'Dave Clarke Boat Builders'!?!

[becki]

my partner and i have commissioned a 35ft narrow boat sailaway with a builder called Dave Clarke. we looked him up briefly and saw good things about his boats. however we are now having problems with his start dates as they seem to be getting pushed back further and further to the point where we are now supposed to be three weeks into the build and it has not been started at all.

 

we are intending on living aboard the boat and have a relatively tight time frame due to current tenancy etc.

 

Dave has also shied away from signing a contract, we now believe this is due to his difficulty with deadlines but are worried there could be further problems.

 

we have constantly chased him up with him only ringing us back on one occasion.

 

if any one has heard of this guy or has had similar experiences or advise please let us know.

 

as yet we have only put down a £100 pound deposit.

[saltysplash]

Sounds like you've kinda answerd your own concerns.

 

Treat it as you would when making any substantial purchase.

 

I cant comment on any particular builder but,

If your not happy then pull out before any serious money passes hands.

 

If I was buying brand new id expect a proper contract and I wouldnt be paying in stages,

[becki]

thanks for your reply. the stages he wanted we're a quarter of the total payment once the build commenced (we could see the boat being built) and then the rest on completion. also for the materials in the first place i think. when you say you wouldn't pay in stages do you mean you would only pay on completion?

[saltysplash]

thanks for your reply. the stages he wanted we're a quarter of the total payment once the build commenced (we could see the boat being built) and then the rest on completion. also for the materials in the first place i think. when you say you wouldn't pay in stages do you mean you would only pay on completion?

 

 

Yes, although its very common practice to pay in stages due i understand to the builder needing the funds to purchase the next load of steel etc, I just wouldnt be happy parting with cash which could result in leaving me with nothing or at best a collection of rusty steel.

 

This is in no way a reflection on your builder just my personal choice.

[NB Willawaw]

Yes I've heard of him and if its the same guy, he has been building hulls for a long time.

 

I believe he supplied Bridgecraft and Hallmark with hulls.

 

However, the boating business is at a low ebb at the moment, with builders going out of business left, right and centre.

 

Yesterdays answer isn't necessarily the same as todays answer.

 

I think you have to ask the question of him, as to why he is so reluctant to be pinned down to a contractual delivery date.

 

If his build schedule is delayed, he should say and give you a revised date. Perhaps, with the market being difficult, he is concerned that

you might pull out due to your tight time constraints and he will lose an order.

 

Surely, the way forward is for some straight talking and some binding commitments from both sides.

 

If you don't like what you hear and your inner voice is sounding alarms, then you have only lost £100.

 

However, you should give the guy a chance to put his point of view on the table for discussion.

[becki]

i just sent you a message! thank you very much that is very sound advice. i was planning on calling him this morning... so that's my next step.

 

do you know if that's ever done: to simply pay on completion!?

[Naughty Cal]

Without being rude have you any experience of boats. A 35ft boat as a liveaboard for two people is very small.

[WotEver]

do you know if that's ever done: to simply pay on completion!?

 

Yes, but I don't think that it's unreasonable for the builder to ask for a substantial deposit, because that protects him for his materials cost and time spent if you were to pull out mid-way through the build.

 

I'd be wary of a builder that wanted monthly stage payments because I'd wonder if that's what he's paying his staff with, but a substantial deposit (say 20%) with the balance on completion sounds reasonable to me. Others may disagree.

 

And I agree with Phylis - 35ft is pretty tiny for a liveaboard.

 

Regards,

Tony.

[becki]

at the moment we share a modest bedsit room so for us it is an upscale!! we have stayed on boats and and friends have boats they live on so we ahve a bit of experience. we are going to be very conscious of space when fitting out. the cabin is also going to be extended right to the front so this will give us some more inside footage.

[Hairy-Neil]

Without being rude have you any experience of boats. A 35ft boat as a liveaboard for two people is very small.

 

I know of many that spend their time in a lorry sleeper cab.....

[becki]

I know of many that spend their time in a lorry sleeper cab.....

[Naughty Cal]

Fair play. It was just a point i had noticed.

[becki]

well thanks for pointing it out. tell you what, this forum is so good! it is so active and such a relief to be able to hear from people who are genuinely interested and experienced. this is a bit of a sticky patch in terms of getting somewhere to live and can feel pretty lonely so it's really good to have a community at your finger tips!

[Naughty Cal]

You can normally find the answers to all of your questions on here. Just dont expect them all to be sensible ones

[stewey]

Without being rude have you any experience of boats. A 35ft boat as a liveaboard for two people is very small.

Totally agreee with Phyllis. I would personally wave goodbye to the £100 in the circumstances and then start looking at second hand boats. There are a lot of boats around at the moment and for the price of a new 35 foot boat you could get a much longer (and thus much more comfortable boat) especially when there are two of you living in a very limited space.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out well for you.

 

Stewey

[becki]

thanks for your advice. we're on a crappy budget of only 15k though i've thought to look for slightly dearer boats in the hope that the sellers might be interested in a bit less in cash! it's not an ideal position to be in, i know. you see we were hoping to get something new we could sell on in a few years and then buy something a bit bigger. we were looking at the new boat as an investment. we are in a pickle with time limit now though, as we both start full time courses at the end of september. (we were hoping to get the boat at the beginning to give us a bit of time on it beforehand.) any thoughts, anyone?

[Proper Job]

I'd be looking at the second hand market

[Naughty Cal]

A new boat isnt an investment. You will lose 15% of its value as soon as you sign for it. I think in your situation i would say goodbye to the £100 and look for a decent second hand boat. Your 15k will find something suitable for your needs and you have less chance of losing money as well. Time scales will be quicker as well.

[Proper Job]

A new build 35 footer for £15K?

 

Stop messing. There are some good secondhand boats out there. Start looking

[Naughty Cal]

Here you are

 

Stick a cash offer on something like this

[RLWP]

A new build 35 footer for £15K?

 

Stop messing. There are some good secondhand boats out there. Start looking

 

New build sailaway for £15k.

 

It's still a big ask.

 

Becki, You may have seen the other thread about sailaways that is running at the moment. The one where people found that independent shell builders have their books full for three years ahead.

 

I'm not trying to be rude, so as carefully as I can. Is your boat builder convinced that you are a good client? You haven't invested much yet and are trying to achieve two very difficult things: building a boat on a budget of £15k and making a 35' boat into a liveaboard.

 

If you are serious about this the only route forwards that I can see is to go and talk to your builder so you can really get to know each other. You are going to put a lot of money and effort into what he is going to build. Conversely, if (and I'm only saying it because people do) you walked away from this deal part way through he's going to be left with a difficult shell to sell.

 

As the adverts said "it's good to talk"

 

Hope this helps,

 

Richard

[Naughty Cal]

Another point, are you going to attempt to liveaboard whilst fitting out the shell?

[Proper Job]

Becki

 

I don't mean to be rude but, come back to the real world.

 

If I've got this right, you have commissioned a 35' sailaway that your going to live on while you fit it out and your budget is £15K and you both start full time courses in September.

 

I can only see this ending in disaster for you. Your budget will be blown to hell..... they always are. Your heading toward winter.

 

Living in a fitted out boat that requires renovation/gradual refit is difficult.

 

It will be far from an 'investment'

 

Go second hand

[Guest User]

Hi Becki

 

The practicalities of living on a 35ft sailaway notwithstanding ....

 

I live on a 55ft 1992 Dave Clarke NB .. as an earlier poster commented .... He's been around a long while. I've been in touch with him once, and he struck me as plain speaking and up front. PM me if you like.

[becki]

thanks for that i did just email the owner!