scrabble

Think Im just going to try save the rest of the money up, just cleared all my direct debits so dont want anymore debt, it will be the first time ive lived in/on something i can say is mine, not rented or bought from a loan..

LOL i saw that peace boat.. PVC windows !

Thanks people. Theres a nice 38 footer on ebay at the minute, year 2000 for 20k, nice and modern, but i think im going to need a minimum of 40ft max of 45ft, i dont see the point in buying a huge 65ft+ one for just myself, costs more money more in licence fees etc just stumbled across MGM and will look at that other one near Rugby

Its funny now how a few of you have mentioned buying a sailaway. My uncle is a carpenter (30+ years experience since he was 15) and he suggested buying a brand new shell and engine, thats already been batoned out and insulated/sprayfoamed and he will do the interior bit by bit for a fair price if i help him. I hear what your saying, its just I know if i spent 5 - 10k on a boat i could end up buying a sieve and end up paying that amount out again, its either that or brand new, im a bit sceptical about paying 20k out for say a 15 - 20 year old boat, something ive learnt from cars, you can pay £1000 for one and spend £300 sorting its minor faults and niggles or you can pay £10,000 for one and still at some point within the first 6 months something will break that will cost you a 3 figure sum. For me i think its either going to be hold out for a half decent one as a project i can live on and sort bit by bit for 5 - 10k or save and buy a sailaway. Im 31 years old, no wife or girlfriend, no kids, and the way I am (mental health issues i dont work with relationships) Ill probably spend the rest of my days on it. I love nothing more than when im having a bad day to go sit on my friends boat, in the middle of no where, in front of the fire, beer or two get the xbox going, just takes all the negativity away, all the stresses. I know its not a plain sailing lifestyle (excuse the pun) but its something ive been looking into a while and the more i look into it the more I want to do it. Fedup of paying nearly £900 out a month for a 2 bed flat that i dont even own and never will ! Can anyone recommend a good boat builders in or near Leicester city centre?

Im looking at buying a boat soon just waiting for the right one to crop up. I seem to prefer reverse layout, after being on and staying on friends boats it always seems that the sleeping area (permanent double) always more often that not seems to be situated at the stern end, then you have the bathroom, kitchen area and living area at the bow end. It seems during winter having your sleeping area at the stern end and the living area at the other, where the wood burner would be situated then come bed time it may not always be that warm at the stern end, or so ive noticed after staying on friends boats. Ideally id like my layout to be stern, entering down into the kitchen(galley) then the living area, then the bathroom with the bedroom at the bow end. One of my closest friends ripped his all out and re did it like this. Im in a dilemma now and ive noticed a couple of boats, im thinking around 40 - 45 footer for just myself as a single person to liveaboard one was £7500 and one was up for £9995 , one was 40ft the other 45, both needed a repaint on the outside, both had good engines that ran with no issues and both had interiors that were laid out in the usual fashion and very dated so would all need ripping out and redoing. Im a jack of all trades type i can fix anything, i can build anything, give me the tools and the materials and with research I can do anything. Trouble is a couple of my boater friends are now saying its not worth spending £7500 - £10000 out on a tatty shell with a decent engine and a dated interior i wont be happy with, or even buying a shell with a good engine, they are all saying to keep saving and il be able to buy one I want in time for around £20,000 - £25,000 Money isnt an issue here, i was kind of content in my idea of buying a smallish, cheap boat, with an engine that ran, that just needed a lick of paint and the interior fitting out to my taste, but everyone seems to be trying to put me off the idea, saying il run into problems, il run out of money and what not, but im a minimalist simple kind of guy, i dont see the point in buying a 60 - 70 foot boat for myself, all i want is a good sized bed, a good size living area, a simple kitchen with everything i need and a bathroom with shower, i dont own a lot so storage wont be much of an issue. I don't know whether to just go along with my own plans, spend a few grand on one that needs paint and a refit, or keep saving in the hope that one pops up that suits my taste, but in 3 months of looking ive not seen many that i liked and the couple i did were like 35ft and no fixed bed couldnt be asked making the bed up everynight.

Jeeze I watching narrowboat vids on youtube and came across this forgot all about those locks, i did them years ago when my old man hired us a boat for the week

You sound like my type of guy ! The old ' f**k it ' approach is a good one and has done well a few times, its never a bad thing to jump into the deep end (no pun lol) its better to look back and say ' i cant believe i did that ' than to look bad and think ' i wish i did that '

With cars I often go by history, length of tax/MOT, number of owners, general condition then a short run if im not sure. I guess in this day and age everyone wants something for either nothing or the bare minimum, how annoyed would you be if you took someone out on boat for an hour, used your time, diesel in the boat for the person to turn around and say no thanks? Ive had it done to me with cars a few times, took them down off advertising, paid to have them valeted, took time off work to get a sale only to be messed about

Whys everyone so uptight on here and got a short fuse, petty arguments everywhere lol, and i thought the boating life was meant to be relaxed and friendly, i guess people are friendlier on the cut than on the net lol

These things do no good for us newbies still looking to buy there first boat, in the last week across 3 forums ive seen Boat fires (accidental or blatant vandalism) Boats being vandalised on purpose Boats being broken into, sometimes even attempted while the owner(s) are on board Idiots undoing peoples ropes in the night so you wake up and your boats halfway across the cut Boats getting stuck in locks and capsizing/sinking, either on the cill or because of catching on loose brickwork as the boats gone up/down Boats/boat owners being shot at or pelted with rocks etc whilst cruising Seems fun if you like to live dangerous lol So how safe is the Ashby Canal ? lol

Whilst looking at boats for sale ive seen a couple sporting L plates lol

I wonder if there some sort of high pressure pump you could buy that in event of a fire you could use to put one out? I guess it would end up being generator sized. Ive seen wiring on a caravan catch fire before.

