Historic Boats for sale online

[roland elsdon 1101]

My experience of elm bottomed boats was that they leaked for a lot of reasons , but that once settled the maintenance  was more about the fight they had with the steel sides. 
Having said that the front board on our boat was 50 years old, and eventually i pretty much spooned it out of the shoe plate.

steel bolts rotting, keelson falling apart , and un sympathetic boat owners roaring past, was always a concern.

Leaks were always under the rayburn  water tank or bath.

I do remember one day after a certain bodged up steam powered multi abuser came flying past, finding the boat adrift and sinking at Stockers lock. I think that was the occasion when the nearest object i could hammer in to the damaged seam was my socks.

We had 3  auto bilge pumps, standard, whoops and crisis. All set at different heights.

After 14 years we replaced with steel.

[RLWP 1555]

In the lumpy water world, wood bits get enclosed in glass using the West system - and very beautiful it is too

 

I guess the drawback for a composite canal boat would be dragging along the bottom of the cut

 

Richard

[mark99 2283]

On 14/10/2019 at 20:12, pete harrison said:

I think there are very few who would want to commit to an unconverted butty at £29000, especially an unfinished project. I would be very interested in pursuing HYADES but not at anywhere near this price 

Price has gone down. £22K.   🧐

 

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/harland-and-wolff-71-traditional/611286

 

 

[Athy 901]

13 minutes ago, mark99 said:

Price has gone down. £22K.   🧐

 

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/harland-and-wolff-71-traditional/611286

 

 

This is a difficult time to sell any boat, let alone such a specialist craft. I'd guess that the only boats for which there is a market at the moment are ones intended for liveaboard use.

[Derek R. 235]

Love that back cabin. The table flap castle reminds me of the style of Fred Winnet, though his were simpler. Castle central with pond in front with reeds.

[alan_fincher 2809]

49 minutes ago, Athy said:

This is a difficult time to sell any boat, let alone such a specialist craft. I'd guess that the only boats for which there is a market at the moment are ones intended for liveaboard use.

A bit difficult to see many sales going ahead in this climate, I think.

Given CRT are now effectively saying no boat movements other than live aboards getting to essential services, it would be hard to justify booking a passage through somewhere that is locked, simply because you have bought a new boat.

Buying a butty kind of doubles the problem, as you would presumably first have to take a suitable "motor" to pick it up.

 

Trying times, particularly for those who need to sell.  It's not as if you can "SORN" a boat that is floating in a CRT waterway, and I can only shudder at what (say) a year's ownership of two historic boats is likely to cost me, with no likely prospect at the moment of making practical use of either.

[pete harrison 490]

4 hours ago, mark99 said:

Price has gone down. £22K.   🧐

 

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/harland-and-wolff-71-traditional/611286

 

 

HYADES price dropped first to £26000 on 30 December 2019 then to £22000 on 13 January 2020. The Apollo Duck advert has been refreshed a few times since then.

 

I last owned a butty 30 years ago, and back then it was as simple as buy a butty, licence it then tow it home. This has changed considerably for a non commercial owner where I would now describe the process as obstructive with numerous very expensive bureaucratic 'hoops to jump through'. Having looked into this in detail recently I am starting to understand why butty ownership has seriously declined in recent years. Whether I continue to look into buying a butty once the current public health crisis is resolved only time will tell, but I think I will have quite some time to dwell on it - and I am pretty sure the butty I was enquiring after will still be for sale

Edited March 29, 2020 by pete harrison

[BWM 452]

1 hour ago, pete harrison said:

HYADES price dropped first to £26000 on 30 December 2019 then to £22000 on 13 January 2020. The Apollo Duck advert has been refreshed a few times since then.

 

I last owned a butty 30 years ago, and back then it was as simple as buy a butty, licence it then tow it home. This has changed considerably for a non commercial owner where I would now describe the process as obstructive with numerous very expensive bureaucratic 'hoops to jump through'. Having looked into this in detail recently I am starting to understand why butty ownership has seriously declined in recent years. Whether I continue to look into buying a butty once the current public health crisis is resolved only time will tell, but I think I will have quite some time to dwell on it - and I am pretty sure the butty I was enquiring after will still be for sale

Can i ask what the bureaucracy consists of? You would think they would encourage the ownership of these relatively rare craft.

[pete harrison 490]

3 minutes ago, BWM said:

Can i ask what the bureaucracy consists of? You would think they would encourage the ownership of these relatively rare craft.

All insurance related, but this has to be resolved before you can buy a licence, and you can not insure the boat until you own it but as soon as you buy it you have to licence it - then add in surveys and BSS and it all gets tricky, especially once you add in a wooden bottom, and then you have do most of it all over again for the motor if it does not already have comprehensive insurance. None of this is unsurmountable but a potential owner is really going to want a butty to go through all of this, and I contacted several insurers and spoke to recommended individuals within those insurance companies. This appears to be a simpler process if the boats are for commercial use as insurers do not understand why a private boat should need to tow. The knock on from this is that if I were to buy a butty but needed to sell in the future then I could be stuck with it, much as the sellers of buttys are finding now. 

 

If I remember correctly 30 years ago insurance was optional, but I think we insured both motor and butty third party anyway - and back then third party insurance allowed boats to tow or be towed (or perhaps I did not read the small print)

[Movin' on 300]

51 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

If I remember correctly 30 years ago insurance was optional, but I think we insured both motor and butty third party anyway - and back then third party insurance allowed boats to tow or be towed (or perhaps I did not read the small print)

 

You were younger then - you didn't care about the small print...……………….

