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How much planing did members do before taking the jump.


wullie

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I was wondering how much planing members did before taking the big step to buying a boat, I am looking at buying a boat but want to make sure i have as much information as possible, at present i am thinking of either new or used but not sure what way to go, i still have time to make up my mind. How long did you take? the forum is a great place for information and help with most topics and you can find answers to most of the questions asked.

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2x canal hireboat holidays, 2x dayhires and a lot of visiting the canals by foot persuaded us that buying a boat would work out. After hiring, we looked seriously at 1/12 of a shareboat but upon further looking, and a bit of financial juggling around, decided that we wanted a whole (not just share of a) boat.

 

I'd strongly recommend anyone who is thinking of buying, to hire for at least a week, preferably in not-great weather, to see if they can cope with the narrowness of a narrowboat and genuinely like it.

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I was wondering how much planing members did before taking the big step to buying a boat, I am looking at buying a boat but want to make sure i have as much information as possible, at present i am thinking of either new or used but not sure what way to go, i still have time to make up my mind. How long did you take? the forum is a great place for information and help with most topics and you can find answers to most of the questions asked.

Hi Wullie,

 

I knew that I wanted to live on a boat when I first stayed on one in 2001. I have stayed on boats at intervals throughout the intervening years, mostly in winter for some reason, but that set me in good stead to know what to expect. I subscribed to boating magazines and got to know a few people who owned and lived on boats and picked their brains. I looked around boatyards and talked to brokers but ended up buying my first boat last year in a private sale.

 

This forum is a mine of information and can speed the process up quite a bit. It all depends on your personal circumstances and when you are in a position personally & financially to take the jump. I decided firmly last April that it was the right time for me. By the beginning of May I was the owner of my first boat, which I love!

 

You learn much more by actually owning your own boat than you ever can by reading up on things.

 

The main things that I would advise before you buy your boat is:

 

-Make a realistic budget for all expenses once you have your boat (including non boat things like house, car etc). It is a very exciting process buying your boat, but stressful in equal measures. You don't need the additional stress of financial pressures.

 

-Try to put a bit aside for when things crop up as they inevitably do! wink.png

 

-Secure a mooring first

 

-Research your mooring and the surrounding area to check that suits your needs and comittments (eg transport links, leisure facilities, health care provision).

 

-Get a survey and use the outcome of the survey as a bargaining tool.

 

-Expect a period of adjustment that will throw up things you hadn't thought of and don't stress. I've found that boating brings out the resourcefulness in us all.

 

-Most importantly, Enjoy!

 

It is the best move I ever made. The quality of life I have now is much richer in so many ways. I love the freedom, being surrounded by nature and such a friendly community found on here.

 

I wish you every happiness in taking the plunge biggrin.png

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

Catherine

  • Greenie 2
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I do not recomend any one doing it my way but you did ask

 

none at all seriously i spoke to a couple of people on the towpath and bought a boat.

 

I suggest the only thing i planned was getting the mooring, i was told by someone a space was available and i managed to covince BW to let me have it, this was before the auction process.

 

I had never been on a narrow boat, didnt truly understand the size of the network, how to work a lock, lift bridge and the electric bridge at Wrenbury caused a bit of head scratching

 

on the day i took control of he boat i stood on the back deck and realised i didnt know where the fuel or water went, how the electrics worked, how to start the boat, how to steer, how to stop, how to moor, how to tie up for the night.

 

i spent at least the first hour thinking how friendly everyone was because they were all waveing at me, untill i realsed i was passing on the wrong side.

 

my first lock was the Middlewich big lock, i worked out how to do it by asking the locals, Oh and i jumped my first lock queue there. well i didnt know! :-)

 

i got shouted at by Mauren at the wardle lock on the middlewich branch for incompitance, i know realise that is/was a right of passage

 

i finally found a tap to fill my water tank and it took so long to fill up i was convinced it had a leak, so spent the next few night having sinking flooding dreams

 

I crushed my cratch and headlight under a lift bridge

 

it was also bloody good news i was originaly pointing in the right direction because it was only once i had got to my home mooring that someone showed me how and where i could turn round.

 

But you know what i LOVED every stupid scary moment of that trip and it is the best thing i have done for a very long time, i also still love coming home to my boat.

 

so there you go Dont do it how i did it but if you do make the most of it because its great fun

  • Greenie 3
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I was wondering how much planing members did before taking the big step to buying a boat,

None whatsoever...

 

Get college grant,

 

Buy first 1930's Bermudan sloop that I could find.

 

Get job to pay for bills that grant was supposed to be for.

 

Wait for next grant to upgrade boat.

 

Easy!

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Hi

 

Boated with friends from '76 to '88, quite liked the idea (Thames and canals), had some spare cash left over from a divorce and splashed out on a 30 footer (£9500) - brilliant little boat, no survey, one or two problems which would not have shown up on an inspection.

 

We had 17 happy years with her.

 

Changed boats in 2005........no survey.......boats been brilliant.

 

Have fun, but bear in mind that canals have changed lots in the intervening years.

 

L.

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I was wondering how much planing members did before taking the big step to buying a boat, I am looking at buying a boat but want to make sure i have as much information as possible, at present i am thinking of either new or used but not sure what way to go, i still have time to make up my mind. How long did you take? the forum is a great place for information and help with most topics and you can find answers to most of the questions asked.

