Eyup. I've yearned for a NB since watching Walt the cobbler & the ECP&DA restore the Erewash at Langley Mill as a 6yr old. Over the years I've come pretty close a few times, especially when I worked away from home, but somehow the final jump has always escaped me.
Now, at the ripe old age of 53 & 3/4 I find myself semi-retired with lots of time on my hands. I've a missus who won't fly in no aeroplane, yet I still feel the need to travel, see things & get away from 'normal' just once in awhile. We've been booking holiday cottages 3-4x a year & take several weekend breaks in various parts of the UK, which is nice & enjoyable whatever the season, but you always feel like you're a guest in someone else's house. I'm no church mouse, but there is no way I can afford the £250k+ for the 2nd home I'd want to call my 2nd home.
So, a NB would be ideal for us. We could winter moor it somewhere easily accessible & move it a new location a few times in the season during the 3-4x a year I feel the need to explore. It's either this or a caravan . . . ?
Problem is I'm not a numpty, I'm hitting the very same signals that have traditionally prevented me from buying one before. We've looked at a few, she likes the colour of some & she likes the cleanliness of the kitchen layout in others. Me, I'm left wondering why is this boat asking £35,000 & that other one is £75,000 ?
I know what I want in regards to layout & functionality, I know how much it would cost to build that steel hull from 10/6/4 & I know how much it would cost to line it & fit it out. But I still don't understand what is inside the head of a chap that is asking £75k for £200's worth of scrap metal & I will never understand why anyone would ever think that someone just about to spend 308yrs of their pocket money on a blurry photograph & the briefest of brief descriptions on t'internets is somehow their 'bitch'.
Is buying from a broker (a reputable broker) my only option?