Living Aboard - Mooring and a Land Hobby?

[nealeST]

Get a boat with a vintage engine and engine room. As an old car nut I couldn't ask for more. I think that would cure me of the need to tinker with old cars again. I see LIVING on a boat as giving up on the land really...

[BEngo]

2 bed house with workshop.  York.

 

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/128414636

 

N

[JamesFrance]

I bought a vintage car 65 years ago for £100, it was a 1922 Aston Martin which I eventually found out to be the one from the 1922 French Grand prix recently driven by Seb at Paul Ricard.

[nealeST]

That is extraordinary. I wonder if it has survived....I'm assuming you sold it on at the time to get something others deemed practical!

[JamesFrance]

Yes I was 19 and couldn't afford to repair a failing gearbox, I drove it every day then and here is it now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFejaQG2jnU

 

[nealeST]

That’s a wonderful story. Loved the YouTube clip. I just found your reply to my post now! You might like my website. I have exhibited paintings with the Brooklands museum and have written a little about the cars from that era I have painted in a section about Brooklands on the site. 
www.nealethomaspaintings.com

[nbfiresprite]

On 16/11/2022 at 18:26, booke23 said:

Certainly marinas have parking, but I've never heard of a marina with a garage. Some have sheds you can rent for storage but that's it. There are a few marinas on the K&A that turn a blind eye to living aboard as long as you behave! 

 

You mention shuffling a classic car along with the boat.....I wouldn't be comfortable doing this with a classic car. You will be parking in quiet country lanes etc, and boaty facebook groups are full of posts of boaters cars getting broken into in certain areas. 

 

 

The marina where I'm moored has a few garages for rent.

 

[JamesFrance]

14 hours ago, nealeST said:

That’s a wonderful story. Loved the YouTube clip. I just found your reply to my post now! You might like my website. I have exhibited paintings with the Brooklands museum and have written a little about the cars from that era I have painted in a section about Brooklands on the site. 
www.nealethomaspaintings.com

I had a look and very much liked your paintings, hopefully you will add some of narrowboats later.

[nealeST]

Glad you like, thank you for taking a look. I do have a hankering for paintings depicting canal boat life…of a certain era…and the English landscape too.

[MtB]

23 hours ago, nealeST said:

That’s a wonderful story. Loved the YouTube clip. I just found your reply to my post now! You might like my website. I have exhibited paintings with the Brooklands museum and have written a little about the cars from that era I have painted in a section about Brooklands on the site. 
www.nealethomaspaintings.com

 

WHAT a delightful website! I've just had a look around. 

 

A friend of mine did his apprenticeship at Vanwalls, who built just the type of race cars you paint, I think  

 

And I grew up around Brooklands. Remember driving my Mini Cooper 'S' around the remains of the racetrack there late one summer's evening, when half of us worked at BAC and had access to the site.

 

Here's your URL converted into a link, to make it even easier for peeps to visit and have a look around https://www.nealethomaspaintings.com/

 

 

[nealeST]

Well thank you so much! I was lucky to visit the collection of Vanwall cars at Donnington about 10 years ago, they had many. Sadly closed now. Stirling Moss beat Fangio at Aintree in one during the ‘57 Grand Prix. I did a painting based on newsreel footage of him and Tony Brooks swapping over and one of the pit crew I had captured approached me at a show…50 years later. He recognised his friend in my painting. Quite a moment. I really loved the Vanwall cars. To think they could see off Ferrari and Mercedes. Brooklands is such an atmospheric place…I believe they did or do night time torch light tours. Really lovely people over there. I was an art student at Kingston during the time they were busy excavating and rescuing bits of track and creating the museum in the late 80’s. I broke down a few times in Surrey in my ‘57 Austin A35…the AA had a base station near there because the AA men would talk about the goings on. They are very proud of the aircraft heritage too. Barnes Wallis. Just amazing. You worked at BAC? So much History in such small patch of land.

[JamesFrance]

That is a coincidence, I only went to watch one Gtand Prix live, aged 19 I borrowed my father's 2.4 Jaguar and drove to Aintree to see the first post war win for a British GP car, when Stirling's Vanwall broke down and he took over from an ailing Tony Brooks to win the race.

[nealeST]

Goodness me yes that is a coincidence! It’s well documented with newsreel footage…great atmosphere I think. Lots of views of the crowds, I even started up a few unfinished paintings just based on the crowed scenes…maybe you are there! I love stories like these. You do a painting and in my experience is all sorts of things like this pop up. In the painting Stirling is just balancing on the rear wheel whilst Brooks is hauled out by about three pit crew. Stirling wears what almost look like very long laced basketball style shoes, canvas. They stopped Grand Prix racing at Aintree mid sixties. I think Jim Clark was one of the last to race there. 

[DHutch]

On 16/11/2022 at 18:57, ditchcrawler said:

I hope the owner of that car approves of it being posted on this forum

It's my car, and I'm happy with it being posted, and and happy all others involved would also be happy for it to be shared. Thanks for the thought. 

 

Daniel 

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, DHutch said:

It's my car, and I'm happy with it being posted, and and happy all others involved would also be happy for it to be shared. Thanks for the thought. 

 

Daniel 

I did post tongue in cheek not expecting anyone to take it serious knowing full well who's car it was, I was there. Do the young boats still exist?

 

[David Mack]

11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Do the young boats still exist?

A decade plus on, the original members of YWBS must be heading for middle age, but that wouldn't make such a catchy group name!

 

[ditchcrawler]

22 minutes ago, David Mack said:

A decade plus on, the original members of YWBS must be heading for middle age, but that wouldn't make such a catchy group name!