I think if your just generally moored then maybe they turn a blind eye to a bit of infringement? but i guess if you started filling the towpath with crap and setting up home theyd soon be on your case?

I just seem to see a lot of the same boats down here all the time then it dissapear but then its a mile up the cut then the following week itl be up the other end then back in the middle again, the whole stretch is 14 day visitor moorings, just makes me wonder if its ' policed ' as much as it should be? The rules seem very relaxed.

Its the only thing that bothers me to be honest, I was in a house fire as a child and that was bad enough, so when i do eventually buy a boat I think fire safety will be my top priority. Have you seen those automatic fire extinguishers you can buy? They are like a normal extinguisher but instead of a nozzle/handle its got a sprinkler head on it? Would be good to mount near a wood burner or engine bay or anywhere where a fire could start. I read on one forum where someone kept wood/coal/kindling too close the burner and it caught fire from the heat. Scary stuff and being in a canal the chances of the fire brigade getting to you before its too late is minimal I guess. Also kind of ironic if your boat was on fire and your surround by millions of gallons of water yet theres nothing you can do about it.

I know you can't stay in one place for more than 14 days, but when you move on whats classed as acceptable? Do you have to completely get off that section of canal or is it okay to just move 1-2 miles further down the cut?

I saw this one on youtube the other day Its sad to think thats someones pride and joy, someones home thats just gone up.

Thanks people, its a friend who has boat it (the 4th person in the last 18 months I know whos took the canals, and all of them under 35 the youngest is 24) Ive offered to help as when i get mine i want to know what to do. Its funny looking at it with no interior, its like where the hell do you start lol

Well it wasn't just me who was interested in getting a boat. A friend of mine has purchased a 38ft in a very sorry state, not been in the water for 3 years, its currently on a trailer in his garden, springer i think it is. Anyway hes had the hull and outside checked and all is well no welding required just blacking. Now hes done basic DIY before, and im not too clued up on it but i know how to use tools/power tools. Hes hired a skip and is going to basically rip the lot out and skip it and start from scratch Just wondering if there was any guides online to help refitting it out? Stages, does donts, materials to use etc, its going to be a winter project with a view to getting it back in the water come next summer. Cheers

Been down to a private farm mooring where my friends boat he is restoring is kept. There is a small length of canal as you come out of the mooring and then further down is a really pointless lock and then literally 300ft down another one, we walked down to pick up some bits of broken tree to chuck in the woodburner and some hippy looking guy in a tiny boat must have been one of those 20-25ft he had drained the small section of the canal, his boat was sat at the bottom of it and hes quickly going round the edges/waterline with a roller and some black paint, he didnt seem bothered by our presence and his boat looked like it was gonna tip over, surely you cant do that? lol

My life in general is pretty great, ive got no problems or issues im trying to escape and i dont have any sort of money issues. im also very mechanically minded, ive spent 15 years from the age of 11 taking engines out of cars, building cars, modifying, tuning, making them better, respraying and what not so i know id never have to pay anyone for mechanical work and any boat i owned would always be in the best mechanical condition, the only problems id have is with like interior, ive always lived in shared houses or rented flats so ive never had to do DIY, ive done a few bits and its turned out okay but if you gave me the empty shell of a boat a pile of wood and some screws and a drill, id probably just build a bed (badly) and live with that, so im trying to find one thats in my price range and with an interior ill be happy with

Its a funny one, its like when i did my HGV licences everyone said dont do it, its a crap thankless job and all that, but you dont see people moaning taking £600+ a week home for 60 hours, half of that sat on your backside doing nothing waiting around theres never a shortage of work.... I only joined the other day on here and as a single male in my early 30s with no commitments i was looking into buying a boat soon, nothing too big or too fancy, just something for myself with all the necessity's, not to sit in a mooring all year round but to move about every few weeks, my place of work is right next to the ashby canal and infact the canal runs right around my work in a big loop pretty much. Im renting a 1 bed apartment £450 a month rent £103 a month council tax £40 a month electric £40 a month gas £20 odd a month TV licence £25 a month for broadband Just shy of £700 a month for a poxy 1 bed apartment, that ill never own, never see any money back from, plus im hardly ever here, i really dont want a mortgage either, and i could raise £10 - £20k pretty easy to buy a boat tomorrow easily without putting myself in any debt. I have no debts, aside from this flat only other direct debits I have is my car insurance and my breakdown cover. I have no wife, no kids and everyone at the start who i knew owned a boat told me im mad paying out nearly £700 a month for a flat I never own, £8400 a year that is and to buy a boat, so i started looking something around the 35 - 42 foot sort of size, joined a few forums and had quite a lot of negativity and dont do it like i had when i did my HGV licence. Deary me lol