Second viewing tips, what to look for?

[seanyseanyseany]

Hello Canal World.

 

Me and my partner are heading off this week for a second viewing of the boat we have fallen for, we are total newbies so any and all tips are welcome. Of course we will be getting a full survey.

 

A little extra info.

• We will be living aboard and continuously cruising around London (and anywhere else within a commutable distance).
• The boat has gas central heating & multi fuel stove
• Both pump out and cassette toilets
• Semi-trad
• BSC until 2017
• Recently blackened

Thanks in advance and very much looking forward to meeting some of you soon on the cut.

 

:-)

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

Is there room for another CCer in London

[seanyseanyseany]

Is there room for another CCer in London

 

Probably not, but there isn't enough room for the landlubbers either - this is London.

[Paul C]

When we bought our boat, in the first few months there were a bunch of little things which revealed themselves, and which we wish we'd asked about. I wish I'd made a list now (for if/when we buy a second boat) but from my vague memory:

 

- check background documents to ascertain the owner of the boat

- check gas bottle storage is the (larger) 13kg and not little 6kg ones - not so important if the only gas appliance is the cooker

- when was it last blacked?

- when was it last serviced?

- do any of the expensive items, eg (if you want it) a 230V inverter, stove, central heating, calorifier, etc need replacing or the boat doesn't have one but you want them

- enough batteries in the battery bank? if not, is there space to put more?

- does the wiring look like a snake's wedding or reasonably neat and tidy so if/when you do alterations, its going to be straightforward

- paintwork need doing soon? (maybe you want to change the name, which will mean repainting the name etc)

[YamYam]

When we bought our boat, in the first few months there were a bunch of little things which revealed themselves, and which we wish we'd asked about. I wish I'd made a list now (for if/when we buy a second boat) but from my vague memory:

 

- check background documents to ascertain the owner of the boat

- check gas bottle storage is the (larger) 13kg and not little 6kg ones - not so important if the only gas appliance is the cooker

- when was it last blacked?

- when was it last serviced?

- do any of the expensive items, eg (if you want it) a 230V inverter, stove, central heating, calorifier, etc need replacing or the boat doesn't have one but you want them

- enough batteries in the battery bank? if not, is there space to put more?

- does the wiring look like a snake's wedding or reasonably neat and tidy so if/when you do alterations, its going to be straightforward

- paintwork need doing soon? (maybe you want to change the name, which will mean repainting the name etc)

Agreed, and NEVER discuss price until the surveyors report is in your hand

[seanyseanyseany]

Agreed, and NEVER discuss price until the surveyors report is in your hand

 

 

Sorry i find this a little confusing, aren't you supposed to put in an offer and then get a survey?

Edited April 25, 2014 by seanyseanyseany

[GUMPY]

Two bits of advice;

1 if you are doing this as a cheap place to live. DONT

2 stay out of London if you intend to CC

[Paul C]

Agreed, and NEVER discuss price until the surveyors report is in your hand

 

Yeah that doesn't make sense (to me), but I'm assuming you'd put a deposit down before the survey. If you put a deposit down, subject to survey, then make sure you both agree on the terms that a deposit would be returned. eg you'd both probably agree to give the deposit back if it revealed £15,000 of welding (or a corresponding price drop) but if the survey revealed a £1 battery terminal cover was missing, it would be unreasonable to pull out because of this. When we did it we agreed that if it needed any hull welding, then we'd pull out; and that the seller would pay for any work to achieve a BSS pass (it got BSS tested too, the old one had 6 months left on it).

 

Obviously if you put a deposit down, then you'd need to agree a price.

 

And if you commissioned the survey before putting an offer in, its completely possible (and has happened) that someone else will come along and buy the boat before you have a chance to put a deposit/buy it, no matter what the survey revealed!

[YamYam]

Sorry i find this a little confusing, aren't you supposed to put in an offer and then get a survey?

