NB DW

Thanks. I'd need to take a look at the bed setup to see whether it's liveable. I had a good look around Whilton/ABNB/Braunston much earlier this year so I've a reasonable idea of what I'm after but I'm not being closed mind as to rule anything out. The boat you've linked to is 60ft, well beyond what I'm looking for - 50ft max, really. And I'd prefer a much more modern fit out too I'm afraid. It all depends on the seller's situation. If it's somebody in need of a sale they're more likely to grab an offer rather than take the risk of it sitting there, only perhaps to receive another offer albeit weeks/months later. Good shout. I'm not too sure how I'd be able to test that though, and that's not me aiming to be a smartarse. I like the idea of portholes because of the security and privacy aspect but suspect that's putting many people off. That and there's no pigeon box etc to let more light in. The owner bought it from ABNB 18 months ago and has moved back to land, perhaps suggesting it's not worked out for him, or the boat's got its issues!

Thanks. I've got a refund due on my existing boat, and I'll either swap the insurance I have with GJW over or take out a new policy. But absolutely, I'd be having a survey and I've allowed for that sort of stuff within my budget too. The boat does look well equipped and is a decent shell. It's now all down to £. Other boats have come and gone in all the time this has been up for sale which might help with the negotiation. Re. the stove, I agree, I'd prefer it placed elsewhere. But the rest of the boat's a bit of a blank canvas. I'm assuming because there's no fixed furniture it's not helping the sale - most I suppose must lean towards fixed seating/dinettes etc. I'm single so I can get away with the bed too. I'd prefer a trad over a semi but prepared to make a trade-off for a decent shell.

Hello, My boat has been in brokage less than a week and has already sold. It's only a 25ft'er but was bought to use for weekends and holidays. At the time I'd considered being a liveaboard but got cold feet and ended up with a newer, smaller boat. A long story short and I've really enjoyed it, and think maybe life's too short (I'm only in my mid-30s) and want to make a go of living aboard full-time on a larger boat. I can potentially stretch up to £48K and I'm looking for something that's 40-50ft in length. With my sort of budget I should be able to get something relatively new, well looked after and reasonably equipped. This caught be eye a while ago and now I'm in a position to buy I'd like to view it. But I'm keen on your thoughts too. The shell is made by somebody with a decent reputation, I understand, and it's got a substantial baseplate - or at least the original thickness was! I'm not too sure of the grade/source/quality of steels used though and I'd love to find out more on this if anyone can guide me. From everything I've learned so far, it's one of the most important things to note and it's not just about the thickness. Anyhow, here it is.. https://www.abnb.co.uk/boat_pages/3604web/3604abnb.php?BoatID=3604 Thanks in advance.

The cost of building a small boat might be much the same as bigger boat but my question was one of the cost of buying, not building. And would that be the royal we? Would 'we' consider granite surfaces, solid oak T+G, 5 leisure batteries, a roof full of solar panels and a 45hp engine modest? Especially in the context of a 35ft boat? Thank you. I'll take a look at the site.

Just giving this a bump..

Collingwood was just referenced as it's about the only builder I've found who publish a price list online. I've not said anyone's dear. I'm trying to benchmark. And understand whether it's that Aintree appear comparitively cheap in price - that doesn't mean others are dear or that Aintree are of poor quality because they're cheaper???

Without wanting to waste the time of boat builders - I'm six months from getting a decent sum together - I'm curious as to what the cost of a modest 35ft boat would be. I appreciate prices will vary according to spec hence looking for something pretty modest in terms of equipment. I've an Aintree Beetle and looked at their 35ft at £41K. It's a template design rather than a custom layout which will keep prices down I'm sure. Comparing their 40ft at £55K to a Collingwood (it was the only one I could find a fixed price for online) at £73K they do seem comparitively cheap boats, or maybe the competition's dear. Thanks in advance.

