Saul Bee

One of the things I am grateful to this forum for is tempering my enthusiasm. I have been to see a couple of boats and not bought either for various reasons though, I could have been tempted by one of them if I had been offered it for a couple of grand less than I was. In fact I would probably have paid the price I was asked for if the cost of any engine and hull work that needed doing after a survey was guaranteed to be taken off . My plan is to spend a couple of grand below budget to take into account the inevitable jobs which will need to be done and, above everything else make sure that the engine and hull are sound.

I have also spotted these and received a reply to an enquiry. Unfortunately no hope of getting up there on Saturday but I did get this reply. Looks like they are being sold by an auctioneer so the £14000 price might just be an opening bid price.

Cheers peeps, saved me some time.

Is this worth having a look at, hull looks like it has rust patches on the top but at that price I might be able to find a couple of grand to try and get that sorted. Stove also looks rusty but I might be able to get a deal on a replacement and I can't see any sign of any internal electrics. Everything else seems good. Separate space for a bed, reasonable amount of storage, fridge, cooker, shower room etc.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32ft-cosy-narrowboat-liveaboard-houseboat-near-London/162370312702?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38661%26meid%3Da93f41f1784b48449e93066cf6dc7686%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D162352557732

Thanks people, having read through I am now well versed in brand names and have come to the conclusion that this is really going to be more of a project than I want to take on. About an hour or so drive from me so might have been worth a punt if it had just meant some basic diy stuff but I think replacing stove, toilet and probably having to rewire starts to bring it into the realm of meh. Especially as the price is still climbing.

Hmm, just gone back and looked at the picture of the stove. Is that because there isn't a lot of surround? I could see that might be an issue when it came to getting a bssc cert. I know there could be some work to be done, so next question. What would be a reasonable top bid do you reckon? I'm thinking there is no way it's worth more than 10000 and that is if the hull is sound and the engine reliable.

Obviously I would take a look in person before I even considered putting a bid in but the question is. Is it worth my while to go and have a look at it? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NARROW-BOAT-CANAL-BOAT-/332092744856?hash=item4d52452498:g:6RAAAOSwo4pYe2Jr

Cheers for the heads up.

Thanks for the info again. I'm starting to get an idea, next thing you know I will be actually asking for transport company names but, let me get a bit closer to owning a boat first.

Indeed how much was it, and how long was the boat.

Really useful info people thanks for the help. I can't tell you much as this is entirely speculative. As of yet there is no specific boat, a few months back I saw a 36ft springer that would have been OK, and at the moment there is are both a 30ft and 40ft which I have seen, narrowboats obviously. I didn't want to make plans to enquire about them or go and view if I would not be able to budget for getting them moved somewhere which would be accessible for me. As it stands 2-3 grand for the right boat could be manageable as an added expense, and I may have gleaned the names of a few companies which could do the job. Thanks all.

In my quest for a boat I have seen a few that are on the Monmouthshire and Brecon which appear to be quite reasonably priced. In part I guess because they are on a closed network. I was wondering if anyone knows an approximate cost for moving a boat from a closed network onto something bigger or at least better connected like the Shropshire Union for example. Not looking to move the boat a long way but just between one network and another really as obviously it would have to be figured into any purchase costs.

Chris B who is a member here is an absolute diamond. I saw him at Pyrford Marina just before Christmas and he was straight down the line honest and incredibly helpful.

Chris fantastic to meet you today, the coffee was excellent, the banter fine and I was glad you had the opportunity to show off your remarkable manoeuvring skills. Shame you didn't manage to sell me a boat but, there is still time (though not until January obviously) and having met you I feel a hell of a lot more positive about the whole thing. Really sound advice even when you realised that I was not going to be walking out with the keys to SMEW and some really really nice photo's. I will definitely keep you in the loop with my future boat hunting enterprises, thanks so much.

Yeah I try to be a bit cynical, right up to the point where if a boat looks really nice at a cheaper than average price I imagine it is just about to sink. On my budget I don't expect to get everything I would like straight off and know that there are some compromises I will have to make. Still I am fairly sure that the right boat for me is out there.

I keep an eye out and have been trawling the interwebs for a few months now, last weekend was the first chance I had to go and see a boat in person as it were. I don't think I could find the time to have a proper tour of brokers up north to be honest, I think I would have to line up some specific boats to look at. One of the things that I discovered on my first boat viewing was just how different it was to the pictures and a hell of a lot more shabby. I noticed what was not in the photos and was also surprised by some bits that were not in there. Thanks for the input. Cheers for the pointer. Might have to do some hard bargaining or keep saving for a while.

It is my top lesson, steel work and engine, which is why Surveys are so important.

Yep boats are a whole different ball game. Even having spent the last 6 months window shopping online and reading through forums stepping onto a boat and thinking do I really want to spend my money on this showed up how little of a clue I really have. But then there are a lot of wonderful people to learn from here... Do I really have to remember all that stuff about Einstein when I go to look at the next boat?

Thanks for all the advice people. Looks like this is a non starter. Would it make a difference if I said I had been more or less offered it for 10 grand. I was a bit suspicious about that as well as it is quite a dramatic drop in price, I was expecting something off anyway but I hardly had to say anything at all for it to fall. If the water is just coming from the flue on the stove that will probably be an easier fix for me ( I know someone who works with woodburners ) but if it is something more serious it would be an issue. At that price I would also have some money in the bank to do things such as replace the stove entirely and add solar panels etc... but if I had to replace the engine or replate the hull or do any major work I would be stuffed.

Thanks, it does look quite good certainly a lot cleaner than the one at Walton and about the same kind of size, they have dropped a huge amount off the advertised price as a starting bid on that boat which would mean I had some money to change things about. I would not have considered this at all if it had been at the listed price. Not sure I like bunks, but I guess that can be tweaked layout wise given time. Like I have heard here the hull and engine are the most important. Not sure if I would be able to get down to Pyrford before next weekend though. Perhaps I could PM you and arrange something.

In all honesty budget. There also seem to be a lot of them about. I haven't got a particular preference.

Cheers for the replies. Sorry I should have been clearer it is Walton on Thames at the Ting Dene Marina, didn't realize how many Waltons there were. I wanted to give the negatives to see if there was anything that leapt out as a do not touch with a bargepole There are some things that I really like the engine is in it's own room and the bathroom is a walk through that can have both doors shut to make a reasonable space. Haggis I figured that a boat should not smell damp but don't know enough to tick off the most likely causes. Certainly water under the floor boards doesn't sound right to me but I don't know if I would need a survey to find out exactly what was causing the issue. My budget is small and I know that there will be a certain amount of work I will have to do. What I don't want is to buy something that is going to need replating or a whole new engine in the next few years. I can bear the cost of a few new bits if the price is right in the first place. Probably should put a link up to the boat, it might help more. http://www.tingdeneboatsales.net/boat-spec?BoatID=5997612

OK so took a look at my first boat today. It didn't quite live up to the pictures on the interwebs everything was a bit more scruffy and it had a general air of neglect. It would need a really good clean and probably someone to have a good look over the electrics. There was a general smell of damp and I was told that there is water in the bottom of the hull under the floorboards so I am fairly certain that there is a leak somewhere. The sales guy mistook me for someone who really had some idea about boats and gave me some possibility about what was causing it but honestly I was a little overwhelmed and didn't take it in properly. I think I would need to replace the stove and pipe as it was rusty and made me think that this could be where there might be some leakage. There are a couple of windows that could do with tidying up. One roof window you could see the wood of the fitting but it was dry. It did have a small inverter but I would need to upgrade it. Generally a lot of different jobs that would need to be done and internal soft furnishing stuff to replace. Apparently it has been left untouched for a month. It does however have a boat safety certificate. I did quite like it and could see that it could be really nice if done up well. While the layout is not exactly what I pictured it could work well and the actual fittings like the sinks, shower and cooker seem really nice as do the work surfaces in the galley. No fridge but that's not a deal breaker and there were some things which I had not thought of which I liked such as a car radio. I was quoted a price that was just over half of the advertised price and bought it back into the more sensible price range for a project boat. It is a good £5000 under my budget so I would have some money for doing the work needed and possibly a mooring at the marina it is at for as long as is needed. I didn't start the engine as I wouldn't have a clue either how to do it. OK so thinking is it worth going back for a second look armed with a bit of advice from here about what to look for and how to start the engine up etc... Would also like some recommendations of a surveyor in the Walton area as I would not consider it if the hull and engine are not sound as I would be able to sort the rest out given time.

I have been all over ebay every night and seen some real bargains but am a bit nervous about buying without having the time to be able to do a survey and negotiate properly. It would be my first boat and a lot of money to sink on a first journey because I made an obvious beginers error when looking.

A bit, but with a pinch of laziness and half a cup of quite a lot of travel time involved. ;-) That all makes sense, not looking at a total rebuild but a reasonable amount of relatively easy DIY. Not got a mechanic I can take with me unfortunately.