Looking for my 1st boat in 2024

[Longdog3]

Hi,

I've been excitedly researching 2nd hand boats on the Rugby Boats website.  I've viewed a wide beam and a narrow boat,  and I'm planning on buying this year once my divorce is finalised.. I'm a rookie, but was hoping for a permanent mooring, perhaps at Ely or Isleham. Its for a liveaboard. I think this period is key for me to do a lot of research and take good advice. 🙏 Greg. 

[kevinl]

Seem to be a few out there. I just put in "narrowboat Eli" came up with a raft of them on a free ads site, can't do a link right now.

K

 

[Longdog3]

👍😎

[pearley]

You might find one in Ely but they are like hens teeth. Isleham is possible. Also look at Fenland Moorings, Littleport Boat Haven, Streatham, Lazy Otter, Upware and Fish & Duck.

On the St Ives Great Ouse you gave Westview Marina, currently flooded, Hartford, Buckden and Huntingdon Boat Haven.

[Longdog3]

Thanks.  Much appreciated 🙏 

[David Mack]

The only way you'll get a widebeam from Rugby Boats to Ely is on the back of a lorry!

[Longdog3]

Yes, noted. 😎👍

[ditchcrawler]

7 hours ago, kevinl said:

Seem to be a few out there. I just put in "narrowboat Eli" came up with a raft of them on a free ads site, can't do a link right now.

K

 

Am I missing some posts here, why did you search for Eli ?

[Tony Brooks]

Edited to delete an idiot question - wrong thread.

Edited January 7 by Tony Brooks

[kevinl]

Sorry, Ely not Eli, my apologies. K

[Feeby100]

Don’t try lazy otter in gone in to administration and the people that run into ar..holes

[Longdog3]

👍😎

[alan_fincher]

If, as it seems, you have not even decided if you want a narrow boat or a wide beam, then you have, as you suggest, a long journey towards choosing the right boat for you.

There is huge amounts of past opinion on the forum about the realities of owning a wide beam, and where you can, (and can not), take it.

 

You need to be 100% sure on this choice before even thinking about further options.

[Longdog3]

Thanks. My research into WB is due to a higher probability that the boat will be at a permanent mooring rather than navigating waterways.  That's what I'm weighing up. I've also seen some really well equipped liveaboard narrow boats. 

Thanks.  

[Stroudwater1]

1 hour ago, Longdog3 said:

Thanks. My research into WB is due to a higher probability that the boat will be at a permanent mooring rather than navigating waterways.  That's what I'm weighing up. I've also seen some really well equipped liveaboard narrow boats. 

Thanks.  

 

You will need to move it at some point to get it blacked/ epoxied Possibly for other services too. Then you may have wished you owned a narrowboat. 

 

If you had a narrowboat you may be more inclined to use the boat for its purpose, and who knows even enjoy moving it. If your first boat in 2024 is a widebeam your second may be a narrowboat. Disclaimer there are folk on here who love boating and living on their widebeam. 

 

 

 

 

 

[magnetman]

I am guessing that with the OP being a divorced gentleman the lavatory arrangements on the Boat are not of prime importance. 

 

Generally speaking, and there will be exceptions, Gents can deal with far more arduous lavatorial arrangements than the Ladies. 

 

Of course there is a beneficial arspect of being on the Anglian rivers which is that for some reason the EA allow direct discharge to the watercourse. 

 

One is not allowed to pump the contents into the Thames but if one has a Boat on the Nen or the Ouse* it may be an option to have lavatory which discretely dumps the waste under the Boat. I do not know what happens about floating stools created by eating chicken. 

 

*needs checking. 

 

 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

If you permanently moor a widebeam, you may as well have the comfort and security of a flat or house.

[magnetman]

Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

If you permanently moor a widebeam, you may as well have the comfort and security of a flat or house.

I reckon in the case of the OP the ex may have scuppered this plan. 

[Tony1]

The guy from whom I bought my boat had just replaced it with a widebeam, and his home mooring was not too far from Ely.

He'd been happy cruising those EA waterways for years, and he fully intended to carry on.

If you've made an underlying assumption that you're not going to move any further than Northampton, then a widebeam makes a lot of sense, in your case. Why sacrifice living space and live in a 7ft wide tube, if there's no strong reason to do so? 

