Delibe
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Posts posted by Delibe
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Just now, MtB said:
Honestly, there is no substitute for turning up repeatedly at brokerages in person, to get the inside track on new boats coming to market.
Mailing lists are for when the people they know personally are ready to buy, but have turned the boat down.
Juss sayin', like.
Personal visits to brokerages are only just getting back - so many have been insisting on appointment only because of the blasted virus, and I have been relying on phone calls and messaging to remind them how much they want to find me a boat
But honestly it seems like people are buying boats sight unseen at the minute and I'm simply not willing to do that. Also I'm not willing to travel further south than Staffs/Notts. I'll get there, no rush, and my boat is out there somewhere.
Your bit about mailing lists - I don't get your drift there. Am I being dim?
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4 hours ago, Jim Batty said:
Hi Jane
When we were looking for our perfect narrowboat we had to rely on public transport to get to some pretty remote places all over the south and Midlands to view boats. So it became crucial to get the best idea of a boat's condition and layout beforehand, so as to not waste time and resources.
What ultimately worked best was choosing a place where there were a few brokers close to each other, each with a couple of potential boats advertised that we were interested in. Then we'd make a long weekend of it. We did this by bus and train. If you've a vehicle, it would be all the easier.
For us, the Braunston area, taking in Whilton and Blissworth, was productive. If you're more mobile you could add Rugby, etc. into the mix.
I would want to know an awful lot about a boat and its condition before traveling down from Northumberland to view it. And I have to say we had a few serious (and expensive) disappointments traveling out to single boats that had been 'oversold' and overvalued by private owners.
At least with the brokers there was a variety of boats to see all at once.
Our perfect live aboard boat turned out to be one that was not yet on the broker's website - and that we looked at on a whim ... because we happened to be there at the right time.
Best of luck finding your boat.
Thank you, Iuck is what I need. I am now in touch with some brokers who operate around the north midlands, Lancs and Yorks. My daughter lives near York so I have a southerly base to work from (well, southerly to me at least
I'm also mobile and have oodles of time on my hands - and I do love a road trip. When I got our current boat (a little grp cruiser) I did a trip to Essex one week and then Scotland the next... all part of the fun. BTW does anyone want a nice little cabin cruiser
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4 hours ago, agg221 said:
Don't forget you will immediately need insurance, a mooring (I presume you will not be continuously cruising, based on your location) and a licence, generally in that order. There are some technicalities which can be used in a few rare circumstances to spread these out but I suggest budgeting £2.5-3k for this (depends on length). For context, we have a 38' boat with a historic discount and are on the cheapest available mooring. This gave us a combined figure of £2k for the above.
Alec
All of these are separately budgeted for as running costs. We are already boat owners so we're prepared for the ongoing costs
3 hours ago, David Mack said:40 ft, cruiser stern, looks to be in clean condition, may need some overplating in future. £25k.
40 ft trad stern, pedigree builder, well fitted out but perhaps slightly dated interior, £30k.
I have been monitoring ebay, facebook, gumtree, apollo duck, you name it, for some months and continue to do so! As well as being on the mailing list for every marina and brokerage I can lay my eyes on. But, as I said earlier in the thread, there's no rush. And it's nice to look at all the boats I can't afford
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On 01/11/2021 at 15:16, MichaelG said:
Hi, we looked at a few quite expensive options but ended up buying a two seater from IKEA. Think it’s called the Ektorp or similar. It’s a generous size two seater, plenty of room for two plus the dog, plus it’s not too deep for a narrow boat width. Think it only cost about £200. It’s delivered in three pieces, the base and back plus the two arms and they bolt together, so easy to get onboard. You buy the colour cover in the colour you want that fits over it. For such a cheap sofa we found it to be really comfortable. Had it for about a year and still happy with it.
We have Ektorps at home and love them. Even the massive chaise longue version came in a kit form - not sure it would fit on a narrowboat though the two seater deffo would
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Here's a pretty introverted quiet guy living alone through circumstance rather than choice in an environment that has been forced upon him (he feels this is the case and therefore we must accept his feelings). I suspect he is a bit lonely and feeling isolated. It's a shame the thread got a bit unpleasant, because I enjoyed a lot of the humour earlier on. People often react sharply when poked.
I'm not finger pointing; almost everything that has been posted has been well intentioned. Just saying there might be another side to it. Maybe he'd just wanted to reach out in quiet anonymity for a bit of company.
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2 hours ago, booke23 said:
Agree with all the above. Remember you can have multiple cassettes to give you much longer intervals between visiting Elsan’s if you want.
DOH! I never thought of that, what a numpty!! though it seems that there are more Elsans than I had thought.
