nickfox

I've thought about it... n

Well, what I'm going to do is go see my parents in Virginia and not worry about this until I get back. I wish everyone a merry Christmas and thank you for all your help. Nick

Thanks Alan. If you are looking at a boat with an asking price of 30,000 and you think it's worth less, what is a number to throw out there without being insulting? n

Has anyone bought a boat from ABC boat sales? Do they drive a hard bargain? n

Thanks Alan. n

Athy, I'm back home in Cazouls. A lot of days driving. I will post something more interesting when I am rested. n Naughty Cal Can a cruiser boat like that safely cross the channel? http://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/boat-sales/viking-32-aft-cabin-boat-for-sale-6547.html n

Athy, yes, I check apollo duck almost daily. I'm still waiting to hear from the lady of the south. I really am liking the boats around 40 feet that have the full double bed in the rear. That is very much my favorite. n

Ok, so here's where I'm at. I have now visited little Tinker and Moorhen and several other boats. Moorhen was by FAR the nicest boat. And it was sold. There was one person ahead of me and they bought it. I told Steve at Barbridge marina that I would like second dibs on the boat if the purchase fell through and he said ok. The little Tinker was really more a little Tired than I would have liked. And after seeing the quality of Moorhen, it's hard to look at lesser boats now. Jak, I'm trying to determine what the best antenna/amplifier that will pull in both wifi and cell phone signals and select which connection is best automatically. nikvah, I found this other set of documentaries, about 80 ten minute docs from a reporter who bought a narrowboat and talks about his experience as a novice boat owner. They are helping me a lot. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa9px3O5n5hCH-GLteYqai7jQ4qTNpwA8 OldGoat, I would also like to get a nice big solar panel layout. n

Hey Guys, I am in England! I just spent the past couple of hours at the Barbridge Inn and met all sorts of boaters. The place is crawling with them. And they were all very nice people. Today was the first day that I saw narrowboats in person. And here was my big revelation. THEY ARE A LOT SMALLER THAN I THOUGHT! The internet seems to make things appear bigger than in real life. I spent an hour with Steve at Tattenhall Marina and he showed me the little stinker and a couple of other boats. He is really a VERY knowledgeable person and he answered tons of narrowboat questions for me. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to go have a look at the Moorhen narrowboat at the Barbridge Marina. Tonight, I met a painter named John who is the person who actually painted Moorhen. Such a small and interesting world. I'm going to answer a few of the questions that people posted above. Athy, yes, being able to use my laptop and connect to the internet is absolutely mission critical. I am willing to buy a lesser boat and work on it but when it comes to internet, I will spare no expense to have a solid, top quality connection. I LIVE on the internet and have been doing so since 1989. Yes, it's important to me. OldGoat, yes, I am starting to see that size matters... Alan, yes, I do want a proper bed... Cal, I have thought a little about the cruisers but for me, they just don't have the charm of a steel narrowboat and I don't want to live in a piece of plastic. Anyway, I have put my money where my mouth is and come up here to have a look. I will keep you all posted as to what I decide. n

Jak, I would definitely buy one of those pram hoods that fold down. I saw some websites that build them. Can I put a folding pram hood on the little stinker? https://www.apolloduck.com/advert.phtml?id=500179 n edit: ps. I'm on my way to England.

Thank you David. The next step really is for me to come up there and have a look at boats. I've been trying to arrange that for the past several days but I am still waiting to set up appointments for a couple of the boats I'm looking at. The ball is just not in my court right now. I'm getting there... n

OldGoat, yes, I am a very young 56 (not 55 as I had earlier posted, oops). Did I know that those engines have a hard time producing heat and electricity. Absolutely Not! Do I bounce around a lot from subject to subject. Yes, that's me. But with all the research I am doing and videos I am watching AND most importantly, questions that are being answered here on the forum, I am starting to get a more clear idea of what I'm looking for. Here is the short list of what's really important to me. 1. proper shower, not a wet room 2. pram hood on rear to deal with rain 3. a sideways "restaurant style" booth to sit in, (I can build this myself later and does not have to be in the boat when I buy it) 4. permanent full size bed 5. central heating

Thanks Mike. n

Ok, thank you guys. You've confirmed once again that I can keep costs down with a little bit of elbow grease. That's what I wanted to hear. n

Mike, I found this boat, the Little Stinker, that I think is really cute. https://www.apolloduck.com/advert.phtml?id=500179 and as you can see, the paint could use a little freshening up. n

I guess you guys can tell I'm on somewhat of a budget. If you buy a boat that has a faded/oxidized paint job but still looks good is there someway to refresh the paint like wet sanding it with some 1500 grit paper and putting on a clear coat after that? Is that something that people do? thanks n

Thank you Alan. I'm not sure yet which system I would use. I may even ending getting a boat with one built in. But I just wanted to know if it was feasible and how much. Now I know and that's important information to me. Thanks. n

If you buy a used boat and would like to put in central heating (radiators), how big of a deal is that and what would be a ballpark cost for a 40 foot boat? thanks Nick

thanks athy.

Athy, do you have a picture of your boat, the Trojan? n

Laurie.Booth, nice looking boat. I've noticed that a lot of boats have that red, green, yellow color combination. Is there a story behind that? n

OldGoat, I want to further answer your question about my desire to just be up here on the canals. I'm on a limited budget. I've been here in France for the past year looking for a place to buy but couldn't find anything decent in my price range. I came across the "Great Canal Journeys" documentary and saw how beautiful life on the canals was and it was something that I could actually afford. So that's another reason why I'm here. n

I like doing restoration when I want to, not when I have to. Funny enough, my first car was 61 VW bus. One winter, the back wheel fell off. I spent 2 days lying on a piece of cardboard in one foot of snow trying to drill out the broken bolts to get that wheel back on. It was hell on earth. n

thanks Alan. n