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New to boats and viewing one tomorrow, let me know your best boat buying banter?


EdwardMeades

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13 minutes ago, EdwardMeades said:

As per the title.

If I was buying a car I'd say "she needs four new corners" (tyres), followed or preceeded by a sharp intake of breath. What is the boat equivalent?

 

Also the boat im viewing, any genuine opinions are a bonus: https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/narrow-boats-cruiser-stern/640603

 

What is your intended use?

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3 minutes ago, EdwardMeades said:

Apparently in 2014. Over the phone they said it had some pitting down to 5mm. Blacked this year too.

Just my personal thoughts but I wouldnt touch an overplated boat with a barge pole.

 

I'm sure there will be others who disagree though.

 

With your budget though you may have little choice I'm afraid.

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”As a broker” .... you do realise that despite you have spent £xx k on it in the last three years it’s only worth £5000,00 to A blind man with no sense of smell and no mates to advise them 

.

,

Actually said to a chap who said it was worth 45k .. 1970/  1980’s Harborough cruiser stern Fiberglass top .. last year 

Edited by Chris-B
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Interior looks reasonable. As has been said, hull condition is crucial on a boat this age, so you really should get a survey.

With lots of 240V on the boat (and no solar) this is only practical as a liveaboard of you have a mooring with mains power available. It's probably spent half its life plugged in, so hull corrosion may be an issue. I don't think I saw any reference to a galvanic isolator or isolation transformer.

Engine is simply stated as a Lister. Most likely a SR2 on a boat this size and this age. Air cooled, noisy, but will run for ever.

 

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I looked at the description and single outside photo and thought: "I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole". The I saw the internal photos and thought it looked better than I expected. Then I read about the overplating and pitting (bound to be an optimistic assessment, I'd suggest).  What steps would I take? F'ing great big ones! If your going ahead with an old, patched up boat such as this, do engage a reputable surveyor.

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Quote

the current owner of this vessel is one of the marine industries best electricians

Interesting claim!

If at all true, I would expect a galvanic isolator or transformer, plus a well-fitted consumer unit. 

The interior is better than the exterior.
 

Nothing wrong with overplating, if done well. Boats are welded together, so why should more welding be a problem?

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7 hours ago, Graham Davis said:

Only a single bed?

Looks like a 4ft double to me?

 

Overall, I think the boat looks awful - but I’ve said elsewhere that ours looked awful in the advert. It was much better in the flesh and, as soon as we had seen it, we offered the, (admittedly low), asking price.

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6 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I'd get it checked by a different sparky, as nearly all the plumbers I know have dripping taps at their own house ...

The same thought crossed my mind. My brother in law was a mechanic and he had the worst maintained car I ever knew.

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23 minutes ago, EdwardMeades said:

Unfortunately not me, I had my car keys ready when they called to tell me she was sold! 

Plenty more fish in the sea, or is it ducks in the cut?

Most of the boats are now off the market before you find time to call, so apparently 'the norm' now is to put a deposit for a boat without seeing it!

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48 minutes ago, MajorJones said:

Most of the boats are now off the market before you find time to call, so apparently 'the norm' now is to put a deposit for a boat without seeing it!

I'd be very wary of a private seller asking for this. I remember the first time I considered canal boats and emailed a little old Scottish widow with a hazy knowledge of UK geography and a Nigerian email account suggested it

 

But yeah, holding deposits are actually a thing with Great Haywood, and possibly other brokers.

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1 minute ago, enigmatic said:

I'd be very wary of a private seller asking for this. I remember the first time I considered canal boats and emailed a little old Scottish widow with a hazy knowledge of UK geography and a Nigerian email account suggested it

 

But yeah, holding deposits are actually a thing with Great Haywood, and possibly other brokers.

LOL, I didn't mean a private seller, but hey - well spotted!

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