Personally I want to cruise a lot of the narrow canals (at least for now), so a wide beam is not an option.

But some people have already done all that, and are now happy to stay on the wide waterways.

Other folks are not planning to do the narrow canals at all. 

There's no right answer except what fits your needs and preferences, and if what you mainly want is the experience of living afloat (but not cruising very far), a wide beam will let you live aboard in some style and comfort, with lots of storage space, big water tank, enough roof/deck space to compost toilet waste if you want to. 

I love the things, I really do, and its not out of the question that if I ever get bored of cruising the waterways, I'd get a wide beam and head East.  

Or rather, head east and THEN get a wide beam.

I've even wondered about whether a GRP broads cruiser would be a nice thing to end up on. 

 

ETA- I was never keen on marina living though. I did try it for a few months during one of the lockdowns, but the side-by-side arrangement of boats didnt sit well with me for some reason- I guess I wasnt keen on the view from the windows (on both sides) being other boats beside me, moored about 4 feet away. 

 

Edited January 10 by Tony1

[Dav and Pen]

You are not restricted to the horrible wide beam stretched narrow boats if you are on the Ouse, you could have a nice Dutch Tjalk or small luxe motor.

[PaulJ]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

 

Of course there is a beneficial arspect of being on the Anglian rivers which is that for some reason the EA allow direct discharge to the watercourse. 

 

One is not allowed to pump the contents into the Thames but if one has a Boat on the Nen or the Ouse* it may be an option to have lavatory which discretely dumps the waste under the Boat. I do not know what happens about floating stools created by eating chicken. 

 

*needs checking. 

 

 

 

 

Sea Toilets are allowed on the River Great Ouse - note this a very different River and area to the 'other'  River Ouse

7 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

The guy from whom I bought my boat had just replaced it with a widebeam, and his home mooring was not too far from Ely.

He'd been happy cruising those EA waterways for years, and he fully intended to carry on.

Its a great place to cruise a widebeam. 

If you want to cruise the whole river then you will need 10ft beam- 12ft is OK from Earith.

[Tony1]

2 minutes ago, PaulJ said:

 

If you want to cruise the whole river then you will need 10ft beam- 12ft is OK from Earith.

 

Tbh I'd be happy with 10ft beam, it would feel so much more spacious than 6ft 10. 

I guess 10ft would rule out one of those ex-hire GRP broads cruisers though, they tend to be 12 ft or more.

 

[PaulJ]

3 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

Tbh I'd be happy with 10ft beam, it would feel so much more spacious than 6ft 10. 

I guess 10ft would rule out one of those ex-hire GRP broads cruisers though, they tend to be 12 ft or more.

 

I do a regular bi annual run on a 10fter from Bedford to Earith - a lovely spacious boat that fills Cardington lock beautifully 🙂

 

My info isnt quite accurate - you could go as far as St Ives but wouldnt get in the lock!

Edited January 10 by PaulJ

[magnetman]

10 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

Tbh I'd be happy with 10ft beam, it would feel so much more spacious than 6ft 10. 

I guess 10ft would rule out one of those ex-hire GRP broads cruisers though, they tend to be 12 ft or more.

 

When I went from living on a 55ft narrow for 12 yars to a 40ft x 9ft inspection launch I did find the change in living space quite interesting and a positive improvement.  I later had a 57x12 barge but that was for accommodating the woman and childrens. They live ashore now so I sold the big one and kept the 40x9ft launch as that is in fact the ideal size for a Boat if one does not need to use narrow canals. I don't. 

 

Gt Ouse and all that I think a 9 or 10ft beam could prove rather rewarding. 

 

Yes it is the Great Ouse not the Ouse thanks for the correction @PaulJ I just assumed it would be known by using the Anglian rivers term. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PaulJ]

10 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

Yes it is the Great Ouse not the Ouse thanks for the correction @PaulJ I just assumed it would be known by using the Anglian rivers term. 

 

Youd be surprised 😀

I collected a boat from Daventry once (going to Bedford) and the new owner told me he had just licenced it.

When I collected it he had put a CRT Rivers Licence on it- the brokerage he bought it from had told him it was the right licence (apparently) 😀

Edited January 10 by PaulJ