I think you pair are getting confused with not wanting to get some light resoration done on the interior and me not wanting to go down the route of buying it and putting money into it. Painting previously varnished panels white doesn't often look good. It wasn't done out of design. Instead it was done out of necessity because what was previously underneath was in a crap state. That's what I often think when seeing a boat with a newly painted interior. It's a whitewash in its truest sense. It wouldn't be so bad if you could see the grain but that's not going to happen because of the varnish. Paint the interior of this white and it'll be no different to a knackered old London liveaboard who's been forced down the same route for the same reason. I'm sure it could be varnished again, whether it'd match is another matter, but as I said earlier, I don't like a glossy finish anyhow. So in either case, it's probably not right for me. The exterior paint isn't in great shape. There's plenty of boats of a similar age that've had a repaint or don't need one. I'd be throwing a hell of a lot of money at it to get it right. And it's money I doubt I'd get back. There's plenty of boats out there between 40-50ft not in need of any such work. So why compromise? Anything at any price isn't a sound buy if you know you're never likely to be fully happy with it. Especially so when you're talking about spending £40K. Hope it's clearer now.

I'm still not fully decided on what the hell to do in terms of size of boat and whether new or old. Situation is I have a 40ft mooring for my existing boat. I was going to buy a bigger boat last year to liveaboard but decided against it. Too many complications with renting out my house and not having a residential mooring where I could register for council tax etc etc. I've come up with a compromise of taking on a lodger so nothing changes as far as having a permanent address and the problems in not having one brings. Not quite as economically sound and definitely not profitable as renting it out might be. But hey ho, it's an income I wouldn't have which would go towards the boat costs I already have and would make a nice contribution of £350-400pcm. The idea was to buy a bigger boat than my 25ft Aintree Beetle to stay on for the most part, other than nipping back to my home to do washing etc. There's less than ten minutes drive from my mooring to my home. Once my boat sells, by mid-summer I'll have around £45K to spend. I could buy a new 30ft with a really decent spec. Or opt for something a little older around 40ft. A new boat really appeals but concerned a 30ft might be on the small side if I'm going to be on it as a liveaboard for the most part. I'm only 5 minutes from Venetian Marina. The layout of the boat I linked to is great, I agree, and the price is OK. But I was ideally looking for something 50ft or under to keep costs down for licencing/mooring/blacking etc. I think I'd fall into the trap of knowing it's not quite right and throwing money at painting it, nicer floor, new fabrics etc (none of what's on there is to my taste) and before I know it I'd have spent a chunk more and could've ended up with something closer to what I was looking for, for much the same money as I'd have spent on this one with the work done. Really need to get out there and see some boats first hand. Sad story about the owner and reason for sale. I wish them well.

Here's the boat: https://www.venetianmarina.co.uk/used-narrowboats/details/5008.aspx Shame, as otherwise it's decent. Exterior paint looks badly faded for a 12 year old boat though. By matt finish I mean wood that's not high gloss / varnished. Can't remember what Aintree said they used on the oak ply finish on mine but the it looks oiled and isn't shiny.

Gimme attention, gimme attention... Thanks for the replies. Thought it might be the varnish but wasn't sure why it'd be so localised to small areas. I'm supposing if it were to be sanded back and re-done it'd stick out like a sore thumb against the rest of the panels though. I prefer a matt finish rather than varnish anyhow.

I'm on the lookout for a new boat and having seen a lots of pictures of interiors I've noticed on a fair number of boats the interior wood has gone white... It's not in an area where you'd typically expect to see water damage - so what causes it? Picture attached. Thanks

Thanks for the replies. Gives me a much better idea of what's achievable.

Likely liveaboard. And with mains hook at current mooring. There'd only be me on board and I hate clutter. Another Aintree Beetle owner who has a 30ft has shared photos of theirs. They liveaboard too. Looks a great layout but don't want to share their photos without their permission.

Hi. I currently have a 25 Aintree Beetle and looking to upsize. I'm torn between going for an older 40-45ft or a new 30ft. Aintree's 30ft Beetle is £41k and I'm looking for layout ideas with a modern finish. Unfortunately there's not much I've found searching through used boats or Google images that's helping. So, any pictures of various 30ft layouts, regardless of hull type, would be appreciated. Thanks..

