Holly Lacey
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Posts posted by Holly Lacey
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12 hours ago, WotEver said:
Congratulations
Electric oven? Is that a broker typo?
tony
Thanks! And I think so, as when taken through the boat I was told it is gas.
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1 hour ago, Chewbacka said:
Just a word of caution, be careful when you let your crew sit on the nice bench in the sweep of the tiller arm as in locks etc it as been known for a boat to surge backwards when the paddles are opened and bash the rudder into the lock gates causing the tiller arm to sweep them over the back rail into the canal and sucked into the prop.
Duly noted!
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1 hour ago, Chewbacka said:
I just googled it and it's a nice looking boat. You must be pleased.
Thanks, I am indeed. It's a lovely, little, very tidy boat.
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Hi again all, and thanks for all your help!
Big news... I have a boat!
Be it fate, coincidence, or luck, I found a boat at the marina I intended on mooring at (Ely).
On our way back from Tring, visiting a boat (glad I didn't go with that one in the end), I arrived at the marina with the intention of handing over my deposit to secure my mooring, but was told they had recently got a small narrowboat that I may be interested in. So to cut a long story short, I looked, I liked, I surveyed (came back absolutely fine), and it's now mine! I am the proud owner 35ft Lady Mildred
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I think its worth settling down and reading the whole thing . Order in a pizza as it ll take you a while to read it .
It begins with boundless enthusiasm and energy and ends miserably & is probably the best account of how the " i should buy a boat " idea can go dreadfully wrong .
In my estimation the OP is probably the most sensible potential buyer thats been on this forum in yonks ,and i doubt that similar mistakes will be made .
But when budgets are low its easy to be seduced by nice interiors etc . I think the old idea of " buy the worst house on the best street " is a notion worth bearing mind .
By this i mean try to put the hull and engine above all else and then the interior . By no means easy , but its important i think .
I think you really ought to go and see lots of boats in / slighly above your budget . LOTS ! Have u been to Whilton marina as a " for instance " . You 'll get to see lots of boats , lots of layouts , in varied conditions inside & out . But be wary of actually buying from them , just go mooching there aa they let you do so by yourself unaccompanied and you can have a real nose around them .
I think you are wise to check moving costs etc in advance and your approach to buying , so far has been sensible but its so easy to buy a lemon .
Don t rush into anything - the lengthy thread linked to above will highlight what can happen when enthusiasm overtakes caution and common sense .
Apologies if all this appears " patronising " - its certainly not meant to but i think you and indeed anyone needs to be on your guard when the budget is low .
Get a picnic , banquet , pizza in & settle down and try to read that thread - its a real eye opener .... unfortunately
cheers
Yep, the is something I'm drilling into myself whenever I see a 'nice' boat and I'm prepared to walk away from said 'nice' boat if it's not in a good condition.
Inner me is very cautious and a bit cynical, so I'm always expecting the worst and not getting my hopes up, but hopefully this can help weed out the lemons!
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From memory so was Max's boat, and it was in 'Skipton area', and she used Pennine cruisers to do some work to get it so 'it moved'.
She bought it based on a 2012 survey and it turned out to be a disaster. I'm sure if you really look you could find the huge thread on the subject.
Edit to add :
Read the attached, its 'how not to do it' (and was just the last chapter of many 100s of emails to forum members - I had over 200 in a couple of weeks)
http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=86803&hl=
71 pages which unfortunately go a 'bit nasty' towards the end as life seemed to 'get a bit on top of Max'
Didn't make it through all 71 pages, skippped to the last 10 to get straight to the juicey bits. I'll make sure not to seal off my vents!!
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Woahhh, stop right there!!!!!!
Have you actually looked at any boats in the flesh yet? I've not noticed you saying so, so far...
The thing is, boats are totally different in personality in real life than in adverts. Boats you think look fantastic in the advert can leave you cold. Boats that are all wrong but you looked just because they are 'on the way home' turn out to move you, and choose you to you buy them. There is no escape once an unsuitable boat chooses you, and I'm not sure you've given any the chance yet or experienced this irresistable effect.
Mr Fincher has you'll notice, and so have I.
Yes, I've looked at some boats already to get a feel for the layout/ size etc. I know I could view this boat and not like it at all, these questions are to get me prepared for a potential buy
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Just remember that after the survey the boat is NOT your until paid for, any monies you spend on it could be 'lost' if the seller decides to back out, or anything else happens.
