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Regrets - back to land


RichM

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I (we) would really struggle living on the land if we didn't have a boat to play with - those who follow us know we sold our last canal boat and said goodbye to canals just at the start of lockdown and bought a Hardy 25 to play with and enjoy and that we certainly did and learned a lot up until last Friday when we sold her!

We now have a deposit paid on an Aquador 32c which we think will tick all our boxes (shaft driven - wide decks - easy access esp with side doors - etc) survey on Wednesday and then should be back here from Northern Ireland on the 28/29th.

Boatyard selling their own boat so not truly a buyer beware brokerage scenario which is a comfort as we won't be viewing and have never seen one!

So my advice is to try to keep afloat somehow - we have ended up spending quite a bit but in truth that is for comfort the Hardy gave us a lot of fun for very little investment and I turned a small profit but that was never the plan.................

As for neighbours we have good and bad but kids eventually grow up so I'm told so the bad will change over time 

 

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12 minutes ago, Halsey said:

I (we) would really struggle living on the land if we didn't have a boat to play with - those who follow us know we sold our last canal boat and said goodbye to canals just at the start of lockdown and bought a Hardy 25 to play with and enjoy and that we certainly did and learned a lot up until last Friday when we sold her!

We now have a deposit paid on an Aquador 32c which we think will tick all our boxes (shaft driven - wide decks - easy access esp with side doors - etc) survey on Wednesday and then should be back here from Northern Ireland on the 28/29th.

Boatyard selling their own boat so not truly a buyer beware brokerage scenario which is a comfort as we won't be viewing and have never seen one!

So my advice is to try to keep afloat somehow - we have ended up spending quite a bit but in truth that is for comfort the Hardy gave us a lot of fun for very little investment and I turned a small profit but that was never the plan.................

As for neighbours we have good and bad but kids eventually grow up so I'm told so the bad will change over time 

 

Nice boats those Aquador 32's. There are a couple at our marina.

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14 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I take it you kept the cheap one until you got the hang of wheel steering then! :D

 

How true

 

Not the wheel steering so much as a light boat with a single sterndrive with 150 HP on the end of a clunky cable throttle control - never did get the hang of it in truth part of the reason for the change to shaft and fly by wire controls.

 

She left me in much better "fettle" than she arrived so I did my bit and I sold her to the marina mechanic for his dad to go fishing with so all good.

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6 minutes ago, Halsey said:

How true

 

Not the wheel steering so much as a light boat with a single sterndrive with 150 HP on the end of a clunky cable throttle control - never did get the hang of it in truth part of the reason for the change to shaft and fly by wire controls.

 

She left me in much better "fettle" than she arrived so I did my bit and I sold her to the marina mechanic for his dad to go fishing with so all good.

Single sterndrive boats do take some getting used too. I think we have got the hang of ours now :)

 

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2 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Single sterndrive boats do take some getting used too. I think we have got the hang of ours now :)

 

I think there is/was too much canal heritage in my blood to ever get used to it - we fitted a hydrofin which totally transformed it for a £200 investment but it was always so twitchy on the throttle - the mechanic who bought her said the only way to resolve the clunky throttle would involve app £1.5k of expenditure so time to part company....................... 

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15 minutes ago, Halsey said:

we fitted a hydrofin which totally transformed it for a £200 investment

 

Oh good.  I had wondered how you got on with it.

 

19 minutes ago, Halsey said:

always so twitchy on the throttle - the mechanic who bought her said the only way to resolve the clunky throttle would involve app £1.5k of expenditure

 

Want to bet he just replaces the cable? :D

 

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7 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Oh good.  I had wondered how you got on with it.

 

 

Want to bet he just replaces the cable? :D

 

 

I know where you are coming from but no we had already replaced that - he will probably live with it but the general view was the reverse lever (?) in the sterndrive was probably the problem which means taking the whole unit off and sending it away ..............

She also needed a new canopy to properly finish her off and that was another £2.5k!

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18 minutes ago, Halsey said:

 

I know where you are coming from but no we had already replaced that - he will probably live with it but the general view was the reverse lever (?) in the sterndrive was probably the problem which means taking the whole unit off and sending it away ..............

She also needed a new canopy to properly finish her off and that was another £2.5k!

The reverse latch is on the outside of the sterndrive so it would have only needed the boat lifting to have a look at it.

 

Having driven both cable operated and fly by wire boats we much prefer the feel of the cable throttles. You get far more "feel" through them.

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16 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

The reverse latch is on the outside of the sterndrive so it would have only needed the boat lifting to have a look at it.

 

 

We did that as well and on inspection the conclusion was she/it needed to be sent off apparently a captive bolt had also sheared on an ext cable related bracket and needed attention - this was long before there was any suggestion of her being for sale and came from two opinions.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Halsey said:

I (we) would really struggle living on the land if we didn't have a boat to play with - those who follow us know we sold our last canal boat and said goodbye to canals just at the start of lockdown and bought a Hardy 25 to play with and enjoy and that we certainly did and learned a lot up until last Friday when we sold her!

We now have a deposit paid on an Aquador 32c which we think will tick all our boxes (shaft driven - wide decks - easy access esp with side doors - etc) survey on Wednesday and then should be back here from Northern Ireland on the 28/29th.

Boatyard selling their own boat so not truly a buyer beware brokerage scenario which is a comfort as we won't be viewing and have never seen one!

So my advice is to try to keep afloat somehow - we have ended up spending quite a bit but in truth that is for comfort the Hardy gave us a lot of fun for very little investment and I turned a small profit but that was never the plan.................

As for neighbours we have good and bad but kids eventually grow up so I'm told so the bad will change over time 

 

We are thinking of probably moving to Cornwall as thats where our last 3 houses were that we kept for holidays and also two kids live. I have been offered a mooring in Looe by a friend so would probably buy something there to use on lumpy water which has always been my preference but not the wifes first choice but just for hobby boating she would be ok with. Still not convinced I can give the inland water way of living up bu will see what my specialist says on my next visit re time scale of decline ?

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