LadyG

I saw that forecast, im sure she indicated snow mid pennines.

I'm not saying they are I was responding to a poster who queried why a receipt is expected.

Is it possible for some boater to set up a database for red, I'm sure there used to be a spreadsheet.

When you pay someone, they give you a receipt, that's how business works. Records are kept for accounting purposes. Accounts are kept so tax is paid. The taxman uses that money to keep the economy running.

The invoices he has produced are in a typeset document, that is what I mean.

Invoices are typed. I have suggested the might use an accounting software, because it would make life easier for them, and because they seem unable to produce this statement of account, which is a simple document, it would acknowledge my payments, that is why I want it.

I dont actually need acknowledgement of payment, as I have my bank statement, but it is standard practice not to mention courtesy. In fact to help them produce a statement of account if they don't keep books I have sent them a list of my payments with dates. Twice ive done this. I have had some detailed invoices when I have insisted on them , but no acknowledgement of those invoices being paid. Not all transactions are invoices paid, some are , but for the bigger job, which went on for months for various reasons, I made interim payments, and sent an email saying these are business payments. I won't be using them again, its too much hassle.

I have a business background, so I know that they dont understand accounting, at all. I wanted the work done, and it was satisfactory, however the guy insisted his partner dealt with the finance. She is an educated person, so should be able to cope with producing invoices and answering emails. Absolutely, if they do the work properly, and present the invoice, they get paid immediately. Ive asked for a statement, they havent sent one, ive told tbem to refund the overpayment and return my goods within seven days. If there is some problem, and I think the last problem was ill health, they need to advise me. I have no objection to their invoice as such, but that is only one part of running a businees, its not bookkeeping for accounting purposes. Its just a bill. When i made a payment, and ive made several they should acknowledge it, that is not what they are doing.

Of course i would normally pay when they invoiced me, but the main job dragged on, for various reasons, so i made an interim payment to get the next job started and finished A statement of account is like a bank acount, shows payments and invoices. Should be produced automatically if they use a simple bookeeping system. They evidently dont know how to keep books, thats their problem. They should know how much i have paid them and how many invoices they have sent out. They are in business, and if they dont keep proper records it will end in tears. I have paid them, its not my reputation tbat is in doubt here

Well you see, i dont think they are VAT registered, i mean i think they are trying to run their business under the VAT radar. They may not meet the VAT threshold as its all labour, few materials, they may not pay tax either, using a personal account is one flag., but its not uncommon As i said earlier I dont think they have a clue about book keeping. Anyone can buy Quickbooks to keep their accounts, and when you have income and payments, you have to enter them in the software, could not be easier with a micro business. Ive suggested they do this, aĺl they have produced so far are hand made invoices.

It seems unlikely that educated people who run an established business from their boat, who are in their sixties, have a workshop, two boats and a car are going to run off with my materials and have the taxman on their tail for the sake of a few hunded pounds.

Yes well, it's a warning, they may be working locally on someone else's boat instead of finishing mine.

I have used the email they provided. They are able to send me invoices but not a statement of account. Its not me who is supposed to be in business, its them. If they think they can run a business without records they will soon find the taxman can access their banks accounts. I've given them seven days to sort it out. I have had more than one job done, so several invoices. One cannot be sure exactly how much each job will cost. So there has to be a degree of trust, and the person who does the accounting is not the person who does the work. If they don't want to do the work, then they need to return the money they owe me and return my materials. Its quite simple. Any face to face will be me demanding my materials and my money, there is no negotiation.

You see, I manage fine as cc, on my pension. But at some stage I may want to stop but live on the boat. A rented property is £12K per annum, v oap at £10Kpa. I could use a post office or a job centre as my address, I think that is a bizarre idea.

OK, Ive been having work done, and although it was obvious to me as a small business owner that they were not au fait with book keeping I let this pass as the work was satisfactory. Unfortunately I have paid in too much, and have not had response to any of my emails. I have asked for Statement of Account. No response. I've had enough and have told them to refund overpayment and return my materials. I used the email I was given. How to build a business. How to run a business. How to make friends and influence people. NO no No. If they don't respond I'll report them to HMRC, that will not be nice for them. I'm currently thinking of pursuing them, at 2.4mph! PS if you're up North and having work done, feel free to pm.

You mean having to leave the mooring occasionally? Or the constra8nts of limited access to utilities?

The Waverly has had a few re paints, I believe this is the original, an absolute must for anyone interested in boats, the Cyde, engin3s,, or a nice cruise in summer. Post WW1 was the era of these ships, they were transport for essential travel, trad3, and holiday cruises. There used to be jetties all round the Clyde, nowadays it RoRo ferries

Immediately recognised the Crinan canal,, Ardrishaig to Crinan, "the Crinan Canal for me, I don't like the wild foaming sea" Sung by John Greive. The voyages of the Vital Spark, B&W t v. 1960s The Vital Spark / VIC 32 were the last of the Puffers. Documentary by David Hayman on YouTube. Inveraray Maritime Museum has one, there once were about four hundred. They could be beached on the islands to deliver cargo including coal.