 

Yes, thats fine, just make sure the buyer understands your offer is subject to a satisfactory survey. I managed to get another grand off mine as well as what id already offered doing that but bought mine from a brokerage so they dealt with the actual seller and luckily for me she was desperate to sell as well

[Traveller]

 

Sorry i find this a little confusing, aren't you supposed to put in an offer and then get a survey?

I did it by putting in an offer "subject to survey". I think most will have done it that way.

[seanyseanyseany]

Two bits of advice;

1 if you are doing this as a cheap place to live. DONT

2 stay out of London if you intend to CC

 

If you're going to be negative please elaborate so I can learn something, this just sounds like you are marking out your territory and trying to scare me off.

[Odana]

Sorry i find this a little confusing, aren't you supposed to put in an offer and then get a survey?

 

Yup, that's the normal way round.

Look carefully for evidence of damp or poor insulation - without a landline this will be important. What type of insulation does it have? Are there stripes or worn spots in the paint/varnish that may indicate cold spots with condensation? Peek into crevices to see condition of under floor etc. A digital camera with flash is useful.

Most of all, ask for a bit of time on your own in there to just sit and 'feel' if it is right. If it is, all the little niggles that you'll undoubtedly find won't matter, because you'll be living on your boat!

[seanyseanyseany]

Yup, that's the normal way round.

Look carefully for evidence of damp or poor insulation - without a landline this will be important. What type of insulation does it have? Are there stripes or worn spots in the paint/varnish that may indicate cold spots with condensation? Peek into crevices to see condition of under floor etc. A digital camera with flash is useful.

Most of all, ask for a bit of time on your own in there to just sit and 'feel' if it is right. If it is, all the little niggles that you'll undoubtedly find won't matter, because you'll be living on your boat!

 

The insulation is spray foam, I will look for the marks you have mentioned and take my camera to look into the dark spots - great tip!

[YamYam]

Sorry i find this a little confusing, aren't you supposed to put in an offer and then get a survey?

 

Yes, sorry. A bit confusing. Should have read 'final price'

[seanyseanyseany]

Yes, sorry. A bit confusing. Should have read 'final price'

 

Ah, that makes more sense now :-)

[GUMPY]

 

If you're going to be negative please elaborate so I can learn something, this just sounds like you are marking out your territory and trying to scare me off.

Not at all I am not in London so if you go there it wont affect me.

Living aboard is not cheap. Its cheaper for me to live in my cottage about £4k a year including council tax

The boat costs £5k but then I do have a mooring.

CRT are stepping up enforcement you will have no time at weekends as you will be moving the boat either to get water etc or just to comply with your licence conditions.

 

I don't see it as the idyll its portrayed to be, and unlike some on here I got rid of my rose tinted specs some 10-15 years ago having been on and off boats of all kinds for some 50years.

[bizzard]

 

If you're going to be negative please elaborate so I can learn something, this just sounds like you are marking out your territory and trying to scare me off.

The warning is usually given and enforced by a liberal spraying action with a vertical quivering tail. Or leg cocking of trees and lamposts. You can always spot em.

[YamYam]

I've always worked on the theory that whatevers for sale its only worth what someone is prepared to pay you for it, so don't be afraid of putting in a final cheeky offer. They can only say no, then you make a bit of a joke and re negotiate. Even an extra hundred quid off is money in your pocket. But at the end of the suryeyors report he or she will recommend a fair price for the boat. Its up to you if you want to share that with the seller, obviously you would if its in your favour :-)

[seanyseanyseany]

Not at all I am not in London so if you go there it wont affect me.

Living aboard is not cheap. Its cheaper for me to live in my cottage about £4k a year including council tax

The boat costs £5k but then I do have a mooring.

CRT are stepping up enforcement you will have no time at weekends as you will be moving the boat either to get water etc or just to comply with your licence conditions.

 

I don't see it as the idyll its portrayed to be, and unlike some on here I got rid of my rose tinted specs some 10-15 years ago having been on and off boats of all kinds for some 50years.

 

Thanks for getting back to me.