 

Any planning required will I guess differ depending if you are going to live aboard and are planning to dispose of your land based assets or whether you are just planning to utilise a boat for leisure use like us.

 

The biggest thing for me with either is the financial side of it. Be absolutely as sure as you can be that you can afford your new lifestyle or in our case hobby. Boats have a nasty habit of springing up unexpected expense that is on top of the regular stuff that you have to pay out.

 

Just on 'expected' expense in the last year our 60ft boat has cost £1,600 in mooring fees, £800 in licence costs, £250 insurance, and £800 to get it blacked. That's a total of nearly £3.5K before we have even begun to move it, service it and fix the things that needed fixing.

 

You can of course reduce these costs by various means such as doing the blacking yourself or getting a shorter boat or cheaper mooring (or none at all) but do not underestimate how expensive a lifestyle or hobby boating can be.

 

No problem if you can afford it, but potentially a big one if you cannot.

Edited by The Dog House
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Contrary to what a previous poster wrote, I don't think securing a mooring is so important these day. If you're desperate for a specific and sought after mooring, then maybe, otherwise there seems to be marina space up and down the country. Also, I reckon continuous cruising for the first few months is great for a new boater as it really gets you out there.

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The walk between the Castle Marina premier inn and Notts Boats sales office in Castle Marina, maybe as far as stepping on the first boat. Only previous experience 1 trip boat ride when I was 7. Never regreted one second or one penny.

 

P.S. We did end up buying that firsy boat!

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None whatsoever...

 

Buy first 1930's Bermudan sloop that I could find.

 

 

 

My first boat was a Bermudan Sloop, a Morgan Giles called Tashander. Gibraltar.

 

Buying the narrowboat was an expedient, as was the sloop. Accommodation. I did have a little more experience to help choose the narrowboat, had been painting boats for two years prior, giving me the advantage of seeing the nuts and bolts of quite a few boats. I do enjoy the boating aspect too.

 

Although I'm stuck in a marina at the moment, I try not to forget what the boat is really meant to being doing. I've never considered myself eccentric, but a friend tells me otherwise. I thought you lot were eccentric.

 

Now, I walk down the high street and feel out of place. Happy that way.

Edited by Higgs
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if a liveaboard priorities are

1 plenty of storage

2 multifuel stove which feeds radiators and calorifier

3 engine connected into Item 2

4 luxury diesel heater connected into item 2

5 good bed and comfortable seating

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One brilliant sunny weekend on a friends boat (God knows what might have happened in bad weather).

 

4-5 weeks lurking on here, then placed the order for our new-build in Nov 2004 took delivery Mar 2005.

 

We are only weekenders and holiday makers but we have never regretted any of it.

 

David

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Absolutely none.

Phone call from the owner asking if I'd be interested in buying a josher motor. I knew the boat but had no idea of its condition. Ten seconds thought. “Yes please.” No survey, the boat sitting on the bottom, an engine on the bank and no agreement about the price!

 

Move on a few years. A bloke I knew wanted to sell his josher butty. We were boating past his mooring and he called out, “Want a butty to go with your motor?” “Yes please.” Again no real thought, no survey.

 

I don't advocate necessarily that this is the best way to buy a boat. We knew we were looking at many years' work ahead. It turned out that it took a lot longer and a lot more money than we anticipated. But carpe diem and all that.

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The first time "Oh, that's a cheap way to live". Bought a rotten, soggy, wooden boat shaped object, and lived happily on her for a couple of years before I had to go back into bricks following a job loss and vandalisation of the boat.

 

This time, I first looked for a mooring in 2010, but couldn't find any residential moorings where I wanted to be,so I dropped the idea. In July last year, someone mentioned this mooring was available, I found a job nearby, found a boat, did some work on it, and started working at my new job three weeks later. I even managed to keep the house, which is now rented out, paying its own mortgage.

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Thanks all yes all very good advice, i want to live aboard two of us, my wife has always said once we retire get a narrowboat and escape for as long as we are able to, she always liked the many stories i told her about working along the canals, we have been walking and doing some boating along the various canals in England and Scotland so thinking about early retirement and finally plan it more seriously, have a few days off shortly so once again along the canals walking looking at various boats and one or two marinas too get some more information. Thanks again.

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Research/information/Surveys,investing time & money traveling around the country looking is all good,& probably very important to do,& made much easier now with the internet,that wasn't really around in it's current form when a lot of us originally took the leap.

But be prepared to miss out on bargains because of it.I've owned Six boats over 26yrs & have lived on all of them without issues.it seams I've been luck in my choices.

It's like a set of scales with Personal Skills & Experience vs Outlay & Risk,you choose.& live by your choice.

Edited by Paul's Nulife4-2
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We spent about 12 months planning our purchase of a brand new Viking 20. On the way to the dealers to book the build slot we called in at a marina on the way as we were making good progress with the journey and needed to waste an hour or so. We immediately fell in love with a boat we knew nothing about, tripled our budget and too the plunge to buy Naughty-Cal.

 

In the five and a half years that we have owned her we have never once regretted the decision.

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You see,

Right place,right time,fate and decision made rightly or wrongly,but decision made !.

But I bet there are some not so good decisions that have been made by many a folk.

Just like anything els in life.

 

(BTW,hows the hull coming along NC)

Its getting there.

 

With a bit of luck and some dry weather it should be getting a coat of primer on Sunday. smile.png

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