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Thanks again! Sorry I haven't figured out how to break up quotes here in a reply. £1k for the crane - so presumably sensible to plan for any required work at the same time? The hull hasn't been blacked for 2 years so is probably due. But wouldn't want to undertake that until sale fully agreed. Hmm. Or find a boatyard with a suitable crane on-site? What they paid for the boat - it was fitted out to high spec and they've done no / little work on it apart from general maintenance and installing solar panels. I suppose it'd just be interesting to see how much more they're asking for today vs. what they paid. It wouldn't necessarily affect the offer we make but might inform it? I'd understood that boats generally depreciate a bit in value (after accounting for fitting out work) but happy to be corrected on that. Not sure about marine finance sorry! We'd just read this: Importantly, check for outstanding finance. Marine finance is regulated in the same way as other forms of finance are, so a check for outstanding finance through a credit checking agency is a must. Remember some finance works by the finance company having ownership of the craft until the debt is repaid. Ask to see mooring, insurance & maintenance invoices to build a picture of the integrity of the seller. At https://www.thefitoutpontoon.co.uk/boat-buying-guide/used-secondhand/

Thanks again Alan! Yes we understand that usually you make an offer subject to a hull survey (and interior inspection?) and if that comes back with any major work being needed on the boat then the price should be adjusted accordingly. I've read that it's around £300-400 for the survey. Do you know how long it takes? The people we're keen to buy from have a small child so wondering how much of an inconvenience it will be for them (of course we're going to insist on one regardless but keen to understand how long they'll have to be off the boat for). I'm guessing it's not possible / very unusual to request a survey before making an offer? We're looking at a widebeam which I'm pretty sure has an overinflated asking price and hasn't had a recent hull survey (red flag?) so would love an independent surveyor to value her before making an offer but understand it generally works the other way around and then you haggle over any unforeseen costs when you made your offer. Another question if you don't mind. We understand that generally you can ask to see all paperwork before making (or formalising?) an offer just to check that it's in order. But if we were to ask to see the bill of sale (both the first and second - we'd be the third owners) then wouldn't that reveal some rather important info to us (how much they paid) which could inform our offer / bargaining? It does feel a little strange to be thinking about parting with so much money with relatively relaxed attitudes all around paperwork. We're of course going to be getting a full survey and would like to see a paper trail back to the start if possible. I've also read that we should be checking about marine finance / doing a credit check to ensure there's no outstanding finance due on the boat as we could become liable for that.

A further thought on this. If buying a second hand boat - is it advisable then to check that the original purchaser did pay VAT (assuming the boat is not VAT exempt)? Like could a third generation owner be liable to HMRC for unpaid VAT or are you basically safe so long as you're not the original purchaser? And another somewhat related thought. Is the private seller of a second hand boat liable to pay any tax on that sale? (Just thinking about how that might affect us a few years down the line if we were to sell a widebeam that we own.) Thanks! We're considering making an offer in the coming days subject to hull survey etc so just wanting to ensure we have all of the current / future costs and liabilities fully in view.

Thanks so much Alan! The widebeam we're considering is from a private seller so I'm guessing based on this we'd just make it clear to them that our offer (if we do make one subject to hull survey etc) is inclusive of VAT. Appreciate your reply Edited: Sorry I've just reread the first part of your post. So you are saying that all second hand boats are VAT exempt? That makes sense!

We're looking at a 57x12 widebeam for CCing around London and of course also further afield e.g. over towards Bath & Bristol if poss? That's not essential (to be able to make it over there) but we'll be needing to meet CC requirements and just keen to confirm what sort of range we could expect to enjoy on a widebeam.

Sorry for another newbie post! I'm reading up about VAT - my understanding is that if your boat has a gross tonnage of not less than 15 tons and is not designed or adapted for use for recreation or pleasure then it is exempt from VAT (20%). But most narrowboats and widebeams do not qualify for VAT exemption due to their gross tonnage (calculated by: L (m) × B (m) × D (m) × 0.16). My questions is: if the boat is not exempt from VAT then presumably the buyer needs to factor an additional 20% into their offer (one way or another)? Is it standard practice to offer a net amount with an additional 20% paid separately / directly by the buyer to HMRC? Am I understanding this VAT thing correctly? Thank you

Hi everyone! My partner & I are keen to understand cruising ranges for widebeams. Apologies if this has been posted about before in the forum but a quick search didn't yield any results. I've found this article - https://www.canalboat.co.uk/waterways/canal-network/far-and-wide-1-3538049 - but I'm really more of a visual person. Does anyone know of any maps (not detailed navigation ones but high-level overview ones ideally free online) showing the cruising ranges for widebeams in the UK? Many thanks! -- Edited to add: My apologies - a further Google search threw up this post - it seems the in-forum search function wasn't working. -- Further edit: Found this map which seems informative: