Is Now the right time?

[WulfNut]

32 minutes ago, Dunworkin said:

I asked for thoughts on boating, not uninformed comments on my attitude to, or ability to act on advice. Why do the captain Mainwairings who frequent these forums seem hell bent on perpetuating the reputation they have for this kind of comment

I think the thing is this.  You are asking people on a forum that have a boat because they love boating... if now is the right time to buy a boat in your personal circumstances.   Understand most here would answer that if you love boating and can afford it there is no "yes but" and only a "can or can't" when it comes to the questions you are asking.   We live on boats, our lives can go boob's up anytime, and we are on board with that. We are here because we eventually stopped saying "yes but" and just said "yes i can" please don't take anything I've said personally.  

[Dunworkin]

6 minutes ago, WulfNut said:

I think the thing is this.  You are asking people on a forum that have a boat because they love boating... if now is the right time to buy a boat in your personal circumstances.   Understand most here would answer that if you love boating and can afford it there is no "yes but" and only a "can or can't" when it comes to the questions you are asking.   We live on boats, our lives can go boob's up anytime, and we are on board with that. We are here because we eventually stopped saying "yes but" and just said "yes i can" please don't take anything I've said personally.  

That makes much sense…🍷🍷

[Mike Coombes]

1 hour ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

What boat did you buy, is it a Steve Hudson 😂😂

 

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. It does you no credit. IMHO, of course.

 

I am proud of my purchase-and why not!!!

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

17 minutes ago, Mike Coombes said:

 

I am proud of my purchase-and why not!!!

 What’s so special about Hudson’s, that the owners have to tell everyone they’ve got one?( Not all though) In all honesty nothing. It’s just that they want to tell everyone what they’ve got. I’ve just got a Narrowboat😂

[Arthur Marshall]

4 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 What’s so special about Hudson’s, that the owners have to tell everyone they’ve got one?( Not all though) In all honesty nothing. It’s just that they want to tell everyone what they’ve got. I’ve just got a Narrowboat😂

If I'd got a boat by a famous builder, I'd probably reference it too. As it is, nobody has ever had a clue as to who might have glued my old tub together (not when they did it, for that matter) though I would like to have known. I've never seen another one similar in build style, they've probably all sunk by now...

[Tam & Di]

28 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

If I'd got a boat by a famous builder, I'd probably reference it too.

We've had boats built by Yarwood of Northwich, Harland & Woolf of Woolwich, Warren's of New Holland, FMC at Saltley, Cantling of Goole, Hellemans of Boom, Hepworth of Hull, Fellows of Great Yarmouth, Tissen of Leiden, and even BWB at Bulls Bridge. So none by Hudson - do any of those count?  😃

Edited March 29 by Tam & Di
felt that BWB's work flat deserved a mention. ​😃​

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

1 hour ago, Arthur Marshall said:

The purchase cost is an initial investment, some of which you will get back. It's whether you get value for the annual running costs that matters. A week's hire costs about a grand, so if you get more weeks on the boat than however many thousand your licence and mooring cost, you wind up ahead of the game. If you don't, then you're better off hiring.

That’s what I was getting at. You need to use the boat. No point in buying a boat spending say £5K a year(Marina, Licence, insurance, maintenance) and only using it 5 weeks a year, when hiring could be the same cost or slightly higher than your yearly outgoings.
 I think if you’re buying a boat you have to use it months at a time to get good value(cost/enjoyment value) If not, you’ll always be out of pocket when you sell it. I hear people say, “I bought it for £55K had it for 5 years and sold it for £55K so didn’t loose anything” They seem to forget about the £25K it’s cost them over that 5 years in annual costs. 

Edited March 29 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Tonka]

3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

A day has nearly gone of your one life since you posted this. How much fun has the money given you sat in the bank since yesterday? When will you be 67? how is your health?

We are all another day nearer death

[Tam & Di]

7 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

That’s what I was getting at. You need to use the boat. No point in buying a boat spending say £5K a year(Marina, Licence, insurance, maintenance) and only using it 5 weeks a year, when it could be the same cost or slightly higher than your yearly outgoings.

