Recommended Boat Brokerage

[Hrk1ng]

Good Afternoon All, 

 

Apologies - me again. I am wondering if anyone can recommend a brokerage/seller that will have a variety of boats for sale. We are wanting to look at a range of boats - new and used, different lengths, narrows and wides and different layouts. Is there anywhere where we could do this? 

 

Thanks in advance, Hannah ?

[Athy]

6 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Good Afternoon All, 

 

Apologies - me again. I am wondering if anyone can recommend a brokerage/seller that will have a variety of boats for sale. We are wanting to look at a range of boats - new and used, different lengths, narrows and wides and different layouts. Is there anywhere where we could do this? 

 

Thanks in advance, Hannah ?

Yes. Whilton Marina on the A5. They usually have a large number of boats in stock, and you can wander around looking at them and deciding what features you like and don't like.

That doesn't mean that you have to buy one of theirs, of course. 

[mrsmelly]

Try apollo duck. If its a narrowboat you want they sell immediately they are put on sale in the present climate unless they are an over priced dog. 

[Rob-M]

New and Used boat sales at Mercia Marina (Willington) usually have a range of narrow and widebeam boats available for viewing.

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, Athy said:

Yes. Whilton Marina on the A5. They usually have a large number of boats in stock, and you can wander around looking at them and deciding what features you like and don't like.

That doesn't mean that you have to buy one of theirs, of course. 

and there are several other brokerages within 20 miles so you can look at  a lot in a  day.

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Good Afternoon All, 

 

Apologies - me again. I am wondering if anyone can recommend a brokerage/seller that will have a variety of boats for sale. We are wanting to look at a range of boats - new and used, different lengths, narrows and wides and different layouts. Is there anywhere where we could do this? 

 

Thanks in advance, Hannah ?

 

'good' boats at 'good' prices seem to be flying out of brokers as fast as they can list them. Some are being sold before they even get chance to do that.

 

You might struggle I would suggest in the current climate, unless perhaps you call at Whilton as suggested.

 

eg every boat bar 3 on Rugby boats web site is marked as sold or under offer. Brokers keep a list of potential buyers and will call them if a boat comes in that meets a buyers needs meaning some don't even get listed at all. There are also reports of boats being bought unseen 'in the flesh' which is pretty remarkable.

 

https://rugbyboats.co.uk/

Edited May 11, 2021 by The Happy Nomad

[Hrk1ng]

Fab thank you all. Looks like a road trip is in order!!

 

Whilton is a 5 hour round trip and Mercia is 4. 

 

Totally agree @The Happy Nomad - I think there is a hidden 'buy it now' button on some of these websites!! We are swaying towards having one built but want to see as many as possible before giving the final brief to the builder so we definitely have exactly what we want. 

[Hrk1ng]

13 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

'good' boats at 'good' prices seem to be flying out of brokers as fast as they can list them. Some are being sold before they even get chance to do that.

 

You might struggle I would suggest in the current climate, unless perhaps you call at Whilton as suggested.

 

eg every boat bar 3 on Rugby boats web site is marked as sold or under offer. Brokers keep a list of potential buyers and will call them if a boat comes in that meets a buyers needs meaning some don't even get listed at all. There are also reports of boats being bought unseen 'in the flesh' which is pretty remarkable.

 

https://rugbyboats.co.uk/

Without being seen!!!! Remarkable or madness...as presumably these boats haven't even had survey ?!! Maybe we should continue to hire for a few more years until the boat boom has subsided??

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Fab thank you all. Looks like a road trip is in order!!

 

Whilton is a 5 hour round trip and Mercia is 4. 

 

Totally agree @The Happy Nomad - I think there is a hidden 'buy it now' button on some of these websites!! We are swaying towards having one built but want to see as many as possible before giving the final brief to the builder so we definitely have exactly what we want. 

 

In that case Whilton is your best bet I would suggest along with New and Used at Mercia. N&U always used to have 'demonstration' boats on show when we moored at Mercia, I presume they still do but somebody else will confirm or refute. 

