Hello everyone!

[truckcab79]

Just to be clear. The survey I’m having done is a structural survey. Within the sales contract seller will complete, at their cost, any repairs that are flagged up as an issue unless they deem them uneconomical,  in which case all money paid is returned (except cost of survey).  I’m not expecting anything more than that from it.  It’s just to get me to the stage where I either walk away, or proceed knowing that I have a sound shell as a starting point.  Definitely not expecting any sort of cost breakdown unless I subsequently request one for other work.  

[nealeST]

Have a look at this short YouTube vid.

 

Food for thought about finding a ‘sound shell’. You sound like an extremely competent hands on bloke. This video will make huge sense to you I think.

[ditchcrawler]

10 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Here is one example :

 

Port of London - River Thames (pla.co.uk)

 

 

And is that the only one, I would have been worried by those vents on the tidal Thames even without over plating, They must have put a lot of new steel on to bring it down by 6"

[truckcab79]

2 hours ago, nealeST said:

Have a look at this short YouTube vid.

 

Food for thought about finding a ‘sound shell’. You sound like an extremely competent hands on bloke. This video will make huge sense to you I think.

Cheers. Watched that a few days ago by coincidence.  . Very interesting.  

[nealeST]

I have limited experience and knowledge of narrow boats but I’m learning every day. Exploration of information as shown  in that video leads me to conclude that the only type of boat to buy is one that has been blast cleaned and epoxied. That criteria certainly narrows the field. 
I’m thinking it a waste of your hard work and skills with potentially an end of life Springer…

Would you not be better getting a boat some other soul lost their shirt with? Put your skills and effort into that and you’ll reap rewards when it’s time to sell. 
I have neither the time or skills for such a venture, unlike yourself. 
here is another link to illustrate my thoughts….

https://apolloduck.net/735627

[truckcab79]

48 minutes ago, nealeST said:

I have limited experience and knowledge of narrow boats but I’m learning every day. Exploration of information as shown  in that video leads me to conclude that the only type of boat to buy is one that has been blast cleaned and epoxied. That criteria certainly narrows the field. 
I’m thinking it a waste of your hard work and skills with potentially an end of life Springer…

Would you not be better getting a boat some other soul lost their shirt with? Put your skills and effort into that and you’ll reap rewards when it’s time to sell. 
I have neither the time or skills for such a venture, unlike yourself. 
here is another link to illustrate my thoughts….

https://apolloduck.net/735627

Who knows to be honest. Life’s like that.  Sometimes you just have to jump in and see what happens. Will see what survey says and take it from there.  Same as buying old cars or any hobby really.  Probably a money-pit but you can’t judge stuff just by what it might cost you.  I don’t drink, smoke or play golf.😂

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, nealeST said:

I have limited experience and knowledge of narrow boats but I’m learning every day. Exploration of information as shown  in that video leads me to conclude that the only type of boat to buy is one that has been blast cleaned and epoxied. That criteria certainly narrows the field. 
I’m thinking it a waste of your hard work and skills with potentially an end of life Springer…

Would you not be better getting a boat some other soul lost their shirt with? Put your skills and effort into that and you’ll reap rewards when it’s time to sell. 
I have neither the time or skills for such a venture, unlike yourself. 
here is another link to illustrate my thoughts….

https://apolloduck.net/735627

Even that is not blasted and epoxied by the read of it. If you are looking for a boat I think you will have a very limited choice if that is your top criteria 

[nealeST]

No it hasn’t been epoxied…but at least it would be a very clean boat to be treated. I couldn’t possibly consider buying anything like the one in the ad. However a number of boats I’ve been interested in over the past year have been. I’d seriously budget for having this done with any potential purchase…the same way I would budget every month to save enough money to have my boat painted after 10 years. 
Its all about steel floating on water. In my experience steel is doing everything it can to get back into the ground from where it came. Welded steel corrodes much faster especially when aided and abetted with water and oxygen…

The professional in the film challenges what I tend to see as a form of conventional wisdom…his almost forensic results of stripping back what is easily accepted as good to very good condition hull looks worryingly close to going bad very quickly. I wonder if people took a very sober view at purchasing a boat with the costs of blasting and epoxying in mind that boat prices would rise and continue to rise? People seem to think buying a narrow boat is like buying land based property. There is nothing about the land property I am shackled to that is like a ticking time bomb with an impending moment when the very foundations are likely to horribly expire… 

 

[truckcab79]

Very well put.  I’m buying this boat very much on the assumption that at some point it’s going to need vast amounts of work. If not now then at some point. 😂

[HenryFreeman]

On 28/08/2023 at 22:18, truckcab79 said:

Hi

 

Apologies if this is the wrong place but can’t see an ‘introductions’ section.  
 

