BoatinglifeupNorth

The OP could also probably save time and money by modifying his narrowboat as in his last post he says he has a 70ft Narrowboat moored on the T&M, he could possibly save £1000’s by shortening and modifying it to suit his coastal ambitions??? Then again in his first post he doesn’t mention his Narrowboat but says, “I have been hire boating many years, but now that I'm retired I'm ready to sell up and build my dream liveaboard, so I thought I would join this forum and get some advice.” I’m not really taking this Thread too seriously and others may think the same as myself “Cloud-Cuckoo Land”

Glad I’m not the only one that thinks the OP is on Cloud-Cuckoo land. I wanted to say that on the 1st post but then I would of been slatted by the “No wonder Newbies don’t stay brigade” so had to be a bit PC for the dreamers👍😂

As I said I can’t work the build spec out as I don’t think any of it is needed for the the 10% he says he’ll not be on the canals.

And you know the “reality” of the cost of a new all electric boat and what it entails for it to work efficiently, unlike most on here. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the OP but when he says he’s hoping more like just over £200K I thought he needs a big reality check. Even making the beam 7’ instead of 6’10” with 20mm base plate adds £thousands and the extra 2” beam will add no major improvements but could add significant problems with locks.

It’s not obscene to talk about budgets as without a healthy budget it’s pointless having all these ideas as you couldn’t afford them. Your lower £200K budget wouldn’t even work for a standard all electric narrowboat, but add on all the extras, technical, 10Knt electric motor speed, extra steel work for the 10% of cruising you think you need these ideas for then £400K could soon disappear. I don’t know why your overthinking so much, as all the routes you mention have been done by Narrowboats from what I’ve seen, so why not just get a good shorter Narrowboat with a large HP diesel engine and enjoy it before your too old. How old are you? On his first post he’s talking about electric drive. So maybe he’s going the all electric route? So no big diesel engine.

@Redhawk106 You say you don’t want to sell your widebeam and rent a flat, how about selling your widebeam and buying a Narrowboat you may find it easier?

It would take years and a vast sum of money well over £500K and the rest if any boat builder would want to do it. That’s why I asked his age and how much he is willing to spend on what could turn out an expensive “White Elephant” that never gets finished or leaves the boat yard.

Your going to sell up and live on this dream boat, can I ask your age and how much your prepared to spend on this dream boat? How much do think this dream boat will cost you with your quirky ideas?

Maybe a “U” Boat, on the surface on Canals and beneath the waves on the Sea, the OP has mentioned fitting Snorkels😂 I think I’ll jump ship on this one as I can’t really take it seriously.

I don’t know if the OP knows standard Narrowboats are 6’10”, but on his dream boat he says he wants a 7’ beam and Leeboards, so may find it, as you say tight and a bit restrictive to where he can go, where there’s Narrow Locks involved. In all honesty the more I read the OP’s ideas the more ridiculous they sound, things like: “interested in a cruiser deck that has rigid lid that folds down over the superstructure which is another unusual feature I know but I think would help keep the boat watertight” “And then both sides and roof I would want virtually covered in solar panels. In fact I'm thinking of using the solar panels almost structurally, in that the boat would be a frame with solar panels fitting into the frame”

Welcome, a lot of ideas and a lot of re-inventing the wheel???? To save all the expense and time. why not just buy a standard Narrowboat and do all the inland waterways and when you’ve done all you want of that, sell it and buy a coastal cruiser and do coastal waters? This would save you a lot of time and probably a lot of money with the type of boat your dreaming of building.

But it doesn’t take the brains of a Bishop to know that over the last few years after lockdown hundreds if not thousands of boats have been sold and bought. Yourself and Alan keep going on about “Brokers” and cases that you can’t remember but have been mentioned on here about RCD/RCR problems/nightmares, Brokers refusing to sell non RCD/RCR boats but you fail to give any substantial evidence if any to your claims. So all the “Scope Boats” sold since say lockdown by BMF Brokers or any reputable broker have all had complying paperwork RCD and documentation? Come on be real and take the Rose coloured glasses off.

