Beans

Hi all ! If anyone happens to catch this I thought I’d update you. Seller could go as low as £18k for her, which I sadly cannot afford with the extras that I need doing , blacking, later survey, licensing, etc. sad to have to decline her, but alas , I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities. I’d have snapped her up if I were more wealthy!!! thanks all for your help in this

Glad I said something about this and glad you caught it. If all goes well , will do

Perhaps I am in a land of dreams but the eras that entice me most are the sods wrapping themselves in fur and eating stews by candlelight. The reality is, a cafe with a flushable toilet and freshly baked sweet treats will always be a stone throw away ! Plus the masters I’ll be doing will be surrounded by plenty of yummy and fresh government funded 230V 😛 p.s: the boat was really lovely. I’m just about 6ft and could jump (Not high, but it was a jump). Few things to sort on board, mainly, Chimney needs fire cementing, second battery needs installing as well as solar. She felt really rather homely to me I hope all is well post survey!

Thank you kindly for the drumming of the insurance aspect. I want to cover all basis as possible because I’m by no means an overly competent DIY’er and I do not want to rot or sink. I’m trying to be realistic with my budget and the time I’ll have for amendments, so a small-ass boat with all comforts that work to an acceptable degree is my go to - happy to sacrifice space. I have been waking and folding up a tatami bed each morning for about 8 months now, so I’m used to the extra routine and quite like it. I purposely chose a small room with this. These small things, folding my bed, trying to conserve my water use, trying to eat fresh without a fridge, really quite excite me. Maybe I’m going mad. But I’m excited all the same :)) thanks for the advice on the cool box too !!! You guys are all great. Thanks so much. It’s a pleasure to read all of your comments

Likely not ! I am willing to sacrifice starfishing for easier mooring on a 23ft. The plan was start at £15k, so I'm glad we agree there. Hopefully with vigilance she'll last a decent while !

Hiya! Thanks for this. Fair enough, I was thinking as much. Seems to leave a lot of grey areas but I guess what can I do. I'll definitely be sourcing my own surveyor. I'm 27 and male. I take your point on social media, I've had my fair share of experiences and skepticisms over the years. By lovely I just mean helpful; not sure how long they've been boating but they've looked over the boats/info I'm intrigued by, offered advice and and confessed being unsure as and when. They've altered their boat in ways I certainly could not ! All I can do thus far is trawl the internet and I live in a house, so I have wealths of potentially great, wrongful, or contradictory advice each time I hit the Enter key. Really appreciate your input

Hi, all. Appreciate your swift input. It's a 1996 built by Morse Marine, with Beta Marine 28 engine. I was reluctant to post the link but here: https://www.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/narrow-boats-traditional-for-sale/734583 23ft is certainly small but in my view I will not need much, based on how I like to live and the fact that I have family and friends surrounding helps with the onboard minimalism. Of course seeing it for myself will tell me if this is just a fantasy. Survey wise the readings of the hull were between 4.1-4.5mm, so I think insurance wise, here's hoping not much has changed since the last survey. (thank you @Tracy D'arth, @Arthur Marshall, @Crewcut)

Hello! I have been lurking for a while and just wanted to thank you all for the wealth of information on here. What a pleasure it is to learn and see all of your knowledge. I am here asking for some advice. I am due to view a boat I really like the look of tomorrow, and wanted some general advice. It's a 23ft. I plan to live on it full-time continuously cruising canals of London. I am new to boating but lived on one for a while in the peak of Winter with no hot water; my post winter cold shower method for warmth was sit by the fire and eat half a scotch bonnet chilli. I am by no means experienced but I am very excited to become a person on the canals and learn what I need to. An old survey from 2020 shows some necessary works that the Broker has said the owner has completed. I am not sure if I will be meeting the owner but it seems not, which is a shame. In the survey, the engine and gearbox were visually inspected but not started, weed hatch gasket was not checked, water system (shower , sink) were not checked (nor tank capacity), there is one battery on board, propellor was 'in serviceable condition, with some tip damage', a recommendation to check the floor of the gas locker for corrosion/painting and some entry points to the wider picture of the hull were not made accessible. The boat also needs to be blacked on purchase, and there is no solar panel system. I think I have covered the 'main' things that are a potential headache for me. This would be my first boat purchase and I plan to get an independent surveyor, to check as much as humanly possible. My biggest query is how I can influence the boats' readiness for the surveyor to catch as much as possible? I.e.: I know that the surveyor will not be straining or opening up anything, and I do not like the 'holes' left in the survey due to seemingly this. Another is the land of offers. I hope there will be terms and conditions etc. I can go offer prior to deposit, then deposit prior to survey, etc. The truth is that side of adulthood is alien to me. I am using the consistent advice of a lovely boater who I have connected with on Facebook. I am a bit over my head in general 😛, so I am just seeing who may be able to help. Thank you so so much in advance.