Thanks people. New my boat would be £36K. The broker who appraised said it'd go up for £29K - £29.5K with an offer expected somewhere close to this. For those looking for a small, modern boat, they're likely to be aware of the Beetle and that it pretty much comes with just one layout. I'm a member of the Beetle Owners group and it was likely me that asked if your boat was still for sale!

My boat's only 4 years old and inside it's immaculate. A few paint chips and marks on the stern doors and the usual marks on the blacking from locks but otherwise great. Certainly no scrape marks on the sides from bushes and branches etc. I've stepped on a few which smell badly and with super-spongey floors too!

Thanks for the feedback. I did notice even from the photos a few bits which suggest a lower-quality fit out than I'd hoped for. Screws etc capped off with brass fittings here and there. And some of the woodwork looks to be discoloured and white in apperance. It's been up since September now, so quite a while as you say. I'm in a bit of a quandry over what to do with my boat in terms of brokerage. The broker I visited advised that if it doesn't sell within 60 days and I withdraw it from sale after this period of time I'd have to pay a £600 fee. This is to prevent the abusing them for free moorings which I can understand. I don't know if it's the right time of year to be putting my boat up for sale though.

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the delayed reply. There's pros and cons to private sales and brokerages, I know. But didn't really want to get into all that at this stage. As a potential soon to be seller I'm looking at using a broker to sell my boat. Accomodating mid-week viewings are a non-starter for me so likely to lose a number of would-be buyers. The brokerage fee works out at £1.9K with the selling price I had in mind. Even with the sale of my boat plus what I've got in savings I'll still only have high 30's to spend which isn't quite enough. I'd be looking to be offering very low 40's on a 45K boat. I won't have the shortfall until maybe May time. The problem is if I put my boat up for sale around May then it might take months to sell and I'll end up potentially missing out on something I want. It's a bit of a roll of the dice. Edited to add.. The broker I visited today very recently sold: https://swanleybrokerage.co.uk/boats/elander-rose-cruiser-stern/ I mentioned the concern over hulls with it being Chinese steel. The feedback was some have had great surveys and others not, and that's applicable to any builder I spose depending on how well it's been looked after. The original plating is actually better than most standard hull builds, base plate at 12mm etc..

Thank you. I've ruled out anything that's Chinese made. From what I've read they don't sound what I'm looking for. Shame, as the interior of EastWest Marine boats look fantastic in my eyes. I've not ruled out the mid-range hulls, like Liverpool, if they've been well looked after. But preferably, it'd be a Aqualine, Reeves, Piper, Silverwright etc but might struggle within my budget. I'm not wanting something that has polystyrene insulation either but again the age of boat means spray foam might be harder to find. Shame the person you sold to didn't look after theirs. Thanks. Low-balling will definitely be on the cards to see what sort of bite I get. And the usual Bill of Sale etc would be a definite. But most stuff seems to go through a broker which reduces any chance of buying anything nicked.

Hi, I've currently a 25ft Aintree Beetle and I'm looking to buy something bigger as a liveaboard. I'd toyed with the idea earlier in the year and bottled it, hence the Beetle. Anyhow, it's a new year and I've decided to go for it. I'll be selling the Beetle privately and I've got a figure in mind. I'm looking for something 40-45ft in length with a good quality fit out - and ideally no dark wood/finish - and a hull from a respected builder but they seem scarce. The 'sticker price' seems to be around the £40K mark for something under 15 years old... This looks nice but can't quite stretch to it. https://newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boats-for-sale/1343 I'm keen to hear what the going rate is for such a boat. Or is it a case of how long is a piece of string and all depends on what the owner accepts? Thanks in advance

Hi, I've a 4 year old Aintree Beetle with a mixture of solid oak and ply interior. Some of the wood has faded where the previous owner's had pictures/TV in place. I'd have expected those areas to have gone darker rather than lighter as they've been protected from the sunlight. Anyhow, I'm looking for an interior cleaner that ideally won't make the wood shiny or darken but will get rid of any grime and dirt. Has anyone any recommendations? Maybe this? https://www.lakeland.co.uk/22363/Parker & Bailey Lemon Oil Polish/all-reviews Thanks

Yes, Jam's responded.

Thanks, just replied.

The house is too small really for anyone to consider it as a HMO.