Hi Bee. I refitted a Minesweeper back in the day in 12 weeks so a narrowboat in a year seems a little "slow". but, get your drift. Also had a dockyard to work on it, not myself !! In our first year I would hope to spend half of it finding the boat and buying it, Suppliers are not much of a problem as i am a Marine Engineer so the stuff and its " uniqueness" are no mystery to me, apart from the fact that tech has moved on and products that used to be good are not now. They are being superseded ( say for insulation ) by space blankets etc. Also for a lot of the stuff I can easy ship from the US or HK as my business was supply to UK distributors from Chinese factories and I have access to all the channels. Sometimes I look at the branded gear in the Chandlers and know the factory that make it, with many badges for the world. Even stuff made in UK or Europe is, at the component level, sourced here.
So If I found a boat in the summer I could order all I need in advance and have it on hand. Even engines.
True enough.