 

I have been wanting to live on a boat since I was a (Northern) kid, whilst saving money is obviously an advantage over trying to buy in London it is not the reason we are doing it.

 

Both me and my partner realise this way of life will require more hard work but we are the kind of people that enjoy doing things the hard way, we enjoy the simple things in life and we find them immensely more pleasurable when we put some effort in rather than flicking a switch or microwaving a meal.

 

I appreciate your concern though and apologise if I came across flippant as I am sure this forum is full of ideological dreamers who need a bit of a wake up.

[Lady Muck]

If I was going to cruise in the capital and hold down a job, three things would make my life easier -

 

1- decent solar panel array - because byelaws say no engine or genny running 8pm - 8am - if you get home at 8pm and your batteries are flat you're stuffed! That or you run engine, get complaints from other boaters and bankside residents!

2- a way of getting instant heat - Again, you get home late, you plan to leave early, not always time to get a fire in, so look for secondary form of heating, maybe an Alde.

3- a decent size water tank. If your tank is too small (on many older boats intended for leisure the tanks are not very big), if you can't find anywhere to shower away from the boat, if you're not prepared to have a quick cat lick wash (no long showers on a boat!) you might struggle, when you're in town, there are barely any water taps in the capital, it can be several hours to cruise between them.

 

Disclaimer: I wouldn't want to do it!

If I didn't have a mooring I would cc, but not in London! Too busy for me now!

[Bettie Boo]

Open all the drawers and cupboards, stick you head in and have a good old sniff - check for damp smell

 

Lift mattresses off of beds to check for damp

 

Shut and open all doors to ensure they haven't warped

 

If it has hardwood floors, lift any mats/carpets to check the condition of the floor under

 

Cigarette lighters on boats are Very useful - wish we had one

 

Ask them to take you out for a wee spin, where you can hear/see the engine run, check the amount of vibration in the rudder, ensure your source of hot water is working, flush the loo, sound the horn, turn on the tunnel light, turn on the gas stove & oven, check the pump for the shower tray works

 

I'm sure the guys will be along shortly to give you much more advice on mechanical things to check; the above is what I looked for when we viewed our boat (most were suggestions received from this forum)

 

Make sure you have read and understand the info re continuous cruising on the C&RT website and that you are willing & able to abide by them, it's not a case of moving from one side of the river to the other. Read through some of the threads on this forum regarding live aboards and car shuffling.

 

Just a few suggestions, good luck

[seanyseanyseany]

Open all the drawers and cupboards, stick you head in and have a good old sniff - check for damp smell

 

Lift mattresses off of beds to check for damp

 

Shut and open all doors to ensure they haven't warped

 

If it has hardwood floors, lift any mats/carpets to check the condition of the floor under

 

Cigarette lighters on boats are Very useful - wish we had one

 

Ask them to take you out for a wee spin, where you can hear/see the engine run, check the amount of vibration in the rudder, ensure your source of hot water is working, flush the loo, sound the horn, turn on the tunnel light, turn on the gas stove & oven, check the pump for the shower tray works

 

I'm sure the guys will be along shortly to give you much more advice on mechanical things to check; the above is what I looked for when we viewed our boat (most were suggestions received from this forum)

 

Make sure you have read and understand the info re continuous cruising on the C&RT website and that you are willing & able to abide by them, it's not a case of moving from one side of the river to the other. Read through some of the threads on this forum regarding live aboards and car shuffling.

 

Just a few suggestions, good luck

 

Thanks, I will push the marina to take us out for a spin. They told me they don't normally do this until someone has put in an offer but that seems daft to me, this is our second viewing and we live quite far away from them so they should take us seriously.

[Bobbybass]

Discount...

 

Look for...discount

[seanyseanyseany]

Discount...

 

Look for...discount

Do you mean when the boat has been reduced? Why?

[cheshire~rose]

 

Cigarette lighters on boats are Very useful - wish we had one

 

 

I don't understand this one?

 

Surely any cigarette lightersneeded can be purchased for a pound or so?