Subject to survey we’ve just bought our first narrowboat. She’s a lovely 36ft Springer (thin steel blah blah blah, I know), but that’s what the survey is for and seller will take care of any issues found by the survey including overplating if required before we transfer the balance of the money. Pictures to follow when we know its all going ahead.  

Virtually the first boat we looked at but exactly what we were after. A (hopefully) sound structure for us to re-fit. 
 

Interior is pretty much bare already and what is there I’ll be taking out and replacing.  
 

I’ll be doing all the work myself but I’m a landscaper / kitchen / bathroom / handyman by trade so no issue with skills or tools. Really looking forward to it.  
 

I will have a thousand questions so please bear with me.  
 

This won’t be a live-aboard and we’re very happy with a basic set-up. It’ll be for weekends and holidays.   We’ll need a kitchen, toilet, shower, bed and not much else. This won’t be a glitzy build, mostly because it’s just not the look we like.  It’ll be simple and homely.  

 

Our narrowboat experience is a couple of rental holidays some years ago, which we loved, and we love boats and the boating lifestyle despite not having owned one prior to this, so we need to learn everything.  
 

Firstly though we need to find somewhere to keep it!  Needs to be affordable but more importantly near enough to home to work on it each weekend.  
 

We’re chasing up all the marinas but if anyone knows of a mooring within say 20 miles of Borehamwood, Herts,  I’d love to hear about it. 

Thanks in advance.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! I'm not sure if I can beat the warm welcome you just received but "welcome!"

 

I hope everything works out with your (potential) new boat and you have many years of enjoyment and pleasure on her! Look forward to seeing what you turn her into. Share photos when you have them!

[LadyG]

15 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Even that is not blasted and epoxied by the read of it. If you are looking for a boat I think you will have a very limited choice if that is your top criteria 

It's amazing to me that folks don't specify hull primed and epoxied from new, including baseplate from new. I just can't understand it.

Mine was clean as a whistle after almost twenty years, I had it out, a quick wire brush on a tiny bit of rust, then three coats of epoxy which I did myself, easy peasy. I think it was all over in eight days, new anodes, the cost of the coating was about £100 more than that bitumen stuff, most of the cost is haul out and relaunch.

I don't expect to haul out again for five years, if that.

Edited August 31, 2023 by LadyG

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

18 minutes ago, LadyG said:

It's amazing to me that folks don't specify hull primed and epoxied from new, including baseplate from new. I just can't understand it.

 Most new boats are primed and epoxied these days by the finished builder. Shells can come in primer or a specific finish to customers choice.

Edited August 31, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[truckcab79]

23 minutes ago, HenryFreeman said:

 

Hello! I'm not sure if I can beat the warm welcome you just received but "welcome!"

 

I hope everything works out with your (potential) new boat and you have many years of enjoyment and pleasure on her! Look forward to seeing what you turn her into. Share photos when you have them!

Many thanks.  Survey Tuesday. Expecting some bad news as it’s an old boat and to be expected.  However as said the purchase agreement includes any required work.  Things like the engine aren’t part of that and are just an unknown and not part of the survey so there’s just an assumption that it could need work or replacement.  All runs though. 
 

🤞 

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

21 hours ago, nealeST said:

I have limited experience and knowledge of narrow boats but I’m learning every day. Exploration of information as shown  in that video leads me to conclude that the only type of boat to buy is one that has been blast cleaned and epoxied. That criteria certainly narrows the field. 
I’m thinking it a waste of your hard work and skills with potentially an end of life Springer…

Would you not be better getting a boat some other soul lost their shirt with? Put your skills and effort into that and you’ll reap rewards when it’s time to sell. 
I have neither the time or skills for such a venture, unlike yourself. 
here is another link to illustrate my thoughts….

https://apolloduck.net/735627

That looks a decent buy, if you have the space undercover, time, money and skills to complete.

Edited August 31, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[truckcab79]

1 minute ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

That looks a decent buy, if you have the space undercover, time, money and skills to complete.

Not if you mean for me.  Way too big and way over budget.  Thanks though.   

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

2 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

Not if you mean for me.  Way too big and way over budget.  Thanks though.   

