Newbie buying advice please.

[RarneyBubble]

Hi everyone I have just joined the forum and hope to gain some advice, hopefully ongoing but initially around buying.

We are seriously considering investing in a NB with a budget of 30-40k.

I have done some Internet research and am now thinking of viewing some boats with brokers to experience different layouts and lengths of boats.

We would potentially like to keep the boat on the GU probably around the Tring/Aylesbury/Hemel area (mainly for commute time from our home)

Our intended use of the boat is for leisure purposes.(for the most part as a cpl)

 

Any advice around boat size, moorings, pros/cons or general wider advice would be welcome.

Thanks

 

 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Welcome to the forum.

Generally, investing in a boat is more like "the value of your investment may go down, or down, your wealth is at risk"!

[Skeg]

34 minutes ago, RarneyBubble said:

Hi everyone I have just joined the forum and hope to gain some advice, hopefully ongoing but initially around buying.

We are seriously considering investing in a NB with a budget of 30-40k.

I have done some Internet research and am now thinking of viewing some boats with brokers to experience different layouts and lengths of boats.

We would potentially like to keep the boat on the GU probably around the Tring/Aylesbury/Hemel area (mainly for commute time from our home)

Our intended use of the boat is for leisure purposes.(for the most part as a cpl)

 

Any advice around boat size, moorings, pros/cons or general wider advice would be welcome.

Thanks

 

 

 

Getting a mooring in that area is probably more difficult than getting a boat. I would research online and marina moorings before committing to buy a boat.

[RarneyBubble]

Thanks for your reply. Yes I fully intend to coordinate the boat and mooring and will discuss availability when visiting the marina/broker.

[IanD]

22 minutes ago, Skeg said:

Getting a mooring in that area is probably more difficult than getting a boat. I would research online and marina moorings before committing to buy a boat.

I don't think finding a mooring is the problem, but finding a suitably located one that the OP can afford probably is... 😉 

[ditchcrawler]

14 minutes ago, IanD said:

I don't think finding a mooring is the problem, but finding a suitably located one that the OP can afford probably is... 😉 

Maybe the Aylesbury Canal society.

[junior]

The advice available from this forum and in general is endless, and you really need to ask specific questions to get tailored advice. As you've mentioned moorings in a certain area, that's probably what most of the replies will be about now. 

 

My advice would be to go to Whilton Marina near Daventry and have a look around some of the boats they've got there. I suggest there as they are one of the very few brokerages that will just give you the keys and let you look around yourself. They are also one of the biggest in terms of the amount of boats they have in one place. They are used to people looking for their first boat, so be up front with them and say you want to look at a few. 

 

They are well known for having a selection of boats at the lower end of the market, but they do also tend to have a few good uns in a higher price bracket. My experience of them is that they initially market boats for quite a bit more than they are worth, so when you look at their stock actually look at their boats they are advertising for £40k - £50k. 

 

People will I'm sure now start mentioning horror stories about them, as they don't have the best reputation on here, but they do sell a fair few boats, so can't be that bad overall.

 

To get a feeling for what you get for your money, I'd also pay a visit to one of the more upmarket brokers such as Rugby Boats (close to Whilton) and maybe view a boat above your budget, to really get a feeling for what you could have with a bigger budget. 

 

In terms of what to look for in a boat, the hull and superstructure is far more important than the decor and layout inside. Avoid anything that hasn't been out of the water for more than 3 years, as this just shows a lack of basic maintenance and desire by the previous owners to look after the important things. 

 

If a seller tells you that the boat has had a recent survey and that you don't need to commission your own, be very cautious! I'm not one of these people that swear you shouldn't buy a boat without a survey as I've done just that myself, but there's no way I'd have bought my first boat without one. 

 

One other bit of advice I like to give is make sure you look for a boat with at least 2 different ways of doing heating, hot water heating, and generating electricity. This always goes wrong on boats, and if your primary source of one of the above fails, there's nothing worse than being without heating, or electric etc.

 

Something like this is what I would class as a good starter boat in your budget, albeit it hasn't been out of the water for 4 years so would definitely need a docking and blacking/2 packing which will cost anywhere from £1k - £3k straight away.

 

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/john-white-42-semi-trad-for-sale/797540

Edited June 5 by junior

[MtB]

1 hour ago, RarneyBubble said:

We are seriously considering investing in a NB with a budget of 30-40k.

 

Very droll.

 

As Jen points out, "investing" is not something you are doing when you buy a narrowboat. (Or any boat really.) More like committing yourself to a series of large expenses that will make the purchase price seem trivial after a few years...

 

 

[RarneyBubble]

10 minutes ago, junior said:

The advice available from this forum and in general is endless, and you really need to ask specific questions to get tailored advice. As you've mentioned moorings in a certain area, that's probably what most of the replies will be about now. 

 

My advice would be to go to Whilton Marina near Daventry and have a look around some of the boats they've got there. I suggest there as they are one of the very few brokerages that will just give you the keys and let you look around yourself. They are also one of the biggest in terms of the amount of boats they have in one place. They are used to people looking for their first boat, so be up front with them and say you want to look at a few. 

 

They are well known for having a selection of boats at the lower end of the market, but they do also tend to have a few good uns in a higher price bracket. My experience of them is that they initially market boats for quite a bit more than they are worth, so when you look at their stock actually look at their boats they are advertising for £40k - £50k. 

 

People will I'm sure now start mentioning horror stories about them, as they don't have the best reputation on here, but they do sell a fair few boats, so can't be that bad overall.

 

To get a feeling for what you get for your money, I'd also pay a visit to one of the more upmarket brokers such as Rugby Boats (close to Whilton) and maybe view a boat above your budget, to really get a feeling for what you could have with a bigger budget. 

 

In terms of what to look for in a boat, the hull and superstructure is far more important than the decor and layout inside. Avoid anything that hasn't been out of the water for more than 3 years, as this just shows a lack of basic maintenance and desire by the previous owners to look after the important things. 

 

If a seller tells you that the boat has had a recent survey and that you don't need to commission your own, be very cautious! I'm not one of these people that swear you shouldn't buy a boat without a survey as I've done just that myself, but there's no way I'd have bought my first boat without one. 

 

One other bit of advice I like to give is make sure you look for a boat with at least 2 different ways of doing heating, hot water heating, and generating electricity. This always goes wrong on boats, and if your primary source of one of the above fails, there's nothing worse than being without heating, or electric etc.

 

Something like this is what I would class as a good starter boat in your budget. 

 

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/john-white-42-semi-trad-for-sale/797540

Thanks for the advice. 

I already plan to do most of what you have said.

I'm planning on visiting high line Iver, Packet boat and Cowroast to look at boats and enquire about availability of moorings.( I will explore others also when time allows)

The 3yr tip sounds sensible and something I might have easily overlooked along with 2+2 rule.

 

[RarneyBubble]

9 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Very droll.

 

As Jen points out, "investing" is not something you are doing when you buy a narrowboat. (Or any boat really.) More like committing yourself to a series of large expenses that will make the purchase price seem trivial after a few years...

 

 

Haha maybe investing was the wrong term 😅 

Although I am a novice Narrowboater I'm not a complete novice to boats or their ongoing costs🙈

[booke23]

Have you hired a narrowboat? If not it's worth spending a couple of weeks on one just to get a taste of what it's like.

[Gybe Ho]

1 hour ago, junior said:

 

My advice would be to go to Whilton Marina near Daventry and have a look around some of the boats they've got there. I suggest there as they are one of the very few brokerages that will just give you the keys and let you look around yourself.

 

 

I found that all the brokerages I visited gave me the keys or opened the boat and left me alone for up to an hour to have a detailed look. 

[Jonny P]

11 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

I found that all the brokerages I visited gave me the keys or opened the boat and left me alone for up to an hour to have a detailed look. 

I think the difference is that at Whilton you can drop in with the intention of viewing multiple boats whereas at some other brokerages you need to make an appointment to view a specific boat.

[Gybe Ho]

1 hour ago, Jonny P said:

I think the difference is that at Whilton you can drop in with the intention of viewing multiple boats whereas at some other brokerages you need to make an appointment to view a specific boat.

 

Yes sort of, the more up market brokers don't like walk-ins with an expectation of an immediate viewing though I did manage that. Rugby Boat sales are ok with booking multiple viewings in a single visit and another opened up a second boat to provide a comparation. Brokers are more flexible mid week.

