Offers/pre-purchase surveys of first boat purchase

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

 There’s a big difference with being self sufficient and being comfortable with all the things that make it an enjoyable life. Any fool can be self sufficient, cold and miserable on a boat and kid they’re enjoying the life, while in reality they’re surviving and just plodding on. Seen loads of them on the canal especially young ones, on run down small boats, who would move into a house in an instant if they could and they would never venture near a canal ever again.

Edited August 22, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[Ewan123]

8 hours ago, LadyG said:

If he runs the engine  fourteen hours per week.

Buys a huge kit, fits it, say £1600, for six months of the year.

Get a life. 

I have probs charging in depths of winter, and I am retired. I have LED lighting and gas cooking, diesel heating, solid fuel stove.

I must be missing something here... if he gets 400W solar installed the boat will be just as self-sufficient as my 62-footer, and more self-sufficient than many others out there. It'll even be easier to heat than mine with the small space and not having to walk 40' to top the fire up!

 

8 hours ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

 There’s a big difference with being self sufficient and being comfortable with all the things that make it an enjoyable life. Any fool can be self sufficient, cold and miserable on a boat and kid they’re enjoying the life, while in reality they’re surviving and just plodding on. Seen loads of them on the canal especially young ones, on run down small boats, who would move into a house in an instant if they could and they would never venture near a canal ever again.

That's true enough but I don't see how it applies to OP. That boat looks like it'll be nice and warm and isn't run down...

Edited August 23, 2023 by Ewan123

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

1 hour ago, Ewan123 said:

I must be missing something here... if he gets 400W solar installed the boat will be just as self-sufficient as my 62-footer, and more self-sufficient than many others out there. It'll even be easier to heat than mine with the small space and not having to walk 40' to top the fire up!

 

That's true enough but I don't see how it applies to OP. That boat looks like it'll be nice and warm and isn't run down...

So you think by putting on a couple of solar panels he’ll be self sufficient all year?  As @LadyG says what about most of the year when there’s little Sun, especially in built up areas where there’s building also blocking it a lot of the time? He’ll be running his engine or generator and needs a good sized battery bank. The boat isn’t run down, I was just saying I see a lot that are and people that are are trying to kid they’re living the dream, often they're just scrapping by, that boat is small and will be even smaller once he gets all his belongings on board. He says he’ll be eating out a lot in the areas, so basically it’s going to be a place to stay not a home, it can soon get claustrophobic and depressing especially in the winter months., when your by yourself in such a small space.

 Mind you it does look ok, but will  be small, the photos make it look bigger than it will actually be. If he can spend more time off the boat than on it may be ok😂👍

Edited August 23, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

So you think by putting on a couple of solar panels he’ll be self sufficient all year?  As @LadyG says what about most of the year when there’s little Sun, especially in built up areas where there’s building also blocking it a lot of the time? He’ll be running his engine or generator and needs a good sized battery bank. The boat isn’t run down, I was just saying I see a lot that are and people that are are trying to kid they’re living the dream, often they're just scrapping by, that boat is small and will be even smaller once he gets all his belongings on board. He says he’ll be eating out a lot in the areas, so basically it’s going to be  place to stay not a home, it can soon get claustrophobic and depressing especially in the winter months., when your by yourself in such a small space.

 Mind you it does look ok, but will  be small, the photos make it look bigger than it will actually be. If he can spend more time off the boat than on it may be ok😂👍

He might be able to squeeze the boat into a marina for three months, to overcome the isolation of dark when you go to work, dark when you return.

It's a good idea to have a place to rest your head of you have a very active life ,  and of course it saves money which is a major factor, but you can go over the top, it's called work/life balance, I believe

Another advantage, of this boat is that if he decides to get a full size one , he will have a much better idea of his needs , and it could be sold in about a week, as it is easy to fund, cc  credit cards), et all!

Edited August 23, 2023 by LadyG

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

14 minutes ago, LadyG said:

He might be able to squeeze the boat into a marina for three months, to overcome the isolation of dark when you go to work, dark when you return.

It's a good idea to have a place to rest your head of you have a very active life ,  and of course it saves money which is a major factor, but you can go over the top, it's called work/life balance, I believe

Another adva brave if the boat is that if he decides to get a full size one , he will have a much better idea of his needs , and it could be sold in about a week, as it is easy to fund, cc  credit cards), et all!

He says he’s doing a Masters degree, so he can throw himself into it and spend a lot if time studying researching at uni or do what I see a lot of students do, spend most of the day in bed, at the pub and doing nothing with their fellow students.👨‍🎓👨‍🎓

[Beans]

Hi all ! If anyone happens to catch this I thought I’d update you. 
 

Seller could go as low as £18k for her, which I sadly cannot afford with the extras that I need doing , blacking, later survey, licensing, etc. 
 

sad to have to decline her, but alas , I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities. I’d have snapped her up if I were more wealthy!!! 
 

thanks all for your help in this

[Ianws]

11 hours ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

He says he’s doing a Masters degree, so he can throw himself into it and spend a lot if time studying researching at uni or do what I see a lot of students do, spend most of the day in bed, at the pub and doing nothing with their fellow students.👨‍🎓👨‍🎓

Masters students only get loans that cover their course fees not any costs of housing/living. They either have to have some independent means, bank of mum/dad, work alongside study, live at the parental home,  sofa surf etc.  Or a mix of these. 