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I know that boats are money pits! we've been sailing and motor boating for several years. It's just the whole canal thing that's new
Running costs are not a problem, I can cover that fine; it's the purchase that is on a tight budget, I have a certain amount of money saved up and I'm not willing to borrow.
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Sorry it's me back again. I'll bugger off and have a coffee soon and leave you in peace.
I've been wondering about ex-hire fleet boats. I know they are totally lacking in personality, but an interior re-fit and repaint would sort that out. But I was guessing that the engine and steel work would be well maintained? Or am I being very naive?
I haven't really been interested in them as they prioritise the number of berths they can squeeze in and have grim wipe clean interiors. But maybe I'm missing a trick here, given that I'm happy to improve the loveliness for myself. And they do seem usually to have nice bathrooms!
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On 31/10/2021 at 16:22, system 4-50 said:
Just to satisfy my nosiness, what do you want?
In my dreams or in the real world
Real world answer is 45' - 60'; cruiser stern essential, otherwise layout is immaterial. My outlay including survey, blacking and essential repairs cannot exceed £35k. General upgrade to interior, titivating the paintwork etc can be done as time goes on. Like I said, it's a small budget.
As for the dream... I won't really know that until I've run my own boat for a year or two.
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first of all thank you to everyone who responded to my enquiry about buying through a broker. It was very helpful.
So sorry to revisit a well worn topic, but...
1) If you are continuous cruising how practical is a cassette toilet? I reckon from my caravan experience to empty every 4-5 days (more frequent if I have hubby aboard!) So I would have to plan to be near an Elsan point rather regularly.
2) I am soon to view a boat that has a pump out toilet - can anyone advise me the best way to have its holding tank checked?
3) and no I am not considering a compost loo until the CRT has been able to sort out the dumping problems.
Thanks in advance.
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That's always a possibility of course 😱
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Thank you all. This is very helpful. We aren't in a massive rush to buy, hoping the market will cool a little along with the weather! viewing boats is a bit of an undertaking from where we live, and the temptation to rush is in quite strong. But I'm pretty level headed and know what I want.
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I do review Apolloduck regularly (obsessively more like) but most are brokerage adverts once you open them up. I only ask as we have been warned off brokerages on the grounds of inflated prices.
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We live in Northumberland far far from the waterways system. I am actively seeking a used narrowboat, but doing 99% of my research online so far. All I have found are brokerages. Where do private sales get advertised? Also I have a pretty small budget
not good news at the moment.
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14 hours ago, Mad Harold said:
An outboard will usually have an anode under the cavitation plate next to the prop.
As for leaving the outboard in the up position,this is not recommended because someone mooring behind you may not realise that your leg sticks out perhaps 3ft and give your outboard leg a rather expensive clout.
Fair point but we are on finger pontoons. The main hazards a people who moor far forward and leave their pulpits and anchor rollers for me to walk into
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2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
As far as anti-foul is concerned - Yes you can (but make sure you don't forget as left on too long and it can 'etch' into the gell-coat.
You still need anodes tho, when you drop the leg, the prop is in the water and you can / will get cathodic corrosion.
Leg, prop and skeg?
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3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
If your outboard is tilted clear of the water, then that's fine. Few outboard powered boat in marinas seem to have their engines tilted.
If you have any 'hull fittings' that are in contact with the water (we have 11) then each of those needs to be bonded and connected to an anode - the anodes are not to protect the GRP but ANYTHING metallic.
This shows an anode on the GRP which would look to be doing nothing, but internally it is "bonded" (connected by copper cable) to the sea-cock on the forward toilet.
Thank you, clear and helpful.
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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:
If your outboard is tilted clear of the water, then that's fine. Few outboard powered boat in marinas seem to have their engines tilted.
Well, if I may say so, that is ill advised. Just call me Mrs Fussbucket.
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Sorry to go back to my original post - if the boat is out of the water regularly and not afloat for more than a few weeks at a time, can I not just pressure wash the hull in between? She's a tiny tiny little boat 5.5m 0.4 draft so not much hull to deal with
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I'm a bit hazy about anodes - they are attached to metal bits to stop the water corroding them? hence sacrificial, the corrosive chooses the anode over the OB leg or whatever. BUT why is it so important in a marina when the OB will be raised out of contact with the water?
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Oops - apologies.
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You don't know that! he might be a homeless Viking.
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We have a small GRP boat that we intend to use on both sea and inland. She will spend a lot of time out of the water on her trailer, but will also be afloat on a saltwater marina for several weeks. I am in a quandary about anti fouling. She is old but the gel coat is in excellent condition.
Any advice is welcome.
My phone won't call 999
in General Boating
Posted
Well apparently I’m the only person who finds this racially offensive, including your forum moderator. Clearly this forum is not the place for me.