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OMG - it's all coming together!!!!!!!

Bettie Boo

By Bettie Boo
in New to Boating?

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Allottie Gongoozler

Allottie

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I would be grateful for any advice, still not sure whether to get narrow or broad beam as I want to live on it and, as I work full time, will need to stay pretty much where I am so looking into moorings at the mo, then thinking of getting a sailaway and doing the work...that is, getting someone to work out my designs and do it for me. I can do some carpentry but this is beyond me, no idea really where to start, been looking at 2nd hand boats and not yet found anything that suits my, very particular, requirements! I shall start a diary...tomorrow

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Chop! Rising Star

Chop!

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Hey Bettie Boo

 

Hope all goes well and you have a fab, safe and happy 2014 on your new boat cheers.gif


I would be grateful for any advice, still not sure whether to get narrow or broad beam as I want to live on it and, as I work full time, will need to stay pretty much where I am so looking into moorings at the mo, then thinking of getting a sailaway and doing the work...that is, getting someone to work out my designs and do it for me. I can do some carpentry but this is beyond me, no idea really where to start, been looking at 2nd hand boats and not yet found anything that suits my, very particular, requirements! I shall start a diary...tomorrow

Welcome to the forum.

Good luck with your search for your ideal boat, have you ever been on either a narrowboat or a widebeam? If not, it could be worth either hiring one or going on a training course, I went on a 3 day course with Terry Richardson Link here and slept on his boat each night (he goes home) it was a great way to get a taste of things and learn a lot in the process.

Keep us posted on your progress please. cheers.gif

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MtB Veteran II

MtBDonate to Canal World

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I would be grateful for any advice, still not sure whether to get narrow or broad beam as I want to live on it and, as I work full time, will need to stay pretty much where I am so looking into moorings at the mo, then thinking of getting a sailaway and doing the work...that is, getting someone to work out my designs and do it for me. I can do some carpentry but this is beyond me, no idea really where to start, been looking at 2nd hand boats and not yet found anything that suits my, very particular, requirements! I shall start a diary...tomorrow

 

Widebeam will be a BIG MISTAKE.

 

you know this in your heart or you would not be askin' ;)

 

MtB

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Bettie Boo Experienced

Bettie Boo

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I would be grateful for any advice, still not sure whether to get narrow or broad beam as I want to live on it and, as I work full time, will need to stay pretty much where I am so looking into moorings at the mo, then thinking of getting a sailaway and doing the work...that is, getting someone to work out my designs and do it for me. I can do some carpentry but this is beyond me, no idea really where to start, been looking at 2nd hand boats and not yet found anything that suits my, very particular, requirements! I shall start a diary...tomorrow

 

 

 

Widebeam will be a BIG MISTAKE.

 

you know this in your heart or you would not be askin' wink.png

 

MtB

If you are on your own, I'd have to agree with MtB on this one, even though we have just bought a WB for ourselveshuh.png

 

Difference is, there are two of us, we are planning on running a business from the boat as well as being live aboard cc's. We "need" the space to do that. If we had been looking for a boat to simply be our "home" and looking at either long term or residential moorings, we would probably looked harder at Narrow Boats. As we would have looked for a mooring that had enough land to have a garden shed or some kind of storage facility.

 

Some of the things you will need to consider are:

 

Buying, insuring, mooring, C&RT license & blackening are all way more expensive for a WB

It's costs almost double to have a WB pulled out for blackening and such

Less facilities can accommodate the pulling out and in of a WB

More expensive to have a WB painted when the time comes

Less available berths for WB's in marina's

You can purchase a Narrow Boat pretty much anywhere in the country and cruise it to your destination - If you buy a WB in the North of the country and want to be on the Southern waterways you'll more than likely need to have it road hauled part of the way

 

BUT, with all that said; in a WB you can have a coffee table in front of your sofa, sit at an "almost" proper dining room table for your tea & have a full sized bathroom that no one has to walk through to get to the opposite end of the boat !!

 

Just boils down to what's important to you and how much extra you are willing to pay for the benefits reallybiggrin.png

 

I like the idea of a journal - I may just start one

 

Best of luck finding your boat

B~

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  • 3 weeks later...
John Williamson 1955 Rising Star

John Williamson 1955

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Does anyone actually get any sleep the night before they get their boat???

Rather boringly, yes. The night before I took delivery of the boat off the lorry, I was in a hotel, having driven 200 miles in a 45 year old Land Rover full of the stuff I need to manage on board. I was cream crackered.

 

The first night on board was the best sleep I'd had in weeks, though. I hope you sleep as well on yours when you get her.

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Ray T Veteran II

Ray TDonate to Canal World

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OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!biggrin.png

 

It happens tomorrow!!!! Where did the last 3 weeks go??ohmy.png

 

I'm so flipping excited !!!!clapping.gif

 

Does anyone actually get any sleep the night before they get their boat???

 

The night before we bought our boat I thought "What the hell am I doing"?

The night after we bought our boat I thought "What the hell have I done"?

 

Apart from house purchase it was the fist time I had ever spent a 5 figure sum of that magnitude. In fact the boat cost a similar amount (in figures, not value) as when we first bought the house.

 

You know what though, never regretted it once since. Enjoyed it so much spent half as much again, repaint, running it, modernisation etc etc

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DaveGood Contributor

DaveGood

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Hi all my cheeks are sooo sore from grinning it isn't funny :) will post pics tomorrow when I get back to a proper PC

 

Massive thanks to Ray T & Captain Fizz for all their help, words of encouragement and experience. And too everyone else who dropped by with well wishes. Sittings here warning the fire & listening to the rain on the roof....Loving it!!!!!!

 

Bettie here forgot to log Dave out ;)

Edited by DaveGood
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Bettie Boo Experienced

Bettie Boo

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Hi All - sorry for the delay with pics, we stayed an extra night on the boat as we were enjoying it so much and it was calling for rain again last night. I Love the sound of rain on the roof (new fav sound I thinks)

 

So many thanks to Capt Fizz for all his guidance and help on Tues & Wed...from getting the ignition switch turned on my stove to introducing us to the extremely "high tech" diesel gauge we will need to invest in and going over how things work and what to look out for in the future. Your help, suggestions, humour and the time you spent with us will always be treasured and remembered, somehow "thank you" seems quite inadequate.

 

Ray T. also deserves a special mention as well for supplying the christening "requirement" and the bubbly for the first toast aboard :) along with all the antidotes, stories and pictures

 

Anyway, won't bore you all with too many pics but here a couple which shows the highlights of the day....

 

Extreme excitement -http://s1020.photobucket.com/user/Bettie-Boo/media/LaunchDay003_zpsd8f684c7.jpg.html

 

Fear & Worry - http://s1020.photobucket.com/user/Bettie-Boo/media/LaunchDay040_zps6bfda396.jpg.html

 

Utter Joy & Bliss - http://s1020.photobucket.com/user/Bettie-Boo/media/LaunchDay053_zpsa6607767.jpg.html

 

3 really nice and professional guys from AB Tucky & Crane operator - http://s1020.photobucket.com/user/Bettie-Boo/media/LaunchDay057_zpscee80c56.jpg.html

 

Ray has a pic of the moment of christening...she's now known as Bettie's Blessing cheers.gifclapping.gif

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