Usually when a boat is lifted out for a survey it is held in the hoist / on the trailer for a couple of hours whilst the survey takes place and is then dropped back into the water. The marina will not want to have its hoist / trailer tied up for days / weeks whilst you reach agreement with the seller, raise the money, transfer the money etc.
If there is the chance that you will buy the boat (subject to a good survey) then you need to arrange with both the boat yard and the seller to have it lifted and dropped 'onto the hard' and agree to pay (or maybe pay in advance) all of the storage charges, hoist charges (to 'put back in' etc).
The seller and the boatyard do not know you and they are risking 'some cost' - you may decide to change your mind (buyers remorse) or find a better boat the next day so payment in advance would not be unreasonable.
Edit to add :
Its not a 'blue boat, painted all over in black bitumen' with all of the vents sealed up, owned by a lady called 'Max' is it ?
Thanks for this. So would you say the best course of action is to get the survey done and then just take it from there?
And no haha, it's a 40ft Hancock and Lane
Before you commit to transport by road, check the cost of getting a professional boatmover to make the move by water. It could well be cheaper.
I have done already. Been quoted £1450 by water, waiting on the quote by road, but have been told by another NB mover that road will be my cheaper option.
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Okay, so I've found another boat and will likely be viewing it next Sunday. It's up in Skipton. I plan to contact a surveyor soon and arrange for a full pre-purchase survey to be done (the last one done on the boat was 2011). More questions:
1. Is it possible/ advisable to get the boat to a good boatyard to have the survey carried out and then, providing it's in a decent condition, get any repairs done there at the same time, along with blacking (last blacked 20112, so is needed).
2. I think the sellers have used Pennine Cruisers Boatyard in the past. Does anyone know if they're a 'good' place to use?
3. When arranging transport to move the boat (will be by road), will the transport company quote include craning at both ends of the journey, or will that cost be separate and billed by the marinas/ boatyard?
Thanks again!
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I'd also point out the engine in Canal Mania must be well on its way to being knackered at 9,500 hours!
That was going to be my next question!
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Holly, it's not a patch on this one: http://apolloduck.net/505453
If that price is a bit more than your top budget then make an offer. It's a really good boat.
Unfortunately, 70ft is just too big, with increased licence and mooring fees, it wouldn't be feasible for me I'm afraid.
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Hi again everyone! Asking for an opinion again on another boat: http://www.braunstonmarina.co.uk/find-a-boat/canal-mania
It's had a hull survey this month, with the recommended work being carried out, and it is available to view. Would you still recommend getting a full pre-purchase survey?
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I changed from pump-out to cassette immediately after attempting my first pump-out.
Someone just said emptying a cassette is pretty gross but I found doing a pumpout far worse. And having to pay £15 for the displeasure pretty well sealed the decision for me.
And getting two spare cassettes (so you have three in total) completely dispells the anxiety of where the next Elsan point will be.
This is something I'm thinking about, if the boat somehow comes with a pump-out. Is it a straightforward job, and roughly how expensive would this be?
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The last question is easy. Quite a lot of folk will say pump out. The sensible ones will say cassette. A very few strange ones will say composting loo.
I'm swaying towards cassette!
Arrgh don't mention different types of loo. I did once but I think I got away with it.
Look for receipts for having the boat serviced, old BSS certificates, old licence discs, RYA / MCA bill of sale from previous owners.
ETA. BSS = Boat Safety Scheme. http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/
Yep, I was a bit apprehensive to mention it but I am genuinely curious to hear what people have to say on them
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Another quick question! When it comes to viewing boats, what papers would you expect a seller to have on the boat?
Also, is there any type of insulation that is preferable or is not good?
And toilets - I'm still not sure what type I think I'd like best. Has anyone had any experience with both and can offer some advice?
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When i bought my first and only so far boat 4 years ago i bought it for 9 K below the asking price of 40K . It was a resi mooring i didn t want and so my offer reflected the fact i didn t want to pay any " premium " to take the mooring on .
My " method " with the purchase was to adopt the same attitude i have to much of life in general ........ Don t bullshit , be honest .
So alot like MtBs comments above i simply said something along the lines of " i like the boat , im happy to put in an offer subject to survey , but i simply cannot stretch to your asking price im afraid . Im not taking the piss , im not trying to insult you - but i cannot go beyond £Xxxx . I will need to pay for XYZ to be done on the boat and my offer is , i feel , a fair one . I understand if its not acceptable , business is business afterall but i genuinely cannot go beyond the price of my offer . Id very much like to buy but understand if you are reluctant to sell "
Thats it really . My approach . No bullshit , be honest but make sure you have the funds to back up the offer if accepted .
