thingsweregood

This is the constant battle! Spending another few months looking for a different boat, getting another 1-2 surveys done.... at the end I still have a similar aged boat (due to my budget), with probably slightly different but similar problems, and I would have spent £££ on rent in the meantime! It's all money, whichever way you look at it. Thanks for the tip on Paul Barber, I'll look him up.

Which dry dock did you do this? I'm currently emailing a bunch of dry docks to get quotes for both them grit blasting/applying 2 pack, and costs if they just do the grit blasting and I apply epoxy myself.

Unfortunately I think I have my heart set on a narrowboat, but I appreciate the suggestion! This one I've surveyed is quite open plan so definitely doesn't feel as claustrophibic as some of the other NBs I've seen. I am assuming that with overplating, the cost might be a bit less than the grit blast/expoxy route (if just doing the section by the stern), but this would reduce the overall value of the boat? People seem to really hate overplated boats.

Whewww, £5250 for a 57ft boat going by the P&S calculations.

Thank you for the advice. You wouldn't happen to know a ballpark figure of how much this costs? Yuppp

Hi everyone, apologies in advance for length! I just had a survey completed for a boat I like. It's a 1992, 57ft narrowboat with 10/6/5 steel. The surveyor (who is great), noted a few issues: Pitting: 1. "the craft has suffered from corrosive pitting and is considered widespread across the hull sides between the hairpin and shoulder on each side. This should be monitored at future dockings to ensure doublers are applied if corrosive losses continue any further. The median pit depth was 1.0mm with some pitting noted up to 2.0mm. This is aged corrosion and must be assessed at further dockings. This corrosion is not thought to be active." Worn chine: "The base UTM median readings ranged from 8.4mm to 9.8mm. The sacrificial wear edge (Chine) has notably worn on each parallel side, with more advanced erosion to the starboard side. The chine measured from 9.0mm to 15mm." Thinner steel at stern end: "It is widely accepted that remedial steelworks are required where plate thickness is reduced to less than 4.0mm. In this case the hull exceeds this threshold at this time but as stated-the lower shell on each swim has worn more than the rest of the side shell. This is most likely as a result of internal corrosion from prolonged periods of water in the aft cabin bilge / engine compartment." On the starboard side the readings are majority 5.7-5.9mm, but there are a couple of spots near the stern where it goes down to 4.7, 4.8, 4.4, and one spot where it read 4.2mm. Other than that, there were a number of other more minor flags for remedial work (engine bay needs cleaning, gas locker needs cleaning and rust treating, new packing around stove flue, new top rudder bearing etc). The fitout of the boat has been done by the owner and is of an average finish, and I would expect to renovate much of the interior eventually. But other than that the boat is immediately liveable, the engine is fine, it seems dry and not leaking, plumbing/gas/electrics are fine, exterior paint condition is decent. My question is, on a 30 year old boat, is this level of pitting a concern? Is this something that can or should be remedied, or is it ok to maintain the boat at a level which prevents further corrosion? I wouldn't be living in a marina, but cc. The surveyor did tell me it wouldn't be worth welding the pits as they're too numerous. Also he said the chine would need to have a new shoe welded on eventually, and the thinning at the stern end could eventually become a problem. I would ask for a reduction in the asking price, but not sure if I should walk away entirely? I'm weighing up a few factors: I'm needing somewhere to live very soon, would plan to liveaboard for 2-3 years minimum, but am conscious that eventually I would want to sell and wouldn't want to lose a ton at the next sale. I am also aware that the market is crazy and competition is fierce, and additionally every month that I'm paying rent in London while I look for the 'perfect' boat is another £1000 to a landlord. So just walking away isn't necessarily the easy decision. Not sure I can really afford to have multiple boats surveyed when every one within my price bracket (around £35-37k) is likely to have some issues! Just trying to work out which "issues" are par for the course, and which are deal breakers. Help!

Do you think if I did the 2 days RYA helmsman course, plus spend a week or two tootling up and down at Worcester first, it would be enough to tackle the overall trip (excluding Tardebigge, which sounds like its easier with a crew) by myself? Locks just seem a bit daunting by youerself with a 57ft boat!

Thanks Jen, this is really thorough advice! I guess I'm just nervous to be single handing locks straight off the bat, but maybe I can convince (or pay) someone to join me for the first few days till I get the hang of it. Don't want to sink my boat 3 days into living on her...

Yes, I live in London currently, near the canal, and have several friends who are cc'ers so I'm a little prepared for how crowded it is. I can work from home/remotely so I don't NEED to be in the city, but I'd like to be a reasonable distance from my friends...