 

Whilton are different with their "banger lot" to quote another broker, their stock is much lower in quality and price and I think they know viewers will pass on many boats before something clicks. They do shift a lot of stock and provide a necessary function by creating a market for boats that  have been neglected in recent years. Whilton would be a good place for the OP to start viewing given the budget stated but it does not dwarf the alternatives within an hours drive, it is just noticeably larger.

[blackrose]

15 hours ago, junior said:

... they don't have the best reputation on here, but they do sell a fair few boats, so can't be that bad overall.

 

Yeah... but on the other hand McDonald's sell a fair few burgers... 🍔

[Tonka]

14 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

I found that all the brokerages I visited gave me the keys or opened the boat and left me alone for up to an hour to have a detailed look. 

They obviously all decided you were a time waster so couldn't be bothered to waste time with you

[ditchcrawler]

6 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Yeah... but on the other hand McDonald's sell a fair few burgers... 🍔

And lots of people are very happy with them

4 minutes ago, Tonka said:

They obviously all decided you were a time waster so couldn't be bothered to waste time with you

I wonder if this one will ever come up for sale ?

 

[Gybe Ho]

22 minutes ago, Tonka said:

They obviously all decided you were a time waster so couldn't be bothered to waste time with you

 Reported to the Mods.

[Tony Brooks]

24 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

 Reported to the Mods.

 

Why and on what grounds? Quote the forum rule you think he has broken.  The subject of his comment was the brokers, and why they may have reacted as they did. Of course, that implies that he thinks your interaction with the brokers concerned might have labelled you a "tyre kicker", but that is not against the forum rules, even if it is not true. What may be obvious to him, is probably not obvious to you.

Edited June 6 by Tony Brooks

[Gybe Ho]

2 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Why and on what grounds? Quote the forum rule you think he has broken.  The subject of his comment was the brokers, and why they may have reacted as they did. Of course, that implies that he thinks your interaction with the brokers concerned might have labelled you a "tyre kicker", but that is not against the forum rules, even if it is not true. What may be obvious to him, is probably not obvious to you.

 

My report cited "Unwarranted antagonism and provocation".

 

It starts with these pointless posts by the usual suspects to start a thread war, then 48 hours later the mods have to convene an emergency meeting to perform open heart surgery on a wayward thread to remove the in-fighting while trying to leave some value intact in the thread. Then they have to put people on special moderation which is time consuming.

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

My report cited "Unwarranted antagonism and provocation".

 

It starts with these pointless posts by the usual suspects to start a thread war, then 48 hours later the mods have to convene an emergency meeting to perform open heart surgery on a wayward thread to remove the in-fighting while trying to leave some value intact in the thread. Then they have to put people on special moderation which is time consuming.

 

Unwarranted is your word and one presumes describes your feelings. To be honest, I feel that since you have been a member you have spouted a great deal of rubbish and ill-informed opinion/advice, so I too would expect at least some brokers to have you down as a dreamer and time waster. I think on many occasions in the past those allegations could be equally levelled at you, not least your slagging of this forum and the promotion of Facebook.

[junior]

And here we go...

[MtB]

1 minute ago, junior said:

And here we go...

 

Indeed. Fragile egos wasting mod time on imagined rule infringements.

 

 

[Gybe Ho]

7 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I think on many occasions in the past those allegations could be equally levelled at you, not least your slagging of this forum and the promotion of Facebook.

 

 

I do not have a Facebook account, why would I promote it?

 

Other critics of this forum have pointed out the merits of the superior 12volt help forum on Facebook and the value of the narrowing boating forum there. This is usually in response to the universal criticism of all social media other than this forum by the regulars here. 

 

My prompt to post in this thread was after I read some disinformation by one of the forum's great & good that being given the keys to multiple boat and left to get on with viewings solo is what makes the Whilton brokerage special. I know this is not true because in the past 6 months I have had more interaction with brokers as a buyer than any of the principal posters on this forum.

 

It really is that simple, no need for your conspiracy theories.

 

@Tonka ritual provocation is what starts thread wars and which in turn leads to the volunteer Mods wasting hours of their lives cleaning up the consequences. 

[Andyaero]

I have no dog in this race, but there is always a common denominator in these threads that descend into bickering.