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How the hell do I get out of this??


Captain Lockheed

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I don't know you and am not casting aspersions on you by any means, but conversely there are a lot of narrowboat owners who don't keep promises, don't pay their bills and are just looking to pay as little as they can get away with.

 

 

I take your point, and since I know my boat is a wreck and does not give an impression of financial recitude, I make damn sure I find out how much it is, I make sure I understand what is and isn't being done (the hardest part, I found, with some boatyards) and make sure I can pay it before I order the work, and then I pay as soon as the work is done. I do unfortunately need the work doing fairly cheap, but as I'm an engineer by trade I have knowledge of how much it costs to do things, and I have enough wit to see when I've been ripped off, and enough decency not to expect charity for someone who is trying to make an honst living.

 

Anyway, here's some pictures of it before I got the hull done. We took it back to the base, so as we could see what we were dealing with, and so as the paint would have no odd chemistry to deal with, and put on a minimum of three coats of rytex ( five in a couple of critical areas). It needed no welding due to corrosion, although I got a couple of old openings covered, becuase I could. We also replaced the prop shaft and stern gland, as it was wearing, and I like to try and do things properly.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/swallabat/RomanyNr7#

 

It doesn't look as nice to me now as it does in the pictures, partly because we have removed the render, which was both conferring a degree of water resistance to the cabin and covering up the ugliness, and partly I suspect because now I have seen canal life for what it really is, I can't view it romantically any more. The sooner I get it out of my life, the better.

 

Cheers, Steve C.

Edited by Captain Lockheed
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OP, I appreciate your boat needs some work and under all the clutter there is a blank canvas for an enthusiastic purchaser. First impressions are everything either on ebay or Apollo Duck, and my first impression of your boat is not one that entices me to view.

 

If it were possible to remove all the clutter and then photograph the boat, that would be an improvement. The other thing that may put prospective buyers off is (as per your A/Duck ad);

 

'viewing can be arranged but there will be a reasonable charge levied for my time, unless I am on the boat anyway, to discourage timewasting'

 

Having sold boats of my own (and now looking for another), I have learnt that you cannot (as the saying goes) judge a book by it's cover. The purchaser of your boat may look as if they do not have two pennys to rub together. In my experience if they turn up in an expensive car and well dressed, they are the one's least likely to buy your boat (execptions of course!). The buyer of my last boat turned up in an untaxed pickup truck and brought cash (a substantial amount)

 

Charging a potential buyer to view is not really on. If I take the trouble travelling to your location to view your boat, I would not expect to pay for it. Are you willing to pay potential buyers to view your boat? After all, they've invested time and money to view the boat.

 

In a nutshell, clear the clutter, take some more pictures and list the boat on AD or Ebay.

 

Good luck.

 

Albert

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"I'm not interested in offers. I'll say again for the hard of reading, I'm not interested in any offers! (although I'd be open to a partial payment in gold or silver...)All questions answered honestly, viewing can be arranged but there will be a reasonable charge levied for my time, unless I am on the boat anyway, to discourage timewasting. "

 

Unbelievable ! Its no surprise to me that with your attitude that You can not sell your boat, .And having the commitment of a gnat you now want to runaway from it and seem to be blaming all those around you for all the bad times your having and not buying what looks like a heap of S**T.

 

14skipper

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I appreciate both your replies, and thank you for your feedback.

 

I don't agree that the expression "commitment of a gnat" is entirely appropriate, (although it is an amusing use of the language captain14), as I've done an awful lot of work already to this boat despite the plethora of advice I've received to "get rid of it and buy something decent". Part of my nature is that things leave my hands better than I find them.

 

I am definitely right in placing the blame for the overall bad time I have been having at least partly on the three people who have robbed it so far, the gang of kids who injured my crewmate by chucking a brick at him during a further unsuccessful attempt at robbery, and at 1 boatyard who wasted three months of our time continually lying to us certainly did not help to progress the job.

 

Those people have not enhanced the experience at all, and I observe that in my life OFF the water, I seem to meet far less of them...

 

With the wording of the apollo duck advert, I'm just trying to filter out the timewasters and dreamers. I've bought and sold a lot of things in my time, and generally I like to sell to the first person who views. Honesty helps in that endeavour. I'm not a trader looking for as much money as I can get off a "mug", I'm looking for someone who actually wants to buy a "genuine" project, with all the "mystery" taken out of it, and hoping to high heaven I get someone decent come along who offers me a fair (ish) price for it.

 

So big thanks to all who have participated in this thread, some of you are obviously decent sorts, and willing to try and help. I appreciate that very much.

