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Narrowboat with no engine: no brains or no brainer?


tinyespresso

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Hi,

New to the site and the excitement of potential boat ownership.

 

I am moving to Slough in August, and had been contemplating trying to find a long term narrowboat rent, but that seems to have been difficult to source even with friend of friend of friend input.

While looking around I have spotted a boat that would be within my budget via finance to buy, and assume approximately £7k additional costs this year (and this being equatable to the cost of land-rent) that would be conveniently residentially moored in Iver for where I am moving to work (15 min cycle commute).

 

However, I am naive and often overly optimistic, and would appreciate some more experienced views on the potential of this narrowboat, in conjunction to my discussions with the broker, the boat yard, friends and an upcoming survey.

Notably, the engine is non functioning currently, and it needs TLC inside.

 

Boat ~ asing £21500

47ft Colecraft with Residential Mooring

£21,500

The boat has been with the current owner since 2003 and this is when the last survey report was carried out. The vessel has had Epoxy applied in 2004 and again in 2012.
Windows have been replaced with double glazing.
This vessel comes with a residential mooring at Iver.
Built in 1989. Fitted by Rory Marine & Weltonfield. Isizu 3cyl (not running – requires o’haul / replacement) diesel engine. 2 berth – fixed double in own cabin. Morso solid fuel stove with back boiler. Pump out and chemical toilet. BSC to 11/2021.

Key Features

Builder: Colecraft
Type: Narrowbeam
Fitted: Rory Marine & Weltonfield
Year: 1989
Length: 47ft / meters
Beam: 6ft 10in
Draught: c.2ft
BSC to:11/2021

 

 
 

 

Costs this year

Survey ~£400

Mooring: ~£3008pa

Licence ~£864.69pa

BSC ~ £87.50pa

Council tax ~£1229pa

Fuel: Gas £150pa, Coal/Wood: £50pa; Leccy by meter 

Insurance ~£250pa

Communications: £40pm

 

Costs over next 2 years

Engine: for example if I bought a brand new Kubota Beta Marine 25 Greenline, It looks about £6k. 

I may not need to buy, or buy brand new, but I'm putting the £6k as the price in my mind?

Blacking ~£800

Other Renovations: £~5k

 

Any input very much appreciated, please and thank you!

Does this seem even somewhat sane?

Edited by tinyespresso
Grammar and clarification
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Welcome to the forum!

 

On initial scan through this looks like no great bargain, as the boat is probably only worth about £20k with a working engine. On the other hand you are getting access to a 'rare as hens teeth' fully residential mooring albeit in a pretty gutty place. On the other, other hand it is in exactly the right place for you and there will be no other comparable moorings on the market within 100 miles, I bet!

 

On balance if you can afford it I'd say go for it. Once you have the mooring if find you don't like the boat you can alway change it and keep the mooring. And the existing engine might turn out to be cheaper to fix than a new one.

 

Renting a boat is fraught with difficulty and expensive hoops to jump through for the landlord. This is why you can't find any. Search through some of the old threads on here on the subject for more detail than you ever though possible!

 

 

 

 

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Mike: 

Thanks! That's what I thought, the residential mooring is very attractive, and I wouldn't be wanting to immediately cruise so would have time to look over the engine properly and get sound advice on it, and I'd love to learn how to tinker with it myself!

 

Trying to think about the boat in say 5years, i looked up about letting it and yes! Fraught process and I can see why I couldn't find any!!

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Welcome to the forum.
Is the intention to have a house boat, or a cruising boat? If a houseboat with no real intention of moving, it would be cheaper to buy a generator than replace a big diesel. Of course if mains electricity is available then you won't need a genny!
Is there any hint as to what the engine problem is? If for example it was just the gearbox it would be a cheaper fix.
I highly recommend a hull survey at minimum to check the steel thickness.

Edited by Guest
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1 minute ago, tinyespresso said:

Catweasel: 

Thanks!

Initially houseboat, maybe considering some cruising after next summer, so the engine isn't a rapid issue. 

Not yet! 

And of course, it's not been surveyed since last purchase 2003

Might be ideal for you providing hull thicknesses are good. I would push for a new boat safety certificate within the price, if the exisitng one is short/expired.

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1 minute ago, catweasel said:

Might be ideal for you providing hull thicknesses are good.

 

Might still be ideal for the OP, even if the thicknesses are thin. The massive reason to buy this boat warts and all is to get the mooring, provided hull is not so thin as to be a sinking risk. A 'hull only' survey will probably cost about £500, or tinyespresso might be a small risk taker and happy to go without.

 

If hull is less than 4mm thick in places, comprehensive insurance will be hard to find. Given it is 30 years old the current insurance is almost bound to be third party only, but the seller should be able to pass on the insurer's name if it has comprehensive. 

 

 

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45 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Might still be ideal for the OP, even if the thicknesses are thin. The massive reason to buy this boat warts and all is to get the mooring, provided hull is not so thin as to be a sinking risk. A 'hull only' survey will probably cost about £500, or tinyespresso might be a small risk taker and happy to go without.

 

If hull is less than 4mm thick in places, comprehensive insurance will be hard to find. Given it is 30 years old the current insurance is almost bound to be third party only, but the seller should be able to pass on the insurer's name if it has comprehensive. 