[Derek R. 235]

From the persective of the cut, insurance was only required if you went on the tideway. A licence was required, but there was no boat safety scheme or compulsory insurance even in the eighties. If you had a survey done it was for your own peace of mind more than anything else. Now, it's where do you moor Sir, do you have a recent survey Sir, may I see your insurance papers Sir, do you live aboard Sir, are you intending to stay here long Sir. And if you live aboard, notice that when you apply for car insurance, how many brokers will not entertain anyone living afloat. Then we lost the derogation on Red diesel.

 

We live in interesting times, and a lot of it is based upon fear and misrepresentation of truths. Trying to get an answer from the likes of Michael Gove for example - not a chance. But I digress. Apologies.

 

Happy days.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Derek R.

[DHutch 0]

Wooden boat in need of help!

 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/198482648086577/

 

Daniel

[magnetman 489]

3rd party insurance does not require a survey as it's on a self-declaration basis. 

 

So if boat sinks and loss adjuster decides it was not sound then you as owner are responsible for the wreck removal. 

 

At least this allows you to get a license which is the aim of the game. 

 

BSS does not seem to me to be too arduous for a butty. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by magnetman

[Dav and Pen 465]

This wreck looks like it has a counter stern rather than a nutty.

[RLWP 1555]

19 minutes ago, Dav and Pen said:

This wreck looks like it has a counter stern rather than a nutty.

 

Yes, according to the description it has been shortened and I guess that's when it got that awkward looking stern

 

Richard

[DHutch 0]

1 hour ago, RLWP said:

 

Yes, according to the description it has been shortened and I guess that's when it got that awkward looking stern

 

 

Could well make sense, sides pulled in as much as you could cold, economic counter block to suit.

 

Obviously Thos Claytons build plenty of counter stern motorboats, but presumably what this boat claims to be, nor as early.

 

 

Daniel

[magnetman 489]

I remember a similar boat at MK about 20 years ago. 

 

Don't normally click facebook links but I expect it's worth it in this instance.

 

Post edited. 

 

 

I think that is an Ernie Thomas back end. 

 

Can anyone confirm this? 

Edited April 2, 2020 by magnetman

[RLWP 1555]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I can't see the stern as not on facebook. 

 

Has it got an Ernie Thomas back end? 

 

I sort of recognise that boat as having been in MK about 20 years ago I think it had an Armstrong siddeley. 

 

Could be a different boat though. 

 

 

 

And an Ailsa Craig engine, sunken

 

Richard

[magnetman 489]

Yes I didn't originally click on the link as don't use facebook so I edited post when I realised it can be viewed without a fb login 

 

 

[Mike Tee 340]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

I remember a similar boat at MK about 20 years ago. 

 

Don't normally click facebook links but I expect it's worth it in this instance.

 

Post edited. 

 

 

I think that is an Ernie Thomas back end. 

 

Can anyone confirm this? 

If its the one I think it is (can't remember the name) the then owner was taking it south to its new owners about that time. It wasn't long after that with the new owner it started to get left a lot and suffered from vandals and thieves - wish I could remember what it was called then. Of course, it may not be the one I think it is!!!

[Paul H 40]

It’s called Conway - looked quite smart when owned by surveyor Ed Boden a few years back.

 

https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/conway

 

Paul

[David Mack 2128]

50 minutes ago, Paul H said:

It’s called Conway - looked quite smart when owned by surveyor Ed Boden a few years back.

 

https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/conway

 

Paul

According to that link it was then still full length, but I assume that is incorrect, and that Conway has been 58ft since it was converted from a butty to a motor.

Edited April 2, 2020 by David Mack

[Mike Tee 340]

1 hour ago, Paul H said:

It’s called Conway - looked quite smart when owned by surveyor Ed Boden a few years back.

 

https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/conway

 

Paul

That's the one - didn't want to mention Ed's name in case it wasn't his. I remembered helping him out when Conway broke down in Campbell Park. I did see Conway up near Napton not so long after he sold it - looked very much worse for wear, broken into, and left adrift. I rand Ed to try and get the number of the new owner, but never did in the end. Seem to remember it was bought by a young couple who had plans for it which I guess sadly fell through, and I think it was on its way to Bristol or Bath.

[magnetman 489]

2 hours ago, Paul H said:

It’s called Conway - looked quite smart when owned by surveyor Ed Boden a few years back.

 

https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/conway

 

Paul

Ed Boden. I knew I recognised it. He also had a modern narrow boat called "Communicator" and possibly another historic. But I have not been past Hemel in more than a decade so not that up to date. I think before he had it (Conway) that boat was at Targets turn in MK for a while. 

 

I didn't know he was now a surveyor. 

 

Always struck me as a good bloke although I wouldn't know him from adam..

Edited April 2, 2020 by magnetman

[alan_fincher 2809]

3 hours ago, Paul H said:

It’s called Conway - looked quite smart when owned by surveyor Ed Boden a few years back.

 

https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/conway

 

Paul

It is somewhat of a tragedy - Ed had it in what appeared to be not at all bad order.

I don't thing Ed does survey work, does he?  His specialisation is surely as a mechanic, (and he is a good one).

 

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

According to that link it was then still full length, but I assume that is incorrect, and that Conway has been 58ft since it was converted from a butty to a motor.

Certainly always short since I first encountered it.

 

Many of the descriptions on the HNBC website are not particularly accurate.

57 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Always struck me as a good bloke although I wouldn't know him from adam..

He has done good work for me, in the past, and at reasonable rates.

I'm not the only one on the forum that rates him, I know.