Whisky

Putting a cratch cover on a boat is like building a garden shed as an extension to your living room at home. From your living room you then have a view of the bike(s), a large assortment of ugly but useful tools, chairs, barbecue stuff etc. Who would want that? Surely a view of the garden is better. We bought a taller than average narrow boat and the cratch cover made it quite difficult to see the view ahead when we are sailing. It had to go. In the cratch area we now have a few seasonal colourful plants which enhance the view and the look of the boat and can be removed when appropriate. With a cruiser stern we have plenty of space for sitting outside in good weather.

Thanks, Nick. I'm sure the visual inspection of the waterline could reveal a lot. I shall take photos and post here if I can - I;m not at home now, having moved from Malaga to Bristol today. Peter

Thanks for your comments, everyone. That's very helpful. I think I'm right in saying that the state of the hull and the engine are the most important aspects of the boat. So I think my question to the broker should be "What was used to black the hull with last time?" I will not be keen to make an offer and commit to a survey before that question is answered. Does that seem sensible?

Later this week I am going to view a second-hand narrow boat built in 2001. I have just noticed in the boat description that it was last blacked in 2010. The boat ticks most other boxes. Is this a concern? As a newbie I am not sure but I wonder if this is an indication that the boat has been a bit neglected??

Thanks for all those helpful replies. We shall try to visit all the boatyards near Crick and maybe one or two of those further away.

You spotted the trick question, Mack! But what I'd really like to know is which you would recommend.

Thank you everyone. It turns out that several of the places suggested are close together. I shall be in the UK for Crick at the end of the month and shall take that opportunity to make a preliminary visit to those brokers/marinas. If anyone is tempted to add other suggestions, please do so.

Can you recommend a marina? For whatever purpose. I am going to buy a boat in a few months time, maybe this year or the beginning of next year, for example September, October this year or April, May next year. Which marinas in England (south of Lancaster) have a good range of pre-owned narrow boats? Where have you had good experiences when buying and using the other services of the marina. Which marinas offer a good service to people who moor their boat on them? I live in Spain but have family in the north west and south west of England, so would base my boat in those areas, I think. But I don't mind buying a boat in another part of the country. Do you think it is safer to buy from a marina? I will be very grateful for any help. Peter

There's lots of agency work out there. My sister used to work as an agency carer for elderly people. Some people do agency nursing or working in old people's homes: my partner has done this. I knew a young Norwegian guy who worked on oil rigs, he worked 4 weeks and had 4 weeks off. His job? He was a cleaner and it made him enough money to keep him and his family out here on the Costa del Sol. My next door neighbour travels to wherever the work is and does a variety of jobs. My son and his wife taught English as a foreign language on a part time basis - he has a full time job now, she has babies. Lots of Spanish people work as vets or vets assistants in the UK and spend a lot of time in Spain. My other son is a shrink (psychotherapist) and has a full time NHS job and does private work too - some of this he does on skype.

I'm sure we will be fine in a 45-footer, Jim. We too are no strangers to the tent, in fact our first and last stops en route for the UK this summer will be in a tent near Madrid (Aranjuez). I think in June and July a tent is much more comfortable than a caravan or a narrow boat - the temperature is normally in the 40s in central Spain and the tent gets cooler at night, as I'm sure you know.

PS Quite a few Brits buy a large caravan and keep it in storage. That would be a better bet IMHO. In the winter you only pay £10 per night for living in the caravan and £40 per month would be tops for safe storage in Spain when you are not using the caravan. You can even fly out, hire a car and get the storage people to put your caravan on a campsite.

I was thinking of a 45ft boat. That should bring the costs down a little?? But £4000 is affordable. Is 45ft enough for 2 people?

Do you mean £10-20 per month for mooring? That is cheaper than I had expected. Thanks for the hint about dehumidifier.

I could live with those costs for the boat. How long is your boat? Re. living abroad. Check out house prices before you decide to rent. There were some very cheap deals for houses in Spain a couple of years back. Andalucia on the Med is a lot warmer than France in the winter but again check out local temperatures. Madrid is colder than most parts of England in winter. The Costa del Sol (on the coast itself) has the best winter temperatures. We hardly need to heat the house here at all but you only have to go a few miles inland and the temperature drops quite a lot.

Thanks for that. How much does hard standing cost? Narrow boats are pretty big, it sounds expensive. There's getting the boat out of water and later putting it back, then there's the storage itself. My caravan doesn't suffer from condensation or mold. Do you have double glazing?