I would say there are thousands more second-hand “In Scope boats” that have been bought and sold through Brokerage without a complying RCD/RCR over the last 5 years never mind since 1998 that have been sold with one and it’s still going on this weekend. You and @Alan de Enfield keep going on about brokers refusing to sell boats without naming any, so I would say it’s you that needs to prove and back up your words and not me to waste my time.

Please define what you call an “In Scope Boat” or is it basically a boat built post RCD introduction 1998. Do you know of any specific BMF Brokers that are turning boats built post 1998 away because of non conformity RCD/RCR, if so as you’ve been asked please name the Broker😱

Especially the two posters that jump on every RCD/RCR/Compliant Paperwork Post on here and start quoting the Law and Brokers refusing to sell boats and I’ll name them @Tony Brooks @Alan de Enfield 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

So BMF member brokers will be seeing a slump in boat sales then? Or an increase in PCA’s being carried out. I wonder how many on here have sold or bought a boat from a BMF member broker in the last year without a complying RCD or relevant paperwork? Anyone???

Well your quoting and putting on all these RCR regulations as usual, I’m just asking for you to name brokers, you said BMA is that BMF which most Brokers are members? So Brokers affiliated with these wont sell boats without a RCD/RCR/PAC? “Scope boats” boats since the RCD came in, in 1998??? as you say all boats should have complying paperwork or it’s illegal to sell them and brokers won’t touch them. Yet we all know this isn’t the case, just as boatbuilders doing stability tests with 6-8 170Kg adults on board and including certified test results in the RCR doesn’t happen. But according to you they should do Stability Tests as part of the RCR, well there’s a lot of new boat owners out there having spent £200K plus on boats without a valid RCR😂

What is “in scope” boats, boats less than 5 years of age or boats that were built after the RCD came in, in 1998? If Brokers are refusing to broker boats that have not got a RCR is that all “Scope” boats covered by the date the RCD was introduced? Please let us know.

Is it? “apparently” please let us know the list then if you know any broker that 100% won’t sell a boat without a current RCR/PCA. Lets comprise a list of brokers that sellers with older boats need to avoid and not be forced into getting a new RCA/PCA by the broker. Bringing up trivial things like the OP mention “fitting solar panels” could be exploited by the broker quite easily forcing the seller to get a PCA.

Lots of older boats haven’t got a welded in HIN. The post isn’t about this it’s about a specific boat and the RCD at the end of the finished build, so makes no difference the finished completed boat is a totally different and more complexed RCD than from the shell.

@jddevel who was the broker? If he is asking for a POC to be done on Narrowboats that have recently had solar panels self fitted by the owner he will struggle to get boats on brokerages. Seems a Jobsworth with no common dog, a bit like some on here🐕 “Stability Test” I moor where some, if not the most expensive Narrowboats are built in the Country. I have never seen them or know of any builder that have put 6/8/12 75kg people on the boat or the equivalent weight and done Stability testing and shown the test results. Try different brokers, there are brokers that will sell it and there are brokers that will not want it.

Read his previous posts he basically says what he has done and from whom he bought the shell from.He bought a sailaway from Bourne Boats and self fitted using people from the house building trade.

As I said “How many people on here have those for their boat” How many builders do these load tests and supply the results?

Stability calculations and test results available? How many people on here have those for their boats😂😂 From what the OP says about his profession/employment it sounds like the boat has been fitted out with materials more likely to be found in houses rather than used in the boat trade. Maybe any issues with maintenance/repairs in the future could result in it being cheaper to replace the systems with a more conventional system, rather then calling in the specialist to repair it? KISS and “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel” comes to mind.

Please give us the history of the boat sailaway/self-fitout? Did you buy a sailaway and you have done the fitout?