Ex- hire boats.

[Southern Star]

If somebody could spare a few minutes, what are the major advantages and disadvantages of buying a narrowboat which is advertised as an "ex-hire boat".

 

I'm imagining they may have been bashed about a bit, but would also have been well maintained, and also that they don't have a solid fuel heating system, what else is there to consider?

 

I'll just add a Happy New Year to everybody, I'm sure some of my questions may seem naive to those "in the know" but I have learned an awful lot on here and hope to continue to do so up to the point I start actively to look at boats, and beyond.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[lynalldisocvery]

Bloke who i work with, a mech was speaking to the hire geezer, he was telling my mate they dont do engine repairs, when its showing signs of being worn out, they just replace it as its cheaper, and if they are selling boats of I would guess the shaggers go first.

Bit like hire cars treated like crap, no matter what the hirer says!

[Keeping Up]

You've mainly answered your own question. They may have been bashed about a bit, but will probably have been well maintained.

 

To this I'll just add that they will probably have covered a lot of miles (and engine hours) and that they may not have been well maintained in their final year of hire; companies will see little benefit in spending good money on a boat that is about to be sold, so will usually just patch up anything that breaks or wears out in the last few weeks. You have to ask yourself why they would be selling the boat. All the same they are nearly always excellent value for money.

[Tony Brooks]

I and several other members have bought ex hire boats that we are very happy with. However much depends upon the fleet it was bought from. Many of the larger and smaller fleets look after their boats very well but there are some I would not even hire from.

 

Some keep their boats for many years whilst others only a few so a degree of caution is called for.

 

I would say the most important "other thing" is to make sure that the potential purchase is either inspected by a very knowledgeable friend or maybe better still pay for a survey from a surveyor recommended on here. NEVER by the vendor.

 

I think that you have summed it up well and cant really add anything. Given the choice between a private boat that I have no evidence or knowledge of its history or an ex hire boat I would always go for ex hire from a fleet that looks after its boats.

[Southern Star]

 

 

To this I'll just add that they will probably have covered a lot of miles (and engine hours) and that they may not have been well maintained in their final year of hire; companies will see little benefit in spending good money on a boat that is about to be sold, so will usually just patch up anything that breaks or wears out in the last few weeks..

Thanks to everybody but I'll single out this reply out for special thanks as it resonates with me, that's exactly my experience of buying my articulated lorry tractor unit from the first owner, there was no preventative maintenance done for the last six months or so either from the moment the decision was taken to sell it, and as a result I had to play "catch-up" in the early months of ownership.

 

Most of my options are still wide-open as I'm not planning to buy until 2016 but I hope to do as much research as I can beforehand so thanks again to all, if I think of any further questions on this option then I hope you don't mind if I ask.

[Paul C]

What gives you the impression that hire firms keep their boats well maintained?

[bargemast]

What gives you the impression that hire firms keep their boats well maintained?

 

One reason is because they want their clients to be happy and make good publicity for them because the boat they rented was a good boat.

 

If they breakdown the hire-base has to get someone to the boat to repair, a little problem can always appear, but if the boat breaks down several times, they will lose clients and get bad publicity.

 

Peter.

[saltysplash]

What gives you the impression that hire firms keep their boats well maintained?

Because its their income?

[Ray T]

Ex working hire boats in private hands here:

 

http://www.blackprinceowners.org.uk/

 

Ex Black Prince only though.

[Southern Star]

What gives you the impression that hire firms keep their boats well maintained?

For the same reason that I keep my truck well-maintained for as long as I need to earn revenue from it, oil and water are cheaper than metal.

[Orca]

What gives you the impression that hire firms keep their boats well maintained?

Like Tony said - some do, and some perhaps to a lesser extent. Where I purchased mine from almost 7 years ago, they most definately did..

[Pykebird]

Usually got big diesel and water tanks.

[Sbg]

Our boat used to be operated as a hire boat for RAF families by JD Boat Services at Gailey, who also fitted it out in the first place. The biggest advantage we had was hiring her the year before we bought - a great way of finding out whether a boat "fits" you or not! She has a few dents and dings, and the fit is not to a standard you might expect of a privately-owned boat, but she is enormously solid and functional, and we can also phone up Dave if I need to ask "when you fitted out Frisbee, how did you...." It's reassuring to know the complete provenance of the boat.

As I use her for weekly boarding, I really could do with a solid-fuel stove but the price to fit one would buy a lot of diesel...

[BlueStringPudding]

If somebody could spare a few minutes, what are the major advantages and disadvantages of buying a narrowboat which is advertised as an "ex-hire boat".

 

I'm imagining they may have been bashed about a bit, but would also have been well maintained, and also that they don't have a solid fuel heating system, what else is there to consider?

 

I'll just add a Happy New Year to everybody, I'm sure some of my questions may seem naive to those "in the know" but I have learned an awful lot on here and hope to continue to do so up to the point I start actively to look at boats, and beyond.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hi Southern Star. I own am ex hire Black Prince boat and i highly recommend them.

 

Pros:

Sturdy engine and gearbox

Very large water tank that lasts ages

Very large fuel tank that lasts ages

The biggest loo tank in the universe that also lasts ages between pump outs

Spacious layout inside and outside as designed to carry lots of people

Separate cabins not all open plan (which suits me well)

Shower over a bath

Proper ceramic toilet bowl!

