older boat and replating help please

[robange]

Hi - please advise

 

I have the opportunity to purchase a 1969 all steel narrow boat £5000 but it needs totally replating underneath and sides. And, it has not had new anodes or been blacked since 2003. It has just had a hull survey and all this works needs, to be done. Should i buy or leave well alone, PLEASE ADVISE

[kris88]

Difficult question to answer. Are you going to do the work yourself? If not find someone who will do it get a quote and go from there.

Regards kris

[kevinl]

If it's going to be totally replated or overplated when the blacking was done last and whether it has anodes or not surely doesn't matter as the old steel will either be removed or covered with new. Get some quotes add it to the £5,000 purchase price and decide if what you end up with is worth the money.

Bear in mind that re-plating is cutting the old steel out and will involve messing around with the interior big time, overplating with a second skin of steel is much easier.

It would have to add up to a bargain total price before I'd get involved.

[Tuscan]

Depends on your budget. This sounds very expensive, instinct is to avoid. If its the boat for you get at least 2 quotes . The fact it's the bottom and sides would put me off.

[starman]

A lot of boats of that age will need overplating (unless it's already been done). If you buy the boat cheap and factor in the price of the plating then you will know that the work has been properly done and so will any buyer when you come to sell on.

Overplating is the usual way of dealing with the issues and it's not that uncommon for the sides up to the rubbing strakes to be plated as well as the bottom.

You haven't said how long the boat is - I'd roughly guess at around £5-6k for a 50ft-ish boat but you need to get a couple of quotes. Depending on where you are you might talk to Streethay Wharf at Lichfield on the Coventry Canal who do a lot of this work.

[Bee]

Also depends on whether its a good boat from a good builder, probably worth doing, or any old boat with little class or style, maybe not worth the bother.

[alan_fincher]

Might be worth telling us what length, what builder, what engine, and what the condition of the current fit out is.

 

As implied by others, if it was a 30 foot boat from a cheapy builder in the first place, and the rest of the boat is not in fairly good order, it's almost certainly an "avoid", but if it is something nicer, a decent length, and the engine and fit out justify it, it could be worth doing, (although clearly the longer it is, the more the steelwork will cost!)

[robange]

The boat is 30ft built by A Rice with a Ford 2500DI engine

[Troyboy]

The boat is 30ft built by A Rice with a Ford 2500DI engine

I think I would avoid . Personally I've never heard of A Rice which will mean another Forum member will probably now come along and say what a brilliant boat builder he was .

[Grace and Favour]

It sounds expensive to me..

 

And I have to admit that I don't like the Ford engines (unless they are in a Transit)

 

I suspect the job may be a good money after bad

[alan_fincher]

The boat is 30ft built by A Rice with a Ford 2500DI engine

Run away, I would say......

 

Is it one of these, because it is the only obvious reference to "Rice", and they didn't build many it seems......

 

 

DABCHICK Built by RICE & SONS - Length 9.39 metres (30 feet 10 inches ) - Beam 2.08 metres (6 feet 10 inches ) - Draft 0.61 metres (2 feet ) Metal hull, power of 12 BHP. Registered with Canal & River Trust number 66685 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 22-May-2013.

 

MOON DUST Built by RICE & SONS - Length 9.44 metres (31 feet ) - Beam 2.083 metres (6 feet 10 inches ) - Draft 0.53 metres (1 feet 9 inches ) Metal hull, power of 999 BHP. Registered with Canal & River Trust number 67042 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 22-May-2013.

[robange]

It's MoonDust

[Maggsy]

The only advice I can offer, listen to the people on the forum, you will get a good cross section of opinions, both optimistic and pessimistic but I have learnt that they actually know what they are talking about even if its not what you want to hear.

The best advice I have been given while I am searching and waiting for the boat I want is " Take your time, look at/read the details about, as many boats as you can, even trolling through various web pages can give you an insight to what to expect for a given budget ( search filters are a handy tool)

[Bobbybass]

I'm not sure there is any such thing as a cheap boat...?

 

There is a price..that it 'arrives' at...so if you buy it cheap..the re

pairs bring it back up to an equivalent boat that didn't need repairs.

The only difference is the 'worry' value that you end up with.

I think if it was only 'bottom' (as has been said)..then its a possible, but sides as well ?

Sides are more accessible for touching up etc, and I would be worried if there were problems there, after all.... there will be hidden braces and their possible corrosion to consider..

[robange]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I think we will carry on searching