 

I just wonder if other "Youngsters" have moved into fill the void 

[DHutch]

On 12/01/2023 at 19:04, ditchcrawler said:

I just wonder if other "Youngsters" have moved into fill the void 

There is some of this, mixed with a bit of gently allowing the 'brand' to fade. But yes, I'll be 36 this year and now have a young child of my own!

 

We're going off topic, but if anyone is interested how it got there, this is us loading the car.

 

 

 

[harrybsmith]

8 hours ago, DHutch said:

There is some of this, mixed with a bit of gently allowing the 'brand' to fade. But yes, I'll be 36 this year and now have a young child of my own!

 

We're going off topic, but if anyone is interested how it got there, this is us loading the car.

 

 

 

 

I tried to engage with them pre 2020 but didn't get very far, appears to not be a thing any more. Still, plenty of other ways to get involved, i'm off to play with Spey at the weekend (because obviously one boat build isn't enough) 

 

Also a colleague of mine has planted the idea of sticking a Ransomes MG crawler tractor on my tug deck, I suppose Daniel had the idea first with an equally slow and heavy contraption... 

 

Back on the actual topic of the thread Debdale Wharf have containers that are available to rent for moorers there. Not sure if using one as a workshop would be frowned upon but does seem like the ideal answer

[DHutch]

12 hours ago, harrybsmith said:

 

I tried to engage with them pre 2020 but didn't get very far, appears to not be a thing any more. Still, plenty of other ways to get involved, i'm off to play with Spey at the weekend (because obviously one boat build isn't enough) 

 

Also a colleague of mine has planted the idea of sticking a Ransomes MG crawler tractor on my tug deck, I suppose Daniel had the idea first with an equally slow and heavy contraption... 

Yeah, there are a few who where keen at one point and I spoke with them last two years ago but there doesnt appear to have been much activity. Obviously also plenty of other waterways groups, on facebook, here, and and otherwise, where people can get together and the like.

12 hours ago, harrybsmith said:

Back on the actual topic of the thread Debdale Wharf have containers that are available to rent for moorers there. Not sure if using one as a workshop would be frowned upon but does seem like the ideal answer

Does sound like a reasonable option, although I expect they are uninsulated?

 

Debdale also offer highspec grit blasting and hot metal spraying, very switched on outfit from all I have heard. On my list to try and visit one day.

 

 

Daniel

[Halkyon]

A few months on from my original posts I am now, luckily, a member of a communal lockup/workshop near Swindon, quite close to a couple of waterways.

 

I haven't given up on the idea of widebeam or barge, and the lottery win to buy a massive house hasn't come in yet.

 

One thing I've noticed is that boats appear to depreciate in a way that is more similar to other vehicles than houses, perhaps there is a sweet spot in buying something 5-15 years old rather than something brand new?

 

[LadyG]

10 minutes ago, Halkyon said:

A few months on from my original posts I am now, luckily, a member of a communal lockup/workshop near Swindon, quite close to a couple of waterways.

 

I haven't given up on the idea of widebeam or barge, and the lottery win to buy a massive house hasn't come in yet.

 

One thing I've noticed is that boats appear to depreciate in a way that is more similar to other vehicles than houses, perhaps there is a sweet spot in buying something 5-15 years old rather than something brand new?

 

No doubt that new builds depreciate fastest.

After a few years the maintenance or lack of it will kick in .

At the moment prices are holding up well for used boats and prices of new builds are high.

The price of steel and other materials are high due to inflation, the cost of labour is high .

As with everything supply and demand affect the market.

If you want to buy a boat it's probably best to refine your requirements, and decide how much you want to spend, then start looking at what is available.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by LadyG

[Halkyon]

Thanks @LadyG.

 

I see a price range for the size I'm looking for of £60k-£220k which is rather wide, if you'll forgive the pun. Several widebeams on Aquavista look to be in reasonable condition at first glance and are sub-£100k, and a very smart looking 2017 one is listed at £120k.

 

If it were a classic car I'd be lying underneath it with a screwdriver and a magnet find out just how many holes there were in it for it to be half the price of others! Is it a case of find one you like and then ask a marine surveyor to talk you out of it? 😄

 

 

[LadyG]

7 minutes ago, Halkyon said:

Thanks @LadyG.

 

I see a price range for the size I'm looking for of £60k-£220k which is rather wide, if you'll forgive the pun. Several widebeams on Aquavista look to be in reasonable condition at first glance and are sub-£100k, and a very smart looking 2017 one is listed at £120k.

 

If it were a classic car I'd be lying underneath it with a screwdriver and a magnet find out just how many holes there were in it for it to be half the price of othersrrequuire the boat to be out of the water! Is it a case of find one you like and then ask a marine surveyor to talk you out of it? 😄

Quite the boat out of tg

 

If it were a classic car you would have an idea of the build standard and the quality. So there are boats out there which are Classic Built, but also those which are built to a price .

A Surveyor will provide a hull survey which will require the boat to be out of the water. It will be a written report. It would be a good plan to be there and get him to explain what's what 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by LadyG

[Halkyon]

Well... months, nearly a year on from your helpful responses now:

 

- I have sold two cars and got a cheap semi-modern that carries a ton and I can abuse, leave in lay-by near a canal and not care, etc.

- learnt more about boats.

- saved up a bit more money (selling cars helped),

- been to view five or six different widebeams for sale,

- got approved for marine finance and a boring normal mortgage just in case,

- narrowed the budget significantly after identifying our requirements and doing some maths.

 

Three more viewings to come over the next week, we're really looking for the boat at the right price that we have to remove the least from and refit to make it "ours". I hope to meet some of you on the Kennet & Avon or Thames this year. Was watching videos about how calorifiers work today...

Edited March 25 by Halkyon