GlosRich

Well, this all happened a lot quicker than I was expecting... Taking advantage of a very recent hull survey, we bought Imagine II (1991, 55', Lister SR3 engine) through Narrowcraft. She's now booked in for some engine & gas work to get a BSC, and hopefully we'll be able to move her to moorings closer to home for the beginning of September. I've been making a lot of use of the forum search facility rather than ask endless questions that have already been covered.

Debdale sounds an ideal set up, though is a 2 hour drive from Cheltenham! Is there anything like that round Brum perhaps? There are some reasonable (price and security) CRT moorings in Gloucester, though these are inevitably basic facilities-wise. Edit: Debdale, not Debden!

Hi, Having found that there are possible boats within our budget with good hulls but grotty interiors, my attention has turned to the practicality of a DIY refit/interior refresh. Of the moorings I've looked at close to home, all have a clause that only routine maintenance may be carried out, though they also mention hardstanding for DIY hull work. Are there any DIY friendly marinas around Birmingham, Worcestershire, Warikshire, Gloucestershire or along the Kennet & Avon? If we can find somewhere within an hours drive of home it would mean that we can work on a boat on the odd evening as well as during weekends and school holidays. Thanks Rich

I made some good progress over the weekend, looking at a handful of budget boats of varying condition and size. Having come to the decision that we'd probably prefer to get a larger (50'+) boat and do some DIY refitting, I was wondering where we might actually carry out such work- every marina terms I've found so far prohibit anything more than "routine maintenance", presumably for the dual reasons of keeping the place quiet and tidy, and also encouraging moorers to use their engineers & craftsmen. As another question, is there any seasonal variation in boat prices?

Back on the general topic of my newbieness, can anyone recommend marinas/boatyards to have a look at around the Midlands or South West? I'm going to Coventry to look at a boat on Saturday, so I'll call into Trinity at least. As a sudden developement, my budget may be upped by £5000, as my father is interested in joint ownership with us.

I went soft too young- we got our first caravan when I was in my mid 20s. I'm only mid 30s now! I can cope with basic amenities and relish the thought of putting some of my own design ideas into practise, but I do like a bit of privacy- I'd like beds at opposite ends of the boat so that night time toilet visits don't disturb each other more than the sound of a flush.

Boatshed is a new one for me, many thanks for that. Having the funds, I'm ready to pounce when a suitable boat appears, I'm going to take a look at one from ebay on Saturday. We'll also keep adding to our savings. Something I have noticed in the few years I've been keeping half an eye is that prices have fallen a bit at the older end of boats, I guess in tough time leisure items are the first to go.

You could compare them to caravans. I had a 14' van that was two berth, and a 17' that was five berth- in either case, all right for a holiday so long as a lot of time isn't spent indoors. It's partially about expectation, but also I think that while boating you find yourself in a situation without anywhere to sit out for the evening more often than at a festival or campsite where there's nearly always a bar handy.

I've reached my quota of positive votes, so for now I'll just say an all round thank you for the input. As we have the funds in place, I'll keep watching the marketplace like a hawk. This isn't a new idea, it's just having reached a milestone of funds that gives me the impetus to really start looking.

Thanks for that, that's definitely worth a look. re: the BSSC, yes, you read me right. What I could sum it up with is that tidyness doesn't matter, but safety does (and IMO always should). Welding is a family skill, my father in law no less, unfortunately he lives in Cumbria! If only I could persuade my mother in law that we could keep the boat on their farm while working on it! I'll be honest, I can't quite get my head around that I could get a 45' sailaway boat brand new for less than £20k, and yet a used boat needing refit doesn't fall a lot below that.

Nah, he's a working cocker, and has all the dignity you would expect from a pedigree dog.

I like this forum already ... !

Hi all, My wife and I have enough saved to take on a project boat... £10000, plus allowance for mooring fees and CRT license. The question is whether what I consider a project is really out there. We have ample income to cover eventualities, the sum we have right now that available without taking a loan. At present I'm working only during university terms, so I have the usual school holidays available to work on any boat we might get- that's likely to be the situation for about 8 years, so there's no time like the present to get started! That and that it will allow dog friendly holidays with our daughter for a few years. We're lucky enough to have some very useful skills in the family, electrician, joinery, plumbing, all of whom will work for holidays, plus our own experience. So what we need to find is a sound shell and usable engine, something that could get a BSSC. Naturally, anything involving gas will get other professionals hired in! We even have spare appliances and good timber which can go towards kitting out... A consideration is that we'd be gearing a boat at holiday use, and would like four berths- from what I can work out, that means we'd want a 40 footer at least. If we could get large enough to go up to six berths it would be marvellous, though obviously that comes with increased license and mooring fees. I've come across pathetically transparent scams so far in my search, listing boats around the £5k mark with pictures and text stolen from other sites and using a ridiculous story to try and get me to use an ebay "buy it now" without having seen the boat, and some boats that are immediately usable around the £15k mark- I figure that there must be some middle ground...

Hi, I'm the bearded one in a small family (husband, wife, daughter & dog) who are looking at buying their first narrowboat, having a reasonable sum saved. We've tried a hire cruise (four counties ring plus an extension to Burton on Trent) and have found a suitable marina. Now we "just" have to find the right boat. I've been doing so much reading lately that my brain hurts... Cheers Rich