 

We spent a happy few hours at Whilton when we bought crawling over various layouts and stern types. We didn't buy from there in the end though.

 

ABNB are worth considering too. Not sure about stock levels there though, would be worth a call, and often they have boats 'off site' being brokered form the boats own mooring.

 

https://www.abnb.co.uk/boats-for-sale/boat-sale-list

 

4 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Without being seen!!!! Remarkable or madness...as presumably these boats haven't even had survey ?!! Maybe we should continue to hire for a few more years until the boat boom has subsided??

 

I stand to be corrected but ISTR @Naughty Cal sold her boat without the buyer actually seeing it. (Not a NB though but a GRP cruiser).

 

There is nothing to say just because the buyer hasn't seen the boat that they didn't get a survey. An offer can be made and accepted and the survey arranged. But I personally would want to see any prospective purchase before shelling out a deposit and arranging a survey.

Edited May 11, 2021 by The Happy Nomad

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Without being seen!!!! Remarkable or madness...as presumably these boats haven't even had survey ?!! Maybe we should continue to hire for a few more years until the boat boom has subsided??

 

A lot of boats are bought without a survey, I have bought and sold 17 boats non of which have had a survey by either myself or by my buyers.

 

Not something I'd recommend to a 1st time buyer but no-survey is becoming more and more common as boats sell before you can even make the 5 hour drive to view them.

 

It's not just boats, we were buying a new horse (we thought) made an appointment with the seller and set off on the 5 hour drive with the trailer on the back and a pocket full of cash (almost as much as buying a boat), about an hour from arrival the seller phoned and said , sorry I've sold it, someone turned up said they have it, they have paid & have taken it away, no vetting (equivalent to a survey).

 

We were not happy.

 

If you don't get on all of the boat brokers list as a 'cash buyer, decision made immediately buyers' then you'll lose out. 

Edited May 11, 2021 by Alan de Enfield

[mrsmelly]

25 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Without being seen!!!! Remarkable or madness...as presumably these boats haven't even had survey ?!! Maybe we should continue to hire for a few more years until the boat boom has subsided??

You need to wait if you dare not buy. I didnt even advertise my boat for sale and sold it a couple of months ago instantly without survey to a savvy forum member who got a great boat at a very good price for the two of us. Snooze and you lose. Ive owned 8 boats and never had a survey and of the 8 when I sold them only one purchaser had a survey. Ive just bought a house without a survey its how you take on risk that matters.

[LadyG]

Take on risk, is OK if you know enough about boats to identify a good build, fitted out professionally. 

Be aware that many owner fitouts fall below the standard demanded by people today.

I am still trying to sort my electrics, it requires compromise, let's put it that way. I am not compromising on safety, just conventional electrics!

 

 

 

 

 

[David Mack]

If you want advice on which broker to sell through, then there are folk on here who can point you at who to consider and who to avoid. But if you are buying, you need to deal with the broker who is selling the particular boat you want. And I'm afraid that means looking at several of them.

Most advertise on Apolloduck, so it's a good place to start, but don't be surprised if the boats shown there are sold by the time you phone the broker.

[Hrk1ng]

Thank you all. As first time boat buyers we definitely wouldn’t entertain buying a used one without a survey. We just really want to have a good look around a variety of boats to make sure we end up with something that’s right. 
 

I’d rather wait, have a good look round - will definitely be going to Whilton, and make a well calculated decision than rush in and make an expensive mistake. 

[LadyG]

29 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Thank you all. As first time boat buyers we definitely wouldn’t entertain buying a used one without a survey. We just really want to have a good look around a variety of boats to make sure we end up with something that’s right. 
 

I’d rather wait, have a good look round - will definitely be going to Whilton, and make a well calculated decision than rush in and make an expensive mistake. 

I think that you have to appreciate that it is a moderate risk purchase, with or without survey, a broker has to sell boats on his books, so be aware of that from day one. 

From my experience, I would not recommend New and Used, but someone else has, see above. 

