MajorJones

Boat sitting 'under offer' and waiting for a survey doesn't equal to your sales fees, just a deposit. More likely they were eager to shift 'stock' quicker rather than owning a boat and knowing about a problem.

I've worked with moisture resistant MDF before - won't work without PPE, the dust is toxic as hell.?

Yes, absolutely - I understand that. And in general, it's hard to think of an industry that works for the purchaser and not the vendor.

Knowing it's not a car dealership and broker doesn't owe you anything it still does bring a peace of mind that your first boat is not going to be complete miss (or so we, newboaters, hope)

You'd be surprised but this form is #1 result for almost all of my search queries lol

I personally strongly disagree with "no names mentioned though". We are the crossroads now - choosing between a ~10yo boat vs ordering a sailaway, and I for once would really like to hear names, as probably every other boat hunter here. If a brokerage is a good one - they deserve to be known for that, if they are complete s__te - same again, they deserve to be known for that.

Can confirm now! MDF panel - available everywhere (Travis, Wicks, etc). 20 quid per m2 - cheap, but looks nice - I understand now why so many new builds are using it. Thank you very much guys for your help!

That's how I see it through my rose-coloured glasses.

Surely it's a good thing, no? More public promotion => more people buying boats => more canal users => more work done by CRT => recovery of the system

Thank you! I feel so stupid now, it must be MDF primed beaded panel ?‍♂️

Wait, I thought you need to have a boat first?!

Hi guys! I'm trying to identify a material that I see now more and more often on the new builds - it looks like tongue and groove cladding boards, but actually it's just a visual effect and it's a panel, I'm not even sure it's a wood as from the cut it looks like some sort of compressed foam with the layer on top. I've attached a couple of photos. Any ideas?

LOL, I didn't mean a private seller, but hey - well spotted!

Most of the boats are now off the market before you find time to call, so apparently 'the norm' now is to put a deposit for a boat without seeing it!

@Alan de Enfield I don't think this is something that can be compared by the ownership costs over 10 years exclusively. Is it expensive? Yes it is. Does it have benefits for some type of boaters - for sure.

@MoominPapa Yes, I see what you are saying. It's a perfect explanation for a live afloat case, less that much for a holiday boat. I personally believe that fully electric or hybrid is the future, not quite sure if now is the right time or should we wait couple of years to change diesel for electricity. I'll talk to few boat builders mentioned above in this thread to understand their perspective, as I hope they can build a strong case for or against the idea.

My god, what have you done! You've opened pandora box, again! I am so tempted by the idea, I believe I have skills and resources and tools to do so, but so many people are saying that it's a bad idea and 9 out of 10 sailaways are doomed to go on the market as an unfinished project. On the other hand - there is a massive benefit of working with sailaway - I will know every single details of how things are done on our boat. I believe the current lack of boats will be a continuous trend - people with boats have realised they need to upgrade to have more space (hence the flux of shorter boats on the markets) as a lockdown in 35-40ft NB is no fun, people without boats have realised our current staycation is here for decades now and they need to have another type of vacation, people without boats have mortgages pulled and houses prices are as high as never before, so again - looking to buy, etc. So I guess it's just a bad time to buy now, and it will be a bad time to buy for quite a while.

I assume same applies to any type of engine - you can stuck with a diesel as well, the only difference I guess is how easy to source parts and someone who knows how to fix it. In theory a fully electric system should be much more reliable and be less prone to faults, may be we are not there yet - after all I haven't see Tesla supercharge stations on the canals.

Blimey, I guess you do learn something new every day! TBH, I've never been in the lock where water flow exceeds your cratch/pram capability. It seems I have to put a duct tape next to a tiller now!

I'm afraid I'm too slow to understand that one. Can you explain please? You have 57ft (or up to 64 in that matter), you have cratch and pram and how duct tape is going to help?

63ft is stupid, I agree. But the idea of 2 bedrooms + 2 guests is so tempting. I'm not sure I can fit that into 57ft? As for 70ft - I hated it every time I had to cruise on it, size does matter and that one is just to big for my taste lol Haven't even noticed the toilet position until you and @TheBiscuits have pointed out! I guess that's the reason why it makes sense to run it by you guys! As for "Who are Findlay Properties" - It seems that when boat is fitted by an owner and not a well-known boat builder it's about 10% cheaper, not the case when this one was fitted by a London property management company (or so it seems). So apparently a big no? Why is that? I had my fair share of 70ft and yes, I don't like it still don't see it as an issue. Or are you referring to passing the locks diagonally?

Guys, you've told me to be open-minded and do not disregard NBs that are not my ideal setup. Also you have advised to post here NBs I consider so you can give your pros and cons. So what do you think about this one? https://newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boats-for-sale/1452 My concerts: - 63ft rather than 57ft - is it a big problem? (My main mooring is about to be at Oxford/Union) - Cruiser - Don't like cruiser type that much, but I assume I can remove half of the railing and weld benches each side? Thoughts?

II will, thank you! I've seen their boats - expensive, but quality is top-notch!

I believe I have mentioned it above, but don't mind saying it again - in my head it's not about being 'green', but about nice things I can have with the electric propulsion explained in my previous post (I totally understand they may not make sense for anyone but me). Except the price.

My gosh, I didn't even know such thing exists! p.s. Read the brochure and the manual of a hob - such an ingenious thing. Definitely bookmarked for the new build. (So easy to overspend when you want to have nice things)