 

 

Yes fair point. I just wanted to warn against buying a 20k seive! 

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1 hour ago, tinyespresso said:

Hi,

New to the site and the excitement of potential boat ownership.

Hi tinyespresso, welcome to the site and Yey for the excitement of buying a new boat. :D

 

I had a little sneaky peek at her online ad and I like her, she looks really nice - If the mooring is a great bonus too then I hope she works out for you.

 

Good Luck. 

 

Tumsh. :)

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2 minutes ago, catweasel said:

Yes fair point. I just wanted to warn against buying a 20k seive! 

 

Yes, good point. 

 

Nothing wrong with buying a sieve provided you know that's what you are (or might be) buying in the first place. The OP seems pretty thorough so is now well placed to assess the risk...

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Tumshie said:

Hi tinyespresso, welcome to the site and Yey for the excitement of buying a new boat. :D

 

I had a little sneaky peek at her online ad and I like her, she looks really nice - If the mooring is a great bonus too then I hope she works out for you.

 

Good Luck. 

 

Tumsh. :)

http://vcmarine.co.uk/boat-sales/breeze-47ft-colecraft-with-residential-mooring/

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2 minutes ago, Tumshie said:

I didn't post the link because the OP hadn't posted it but yup. ?

Well, they did. Then copied the content over and took it down. However googling some of the content takes you straight back to the original advert. I though I'd save people the trouble of googling it

 

To the OP -  an Isuzu isn't an engine I'd want to learn about diesels with by 'tinkering'. Not an engine with much to play with

 

Richard

Edited by RLWP
  • Greenie 1
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As previously said :

 

If you are looking for a floating (tiny) flat then this is the one.

If you are looking for a boat, then this is (probably) not the one the one to buy (unless you have had a full survey, made some investigation and have costed out the work needed).

 

There are much better boats for similar money.

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Bear in mind that you will have no security of tenure on the mooring.  Assuming the mooring is transferable, without additional expense, there is still no guarantee that you will be able to keep it long term.

 

I note that the brochure says Possible residential berth by arrangement

This possibly means that you will have to enter into a new agreement, possibly with a significant cost.  Check it out very carefully.

 

Otherwise the boat looks a good deal assuming the hull isn't a borderline sieve.  Engines can be fixed; overplating can get very expensive.

Edited by dor
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47 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

As previously said :

 

If you are looking for a floating (tiny) flat then this is the one.

If you are looking for a boat, then this is (probably) not the one the one to buy (unless you have had a full survey, made some investigation and have costed out the work needed).

 

There are much better boats for similar money.

 

 

Be a helpful chap and list all those on the market now that are better value and come with a legitimately residential mooring in Berkshire/Buckinghamshire area. 

 

I'm sure the OP would appreciate it!

 

  • Haha 1
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I moved to Slough once, then two weeks later I moved to Windsor. Iver might be relatively good, I think most of the south (excluding some chunks of London) is posh compared to Slough.

Anyway, if you get tired of being in one place there are people on this forum (not me) who know a lot about engines and how to revive them, so do ask for help. Pay particular attention to anything RLWP says! Then you can realize the true benefit of boat ownership and potter off down the canal. The Slough arm is not famed for its beauty, but go the other way and you have lock free boating all the way to Camden, and some parts of it look quite OK. Others don't. You'd pass a lot of moored boats, but could get there and back in one long day I suppose.

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10 minutes ago, Peter X said:

I moved to Slough once, then two weeks later I moved to Windsor. Iver might be relatively good,

 

It isn't. It's all industrial sites and filthy dirty roads from the incessant tipper lorry traffic. 

 

But then the OP must know this as its a short bike ride from where she works.

 

The fish and chip shop there is rubbish too, which is the real test of an area!!

 

:icecream:

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8 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

Be a helpful chap and list all those on the market now that are better value and come with a legitimately residential mooring in Berkshire/Buckinghamshire area. 

 

I'm sure the OP would appreciate it!

 

£21,000 for a boat 'with no engine' and a Residential Berth that MAY be available and would require another negotiation/contract that could be anywhere up to about £10k per annum.

 

£21k for a non-boating boat is not a bargain - I'm simply saying that for that sort of money she could get a floating, working boat.

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Thanks everyone!

 

Love the (correct) assumption that I'm a she. 

 

Slough is the pits, but the jobs worth it. Maybe in the future I'll get to live in a nice place on a nicer canal stretch, but at the moment the location is non negotiable, and I would not have time to reliably continually cruise either, so it's a residential mooring or no boat basically. 

 

I think it has potential and looks cheery enough, in fact I took the link down to make it harder for people to pinch it from under my nose until I made my mind up hahaha!

 

I will definitely heed all this advice, and look forward to much much more as I feel this is going to be a frequent port of call!! 

 

In that vein, I will be working a variable shift pattern including nights, does anyone have any experience or advice in that sleeping arrangement on a boat?

 

Gutted to hear the chippy is no good!

 

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4 minutes ago, tinyespresso said:

 

 

Love the (correct) assumption that I'm a she. 

 

 

 

As you have written "Gender: female" in your avatar, it was not a difficult assumption to make.

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