Vanessa Barns

Hi, I have been offered a job to boat sit & cat sit as a live-on-board for a week whilst the owner goes away, which is great, however I have no idea what the going rate is to charge. Does anyone have an idea? The boat, is an old Dutch Barge if it is of any relevance & is 25 metres in length & there is just one cat. On the internet I am seeing prices ranging from 40 pounds per night! What do you think is a realistic price for a week as there are no extra special maintenance or duties required except to keep the cat comfy & the boat safe ¿? Any help from experience or suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Wow! Yes, she is a beauty............how I wish x

Thank you for your advice, I will check out these other www sites to see if they have anything new to offer & find out where they are located in Holland. Happy hunting fingers crossed

Hi, I am going to be visiting Holland soon & I would love to know if anyone can recommend any areas or marina's that are good places to look around to see second hand boats for sale. This will be a touring trip so it does not need to be in a specific place. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, I didn't know about this book

Yes originally I did say that it was more cost effective for me if I could buy a boat in situ in France & a lot easier However when a boat crosses your path sometimes you have to change your original plan hence why I was asking. I have already had some responses from members who have seen this thread & have messaged me privately to say they would be interested in helping to crew the boat if it came to be & they do have the licences you mentioned which is reassuring As to where in France, we do not have to be at any particular place or part of France so we can decide on that as & when. I will also look at the DBA, I was not aware that there was a charge involved to join but I was referring in my original thread, I think more about buying outside of France & the cost of getting it to France being "not worthwhile" if I could buy in situ instead. Thank you Dog House & Tam both for your kindly given advice

Thank you Phil. I currently live in Spain but we do not have any rivers here that run continually all year, so France would be the nearest option for us & we are ready to move on any way. In answer to some of the questions from the forum yes, I have holidayed on boats, I have also lived on board whilst "boat sitting" for owners whose boats I used to clean in the Marbella area. I have also "driven" them a few times from here & there, although nothing major of course as these were expensive boats (starting at 450,000 pounds sterling upwards).. What I have never done is gone out & bought one, hence the idea for questions to ask. I am aware of the air draft, draft & hull type that is best for the mainland continental rivers & canals that I would be on, it was any handy questions that members (maybe in hindsight) wish they had asked for example. I do already have a list of what I think are basics that would be useful for a live on board. Why is the boat for sale? How long has it been for sale (with this company or others)? When does the licence expire? When was the last hull survey? when does it expire? & what were the results? What are the holding capacities for fresh water & fuel? Is it compatible for Black water? Is there a Water heating system? Is the motor the original that came with the boat? Does it come with the manuals & a full Service history? How frequently has the motor been serviced? What kind of use has the boat/motor experienced? Where and how has the boat and motor been stored during the winters? Has the boat been involved in or had any accidents? If so what was the extent of damage and who affected the repairs & when? What condition are the electronics in? Does it have an inverter? Does it have a generator? What are the conditions of the boat accessories: running lights, PFDs, line & anchor chain etc? What needs replacing or repairing on the boat? Are all covers & furnishings included? What is the headroom in the different areas of the boat? If there is no shower, is it possible to install one?

I am just testing the water here...... If I am successful in finding the right boat in Holland, would there be any members interested in joining & helping me to bring it from Holland over to France? The hope it that it would be a live-on-board barge around 15mtrs. If so, what is the normal procedure or expectations? This is in the early stages but it is something I need to think about. Thank you, Vanessa

Hi, I am looking at some boats for sale in Holland & although they have details on the websites there is not always a lot of information & they ask you to contact them with your questions. What questions should I be asking about the boats & the paperwork/certificates? These are with the intention of live-on boards for rivers & canals & they are all steel hulls, around or just under 15 metres length. I have never owned a boat so I do not know what to ask or look out for.. Any help would be wonderful

The iron hulled boat I saw is a small barge built in 1915, it had a hull survey in 2013 but it doesnt give any more details than that (& yes it is beautiful in side). I wanted to find out some information about iron hulls from those who live with them to see if this is one worth following up for more information.

I have been looking at different river & canal boats that are for sale & I came across a barge that was listed as having an iron hull. Does anyone have any advice or knowledge they can share with me about the benefits or drawbacks of an iron hull compared with steel? Thank you, Vanessa

Wow! thank you You have given me so much more to think about now, I wanted a NB as they have so much character & idyllic charm to them, but I can now see that they may not be the best option, although still a possibility of course. Budget wise, it's small in comparison to most of the boats we have seen for sale, we are at max 30,000€ all in. One of the main needs that we have is that there is enough living space for the 2 of us, we are used to tents & campervans, but that there is enough run about room & space for 4 cats who are not lol

Hi my name is Vanessa. I currently live in Spain but as we have no canals here, my husband & I (plus 4 cats) want to move to France to live on board. We have being looking at sites to find a narrow boat in situ & I have come across the Apoloduck & H2O www but that is about it. Every search & each website always end up taking me to the uk boats. The help I am looking for is if there are any other sites people know of in France or any contacts that would be useful, or would it be better to buy in the U.K. & transport it to Europe & if so does anyone have an idea of how much that would cost for a 55 to 60ft? I don't know if it would be practical or not but the U.K. does have the best range of boats for sale. All & any advice or comments would be a great help, thank you