 You are absolutely right in one sense, but pride of ownership also comes into play, as does the fact you can pretty much paint it as you want and change the inside to suit your own particular preferences. It gives the possibility of throwing sentences like "When I am on my boat .." into conversation.

Edited March 29 by Tam & Di

[Ex Brummie]

10 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

We've had boats built by Yarwood of Northwich, Harland & Woolf of Woolwich, Warren's of New Holland, FMC at Saltley, Cantling of Goole, Hellemans of Boom, Hepworth of Hull, Fellows of Great Yarmouth, and Tissen of Leiden. So none by Hudson - do any of those count?  😃

Boat builders come and go. My boat was built by Delph Marine. I know of 4 others built by Delph Marine, but none of them has the same builder. In fact there are people who 'bought' from Delph Marine who got no boat for their money. 

Just saying ........

I recall meeting a prospective purchaser of a David Piper boat who had asked the builder for his opinion on it. His reply was that it was a good boat when he built it, it is now 15 years old.

Edited March 29 by Ex Brummie

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

8 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

We've had boats built by Yarwood of Northwich, Harland & Woolf of Woolwich, Warren's of New Holland, FMC at Saltley, Cantling of Goole, Hellemans of Boom, Hepworth of Hull, Fellows of Great Yarmouth, and Tissen of Leiden. So none by Hudson - do any of those count?  😃

 I bet a Hudson has more rivets per shell than any of the ones you owned though.😂

[Tam & Di]

1 minute ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 I bet a Hudson has more rivets per shell than any of the ones you owned though.😂

 But ours went right through to the other side of the plates. 😁

[Tonka]

2 hours ago, Mike Coombes said:

 

My wife and I have just-albeit reluctantly due to a medical issue-retired from Ocean Cruising. We sold the Motorsailer and have bought a trad Steve Hudson 57. We are 77 and soon to be 79.

 

Get on with it-live is for living.

 

A truism I like, from Billy Connolly IIRC, is that you only regret that which you did not do.

 

And there you have it! Well put Arthur!

Is your Hudson  one of the early ones or do you have the hips that the later ones had

[Mike Coombes]

2 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Is your Hudson  one of the early ones or do you have the hips that the later ones had

 

It is a 2006 with engine room. Not sure what you mean by 'Hips'?

 

Named "Duchess of Atholl" the pic shows it the day we collected it and started our six day delivery trip to Enslow Wharf.

[Tonka]

If you view it from the back from a distance around the position of where the boatman cabin joins the engine room outside they have what look like hips to me . Not sure why and the original ones didn't have them and a different bow shape

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

6 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

 You are absolutely right in one sense, but pride of ownership also comes into play, as does the fact you can pretty much paint it as you want and change the inside to suit your own particular preferences. It gives the possibility of throwing sentences like "When I am on my boat .." into conversation.

That’s why I said you need to be on or use it for months of the year, throughout the year. To be on it say a week Easter, three weeks Summer and the odd weekend staying on it in the Marina, isn’t worth it IMO.  When it may be financially better to hire for the same amount of usage.

 The OP mentioned Hire boaters being the butt of boaters jokes. I would say someone that buys a boat, moors it in a Marina and only uses it a few weeks of the year, when the weather is nice, could be regarded as a bigger joke by boaters. I personally haven’t got a large amount of money to spend on something I wouldn’t get value out, when there’s other options available, like hiring.

[Mike Coombes]

54 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 What’s so special about Hudson’s, that the owners have to tell everyone they’ve got one?( Not all though) In all honesty nothing. It’s just that they want to tell everyone what they’ve got. I’ve just got a Narrowboat😂

 

Our previous boat was a far superior vessel in every respect and we could have bought 3 Hudsons for what we got for it.

 

Like the Hudson, it was a make noted for its high quality. This showed in its achieved sale price as we were often told by surprised enquirer's who asked its age-it was seventeen years old when we sold it - "Blimey-it look like a new boat!"

 

And it did!