 

I think in the new year I'll try and find a broker, who can sell it "properly" and fairly whilst keeping me out of the proceedings. One yard did offer me a possible job, a month or two ago after I did some impromptu electrical repairs (I'm a fairly good and experienced engineer, and find it difficult to walk past some people apparently struggling with their electrics at 12:30 at night.) as it turned out I was helping out the manageress of a boating company who'd been let down by a boat tradesman...

 

Maybe I'll start there..

 

Happy new year, everybody. Steve C.

Edited by Captain Lockheed
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Sorry, Captain, but if I was looking for a "project" boat and saw your advert I wouldn't bother to waste my time! You cannnot expect anyone to pay you to view your boat, and refusing to negotiate strikes me as gross arrogance!

 

Yes Graham, I got the message Loud and clear, from the previous posters, and have already taken some action to address those points. Thank you.

Edited by Captain Lockheed
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I think if you were to try and take an objective stance, (that of the prospective purchaser)and step away from your bad experiences, which are showing and probably putting purchasers off, I'd clear the boat of everything that doesn't need to be on it as suggested, and avail yourself in as friendlier manner as possible, (time wasters are part of selling anything)to go all out to make your boat an attractive, saleable project. At the moment, you are projecting a lot of baggage. This will create bad vibes when trying to sell.

Forget what's happened, dress up your boats most positive points and enjoy looking for that single customer who will become attracted to you and your boat.

 

Thank you Nina, and all the others who have pointed these things out in their own ways, that's the course I intend to take.

I think in this case, a broker will serve me best, but in the mean time I've rejigged the apollo duck advert, and we have removed a lot of the dreck since the original pics were taken..

 

I am hamstrung by the fact that I am disillusioned with canal life, and almost everyone does talk my boat down, and being someone who tries to be honest in life, it's very difficult for me to keep a straight face whilst trying to play up the good side of the boat and canal life.

 

I am sure I'll get it all sorted before the end of the world comes... :c)

If anyone can recommmend a decent straightforward fair to both sides kind of broker, please let me know.

 

Part of the problem I've had is that I hardly know anyone on the water, and certainly don't seem to have demonstrated a very good instinct on who is trustworthy, my common sense tells me that there must be SOME good people out there.

 

Cheers, Steve C.

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Having sold boats of my own (and now looking for another), I have learnt that you cannot (as the saying goes) judge a book by it's cover. The purchaser of your boat may look as if they do not have two pennys to rub together. In my experience if they turn up in an expensive car and well dressed, they are the one's least likely to buy your boat (execptions of course!). The buyer of my last boat turned up in an untaxed pickup truck and brought cash (a substantial amount)

 

 

 

As we say in the trade..... Smart car, nothing in the fridge. :closedeyes:

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Yes Graham, I got the message Loud and clear, from the previous posters, and have already taken some action to address those points. Thank you.

 

Was sorry to be blunt captain but sometimes we all need a kick up the backside from a impartial stranger to get us back on the right road :cheers:

 

14skipper

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I find it very odd that this is considered to be a "1921 Station Boat".

 

On what evidence, please ?

 

It looks like an all welded hull to me, or is my eyesight worse than I think it has deteriorated to ?

 

No your eyesight is correct, I was just passing on what I was told by someone in the trade who should know.

I'd have expected rivets...

 

It obviously IS quite old, but I have been unable so far to get any response from BW when I have asked if they could help me out with a bit of history for the boat.

 

I think we are looking at a comprehensive overplate myself, over and older boat, but to my eye it did look OK and the minimum thickness recorded in one place was 4.9mm and the maxium 6mm. Against the advice we were given we took off all the old crap and painted it from scratch with the best material we could afford.

 

I fully intended to (if I could find a friendly slip way) to pull it out again, and check our work after a year or so, but it looks pretty darn good to me so far.

 

Thanks for the question.

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No your eyesight is correct, I was just passing on what I was told by someone in the trade who should know.

I'd have expected rivets...

I would have thought they should know too! Very odd!

 

I don't think this is an ex carrying boat, or anything like that old.

 

I'd say it is no earlier than 1960s, but with just that one photo, there's not a lot to go on.

 

I think describing it as 1921 may put more people off than it actually encourages.

 

I'm happy to be corrected if someone says "actually that is a very old boat", but I don't think so.

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Was sorry to be blunt captain but sometimes we all need a kick up the backside from a impartial stranger to get us back on the right road :cheers:

 

14skipper

 

No problem at all 14Skipper, I appreciate a frank response, it's a better response than some..

 

You don't know who I am, and in my own defence if such a thing is possible, I did pen that apollo duck ad whilst being particularly anguished at how things were turning out.

 

Happy new year,

 

Steve C.

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hi steve, sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience of narrowboating. i remember seeing your boat at kingswood junction last summer, i was there fitting my old boat out, in contrast ive had a positive experience of the canals, lots of friendly helpful boaters to chat to and help out. maybe its because ive avoided boatyards, charging a fortune to carry out laughably simple tasks. good luck with selling anyway.