No, just saying. XRD do quite a nice shell and with the rise in steel prices, it’s a good price with the engine and running gear. Yes if you just want a weekend/holiday boat your best with something smaller and you don't have to spend a lot to get on to the water👍

[truckcab79]

5 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

No, just saying. XRD do quite a nice shell and with the rise in steel prices, it’s a good price with the engine and running gear. Yes if you just want a weekend/holiday boat your best with something smaller and you don't have to spend a lot to get on to the water👍

Cheers.  Assuming it all goes ahead we’re pretty much buying something to camp in. A sort of glorified occasionally mobile tent, but one that has the potential for sinking   😂

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

It's amazing to me that folks don't specify hull primed and epoxied from new, including baseplate from new. I just can't understand it.

Mine was clean as a whistle after almost twenty years, I had it out, a quick wire brush on a tiny bit of rust, then three coats of epoxy which I did myself, easy peasy. I think it was all over in eight days, new anodes, the cost of the coating was about £100 more than that bitumen stuff, most of the cost is haul out and relaunch.

I don't expect to haul out again for five years, if that.

Because 90% of the people buying new boats don't know about such things, the other 10% do because they have been involved in boating.

[magnetman]

41 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

 A sort of glorified occasionally mobile tent, but one that has the potential for sinking   😂

 

What a great description ! 

 

Is it copyrighted? 

 

I would use 'shed' rather than 'tent' though. 

 

 

[truckcab79]

34 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

What a great description ! 

 

Is it copyrighted? 

 

I would use 'shed' rather than 'tent' though. 

 

 

Does look exactly like a shed as it happens.  😂

[cuthound]

4 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Because 90% of the people buying new boats don't know about such things, the other 10% do because they have been involved in boating.

 

Indeed, most seasoned boaters buy secondhand to avoid the risk of the builder going into liquidation and to avoid the inevitable snagging.

[nealeST]

6 hours ago, truckcab79 said:

Cheers.  Assuming it all goes ahead we’re pretty much buying something to camp in. A sort of glorified occasionally mobile tent, but one that has the potential for sinking   😂

Different boats for different folks. I admire your passion. What an adventure, which either way I believe we are all looking for. It’s an outdoors lifestyle and a fabulous way to connect with our history and nature. 

6 hours ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

No, just saying. XRD do quite a nice shell and with the rise in steel prices, it’s a good price with the engine and running gear. Yes if you just want a weekend/holiday boat your best with something smaller and you don't have to spend a lot to get on to the water👍

Yes I’m thinking it could be about half of what it actually cost….but I definitely want a going concern that the owners have many years of use from and are ready to make a change. 

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

36 minutes ago, nealeST said:

 

Yes I’m thinking it could be about half of what it actually cost….but I definitely want a going concern that the owners have many years of use from and are ready to make a change. 

I wouldn't go that far, shells can vary greatly with extras like, hatches, recessed panels and other add ons. It’s things like spray foaming(he’s got Kingspan) ballast bricks and other basics that people forget about. The engine would of been a few thousand. If you had the space, time and money it’s a good project, saving money and waiting build time.

Edited August 31, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[truckcab79]

1 hour ago, nealeST said:

Different boats for different folks. I admire your passion. What an adventure, which either way I believe we are all looking for. It’s an outdoors lifestyle and a fabulous way to connect with our history and nature. 

 

 

Hopefully so. One way or the other. 😂
 

Went to visit Harefield Marina today. Perfect for us. Half an hour from home. Nice marina.  Owners /  folk working there all seem lovely    Don’t really notice HS2 from the marina despite a few cranes. Pretty quiet.  Said hello to a few ‘boat people’ just in passing and they all seemed  friendly just as people with or around boats always seem to be in our limited experience.  

Edited August 31, 2023 by truckcab79

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

 

Hopefully so. One way or the other. 😂
 

Went to visit Harefield Marina today. Perfect for us. Half an hour from home. Nice marina.  Owners /  folk working there all seem lovely    Don’t really notice HS2 from the marina despite a few cranes. Pretty quiet.  Said hello to a few ‘boat people’ just in passing and they all seemed  friendly just as people with or around boats always seem to be in our limited experience.  

 

Have you explained to the marina owners what your plans are ?

Most / many / all marinas have restrictions in what work you can carry out at your mooring, there may be odd exemptions but I have found they generally all limit your activity to a bit of 'quiet' rubbing down and painting - anything involving the use of power tools, cutting up big sheets of ply on the pontoon, making a noise or a mess, allowing angle grinding 'rust' / steel particles to settle on another boat etc etc etc is banned. Any 'contractors' you bring onto site to do the gas / electric / etc work will be required to pay a 'fee'' and provide evidence of suitable insurance.

 

Any 'hot' work is normally banned.

 

It would be a shame to pay your £000's for a mooring and then find you were not allowed to work on the boat.

 

Just be aware of some of the issues before you jump in.

 

 

You may be interested in this film of your Springers' original home ....................