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PaulaJ

By PaulaJ
in Living Afloat

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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

Posted
Posted
I'm new to this forum and have had the use of a boat for the last 6 months and have got the bug so have been looking at second hand boats at a few brokerages

 

Just one other word of warning.

 

Six months of boat use in the summer months is a whole different ball game to the six months of boat ownership during the winter.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted (edited)
58 foot two year old liverpool boat - 43k

 

122391_1.jpg

That is a closer match to "Que Sera Sera" than many, although I think the window spacing is still wrong.

 

If considering buying it, might be worth looking to check no evidence of "moved" windows! :lol:

Edited by alan_fincher
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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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This one takes the biscuit though.

 

75k for an owner fitout 58 foot liverpool boat with no mooring :lol:

 

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=115863

From advert.....

 

I am a continuous cruiser along the Regent's Canal

 

Discuss!

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Phil Speight Rising Star

Phil Speight

Posted
Posted
Thank you Richard! And Lady Muck! Don't think i'll be posting anymore threads in future if this is the nightmare it causes. As for the comment about whether I work for either company, NO, i don't. I wouldn't waste anyone's time on purpose.

 

And in reply to Phylis i said the build time is four weeks but that they are very busy so the next available slot is May 2010.

Paula - I`m sorry the intensity of some of responses have put you off the forumTry to stick around - because among the passion , the argument and all elseyou will find good sound advice here - not just now with this particular dilemma - but for all the things that haven`t cropped up yet.

As to your original query - I don`t know what the boats in question are like and couldn`t fairly judge - I suspect they are`nt my type of boat - but that`s irrelevant. That said all the people who have suggested you buy second hand are absolutely right. There has never been a better time and you would do well to take the advice. Please .

Phil

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Goiridh Explorer

Goiridh

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To try to help with the original question, we did check out Orchard and yes they do seem like a decent bunch. They did appear busy, and they are producing cheaper boats.

 

We decided in the end not to go with them after having a very close look at one of their completed boats. The fit-out is OK on the surface, but on closer inspection some of the joinery was quite 'shoddy'. Of more concern, there was heavy use of untreated MDF (not good with water) and use of untreated wood in areas that are highly likely to come into contact with water or suffer from damp at least (again, not a good idea).

 

The rear hatch was tough to get into, but the side hatches were completely seized (boat only 6 months old).

 

But despite these things, overall the boat simply seemed to reflect for the price offered, i.e. you get what you pay for. However, i'd have to question the lifespan of the fit-out in particular.

 

We decided to up our budget a bit and go elsewhere, but we've been extremely fortunate in being able to do that.

 

Hope that's of some help, and best of luck with whatever you decide.

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Lady Muck Veteran

Lady Muck

Posted
Posted (edited)
From advert.....

 

 

 

Discuss!

 

I've seen the boat, great name. They haven't had it for long, I guess it wasn't like living in a London studio flat after all. Studio flats don't get ticketed and moved on. :lol:

 

OOh and look at this - your chance to buy a residential mooring (that isn't the vendors to 'sell') and they're throwing in a 45 foot nb. Isn't this a bit naughty?

 

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=124874

Edited by Lady Muck
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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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OOh and look at this - your chance to buy a residential mooring (that isn't the vendors to 'sell') and they're throwing in a 45 foot nb. Isn't this a bit naughty?

 

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=124874

 

Thats genius. I think i will sell my mooring for twice the going rate, then rent another for half the price.

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WJM Veteran

WJM

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"the side hatches were completely seized"

 

Liverpool boats have very poor hinges on their openings. I have had to replace some of the hinges on mine, and those that are still original I need to keep well greased. But given that rectifying this problem cost me a couple of hundred pounds, I wouldn't be bothered paying another £10k or £20k for a 'better' shell. I am not 'precious' about my boat, I just like to go boating so I am very happy with my Liverpool shell.

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WJM Veteran

WJM

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"60 Liverpool boats for sale which highlights the prolific production output or a lot of aftersales disatisfaction or both!"

 

Statistics are the language of the devil!

 

If Liverpool produced 300 boats per year for say six years, that means there are 1740 satisfied owners who are not selling. That is arguably a higher satisfaction rate than any other builder! :-)

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hydrophobia Explorer

hydrophobia

Posted
Posted
Hi! This is my 1st EVER post so please be gentle with me if i make a rieght mess of it!

 

Am considering taking the huge step of becoming a liveaboard - have a winter trial booked in early November to make sure I'm making the right decision!

 

What I want all your help with right now is my possible boat builder of choice? Am looking at having a boat built by Orchard Marina in Northwich who are the sister boat builder to Collingwood in Liverpool.

 

Was just looking for peoples experiences or opinions on this companies' specific boats - am thinking about the resale value i.e. do they have a good reputation? Would you consider buying one of their boats?

 

Any help, advice, tips etc anyone can give me would be very much appreciated.

 

Possible Soon to be Liveaboard

 

aka PaulaJ

Hi, I can only speak as I find...We had the misfortune of picking the wrong boat builder very recently & he has now gone bankrupt, We have lost £25,000 so I understand your concerns.Our newbuild nb was so bad it was only valued at £40,000 by our surveyor,Orchard Marina offered to buy it off us for £35,000 bearing in mind our boatbuilder had gone bust whatever we got for the boat would be all we would ever be getting as unsecured creditors however we agreed on this price then the trustees got hold of our boat and it was another couple of months before we got it back.

During this very fretful time we kept Orchard Marina informed of the situation and the price was mentioned many times.From our first dealings with them on 19-6-09 the price had always been £35,000 but at the last minute last week as they were about to do the electronic transfer they dropped the price to £32k.We were absolutely devastated as we had lost enough!! My husband managed to get them up to £33,500 so we lost £1,500.

I have no idea what their boats are like but I wouldn't want to do business with them if I were you.

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WJM Veteran

WJM

Posted
Posted

I hate to give you a negative at a time when you are so low, but did you by any chance tell them this sad tale of woe, thus detailing exactly how weak your position was? Or were you shrewd and kept the details to yourself? If you set yourself up for a kicking you will likely get one. They are a business and their first duty is to be profitable. £35k to £32k was a fairly generous stitch up, some would have offered £25k!

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