Opportunity to buy a boat

[Travelman]

Hello everyone, first post here. I have an opportuniy to buy a 1970's 43 foot Simolda. Does anyone have any knowledge or advice regarding these boats?

 

Cheers!

[mrsmelly]

Cheap and cheerful. At that age whatever make it is the Hull is very old and needs checking out!! 

[Alan de Enfield]

Simolda was a company who built ice cream vans and when it was quiet they built some canal boats to keep the workforce employed, from memory the stern of their boats was a weird 'canoe' type stern.

They they went into the boat-hire business.

 

The 1980 Simoldas had a 6mm bottom, so I doubt the 70's would be any thicker - it will be important to have a full survey as if the bottom has eroded/corroded to around 4mm it can be very difficult to get insurance (unless you go 3rd party only)

 

Boats of the times generally had non-steel 'tops (GRP or wood) and there will always be leakage problems where the cabin and the hull meet due to different expansion rates.

 

The risks of buying a cheaply made 'utilitarian, squarish and basic' boat that is approaching 50 years old is very high risk - they were built at the same time, and in competition to Springers that were viewed as entry-level boats.

 

If you tell us your budget, folks may be able to find you a better built boat.

 

 

Simolda of Nantwich: Changed hands then from 2000 became Empress Holidays.

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Alan de Enfield

[Travelman]

Thanks for getting back to me so soon chaps. I was originally looking at GRPs for £5000-£8000 to liveaboard, but this one showed up for under £20000. I've been thinking about this carefully as it seems an awfully low price for a 43ft narrowboat. I did actually get to drive it, the Lister engine felt like it wanted to stall at low revs in forward gear, but I managed to nurse it back. It did actually stall when someone else was driving it. I was told that it does it when it gets hot:) The engine did, however, run all day aside from those issues.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Travelman

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, Travelman said:

................as it seems an awfully low price for a 43ft narrowboat.

You could say £500 seems an awfully low price for a car but the are available.

What car ? What condition ? Quality of build ? etc etc etc.

 

To me, it seems an awfully high price for a 50 year old 40 foot NB.

 

However a FULL survey (which would be required by your insurers) would answer the question (the surveyor will give you a valuation) and answer the question about condition.

[Travelman]

Thanks Alan, I actually never thought of the price being to high as everytime I look at the narrowboats they always seem to be around £30000 for something that is in decent shape. Of course, I might be looking in the wrong places. By the way it is a 1976.

[Athy]

1 hour ago, Travelman said:

Thanks Alan, I actually never thought of the price being to high as everytime I look at the narrowboats they always seem to be around £30000 for something that is in decent shape. Of course, I might be looking in the wrong places. By the way it is a 1976.

I'm not a dealer, but I'd suggest that half that asking price would realistic and three-quarters of it would be top whack for such a boat.

However, if it has had much work recently done (blacking, external repaint interior fit-out) to make it in tip-top condition, something close to the asking price could be justified. Your comments on the engine suggest that this may not be the case.

[LadyG]

Do you intend to live on it, in london. Just asking.

Or do you want it for another reason, and do you know how to weld, etc

 

[Travelman]

Thanks Athy, I believe it was blacked two years ago. It was originally fitted out around 10 years years ago when the current owner bought it pretty much as a project. Needs repainting too. I was told that the roof of the boat was 4mm thick, obviously the hull would need to be checked. The owner is open to offers.

Hi Lady G, no, I will not be living in London. I don't know how to weld, but I know someone who does.

[David Mack]

3 minutes ago, Travelman said:

I believe it was blacked two years ago.

So if this was ordinary bituminous blacking, it will shortly need doing again.

[Athy]

He'll need to be.

So, the roof is steel? That's a point in the boat's favour.

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, Athy said:

He'll need to be.

So, the roof is steel? That's a point in the boat's favour.

Or, 4mm thick GRP.

[Travelman]

Yep it's steel. I've already expected that I would be blacking and repainting the boat. Of course a hull survey which has not been done for 10 years could uncover a multitude of sins.

[canalboat]

Our first boat was a 40ft Simolda and we loved it. The wooden roof had been covered with steel by a previous owner. It had sunk at its mooring due to owner being hospitalised. We bought it 20 years ago for £5000 after a hull survey. Once dried out, the Lister engine started first time and ran without a fault until we sold it four years later.  

[Travelman]

It happens to be in the Marina that I want to live at also:) That engine issue does bother me a little. Might have to post in the engine forum to see if anyone knows what's going on with it.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 minutes ago, Travelman said:

Yep it's steel. I've already expected that I would be blacking and repainting the boat. Of course a hull survey which has not been done for 10 years could uncover a multitude of sins.

The sort of sins a hull survey might uncover could be the ones that stop you buying a boat that turns out to be so close to sinking and requiring such expensive repairs that it is worthless.

Jen

[Travelman]

3 minutes ago, canalboat said:

Our first boat was a 40ft Simolda and we loved it. The wooden roof had been covered with steel by a previous owner. It had sunk at its mooring due to owner being hospitalised. We bought it 20 years ago for £5000 after a hull survey. Once dried out, the Lister engine started first time and ran without a fault until we sold it four years later.  

Wood covered with steel, I didn't know such a thing existed!

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, Travelman said:

Wood covered with steel, I didn't know such a thing existed!

Originally built with wooden tops there were various methods of trying to get a waterproof cabin :

 

1) Cover it with GRP

2) Cover it with oilcloth and paint it

3) Cover it with steel

4) Remove completely and replace with steel

 

Only option 4 will give long term successful results.

[Athy]

1 minute ago, Travelman said:

It happens to be in the Marina that I want to live at also:) That engine issue does bother me a little. Might have to post in the engine forum to see if anyone knows what's going on with it.

Listers do have a reputation for long-term reliability. We have at least one member here, RLWP, who specialises professionally in looking after old Listers, and a couple more members who have considerable professional knowledge of older engines. Perhaps one of them will be able to identify the problem.

[Travelman]

4 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The sort of sins a hull survey might uncover could be the ones that stop you buying a boat that turns out to be so close to sinking and requiring such expensive repairs that it is worthless.

Jen

1 minute ago, Athy said:

Listers do have a reputation for long-term reliability. We have at least one member here, RLWP, who specialises professionally in looking after old Listers, and a couple more members who have considerable professional knowledge of older engines. Perhaps one of them will be able to identify the problem.

Good to know, I'll post in the engine section. As I mentioned before the engine was solid all day, even after stalling it started up.

[Travelman]

Thank you everyone for all the advice so far. I can tell you that while I expect to do general maintenance from time to time, I am not looking for a project. I'll be thinking about this while also looking for a GRP.

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, Travelman said:

while also looking for a GRP.

 

[Travelman]

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Love it

[Bee]

I wouldn't worry too much about the engine but I would worry about the state of the hull and money that needs spending. Unless that hull has lead a uniquely charmed life it will be in a state of constant overplating - every couple of years will need more work, more plating, more money etc. This does not write it off by any means - plenty of working commercials in France etc. are older than that but repairs to a steel boat sitting in water for decades is a fact of life. In the narrowboating world we expect our boats to last forever and we are ready to condemn anything that needs welding. You just need to be aware of this and good luck. Oh, its overpriced by at least 30% as well!.

[Travelman]

Thanks Bee, yes, I don't relish the thought of taking it to be overplated every couple of years. And you are in agreement with another poster about it being overpriced.