I might well look to sell my 58 ft trad later this summer in 6 months or so . I think it would be an excellent boat for the OP but i cannot sell just now . Due to my financial situation i will need to sell it before buying the next boat and will sell it at a fair price where buyer and seller are happy . Its down London way so i could go for a piss take price as many do down here - i cannot believe the prices some crap goes on the market for down here !
My attitude to selling will be the same as buying as i can t be bothered with any nonsense .
just some thoughts
cheers
This is exactly how I've been so far. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so have been quite upfront about what I can afford. At the moment, I'm not in any rush, so I do have time on my side, and am willing to wait for the right boat to come along.
Always let the seller know that you have another boat or boats to look at later that day (even to the point of asking the best way of getting to location x from their location), if they want to sell the boat this plants the idea in their head that you might not buy their boat if you see another.
Always haggle... the seller probably has a price that they need from the boat and they will have added some extra on to get a "nice to have" price and then added a bit more to allow for being knocked down a bit. If the price is a round figure (or £5 short of it) they are probably expecting an offer that is next round figure below it and to haggle from there (i.e. 30k down to 25k and haggle to somewhere around 26-28)
when making an offer let the seller know when they can expect the cash if they accept the offer i.e. "25 thousand by bank transfer within 24 hours assuming the survey is good"
That's what 'Ive said, but in my case it is actually true. I've got a fair list of boats, and as I'm in no rush, I'm not going to be pressure sold into buying.
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This is good advice. A lot of sellers will take a very low offer as an insult to their pride and joy and then be more stubborn with the price.I just searched on Apollo. Jesus, there isn't much about in that price range in the moment is there? Different to a few years back.
I've seen a lot in the £30-£35k bracket but never thought I could make a reasonable offer on these, again without it seeming insulting but some really don't look to be worth that much, especially considering the length and age.
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Narrowboat prices are always a guide. I would suggest 20-25% off the asking and starting from there.. One thing, the older the boat, the more likely you are to find BSS related, and level 1 maintenance issues that need addressing, have it written into any offer that the seller resolves these based on the survey findings..
Thanks for the tip. It's good to get an understanding of what a suitable initial offer would be to avoid being too insulting!
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What the hell is "Annie Sloane Paint"?
Just fancy chalk paint I believe
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I agree. £30k for a 30 year old boat is a LOT, whoever the builder. I'd want to see some evidence it was a Les Allen, didn't know he ever built cruiser sterns...
I've seen a lot of boats similar to this all around this kinda price. Is it possible to bring them down a bit, and realistically how far?
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It's a very 'girly' listing. Nowt about engine hours, batteries, inverter (don't think it has one), heating...
It looks lovely but I think you'd be well advised to take an experienced boater along with you when you view. Plus have a survey of course.
Yeah that's amongst some of the questions I have. Is there a thread anywhere in here where I can potentially ask experienced boaters to have a look at boats with me? If someone's about in that particular area and wouldn't mind sparing an hour or so, it'd would be really helpful.
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Well, a build date of 2002 is a lot more promising in terms of general wear and tear to the hull etc., and it certainly doesn't look or sound like a boat that's been neglected. I suppose the decor wouldn't be to everyone's taste (although personally I like it a lot), but that might be a very good thing in terms of getting it for a good price. Nothing negative jumps out at me - seems like a very nice boat at a good price for its age and condition.
It's within a reasonable distance from me as well, which makes it that bit more appealing (I don't drive so getting about takes a bit of pre-planning).
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I think below 55ft is more realistic in terms of handling and mooring fees etc.
Thoughts on this one? http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/116212508/43ft-stern-cruiser-narrowboat-moored-near-tring-in-vgc.html?link=%2Fclassifieds%2Fboats-watersports%2Fnarrowboats
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...in which case it may yet be worth my pointing you towards the 45 foot South West Durham boats in Apollo Duck. They're ex-timeshare boats. They look very comfy, and I have even considered buying one myself. There are two on there at the moment.
Thanks! I had clocked this one earlier. Will give them a call. It's not too far from Nottingham so may be able to add that to the list when we visit Mawby next week.
Boat Buying Checklist - HELP!
in New to Boating?
Posted
No, it's definitely gas as he demonstrated lighting it.
The cooker has barely been used, perhaps never, as it looked untouched.
And thank you!