damienleith86

Hi Martin, I would still be interested in it but I basically was unable to get it surveyed - there is no where to get the boat out of the water on the Forth & Clyde canal - the few potential places either do not allow the public to use them (being owned by a charity) or are available for "a few hours only" meaning it is not possible to get a survey done and then the bottom reblacked where the bitumen has been removed (obviously a Covid backlog will have contributed to this). So I hit a wall and couldn't get any further forward. I think the owners also may now have found a buyer - the gumtree add says deposit taken (https://www.gumtree.com/p/boats-kayaks-jet-skis/57ft-narrowboat-spectre-/1342453857). I have emailed the seller to try and confirm this and also to see where their potential buyer found to survey the boat or if they decided not too but they have not gotten back to me. So now I am stuck! I am thinking I may need to buy a boat in England and get it driven up but even then there is no easy way of getting it onto the canal. Scotland is not really set up for live aboard canal ownership it seems which is such a shame. Damien

Thanks everyone this is all really helpful and certainly gives me a lot to think about. I definitely take on board the comments about the amount and cost of work required to make the boat suitable for cruising again - and will take this into consideration when making an offer. I am currently in the process of trying to arrange a survey which is not easy on the Forth and Clyde canal at the best of times and this is not the best of times! Thanks again, Damien

Oh yes I plan to have a survey if I buy it but obviously if people on here had said that the hull is in particularly bad condition for age based on the survey from 2017 I wouldn't have even entertained it. From what people are saying it doesn't seem awful and therefore worth taking to "the next stage" and arranging for a formal survey (no mean feat as Scottish canals are still closed until the end of July). The cumulative experience/ expertise on here seems to serve as a reasonable pre-screen before getting a survey for a boat which otherwise seems to be pretty ideal for my needs (already moored where I want it/ in the right country!) - whilst needing work. I hope that answers your question with regards to "my question"!? D

I think it was built 1993. Yes I agree about the floating flat (although would be using it as a liveaboard) - they have removed gas and have an electric oven - I would plan to convert back to gas. They have also removed the shower and the toilet is a box(!) - I would convert this back (possibly wet room)/ add a compost toilet. I would add solar +/- wind power for cruising. All that said the vast majority of the time I would be moored in a marina with toilets/ shower/ launderette facilities etc. In Scotland there is no continuous cruising and everyone has to have a "home mooring" - with guest moorings available if you want to move along the canal - so the majority of time is spent in a marina or moving from marina to marina (it is a relatively short canal with multiple marinas along the way between Edinburgh and Glasgow).

Hi Folks, Sorry because I know you get a lot of these request. I am looking to buy a boat in Scotland and this one is for sale.... https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/57-ft-narrow-boat-spectre/1375399916?utm_source=WhatsApp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android Additional info: The boat was blacked in August 2019 with Keelblack (6 coats on the side and 4 coats on the bottom). Mitsubishi K-series engine, oil filter and oil changed in 2018. Boat Safety Certificate valid until November 2022. Fully refitted and insulated with 25mm Ballytherm, hardwood finishing on walls and ceiling. Lots of storage space, large kitchen with full sized oven, a two burner hotplate and a microwave. Under counter larder fridge. Large chest freezer kept in the storage unit at Applecross. Multifuel (coal and wood) stove, two movable oil radiators with WiFi timers. Two 110Ah leisure batteries and a new starter battery bought in 2018 and a 30a battery charger for shorepower. Petrol generator. Thetford cassette toilet. Dehumidifier. Alarm system fitted with door and motion sensors. Wall mounted 32 inch HD TV and a couch settee. Built-in seating area and a pop up table under cratch cover. My main concern is regarding the hull - attached is the survey from Spring 2017. There does seem to have been some corrosion (neglect?) at that time. The boat has since been blacked twice (at that time in 2017 and again in 2019 as detailed above) but only with bitumen not grit blasted an epoxy coated as suggested in the survey. Do you think this will be a problem? Is it worth having it grit blasted and epoxied now? Any other glaring concerns with the boat? It is in an ideal mooring and boats are few and far between on the Scottish canal networks but I am worried there are big issues with the hull? Thanks in advance for any advice. Damien