Is this a decent boat?

[james2023]

Hello,

I'm going to buy a barge and live in France for a few years. 

I make my money online but I don't make a lot so I need to be careful of my expenses.

 

I'm thinking of buying this boat.

https://www.apolloduck.fr/boat/barges-ijsselaak-for-sale/721178

 

Do you think it's a good boat for me?

Do you see any potential problems that I do not?

 

Thank you for reading.

 

 

[Bargebuilder]

If the hull survey is good and your engine survey doesn't reveal any issues, most other barge problems are not beyond the ability of a competent DIYer. 

 

Getting a long term visa I'm not sure about.

[james2023]

2 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

If the hull survey is good and your engine survey doesn't reveal any issues, most other barge problems are not beyond the ability of a competent DIYer. 

 

Getting a long term visa I'm not sure about.

Thanks!

I'm an EU citizen so visa should be ok.

Would you know if any mechanic can survey the engine or should I seek a marine specialist?

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, james2023 said:

Hello,

I'm going to buy a barge and live in France for a few years. 

I make my money online but I don't make a lot so I need to be careful of my expenses.

 

I'm thinking of buying this boat.

https://www.apolloduck.fr/boat/barges-ijsselaak-for-sale/721178

 

Do you think it's a good boat for me?

Do you see any potential problems that I do not?

 

Thank you for reading.

 

 

Is it still available

 

Come and meet us at the boat show in St Jean de Losne on 29 and 30 April 2023 or from now on, in our offices open from Monday to Saturday.

[Bargebuilder]

1 hour ago, james2023 said:

Thanks!

I'm an EU citizen so visa should be ok.

Would you know if any mechanic can survey the engine or should I seek a marine specialist?

I would seek advice from the Barge Association, because a number of their members keep their barges in France and cruise the canal network there. I feel quite sure that one of them will know of a reliable marine mechanic local to your proposed new boat.

 

Anyway, it is an excellent organisation and a great source of barging information.

 

https://barges.org/homepage/membership-benefits

[james2023]

7 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Is it still available

 

Come and meet us at the boat show in St Jean de Losne on 29 and 30 April 2023 or from now on, in our offices open from Monday to Saturday.

Yes

[Onewheeler]

It seems very cheap.🤔

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, Onewheeler said:

It seems very cheap.🤔

and been for sale for over 12 months by the look of it

[David Schweizer]

If you need a surveyor, may I suggest Balliol Fowden who has decades of experience surveying Dutch Barges. I believe he still lives on one somewhere in Europe, but also has a UK base near Braunston, trading under the title Anglo European Marine Ltd.

 

My last known contact information is:- Telephone No. 01788 541020  -  email address balliol[at]angloeuromarine[dot]com

 

[james2023]

Was surveyed in 2022. I have the survey but have yet to translate it.

18 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

and been for sale for over 12 months by the look of it

Was surveyed in 2022. I have the survey but have yet to translate it 

22 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

It seems very cheap.🤔

2022 survey is by all accounts fine but I have to confirm.

[Dav and Pen]

At that price you must be bit suspicious. It is a bit narrow but otherwise looks ok. H2O are not known for being cheap quite the reverse if work is needed. There are French surveyors and one Dutch man based in Burgundy but nothings cheap I’m afraid.

 

[MtB]

Apply the following formula:

 

Low price + on the market a long time = something fishy.

 

Could just be that it's small and cramped inside given its length and beam, especially compared to other barges for sale locally. 

 

 

Nor is it any oil painting!

[Onewheeler]

21 minutes ago, Dav and Pen said:

At that price you must be bit suspicious. It is a bit narrow but otherwise looks ok. H2O are not known for being cheap quite the reverse if work is needed. There are French surveyors and one Dutch man based in Burgundy but nothings cheap I’m afraid.

 

There's a good boatyard in SJdL, the one with the dry dock near the first lock on the c. de Bourgogne.

[Bargebuilder]

7 minutes ago, MtB said:

Apply the following formula:

 

Low price + on the market a long time = something fishy.

 

Could just be that it's small and cramped inside given its length and beam, especially compared to other barges for sale locally. 

 

 

Nor is it any oil painting!

It might be the engine: it would need a clean bill of health as parts might be an issue and replacing it might cost £15k installed.

 

Cheap steel boats often means hull thickness issues, so beware!

[james2023]

11 hours ago, Dav and Pen said:

At that price you must be bit suspicious. It is a bit narrow but otherwise looks ok. H2O are not known for being cheap quite the reverse if work is needed. There are French surveyors and one Dutch man based in Burgundy but nothings cheap I’m afraid.

 

H2O do repairs as well as sales?

 

Would you have an idea how much a survey could cost?