[Alan de Enfield]

25 minutes ago, Beans said:

Hi all ! If anyone happens to catch this I thought I’d update you. 
 

Seller could go as low as £18k for her, which I sadly cannot afford with the extras that I need doing , blacking, later survey, licensing, etc. 
 

sad to have to decline her, but alas , I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities. I’d have snapped her up if I were more wealthy!!! 
 

thanks all for your help in this

 

Unfortunately you are not going to get any steel NB that does not require a lot of immediate expenditure for less than that.

Look at the thread about the  guy who bought a £30k narrowboat and has already spend an additional £30k on it with much more still to spend.

 

You could pick up a very very nice GRP Cruiser style boat for around £10k, but you'd probably need to spend a little on insulation before Winter starts to bite.

 

More realistic is probably to stay in Halls or sofa-surf, or, 2 of you club together to buy a (better) boat.

[Ianws]

54 minutes ago, Beans said:

Hi all ! If anyone happens to catch this I thought I’d update you. 
 

Seller could go as low as £18k for her, which I sadly cannot afford with the extras that I need doing , blacking, later survey, licensing, etc. 
 

sad to have to decline her, but alas , I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities. I’d have snapped her up if I were more wealthy!!! 
 

thanks all for your help in this

If money is that tight its probably best to avoid this boat at this time. Something will crop up that needs money spending on it. The solar set up would cost a bit. In Winter you would need a mooring with shore power, which is probably not an affordable option ( not sure if the boat is equipped for shoreline power) or charging batteries from the engine or a generator. There not much space for a generator or the petrol. Using the engine involves the deisel costs but also wear on the engine. Engine service intervals can start from 100 to 200 hours running time. Although not massively expensive, it all mounts up, especially the oil changes. 

 

Really sorry your aims for this boat haven't worked out. 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Ianws
Spelling

[LadyG]

To be frank, I don't think OP will find a steel narrowboat in his budget that is not a money pit. So back to drawing board: try Appolo Duck for  a glass fibre liveaboard with a stove to keep it dry and warm.

Ebay might also have something, but you need to find something which will work, as a liveaboard.   Some of the older boats will suit, but obviously some are not suitable, and without being knowledgeable it could be a difficult search.

The tiny boat might be offered at your price, these thing happen sometimes.

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by LadyG

[Bee]

Well its a floating bedsit innit, No idea how much it costs to rent a bedsit these days - when I was living a wayward life it used to be £5 a week for a pretty rubbish bedsit with a shared bog and if you were lucky a Belling cooker the size of a microwave. A bit more without black mould on the walls. Anybody remember ex WD plywood pontoons? lots of people used to live on them. This little boat looks like a nicer version of them. Just don't get a huge hairy lurcher as company.

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

10 hours ago, Ianws said:

Masters students only get loans that cover their course fees not any costs of housing/living. They either have to have some independent means, bank of mum/dad, work alongside study, live at the parental home,  sofa surf etc.  Or a mix of these. 

 I’ve never mention loans or how they’re spent. So obviously the OP will be using independent means to live, just like every other student who’s loans and grants only go on studying. 

10 hours ago, Ianws said:

If money is that tight its probably best to avoid this boat at this time. Something will crop up that needs money spending on it. The solar set up would cost a bit. In Winter you would need a mooring with shore power, which is probably not an affordable option ( not sure if the boat is equipped for shoreline power) or charging batteries from the engine or a generator. There not much space for a generator or the petrol. Using the engine involves the deisel costs but also wear on the engine. Engine service intervals can start from 100 to 200 hours running time. Although not massively expensive, it all mounts up, especially the oil changes. 

 

Really sorry your aims for this boat haven't worked out. 

He would be better off trying to find a boat that needs no money spending on it, as he has non for the task. So buying a boat that needs money spent on it when you haven't got any isn’t the best thing to do. He needs a boat that he can live on without all the work involved. Unfortunately with his small budget this will be hard to do, especially in London. Maybe he looks for boats out of the London area, Midlands/North and cruise it back to London, also look at GRP cruisers?

 

[Crewcut]

11 hours ago, Beans said:

Hi all ! If anyone happens to catch this I thought I’d update you. 
 

Seller could go as low as £18k for her, which I sadly cannot afford with the extras that I need doing , blacking, later survey, licensing, etc. 
 

sad to have to decline her, but alas , I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities. I’d have snapped her up if I were more wealthy!!! 
 

thanks all for your help in this

 

She's of a size not many will be wanting, so if she's still for sale in a couple months time they might well accept your offer...

[MtB]

9 minutes ago, Crewcut said:

 

She's of a size not many will be wanting, so if she's still for sale in a couple months time they might well accept your offer...

 

Especially as buyers all evaporate at the end of the summer. If they don't shift it in the next week or so, they probably won't get much more interest until May next year.