How much should I be looking to spend on a narrowboat?

[howardang]

17 hours ago, Heather22 said:

What's your 'base price' when it comes to buying boats in the current market? By 'base price' I mean the lowest price you would expect to pay while still getting a decent boat. Like how you shouldn't buy shoes for anything less than £40. I know the prices are constantly changing, but I don't yet know what issues to look for in boats the same way I do when renting a flat, so I wanted to get an idea of general price I should look for. And any advice on what boat-specific issues I should look for would also help! 

 

Also, I'm not asking for the lowest price as a way of spending as little money as possible, I plan to save up a decent amount of money by living with my mum for a few years. 

From £100 to £200,000 plus. You need to help tyhe forum to answer you sensibly by at least giving a clue about what size and type of boat you are looking for. The members on here are quite good but they are not mind readers.😉

 

Howard

[system 4-50]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

and most of the upgrades should have added value

Why is it that I always smile when I read statements like this 😁  😁    😁  😁😁 ???

Edited July 29, 2022 by system 4-50

[Crewcut]

I've been looking quite extensively over the last year or so, initially for a friend who recently retired & wanted a NB but also for myself for when I'm able to stop work I might take to the canals for a bit as a change to living full time in a coastal marina which I have done for 12 years. I would agree that you can get something decent for £40kish possibly less but not a lot less depending on where it is. There are a lot of cosmetically tarted up boats particularly around London where everything inside has been painted white and the rest of the boat has in all likelihood not been very well maintained because a lot of the boats around London are bought and sold largely for cheap accommodation. I think if you are going to continuous cruise while also working a regular job where you have to be somewhere you've got to be really into the lifestyle or it's unlikely to work in the medium to long term, different story if you're living in a marina with shore power, water, facilities, etc. that's easy but official residential berths are pretty hard to come by. I have no idea how many live on their boats below the radar in inland waterways marinas but it's getting harder to do this in coastal marinas and I'd imagine that would also be the case inland.

Go start having a look at some to get an idea of the different layouts, etc. and because they always look better in the photos. The state of a lot of boats, especially but not exclusively at the lower end are very poorly presented but if you can see past the crap this can work to your advantage. If at all possible take somebody with you who knows what they are looking at when you get to the stage where you're viewing with a view to buying...

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Crewcut
add more

[LadyG]

20 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

Why is it that I always smile when I read statements like this 😁  😁    😁  😁😁 ???

Well, what let this boat down was the very rough interior finish, dark and dingy, in my opinion.

I've painted up the ply, added solid oak trim, oak skirting boards, plus quality chrome fittings , vents, door fittings, etc. The exterior has had a paint job, well two actually as I didn't like the first one, new rudder fitting, new washable floor covering, all cleaned up and, new kitchen cupboard doors, engine room tidied up and painted.

I've done as much as I can with my basic DIY skills, I'd like to revamp the galley, but I can't find anyone willing to do the job,  it's not a huge job, say three days, but kitchen fitters like a three week job, and you have to wait three months!

 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by LadyG

[Athy]

33 minutes ago, howardang said:

 You need to help the forum to answer you sensibly by at least giving a clue about what size and type of boat you are looking for. The members on here are quite good but they are not mind readers.😉

 

Howard

But they are readers, and will thus have noticed that Heather said that she was looking for a 50-footer.

[LadyG]

36 minutes ago, howardang said:

 The members on here are quite good but they are not mind readers.😉

 

Howard

Oh?

I'm not so sure

[Athy]

17 hours ago, Heather22 said:

What's your 'base price' when it comes to buying boats in the current market? By 'base price' I mean the lowest price you would expect to pay while still getting a decent boat. Like how you shouldn't buy shoes for anything less than £40.

So THAT's where I've been going wrong.

 

One thing which you haven't made clear, and which hardly anyone has mentioned, is whether you seek a new or a second-hand boat. If new, expect to pay about £2,000 per foot for one which has been fully fitted out.

[MtB]

25 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

Why is it that I always smile when I read statements like this 😁  😁    😁  😁😁 ???

 

Most of my upgrades take value away, as I'm personalising a boat. 

 

Worst 'value-reducing' thing I ever did was fitting the Kelvin. But it made the boat into what I wanted for15 years! 

[LadyG]

16 minutes ago, Athy said:

But they are readers, and will thus have noticed that Heather said that she was looking for a 50-footer.

Yes, I think Heather is just asking a perfectly innocent question, quite normal for anyone who is just dipping a toe in the water.

However, it's not easy to answer.

Location: London or Goole?

Tick boxes : how many are essential, how many are nice to have?

Cash today or cash after survey?

Project / owner fit out from sail away /  good hull builder and professional fit out.

Old and tatty / modern and tatty  / modern not tatty / new, tatty in six months / good build ?

So somewhere between £20k and £200K

In my experience, limited, it will be not far off the figure you first thought of for the very good reason, that's your cash in hand, and your not experienced in boat buying, so you can't value the thing without a survey.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by LadyG

[Stroudwater1]

4 minutes ago, Athy said:

But they are readers, and will thus have noticed that Heather said that she was looking for a 50-footer.

But knowing how the forum can’t  answer without all the facts we are waiting to hear how deep in the water Heather wants her 50 foot boat to sit before answering her question. 🤣
Realistically it seems to be £50k for a decent boat but £60k + for one that needs little immediately doing to it. Sky is the limit. Best to look on Brokers sites like Rugby boats or Braunston marina that shows past sales for an idea. Both are decent brokers who sell for realistic amounts. 
 

