BobHoliday

Massive thanks to everyone responding to my initial post. Very _very_ helpful stuff!! ☺️

Totally new here. Hello :) I used to live off grid on an anchored yacht so have a good idea about most things 'liveaboard' but know nothing about hulls. Some questions if that's OK: I see adverts saying hull thickness 10:6:4 but don't definitely know what this means. Does hull 'blacking' mean some sort of paint and not an epoxy coating (which would be the ideal)? How often should a boat be 'blacked'? If epoxied, how often should this be re-done? What's the approximate total cost to have someone professionally re-black a (say) 55 foot narrowboat, including all lift costs? What's the approximate total cost to have someone professionally epoxy a (say) 55 foot narrowboat, including all lift costs? Is it best to avoid ALL boats older than a certain year because their hull will be getting to the point of needing major intervention? Or can older boats represent good value if they've been well maintained? How much at the moment should I be budgeting for to get myself a decent boat ready to live aboard with at least 4 berths (2 resident, 2 guest) - I'm thinking I'll need probably 55 foot minimum? Is there anything else I need to watch out for that I won't already have come across with seagoing yachts? Thank you!!!