BeatTheSystem

Thank you half way through, all seems to make sense.

100% agree about doing a proper job! Yes I would be very grateful if you could email the standards, if it were my business to be a marine electrician I would buy them but this is one off private engineering job and 300+ is ouch, it amazes me why the bodies that love their standards so much dont distribute them freely. Most odd.

Thanks £300+ to buy the standard is a fair wedge. The boat is 1997 which as I understands it predates the RCR. Thank you, they do have some good resources, just been digesting. Thank you, first thing tomorrow.

Thanks all, sent enquiries off for insurance to a few providers, all seem much of a muchness. Boat now purchased. Have previous bills of sales and surveys, safety certs etc. Completely satisfied the sale is fine. There is finance by way of a personal loan not connected to the boat. Now to sort it out, its currently undercover on a slipway. I am speaking with the boat yard about a few upgrades as the bathroom and kitchen in particular are very tired. One thing I am going to tackle myself is the electrical system. (I am an electrical/controls engineer). It does not currently have solar, the inverter is underrated and rubbish, no galvanic isolation and presently when the inverter turns on it seems to also turn on the charger. Is there anywhere someone could point me to examples of narrowboat power system wiring diagrams/schemes?

OK, had the survey done. Surveyor impressed, although this is a 1998 boat he said it was considerably better than some 2010 era ones he had just surveyed. Its not exactly a bargain but a good solid purchase. I am satisfied that the seller is the owner. There really needs to be titles or a DVLA style registration for these beasts, its like the wild west. The marina said I can take over the mooring. So now I need to pay the seller and get a bill of sale in return. Now as I am new to this, and please be gentle, what is next? I am pretty sure I need insurance, can anyone suggest a good insurance company for this? I also presume I need to register with the river trust. How do I go about this? Thank you

Nice diagram. Thank you for the clarification.

Thank you. I assume the transformer prevents current from flowing through the hull to ground. Is this not what anodes are for, to allow a sacrificial path?

Yes it definitely seems like the wild west. At the end of the day, what is ownership, its basically who has the biggest pitchfork. If the finance company owns it then the pitchfork is the law. If joe public owns a boat then its just on weight of evidence I guess. I will press the owner to see if it is a personal loan or mortgage. Hopefully its the former.

I am keen to seek the opinion of the surveyor regarding price in 'todays' market. The price seems to vary widely it seems. I dont think this is a bargain by any means as it has not really had any updates over the years and the kitchen and bathroom's are very tired but has been looked after quite well within the present owners means but there is expenditure required to bring it to the standard we wish to enjoy for a long term family 'asset'. Probably we could get more for our money if we continue looking but that will always be the case. Its circa 40K asking price. The original owner was a carpenter and has made a very nice job of the oak panelling throughout but the fixing and fittings although functional need updating, if I do it myself maybe 10K-15K, if I get 'professionals' to do it I suspect double or triple that. I am still learning about the costs which seem to range from bodge to astronomical, and everyone has an opinion of 'you dont want to do it like that'! I dont feel uneasy about the owner as they have been resident at the Marina for 7 years and everything feels right at the moment. The previous survey about 8 years ago which was excellent so if its still as good then in our minds its worth the time and money to bring it up to scratch. Maybe I should have dug deeper about the mortgage situation before ordering the survey but I had to start somewhere.

Alan, Thank you. Yes I understand, I will not be parting with a penny until either the mortgage is paid off prior or as part of the transaction with the finance company. I don't yet know who the finance company is. With boats is there anywhere I can look to see if there is a charge registered against it? which in the case of a house this would be at the land registry.

Hello, we have looked at a few boats and have found one that may suit our needs with a transferable mooring near to where we live. We will be using it for extended cruises when we both retire in a years time or so. Its a 1997 50' Colecraft. I must admit that I don't know much about Narrowboats but I believe this is a good make. Although green with boats I am a competent electrical engineer with good mechanical skills so should be able to deal with most things. We have arranged a survey which will happen next week. I am satisfied that the owner is who they say they are, they have disclosed that there is a mortgage against it. I asked more about this but didn't want to go into it until I am happy with the survey. I obviously want to ensure that the mortgage is paid off and it seems the best way to do that is to pay the finance company directly either the whole consideration or the outstanding mortgage and pay the vendor the balance. When it comes to the transaction I would like to present the vendor with a document to sign where they declare that they are fully transferring ownership over to me etc. Are there any examples someone could share with me please? Thank you.