Diesel central heating and radiators fitted throughout

Large battery bank

Sturdy 10/6/4 steel work

Easy to change interior layout as the bulkheads are easily removed

Huge amount of storage space as designed to house 8-10 holiday makers for a fortnight

Advice and usually spares too are readily available from the original hire company

Relatively inexpensive boat compared to some sold privately of similar quality

 

Cons:

No solid fuel stove so I installed that myself

Paintwork knackered

A couple of dents to the hull

Few electrical sockets so I installed more myself

No 240v

 

All in all its a great boat for the price. And don't forget that some hire boats do have 240v and solid fuel stoves these days if those things are important to you. Black Prince retire their boats young (4 years someone told me) so seem IMHO in better nick by time they're sold off than the several AngloWelsh ex hire boats I've viewed that were 10-15 years old before being sold. I can't really comment on other models of ex hire boats but there are quite a few ex hireboat owners on this forum so I hope they also share their thoughts.

 

Happy boat hunting.

Edited December 31, 2013 by BlueStringPudding

[GoodGurl]

advantages of ex hire boats (mines black prince)

large water/diesel tanks.

well maintained

usually itinerary included, cutlery/crockery/bedding etc

good price

plenty of space.

large windows

 

disadvantages -

may be dented in places

depending on year no 240v or mains hook-up

depending on year/hire company no solid fuel fire

lots of beds

pump out toilet/s (i dont like them )

[Keeping Up]

Something else that's just occurred to me - they are usually quick and easy to maintain (they have to be!) whereas private boats are sometimes impossible to maintain because amateur fitters don't realise the disadvantage of hiding things behind the panelling.

[ditchcrawler]

If somebody could spare a few minutes, what are the major advantages and disadvantages of buying a narrowboat which is advertised as an "ex-hire boat".

 

I'm imagining they may have been bashed about a bit, but would also have been well maintained, and also that they don't have a solid fuel heating system, what else is there to consider?

 

I'll just add a Happy New Year to everybody, I'm sure some of my questions may seem naive to those "in the know" but I have learned an awful lot on here and hope to continue to do so up to the point I start actively to look at boats, and beyond.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Are you considering buying direct from a hire company or one that someone else has had for a few years?

[Arphamoe]

We bought an ex-Willow Wren boat which was only 6 years old and it has been great. Fitted our own stove and solar panels and modified it to suit ourselves. The hire companies cannot afford bad publicity or constant call-outs to hirers so do their best to keep them well sorted.

follow the usual advice - survey/check history of work done/take someone with you/ask lots of questions/check everything and then haggle to suit your pocket. Many of them sell them through brokers like Rugby Boats. Trust the good ones and you shouldn't go wrong.

 

Good luck with your search.

[Southern Star]

Are you considering buying direct from a hire company or one that someone else has had for a few years?

I'm not entirely sure, it will depend on the budget as and when, but more likely the latter, not least because the previous owner will presumably have converted it from "holiday" to "liveaboard" spec when he/she bought it?

[ditchcrawler]

I'm not entirely sure, it will depend on the budget as and when, but more likely the latter, not least because the previous owner will presumably have converted it from "holiday" to "liveaboard" spec when he/she bought it?

If you buy from the hire company they will have maintained it up to the day you buy it, some will even support you afterwards. If you buy from the second owner you won,t have a clue who maintained it.

[Rebotco]

We have been delighted with our 20 yr old boat bought from Anglo-Welsh 3 years ago. The price was very fair and it proved to have been very well maintained. Hire companies cannot afford to risk avoidable breakdown costs, both because they are very costly and because their reputation is vital for their continued business. Also worth bearing in mind hire boats are subject to much more stringent regulations than private boats, so likely to have higher standards and latest safety features even on older craft. The layout was ideal for our family's leisure use, but for liveaboards there would need to be some modifications. It did have a Morso Squirrel fire fitted, as well as an Alde central heating system. Another factor was that a complete set of cruising equipment for six people was included, and that can be several hundred pounds worth if you have to start buying all those smaller items which many private sellers may not include.

Anyway, the whole buying process with Anglo-Welsh was fantastic. They did everything they promised and more. It was almost a pleasure parting with my hard earned dosh! And when I come to sell, I don't expect to lose very much at all.

[Bettie Boo]

Just based on what we saw when we were looking for our boat.....(and it's based on the One Ex Hire boat we looked at)

 

Prespect windows instead of glass

Carpet tiles instead of proper carpet (makes it easy for the hire company to replace any bits that are damaged instead of replacing the entire carpet)

No hook up for washing machine

a few dings and dents to the body

massive amount of deep scratches to the sides and roof - would have needed a complete paint job

no multi fuel stove

small powered altenators

poor power pack

 

Loads of space

Each bedroom was un-suite (not suitable for "full figure" blokes

Came pretty much fully kitted out, furnished, linen, kitchen ware etc

Good amount of storage space

 

Again, didn't suite our needs, but for someone looking for fixer upper, it could have been turned into a nice home

[Athy]

usually itinerary included,)

[quote

 

 

 

So you don't decide where it goes, it decides for you?

[Richard T]

Our boat is ex hire from a smaller company. It is very solidly built on a good hull (Colecraft) with a fit out that is well done using top quality materials. The blockboard used has 3mm veneers on it which is great as it can be sanded and re-varnished. Where we have made modifications we have managed to reuse timber so keeping the original feel.

We continue to moor at the hire base so we have their knowledge to draw on when doing work on the boat. We think that we are quite fortunate to have bought such a solid boat. However as others have stated there are some hire firms who do not look after their boats. Others buy in boats from say Alvechurch and re badge them - these can be a bit old and tired. If you ask on here you will get opinions on the various hire fleets.

They will usually require some modifications to suit your needs - this is Ok if you are able to do a lot of the work yourself but can add to the cost if you have to pay a boat yard to do them.

Happy hunting!

[Neil2]

I started a thread on this a while ago which pretty much echoes what has been said on this one.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=60569&hl=

 

There are a number of positive reasons to go down this route, but whenever I've looked at hire boats that appear to be good value, by the time I've added up the cost of "customising" it's back to square one.