 

[Athy]

3 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

But knowing how the forum can’t  answer without all the facts we are waiting to hear how deep in the water Heather wants her 50 foot boat to sit before answering her question. 🤣
Realistically it seems to be £50k for a decent boat but £60k + for one that needs little immediately doing to it. Sky is the limit. Best to look on Brokers sites like Rugby boats or Braunston marina that shows past sales for an idea. Both are decent brokers who sell for realistic amounts. 
 

 

I would add ABNB to that list.

[Tony Brooks]

15 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Well, what let this boat down was the very rough interior finish, dark and dingy, in my opinion.

 

Possibly taking this out of context, but from reading your posts I would say that it was/is badly let down by the idiosyncratic battery location and system plus the rudder bodge. Hopefully now you have those sorted it is a much better boat, but someone buying a boat can  easily be hit by that sort of thing, you certainly were.

[Stroudwater1]

5 minutes ago, Athy said:

I would add ABNB to that list.

Agree with current listing but sadly their list of sold boats seem to disappear almost as soon as soon as they sell. It’s a shame as it’s a useful resource especially as they probably sell the most decent boats of all brokers. Perhaps people don’t like others seeing  how much the gin in their palace cost. But since house prices remain in the public domain forever plus house particulars too sometimes would have thought they would have gotten used to that . 

[LadyG]

16 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Possibly taking this out of context, but from reading your posts I would say that it was/is badly let down by the idiosyncratic battery location and system plus the rudder bodge. Hopefully now you have those sorted it is a much better boat, but someone buying a boat can  easily be hit by that sort of thing, you certainly were.

Yes, glad to get the rudder sorted, and I've now got a lot of fairly new batteries, which I hope never to replace, its a great relief not to have to bother with them for nine months of the year! I pretty much expected to replace them. I was fortunate not to have any galvanic corrosion, I'd say that was luck more than anything.

I did budget to spend £4K on the boat, and most of it in year one. 

Edited July 29, 2022 by LadyG

[ditchcrawler]

8 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

I am going to comment on LadyG's post where she said "I have bought a good boat".

 

If you read through her trials and tribulations all detailed in various topics you will get a good idea about why some would never describe the boat she purchased like that, although it may be a good one now. It stands as a good example of what an  experienced offshore  boater faces when coming inland, let alone someone with no boat experience.

I think she has engine problems again now

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I think she has engine problems again now

 

Is her 14 days up again ?

[Tony Brooks]

6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I think she has engine problems again now

 

I just hope the OP in this topic will take note and learn.

[LadyG]

22 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I think she has engine problems again now

Not sure that I've had previous engine problems. It's still ticking over.

When I define a good boat what I mean is the original hull, (and engine) is by a good builder, this was my first priority, and obviously it needs to be in good condition. The fact someone had bodged the rudder, among other things, can be remedied. If only I can find someone reliable, skilled and willing to work for more than an hour in a day. 

Edited July 30, 2022 by LadyG

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

On 29/07/2022 at 11:45, MtB said:

 

Most of my upgrades take value away, as I'm personalising a boat. 

 

Worst 'value-reducing' thing I ever did was fitting the Kelvin. But it made the boat into what I wanted for15 years! 

Ha funny you say that. 
I think many of my upgrades probably decrease the value of my boat!

They certainly don’t make it desirable. 
It’s the only boat I’ll have and I want it to suit me and just me. 
 

 

[LadyG]

22 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I just hope the OP in this topic will take note and learn.

I think we've been pretty clear that it's not like renting a flat or buying a second hand car.

It's a totally different mindset, but some people enjoy a challenge, learning completely new skills, others just want to get on with their life !

Loads of people buy boats and have no problems, but they all need to maintain the boat to some extent, the problem is, as I see it, that it can be a bumpy journey.

 

 

6 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Ha funny you say that. 
I think many of my upgrades probably decrease the value of my boat!

They certainly don’t make it desirable. 
It’s the only boat I’ll have and I want it to suit me and just me. 
 

 

Me2, but I won't be here forever, and I'm not prepared to upgrade without regard to cost.  

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

On 28/07/2022 at 17:56, Tony Brooks said:

I think it is less about price and far more about the condition of the boat and its fitout. A London white refurb on an old hull may look fine but be a money pit while for a simmilar price a boat that has not been refrbed could be very reliable with agood hull.

yea, but spend money on a permanent mooring and instead of getting that hull fixed you just just chuck all

your booze bottles and ash under the hull then you’ll never sink when it (the hull) rots through. 

Edited July 30, 2022 by Goliath
To add: I understand you will still need a reliable bilge pump

[alan_fincher]

On 29/07/2022 at 11:49, Stroudwater1 said:

 Best to look on Brokers sites like Rugby boats or Braunston marina that shows past sales for an idea. Both are decent brokers who sell for realistic amounts.

 

Whilst some brokers do indeed leave details of completed sales on their web listings, as far as I know none will then change the price from what was being asked to what they were actually sold at.

These can be very different figures, so whilst it  is interesting to look at already sold boats, it is not very useful in suggesting what the actual market value might be.

[Stroudwater1]

54 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

 

Whilst some brokers do indeed leave details of completed sales on their web listings, as far as I know none will then change the price from what was being asked to what they were actually sold at.

These can be very different figures, so whilst it  is interesting to look at already sold boats, it is not very useful in suggesting what the actual market value might be.

Im sure you are right there Alan good point.
I suspect many are going for near the asking price still though, it’s a buyers market currently with most boats seemingly sold within a fortnight.  Occasionally some prices get reduced I’ve noticed and the new fugure comes up. 

[reg]

Op needs to consider the fact that buying a used boat is in realty also buying a todo list.

 

[Tony Brooks]

10 hours ago, reg said:

Op needs to consider the fact that buying a used boat is in realty also buying a todo list.

 

 

From the questions I used to get that also applies to far too many new boats