11 hours ago, MtB said:

Apply the following formula:

 

Low price + on the market a long time = something fishy.

 

Could just be that it's small and cramped inside given its length and beam, especially compared to other barges for sale locally. 

 

 

Nor is it any oil painting!

I think it's a fine looking albeit cramped boat ! 😄

 

But yes I'll be applying the formula you suggest.

 

I have the survey from 2022 but it's in French so I've yet to translate it. Would you have an idea of what I should be looking for? I'm presuming hull thickness will be examined (hopefully actually examined) in a few locations and the engine will have been turned over and ticked down as "working"?

11 hours ago, Bargebuilder said:

It might be the engine: it would need a clean bill of health as parts might be an issue and replacing it might cost £15k installed.

 

Cheap steel boats often means hull thickness issues, so beware!

Thanks. 

I have the survey from 2022 which I've yet to translate.

The engine has apparently been rebuilt around that time too although there's no documentation and it was done by a friend.

 

Would you know if it's difficult to assess the hull myself - it's probably done by handheld device I'm thinking?

[Onewheeler]

1 hour ago, james2023 said:

Would you know if it's difficult to assess the hull myself - it's probably done by handheld device I'm thinking?

Difficult unless out of the water. Boats of that age will have very different steel thickness specifications to modern boats. 4 mm thickness might be typical, and there'll probably be some repairs to the hull needed at every docking. Have there been any repairs or signs of plating?

[james2023]

2 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

Difficult unless out of the water. Boats of that age will have very different steel thickness specifications to modern boats. 4 mm thickness might be typical, and there'll probably be some repairs to the hull needed at every docking. Have there been any repairs or signs of plating?

I can't say tbh, is this the sort of thing that would be included in the 2022 survey? 

 

The last picture is of the boat out of the water for what it's worth which is probably nothing.

 

https://www.apolloduck.fr/boat/barges-ijsselaak-for-sale/721178

[Onewheeler]

Hard to tell from the photo. What's that thing that looks like a stabiliser fin just behind the lifting strop?

[blackrose]

17 hours ago, james2023 said:

Do you think it's a good boat for me?

Do you see any potential problems that I do not?

 

 

Yeah it's a good boat, buy it now. No problems at all. 😂

 

Seriously, how's anyone here supposed to answer these questions? We don't know the boat and we don't know your level of skills to fix the potential problems.

 

There are hundreds of barges for sale in France, have you actually been to look at any? What's special about this one - apart from the price?

 

Be aware that in France a surveyor will give a hull a clean bill of health as long as all the hull thickness measurements are above 3mm. By contrast in the UK it's difficult to get fully comp insurance on anything under 4mm. On the plus side if a surveyor in France picks up anything under 3mm the vendor pays for the repair, but 3mm is still pretty thin and personally I wouldn't be happy with those sorts of hull thicknesses. 

[magnetman]

I reckon a centre wheelhouse would prove to be irritating on a liveaboard. You would be up and down through the wheelhouse regularly unless the rear cabin was reserved for visitors. It also complicates the heating arrangements somewhat.

 

Might suit some people but always worth bearing in mind that one does need to get in and out quite often so how comfortable is it to do so. 

 

 

 

[blackrose]

12 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

Hard to tell from the photo. What's that thing that looks like a stabiliser fin just behind the lifting strop?

 

That's called a bilge keel. You're right, it's a kind of stabiliser fin!

Edited August 15, 2024 by blackrose

[james2023]

10 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

Hard to tell from the photo. What's that thing that looks like a stabiliser fin just behind the lifting strop?

We'll spotted and I've no idea tbh but doesn't seem like it should be there.

It's hardly a poorly done weld that popped upwards with the pressure of the strap? I can't see that happening tbh but what do I know .

[magnetman]

I would never live somewhere with a ladder rather than steps. Too dangerous. One day you will come back soaked to the skin with a load of shopping and slip on the ladder.

 

Major hazard for residential use. 

 

(In my opinion and I've only lived on Boats including barges for 3 decades). 

 

But also it depends on your fitness. I think its too risky myself. 

 

[james2023]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I reckon a centre wheelhouse would prove to be irritating on a liveaboard. You would be up and down through the wheelhouse regularly unless the rear cabin was reserved for visitors. It also complicates the heating arrangements somewhat.

 

Might suit some people but always worth bearing in mind that one does need to get in and out quite often so how comfortable is it to do so. 

 

 

 

I agree, it would be very irritating and also so small that it's barely useable.

 

It's heated by boiler apparently.

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, james2023 said:

 

Would you know if it's difficult to assess the hull myself - it's probably done by handheld device I'm thinking?

 

Sorry but if you have to ask that question you wouldn't have the experience to do do a hull survey yourself.