I can see both sides of this argument, if any boater can take any mooring stay there and then claim housing benefit, it negates the premium which is presumably available for moorings with residential planning permission. How would CRT view this, I just filled in a survey, where although I am cc, i also show a bricks and mortar address, its all very untested, as in untested in a court of law. I remember asking for unemployment benefit to be paid when I lived on my boat one summer, i don't remember the details, but the DHS did visit me on the boat, by appointment. If the person is living there, and paying rent, is that not a domicile? I cant see it being different in different parts of the country.

Is he going to paint your boat though, because it would be likely that he has paints that he uses all the time, particularly for topcoats. There will be layers of paint, some might need primer, undercoat, topcoat, topcoat. They need to be compatible, obviously. Personally, I paint my own boats, and I accept that it's not as good as a top pro job, it is however affordable, and I quite enjoy it. I avoid high gloss because it shows up any flaws, both at the completion stage and later in when you scrape along a tree branch. Red is notorious for fading, not sure if that is only for traditional coatings or all reds. I dont know about two pack paints for the superstructure, as I have an idea that they are trickier to apply and to touch up than single pack coats. I am not sure if it would be practical, certainly more complex to weigh out spare paint for touch up. The other thing is the pack size, for example if you needed a litre of green and 2l of red,, but they are only available in 2.5l, then you are going to have lots of tins left over, and this can be expensive. You'll need to ask him again if you want to know what he recommended, but what I am trying to indicate that the coatings that he uses may not be the best for a DIY job, for example he would be able to remove all the fittings, prep the steel to the required bare steel standard, then build up again, this is something the average person can't do, because of the investment in tools, and a temperature controlled shed, it's not rocket science but it does require experience and higher skill levels than the average boater. That's why you have to pay a premium for a pro job. Then there is signwriting, a different skill, and generally needs to be booked in advance. Youtube may have the John Barnard series.

You could ask citizens advice, they are online, but my feeling with these things is to claim ASAP, after all you must advise them of change in circumstance. Run through in your mind what they need to know, and make sure you don't exclude yourself from a benefit by being brave!

I pay £1 per litre for my diesel from a boatyard, it can be £1.25 at a marina, Alllow 300 to 500 engine hours at 1l per hour, £300 to £625 per annum Servicing £500 per annum Blacking and painting £500 pa I buy two x 13kg gas per annum, I don't use the oven much. £90 pa Coal and logs delivered ( Excell is £16.50 per 25kg sack). Kindling and firelighters £25pa £650 Pa I bought new agm batteries four years ago, they don't need topping up, and I never let them go down, of course I have very small power requirement. I dont use my washing machine, i wash socks by hand and a launderette for everything else. It's the drying that is the problem. Food costs etc come under personal expenses you have them anyway, what you are interested in is the extra cost of boat owning. You can live frugally, no nights out, no subscriptions, but long term we all spend just a bit less than we earn, thats human nature. The personal insurance cover could be eye-watering, and usually does not kick in for a few months, most people self insure, save hard, save for insurance, save for licencing as you have the interest plus you get an early payment discount. You will need lumps of money from time to time. You can get 8% in small savings accounts, and 5% in larger savings accounts. Always have two bank accounts, the Nationwide is not a bank, but it behaves like one , it sometimes gives you cash, just for being loyal! Use Martin's money-saving site for tips. My tip is not to use aps, they are the spawn of the devil, unless you get a bonus discount for using them, take it, then delete it!

I think OP is going to DIY. If its on the hard, one would still do the hull before launching I've used several paints, the gunwales are an single pack alkyd semi satin finish, easy to touch up, easy to apply. My roof is a single pack matt undercoat/topcoat which gets a quickrub down and a recoat when required. It is light white grey so it shows up rust and keeps the boat cool. The sides, front and back are a marine semi gloss, and look the same now as when applied three years ago. The trick is to spend a week on prep, and another seven days faffing about with rollers, brushes, tapes and keeping everything clean. Of course you can do it in a week if you have more helpers/more tools/longer days/perfect weather. If you need seven days to cure the epoxy hull then you have to fit other work around that timescale. Keep a couple of litres back for touch up, unmixed but in proportion. I could have had my rudder tube epoxied when I had the rudder off, hindsight is a wonderfull thing. Bow thruster tubes are another wulnerable area. Generally do the top first, and work down, though this is not always possible when painting. Have all the materials on hand before you start, remove fittings if possible if there is evidence of rust, clean it, treat it and prime it. Did anyone mention the baseplate? Does the hull need any welding?