Hi all, I'm in the process of finalising the purchase of a 57ft NB (touch wood), and want to move it from its current location in Gloucester (or the owners can take it up to Worcester for me), and bring it down to London. Or rather, at a place outside London that is a good spot for a total newbie like me to get used to my new home but still within a reasonable reach of the city. I was thinking maybe around Hemel Hempsted or Watford could be a good spot, but really I have no idea. I'll be a cc'er but would prefer to be in or close-ish to London. I do want to gain experience in the quieter parts of the canal, but the full trip right off the bat, going through over 100 locks, is just a bit too daunting for me. I'm looking at possible routes (start and end spots) and options for transporting (Helmsman or via truck) - does anyone have any suggestions? I've had a quote from one Helmsman to take it from Diglis Basin to Hemel (10 days he said), and am waiting on quotes from Tuckeys and Ray Bowern. TIA

Hi Hivemind, Newbie here. What are some drydocks within a reasonable distance of Gloucester? Looking to have a survey done on a new boat purchase. I see there's the T Nielson right there in Gloucester, but I think they only pull boats in once a week...? Might be totally wrong. Thanks!

Definitely! I just want to understand the rough costs so I can anticipate and budget I've messaged a couple of moving companies but am interested to see people's personal experiences too.

Hi all, If anyone has used a haulage company to move their narrowboat from one part of the country to another, are you able to let me know the rough cost? Trying to get an idea of costs so I can factor that in when weighing up if it's worth purchasing a boat from far away to where I want to be living on it. Thanks!

Forgive my ignorance, what do you mean by frames needing to be cut? I assumed that if there was just a porthole, this would need to be removed and a whole large section of the steel side of the boat would need to be cut out to install a hopper. Is this what you mean? Would cutting a larger hole have a big impact on structural integrity? (I would get a professional to do the work)

Hello hivemind, I'm still on the hunt for a boat, and I've seen a couple which look alright but have more portholes than the larger hopper-style windows. My preference would be for larger windows for airflow, ventilation, light etc - especially in the bedroom where it seems like they often only have portholes. Is it inadvisable to replace a porthole or two with a larger window? Or to install a window where there is none at all? Not sure if this would affect the structural integrity of the boat at all, or if its more just an aesthetic/cost/security decision. Thank you!

Good advice, thank you.

Yeah, I definitely don't want to buy something sight unseen & not carefully considered. But you're right, things do go very quickly at the moment.

Hi all, I'm in the market for a NB and have recently been talking to someone with one for sale. They sent me a recent survey from about a year ago (of course, I'd get my own survey if I got to the stage where I wanted to put in an offer!) and it seems to be very thorough, which is great. However, it also has an 'opinion of value' stating that it's 'current open market value' is in the region of about £6-7k less than the price it's advertised for sale at. Is this normal? Is there a difference between a valuation for mortgage/insurance/'open market' purposes vs what you would reasonably expect to sell a boat for, perhaps taking into account other more superficial interior design aspects? Thanks in advance

Good to know... The owner did list it as a Harborough.

Not a fun task! Thanks for your thoughts. I agree, I really like the character of it. Yes, I think the stove at a minimum would need a proper fireproof surround/tiling. I don't mind buying a boat that needs a bit of work (especially interior work, that I don't find particularly daunting), but if the hull/engine etc are going to be a nightmare I think I'd rather walk away. Tricky with the current market, seems like not a lot out there and boats going so quickly!

That's what I thought....

I'm going to view this boat, which seems to have the main things I'm looking for (with regard to length, layout, and what would be left to do DIY wise). Of course I would get a full survey before committing to a purchase but wanted to get the opinions of the forum as you all seem like a knowledgeable bunch ? https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat.phtml?id=654836 Other things not mentioned in the advert: - Last blacked April 2019 - The BS cert will be ready for renewal in Aug 2022 - it’s a flat bottomed Hull. - The anodes were replaced in 2015 with the last survey. - Wood top (I have read that these can be problematic - I'm not sure if it has been skimmed with steel or fibreglass or is only wood) - Everything is run off 12 v, there is a conversion box to 24 v, which you can use with the engine running. - The immersion has a battery to fire up and then runs off the leisure battery. - Automatic bilge pump on the back end of the hull near the engine bay, plus a small one in the middle part of the bilge as this is separate. Any red flags here? I really like the look of it, but of course haven't had a chance to see her in person yet.

I found a couple of extra photos of the boat which shows some more of the exterior. Perhaps this sheds some more light on what sort of boats were cut together?

Interesting, thanks for your insights. May I ask what a station boat is, and why this would be a negative?

Good to know. What is the current thinking?