newbie needs help

[Matt72]

Hi everyone,

 

Just joined the forum and looking for some initial advice.

 

we have had several hires over the last few years on narrowboats and this year a cruiser on the broads, now find that I am in the position to seriously consider buying a boat, narrowboats are way beyond my reach but just starting to look at GRP cruisers.

 

Bearing in mind we live in the east mids, I am looking for guidance in initial purchase - what sort of budget should I look at for a cruiser with 4 berths, shower etc , able to use canals and rivers (I think I read under 7' beam for canals??). Not looking for anything too fancy or new but something that would allow us to have a few days or a week away every so often. There is so much to think about - moorings, insurance, licences - any friendly souls who could give a bit of advice?

 

Thanks

Matt

[stagedamager]

Hi Matt,

Welcome to the forum! The best thing to do is visit local Marinas / Brokerage yards (is Sawley Close?) to get an idea of what your money will stretch to. There are also online sites such as Apollo Duck which can provide a wealth of financial info, of what is out there.

There are plenty of people on here with advice, we were all newbies once, hold on tight its gonna be a rocky ride!! Don't be afraid to ask questions, but expect the threads to go off Topic, dissolve into arguments then get back on track a few pages later when everyone has had enough and remembers what the initial point was!!

 

 

Edit to actually finish what i was saying!!

Edited September 5, 2011 by stagedamager

[Matt72]

Hey thanks for the welcome, yes Sawley is close by and I think there was a boat sales in Nottingham that was mentioned somewhere - in no great rush going to take this slowly and carefully !

[stagedamager]

its the best way, you dont want to rush into anything, the only other thing to say is to ensure you have money set aside for a survey, it can save alot of future heartache when things inevitably go wrong!!

Dan

[Matt72]

You are instilling me with confidence lol - how much does a survey cost (roughly)

[Woodstock]

Hi- We've just bought our first narrowboat after several cruiser holidays. Best advice is to research- look at lots and lots of boats on the internet to give an idea of price and what you get- then have a look in person- again look at lots, as we found 2 that looked superb on the internet were in terrible condition and really overpriced- and then we bought one, I had discounted, because it was so much better than it looked on the internet. We found Sawley marina sales really helpful and they have a good choice of cruisers- also castle marina at nottingham. When you find the one you want- dont start with the asking price- and consider any work that will need doing- If you're buying through a broker they may be able to help give a guide on offers- but remember they are working for the seller

 

Oh- and our maiden cruise last week was blighted when we broke down after the fan belt broke- breakdown- RCR got us going again- it'll probably never happen but keep a spare on board and dont let little things spoil it.

 

Have lots of fun looking- it's tiring but you will get an idea of what you need and what you would like- and then when you get one- enjoy- remember there's always a bit of work to do if you're buying a second hand boat- but we've met some really helpful and experienced people over the last 2 weeks- you do meet the odd expert who knows it all???? but few and far between

 

Survey costs about £600, incl survey and lift out- but remember any findings can be used when agreeing a price

 

Take care and hope you find a super boat.

[Athy]

Matt, good hunting. JP's advice is sound but you may need to know what "RCR" is: it's River & Canal Rescue, you pay a subscription annually and if you break down they'll come and get you going again, kind of an AA of the waterways, and well worth the money.

Mike

[sebrof]

Matt, good hunting. JP's advice is sound but you may need to know what "RCR" is: it's River & Canal Rescue, you pay a subscription annually and if you break down they'll come and get you going again, kind of an AA of the waterways, and well worth the money.

Mike

 

My advice is to decide where you want to cruise. If it's the canals, a narrowboat will give you more space, and be generally more suitable. A small one won't necessarily be hugely expensive, and they will stand up to more abuse than a GRP boat.

 

If it's rivers and estuaries, or even the sea, get a cabin cruiser.

 

But if you're under 40, and not far from the sea, get a proper boat - a sailing boat.

[Matt72]

Thanks everyone for all the advice - AA for the waterways sounds good, as for being near the sea I live about as far from the coast as you can in the UK so its canals and rivers for me, spoke to a mate earlier who has had cabin cruisers and he suggested viking as a make to look for, are there any other good makes to look out for ?

 

Cheers

Matt

[WotEver]

... spoke to a mate earlier who has had cabin cruisers and he suggested viking as a make to look for...

There are lots of Normans about too at sensible prices for a first boat.

 

Tony

[Athy]

An old-established brand, they've been over here since 1066.

[Matt72]

Strangely my mate didn't seem to rate Normans but maybe thats a personal thing. What sort of budget should I look at - would £4-5k be realistic for something not too new and as a starter boat?

 

Cheers

Matt

[WotEver]

Strangely my mate didn't seem to rate Normans but maybe thats a personal thing. What sort of budget should I look at - would £4-5k be realistic for something not too new and as a starter boat?

 

Cheers

Matt

Totally. Or even less.

 

Tony

[Matt72]

Thanks - thats good news Tony