  • Greenie 1
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I second your writing about the Amish, close from where I was staying at friends of mine in Pennsylvania is an Amish community, if a couple marries, everybody comes to help them building a house, and they always help each other with heavy tasks.

 

If we can't pay for our fuel anymore, we'll be deap in the sh.., but for the Amish nothing changes, they don't need fuel, and don't need to spend a fortune to buy the alternative expensive electric cars either.

 

Their lives may look very far from ideal to us, but they live much closer to-, and with nature and it's natural resources.

Peter.

 

Hi Peter,

 

Just to reinforce your point about the Amish life style and their ideals, I'm currently reading a book by the writer Oliver James, which is titled; Affluenza. His findings about western and westernised countries are fascinating.

 

In the book, he studies people from different walks of life, from millionaires to humble taxi drivers. His conclusion about the way our materialistic mentality has overtaken our basic values is very interesting and something that I've witnessed first hand.

 

Since coming to live on the water, our lives have been much more fulfilled and we get far more satisfaction from helping others, than we ever did in accumulating wealth. Plus, the characters we meet along the way, have far more substance compared to the shallow business associates who would think nothing of standing on your head, in their quest to climb the ladder of so called success!

 

Mike

Edited by Doorman
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As with everything there is at least two sides

 

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/07/15/escaping-the-amish-part-1/

 

How very true!

 

A great article and revelation.

 

Although these accounts of real 'old style' Amish are not particularly breaking news, they still display chilling

attributes of what appears to be an enclave amongst the 'American Dream' way of life.

 

If only we could cherry pick their good values but banish their entrenched medieval ways, in order to create a more balanced way of life.

 

Mike

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To get back on the subject I would remove the 1921 as the age is unknown but there is not much that I can see from 1921 that’s for certain.

At least the advert is beginning to read like you might get someone to view.

I know I am not the only person who would NEVER respond to an advert that said "no time wasters" no matter how interested I would be in what they are trying to sell, to be expected to PAY for the privilege of spending my time and effort to come and see something that YOU are trying to dispose of!

Both I consider to be an insult.

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OK, This has run its course.

 

As the orginal post would suggest, I've worked out that of all the things I could and should be doing, participating in the canal community isn't one of them.

 

I Originally Posted this thread to ask for a bit of help with a problem from this part of the boating community, I feel Ive had all the sensible answers I 'm likely to get and it's degenerating into a series of criticisms of my approach and conversations about the Amish, neither of which is much use to me.

 

I'm going to attempt to unsubscribe now, as I have made clear my intent to leave the boating community, there seems little point in me sticking around in this forum.

 

I'd just like to thank the people who did make an effort to help me, and I'm sure that your goodness will be rewarded appropriately, as that does seem to be the way things work out eventually.

 

I've made a small contribution elsewhere, so this hasn't been a totally selfish endeavour, but as some of the more sensitive contributors have realised, this has been a bad experience for me, and I really did start the thread as stated in an ongoing and increasingly desperate effort to get away from the situation.

 

I've been continuously ripped off in one way or another by an extraordinary high percentage of the people I have dealt with, I have a nutter stalking me by telephone and in other ways, and I've lost a shedload of time and money all as a result of me venturing out into your community, and frankly, I don't need it.

My normal life although not perfect, isn't anything like as weird and unpleasant as my canal life has been, and I'm clear in my mind this is not for me.

 

So please excuse the sharp exit, I mean no disrespect and I'm sure at least some of you will understand it's the best thing I can do in the circumstances.

 

Thank you all, Steve C.

  • Greenie 1
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Having seen this thread only on the Blackberry, I have now had a chance to view the OP's ad on a laptop screen.

 

The text of the ad is much improved from the original version.

 

BUT:

 


  •  
  • That is not a station boat.
  • It does not date from 1921.
  • The hull is a fairly nondescript shape, so will not appeal to buyers looking for a stylish boat.
  • The survey may show adequate plate thickness, but the pitting below the waterline is clearly evident
  • The cabin looks to need major work, if not complete replacement.

 

On that basis, IMHO, even with a nice engine, the boat is worth nowhere near the advertised price.

 

Anyone taking that boat on with a view to replacing the cabin and then fitting out the whole would do better buying a sailaway.

 

Sorry Cap'n L if you're still reading this, but that's the way I see it!

 

David

  • Greenie 1
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In the present climate the boat would be a good starter for somebody on a limited budget, the hull pitting is probably the result of a lack of anodes. A fair bit of money and a lot of time needs to be invested by the purchaser, they could end up with a tidy looking narrowboat. Realisticaly I would suggest a price of £3/£4k.

 

Albert.

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