With boats selling like hotcakes, expect to pay a little over the odds if you are having a survey, the vendor may wait, or he may not, particularly if a bird in the hand is offering cash today.

You have to be prepared to walk away from a boat if the survey suggests its not what you anticipated, and looks like a money pit. If it needs a reasonable amount spent on it to bring it up to the spec you thought you were being offered, then negotiate first. 

Edited May 11, 2021 by LadyG

[Hrk1ng]

2 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I think that you have to appreciate that it is a moderate risk purchase, with or without survey, a broker has to sell boats on his books, so be aware of that from day one. 

From my experience, I would not recommend New and Used, but someone else has, see above. 

With boats selling like hotcakes, expect to pay a little over the odds if you are having a survey, the vendor may wait, or he may not, particularly if a bird in the hand is offering cash today. 

Absolutely- totally understand that. Just knowing my luck I’ll end up with a floating disaster! We have an 1800’s cottage that is very much a labour of love so would very much like a sanctuary away from the constant refurbishment that is our house ???. 

[mark99]

12 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Absolutely- totally understand that. Just knowing my luck I’ll end up with a floating disaster! We have an 1800’s cottage that is very much a labour of love so would very much like a sanctuary away from the constant refurbishment that is our house ???. 

 

What are you looking for?

 

I know a beauty coming up for sale soon.

[restlessnomad]

I hate the fact that intelligent and reasonable people like smelly and alan will advice newbie to throw bunch of cash to buy a boat with the hope that nothing bad will happen.

DO NOT listen, it's your money OP. Just because others are mad, you dont need to.

[LadyG]

14 minutes ago, Hrk1ng said:

Absolutely- totally understand that. Just knowing my luck I’ll end up with a floating disaster! We have an 1800’s cottage that is very much a labour of love so would very much like a sanctuary away from the constant refurbishment that is our house ???. 

If I were you, I'd opt for a smallish boat nicely fitted out, solid fuel stove and a shower essential.

[Skeg]

Whilton is a good place to look at a lot of boats in one place but buying from there can be fraught with difficulties. ABNB tend to take decent boats on their books and have a good reputation. Go to Whilton and crawl over lots of boats to work out what you want. Perhaps look elsewhere when it comes to buying.

[Alan de Enfield]

23 minutes ago, restlessnomad said:

I hate the fact that intelligent and reasonable people like smelly and alan will advice newbie to throw bunch of cash to buy a boat with the hope that nothing bad will happen.

 

 

I take it you didn't read all of my post, actually, it is pretty obvious you didn't.

[mark99]

Blimey what was the 'oss?

 

Shergar?

 

?

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, mark99 said:

Blimey what was the 'oss?

 

Shergar?

 

?

 

No, It was Normandy Cob similar to this one (which we ended up with)

 

Basically a big barrel chest and short legs - we call him "fattypotamus"

 

They were bred and developed in Normandy as a 'medium weight' Plough Horse.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by Alan de Enfield

[restlessnomad]

14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

I take it you didn't read all of my post, actually, it is pretty obvious you didn't.

I have, although you dont advice to carry cash in a bag, but you always share your experience about not bothering to survey (due to the t&cs/small print do not allow you any legal recourse) and making snap judgement about price and buying due to risk of losing out. (might have mixed you with smelly there)

the point is, you have a lot of experience and you have much higher financial risk apatite than average buyer(due to your financial position), should you not put yourself in the position you are giving advice to? 

Edited May 11, 2021 by restlessnomad

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, restlessnomad said:

I have, although you dont advice to carry cash in a bag, but you always share your experience about not bothering to survey (due to the t&cs/small print do not allow you any legal recourse) and making snap judgement about price and buying. (might have mixed you with smelly there)

the point is, you have a lot of experience and you have much higher risk apatite than average buyer(due to your financial position), should you not put yourself in their position you are giving advice to? 

 

Yet again you conveneiently make no mention of what I actually said a newbie should do.

I suppose if you did it would make you post pointless.