 

Duchess is already showing signs of improvement. Tha last two owners had lived aboard, neglected it and it was starting to show.

 

Boats, along with Houses, cars and motorbikes, need constant living in/use/attention to keep them in good order.

 

Starting with a good quality item at the start gives you an edge.

 

If the pleasure you get from your narrowboat is more or equal to mine, you are a lucky owner.

11 minutes ago, Tonka said:

If you view it from the back from a distance around the position of where the boatman cabin joins the engine room outside they have what look like hips to me . Not sure why and the original ones didn't have them and a different bow shape

 

The rear narrows, not expands, so it might LOOK like hips, but it isn't.

27 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 I bet a Hudson has more rivets per shell than any of the ones you owned though.😂

 

The 'faux' rivets are a bit of an affection IMHO, but the first owner ordered them-they were an option-and they were not enough to put us off the purchase.

 

Three months in, 6 day delivery trip, 15 nights aboard after that while getting her how we want her, the only thing that has needed replacing/gone wrong is the Morso Squirrel side firebricks were broken.

 

After owning many boats of most types in the last 60 years, the Duchess stands up well in the quality stakes. Especially the internal woodwork.

 

But it would, its a Hudson!

39 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

 But ours went right through to the other side of the plates. 😁

 

Quite right! My Hudson has 'faux' rivets which were an option the first owner chose. Your boats were 'proper' jobs, perhaps riveted iron?

Edited March 29 by Mike Coombes

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Today many new boat owners have never hired, they just want cheap accommodation.

Or they have £150,000 laying around and think that looks nice, lets buy one.

[Arthur Marshall]

49 minutes ago, Tonka said:

We are all another day nearer death

This year, every day I  feel I'm further away from it!

 

2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Or they have £150,000 laying around and think that looks nice, lets buy one.

Now  that's an attitude I heartily approve of, which is why, now I hardly ever play them,  I've got five guitars...

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

14 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Or they have £150,000 laying around and think that looks nice, lets buy one.

Or, in some cases in excess of £350K buying 70ft Narrowboats. Trying to out do the other boats. 

Edited March 29 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Stroudwater1]

3 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

Or, in some cases in excess of £350K buying 70ft Narrowboats. Trying to out do the other boats. 

Get that chip off you shoulder before the wind blows it off. And FWIW yes we are boating and not on a Hudson or rivetted boat. Stopped as my umbrella has just broken and my hat has blown off. 
 

Days like today are probably not the best advert for  boating 😂 

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

7 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Get that chip off you shoulder before the wind blows it off. And FWIW yes we are boating and not on a Hudson or rivetted boat. Stopped as my umbrella has just broken and my hat has blown off. 
 

Days like today are probably not the best advert for  boating 😂 

No chip on the shoulder just stating facts, so get over yourself. Or haven’t you got a clue to how much a new boat costs?

Edited March 29 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Stroudwater1]

Just now, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

No chip on the shoulder just stating facts, so get over yourself.

Maybe  try to be more pleasant, we could have bought 7 of our boats for £350,000 , and probably 8 now 😂.
 

Does it really matter how much whose boat cost anyway? It will have supported a good few builders and suppliers if new after all, and some boat brokers surveyors etc  if second hand. 

 

 

 

 

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 I bet a Hudson has more rivets per shell than any of the ones you owned though.😂

My Hudson had no rivets but it was very very well built and an absolute bargain for the quality of finish. Especialy as it was a whole boat which gave us plenty of space for a similar price to a tiddly boat. 

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

7 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Maybe  try to be more pleasant, we could have bought 7 of our boats for £350,000 , and probably 8 now 😂.
 

Does it really matter how much whose boat cost anyway? It will have supported a good few builders and suppliers if new after all, and some boat brokers surveyors etc  if second hand. 

 

 

 

 

No it doesn’t, as I said do you know how much some fully fitted new boat costs. I was replying to to the £150K post, you don’t get much these days for that money with a new build and some Narrows are £350K plus, which most people find hard to believe.
 Have a safe trip,

Edited March 29 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2