chinese seem to have that issue fixed. Some affordable moorings on rivers and broads actually, so long as it's not London or with a mansion attached......

I used to have some special effects latex that I seem to remember going white on drying (and PVA is just white all the time, it goes pretty clear on drying, used to use gallons of the stuff on paper sculptures). Not tried Captain Scrumbles Orifice Enhancer, but anyone remember 'Seek and seal' for car windscreens? Was a runny liquid that used to dry very tacky just like latex, wouldn't surprise me if it was the same product.

But, but....the UK is European....isn't it? That's really interesting - I suppose in a situation where you've not got the host country coddling the risk, it's not any riskier to use a different country. Well, maybe not the Unsolicited Email Bank of my Dead Uncle of Nigeria. How do you actually deal with them though? Looking at Lendify it's all Swedish and it doesn't appear to cater for outside investment, and there's not an awful lot on this list and quite a few in places that are, if not unstable, close to some pretty unstable areas:* https://www.p2p-banking.com/p2p-lending-services-open-to-international-non-resident-investors/ 12%+ is such an attractive figure, especially to folks without a big pot to invest. *Edited - unfair, as I've been drip fed the belief that anywhere with land links to Russia is about to be imminently invaded in recent months.

I'm glad you do. I've always liked the look of the eastern bit part, but I've no interest in Rotherham and Sheff. My family were scrap merchants, and I've seen most of the system going back into the 70's when dad used to cut up barges and take me along, it's interesting and needs preserving, but it's not a place I'd want to spend a lot of time these days, but everyone to their own.

I wonder why.....?

Well, I've been a boat owner before so, that's one down, the other....probably not, no. So you've spent time as a liveaboard in Sheffield then? How long, where, and how did you find it, I'm genuinely interested.

Who could resist the added attraction of having to go through Rotherham to get there?

Because I was born there, used to live there until not long back and spent a great deal of time hanging around the waste incinerator by the basin doing Dioxin tests. It's minging, and I don't think being on a boat will magically transport you to anywhere different than the environment 4 feet away on the towpath. Also I was talking about Sheffield, and not the whole waterway.

I should say that I'd only been looking at fairly easy in / easy out short term P2P's, and that 4.6% was the averaged rate from the most well established/best reviewed ones. There's really a lot of new stuff out there at the moment, seems like it'd be easy to do a very diverse spread with small amounts. Even if I had the cash to spare (for a boat) to keep this place on, or get a cheaper place after I'd really not want to rent it out. I do know that many have no trouble at all with tenants, and there are ways to minimise the risk (at some cost it should be mentioned), but nightmare tenants seem far too common for it to be worth it to me - you really do seem to be playing a game with quite high odds and possibly awful outcomes in terms of finances and stress, I've known people with lives really torn apart. It may not be so bad if you've diverse pots of multiple properties, savings, P2P etc, but for a person with a boat and one property, maybe depending on rental income for costs on the cut...?

To be totally on topic, my old stomping ground of Sheffield has a great deal going for it in housing terms, it's a very vibrant city and has 'Northern priced' houses in decent areas. A great deal of students end up staying there after graduation, as it's got such a friendly and safe atmosphere. It really freaks Southerners out when they're stood at the bus stop and get engaged in conversation by all and sundry. Aw, I really miss it tbh... The canal environment there is less than stellar however. bx

You can buy my place if you like, also 10 mins away from the Peak forest canal so you can pop by on your travels: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/46911830 Solid investment, good rental potential, if you do it for holiday lets you could stay there yourself when you need to. It's definitely not a 'cheap' area, but it's the cheapest you'll ever find a place here, it's a lovely village. I'd have rather bought a town class with a RN I had my eye on, but got this place so I could look after my old dad - now it's time to move on. Has anyone tried the P2P lending route for investments? I've been looking at them for a few years now, they seem to be becoming more accepted as a viable investment, have more controls, some are now tax free ISAs and the most established 'safe' ones seem to average out at 4.6% pa last time I updated my spreadsheet. They're not risk free, but seem fairly solid for a diverse portfolio. bx

Ok, that's good to know, cheers

Yeah, I think I mentioned the Three deal to EE to get the bump, but I was happy with the QOS I got from EE and didn't want to risk swapping to a crappier provider as I rely on my connection for work....however, how do you rate Three to EE in terms of 4G access, data rates etc?

I've had EE mobile wifi for 2 years, it was £29 a month for 25gb, and I recently phoned them for a moan and groan and got 30gb for the same price - I could probably get more but that's enough really and stops me from downloading every episode of Monkey on a whim and things like that. However, what I really like about it is the quality of service, I nearly always get 4G even out in the country where I live now (I was living in a tent/landrover for a while, meant I could keep doing my 'work from home' job) and the transfer speeds are better than my old Virgin cable in the city. Reliability has been very good too, can only think of one outage after the local mast got damaged, and that was soon fixed.