Boaty Jo

HOW MUCH?? Local high street shop here (Littleborough) around £8 / bag. Not far from the canal. They would deliver half a dozen gratis I'm sure. Obviously no good for most folk but as a price comparison........

If you're not going to move it why bother getting something expensively built in the shape of a boat? Get a pontoon and build a shed on it. A cheaper version of this..... https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-76598258.html

May be worth investigating a secondary (back-up) form of heating, particularly with a young family. (Multi-fuel?) Boats can get mighty cold mighty quickly without heating.

Getting the right stuff is only part of the battle. You say hubby is installing it? There are a number of disadvantages of an ill-installed stove, chief of which is killing yourselves. This may help...... http://www.soliftec.com/Boat Stoves 1-page.pdf

This copied from an NB Facebook forum......... "Following on from last month’s constructive meeting in Birmingham with disabled boaters, Matthew Symonds (boating policy and engagement manager) is heading to London on 7 November to get more views about disabled boaters’ experience of boating on our waterways. If you’ve got something to say on the subject, you’ll find him at the Pirate Castle in Camden between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. If you can’t make it but would like to give your views please email matthew.symonds@canalrivertrust.org.uk. " (What's an engagement manager?)

Have you considered a domestic boiler? DBA may help with advice.

One of the problems is that most newbie questions have been asked 100s of times previously. Instead of replying , 'oh, for goodness sake do a search,' long established forumites reply with increasingly witty / imaginative answers. This would come across sexist if it was only the female of the species that was a target, but they are not. Men too have been 'got at'.

May I suggest you go back a step and decide what you want. If you want new (as indicated) you need to do a lot of research. Presumably it's for living aboard? In which case you need adequate on-board systems. Heating, cooking, plumbing, electrics etc. etc. With each systems you have numerous alternatives. Take heating as an example: gas, diesel, solid fuel, or a combination? It is a broad topic with lots of choice and huge cost variation. Two builders could give you a quote for a similar boat with a £20k difference purely based on the quality of equipment (engine, appliances, C/H boilers etc.)

and cover the battens with parcel tape before you spray foam.

Fourthly, is your rear deck concrete? It may not adhere too well to other substrates or be flexible enough.

Here's one view from the 'WISA Plywood' FAQs: Can I paint phenolic film faced plywood? We do not recommend this as it requires special paints and even then we cannot guarantee the paint will last. http://www.wisaplywood.com/Products/frequently-asked-questions/Pages/Default.aspx

May be worth engaging a marine surveyor to oversee it for you? In fact have a look at Alan de Enfield's post in the 'Survey a new boat' thread.

It may well have been built like that to allow elbow room while using the basin. You might find a full wall there pretty restrictive.

There is actually a thread running on the DBA forum now about taking a small boat over, including a boat-transport link. http://barges.org/discussion-forum/waterways-continental-europe/23595-small-boat-to-europe

There is information about VAT on barges (and widebeams I think) within the DBA site ( http://barges.org/ ). You'll have to join up to see it though! (was £35) Alternatively this may be helpful?? https://www.thefitoutpontoon.co.uk/finance-costs/vat-free-exempt/

If you do happen to end up in a mess these 'dreamers' have found a solution. (Best hurry as the public's benevolence won't last for ever). cock-up solution

You may benefit by joining The Barge Association You'll have to join up (£35 I think) but if you search their knowledge base and forums your answers will be there. One thing you will need before you bring a boat over is a (residential) mooring. (is it a barge? Narrowboat? Cruiser?) This might help too: Buying a barge?

Easy access to equipment for checking, service or replacement. Pumps, calorifier, electrical equipment, boiler, engine for example. Things do go wrong and you don't want to have to destroy your bed to replace the immersion.

These guys may be able to help? http://www.panelmaster.co.uk/panel_prices.htm

A new initiative (I think) that may help in the future.. https://www.hetas.co.uk/hetas-go-boating/#.Wk-K5k_M9V4.facebook

Hesitate to say it but yours has very similar design characteristics

The idea of clearing the decks so your wife can look after her mum interrupted is selfless indeed. We did find that a good proportion of continental boaters (French / Dutch / German) were pretty insular, or at least wishing to associate with their own nationalities. In fact some of the Dutch we encountered wouldn't have got off their boat at all if it wasn't for having to go and knock a spike in. Finding crew at random does seem a bit risky. Better maybe to try and find someone with whom you have something in common.

Ledgard boats. Don't know about their narrowboats but friends of mine live on a 15m x 4m (approx) 'replica barge' in France, have done for more than 10 years. They like it but bought what they could afford at the time. As stated above they are medium quality and the barges are not the best looking. Probably a barge adaptation of a narrowboat, slab sided with a wheelhouse. My friends' boat is underpowered though and they have to pick and choose times for river cruising. (max about 6 kph). This may be just an undersized engine but equally likely, hull shape. Depends whether you're after a NB or barge type and where you want to cruise. Overall OK and no more I would suggest.