Opinions on cheap small nb

[Proud Salopian]

Sorry yes the Harborough. Ex hire is good, they're usually well made and set up to be easy to maintain it's not in a hire boat companies best interest to use anything that will give them problems and a lot are blacked every year, I'd happily buy an ex hire boat (but not an ex hire car). If this boat didn't have a GRP roof I bet it would be 4-5K more.

K

 

Hmm, okay. I might retain that one then in my "possible" list! Thanks (and to Richard).

Edited September 3, 2014 by Proud Salopian

[Athy]

 

 

Not particularly modern, or big - 12HP

 

Built in the 1980's?

 

Richard

Aha, so it's a Petter rather than a Lister-Petter, gotcha.

[Sabcat]

 

But how do we know it hasn't been tested in court? I'd have thought there were thousands of unhappy surveyors' customers who think their surveyor should have spotted something he missed. It's in the nature of the surveying business. You can't spot EVERYTHING wrong with a boat (or a house) EVERY single time through a whole career. If surveyors couldn't protect themselves from the occasional oversight or clash of opinion they'd all find other occupations pretty damned quick I suggest.

 

But even if you're right I suggest it is not a good idea to imply people booking surveys have a 'comeback' against the surveyor, when this is clearly very much in doubt.

 

 

MtB

 

The fact that insurers sell professional indemnity policies to surveyors indicates that it does get tested in court and surveyors are found liable.

[Naughty Cal]

 

Many years ago, bought a boat - £60,000 - paid well over £1000 for a Hull and machinery survey. Passed with flying colours - no advisories - valued at more that the selling price.

 

Bought boat

 

2 weeks later on a lengthy sea voyage had huge engine problems, both turbo's 'exploded', gear box troubles etc etc.

Cost over £20,000 to fix.

 

Started legal action against the surveyor, my solicitor eventually 'refused' to go to court becuase we would be wasting my money. The "get out" clauses were so tied up that their was no liabilty at all on the surveyor.

Example :-

Survey only valid on day of survey.

Nothing that cannot be seen or accessed without tools or dissasembly can be commented on

 

When questioned why on a 'machinery survey' the oil in the gearbox had not been checked - the answer was, it needed a spanner to remove the dip-stick. "Nothing is accessed or viewed that needs tools" and so on and so on.

 

Thats why they never get to court & and thats why I have never had a survey since.

 

If you dont have a survey, you dont know whats wrong with it and it goes on working and floating for years and years and you dont worry.

It won't sink until the metal thickness gets to 0.0mm

 

The way to buy a boat is, roll up with an Aldi (other brands will do) carrier bag of cash, pay the man and drive off into the sunset.

The higher the price the more impressive the pile of cash looks, and the bigger the incentive to do a deal.

 

You do need to plan ahead as the bank can get a bit twitchy when you ask them for £50,000 in £20 notes.

Bloody hell. Who did you use?

 

The surveyor we used literally went through everything with a fine toothed comb.

[MtB]

 

The fact that insurers sell professional indemnity policies to surveyors indicates that it does get tested in court and surveyors are found liable.

 

What? All of them? Always?

 

I think not.

 

 

MtB

[Sabcat]

 

What? All of them? Always?

 

I think not.

 

 

MtB

No, of course not at a guess I'd say almost none of them hardly ever judging by the price of policies a Google search throws up.

[kevinl]

 

But even if you're right I suggest it is not a good idea to imply people booking surveys have a 'comeback' against the surveyor, when this is clearly very much in doubt.

 

 

MtB

People will carry on booking surveys despite anything I have said and until it is tested in court (and I can't find any cases) none of us will every know, however, I think the act is quite specific and you have good grounds to sue, Alan's case is much less clear as it may have happened pre 1999 and anyway engine and gearbox failures are impossible to predict, there would always be some doubt that Alan wasn't abusing the engine and I don't think it's reasonable for the surveyor to have to take spanners to the engine either or check fluid levels but that too is a matter of opinion, no doubt at some point in the future it will go to court or more likely settled out of court to avoid setting a precedent. Weasel words in contracts ain't what they used to be.

K

[craftycarper]

I know it's not the same but I did a job on a house a few years ago were the surveyor was ordered to pick up the 20k bill because of the fact that he,d missed some blatant subsidence issues and when the new owner stripped the wall paper you could put your arm through the cracks in the internal walls were they should have been tied into the exterior walls ,I doubt you would ever get any joy if you blow the engine up as Alan above did as it's up to you to check the oil every time you set off but if the structure was rotten and you were told by your surveyor it was sound then I think you would have a very strong case as it takes years to deteriorate not weeks

[Tony Brooks]

 

Steady!

 

You'll find hire boats were built and equipped to a good standard in the first place and are very easy to maintain. Don't be quick to dismiss them out of hand, many owner fit outs will be far worse than any hire boat

 

I'm getting quite fond of the old Harborough boats (and not all were hire boats), they swim beautifully

 

Richard

 

Richard knows his stuff and I think his boat is ex hire. I also think I know my stuff and my boat is ex hire. I think you are far more likely to get a boat in reasonable condition and easy to maintain from a REPUTABLE hire fleet than a private sale. However the longer it is since the boat was in a fleet the more chance there is for poor maintenance etc. so be careful but do not dismiss an ex hireboat out of hand.

[David Mack]

It's an old Harborough Marine, probably an ex-hire boat judging by those bumpers which are called bridge bars (hire companies used to think that all hirers would bash the superstructure of their boats into bridges and thus fitted these so that they would bounce off.)

Bridge bars used to be particularly common on hire boats which regularly used the Llangollen, as the original wooden lift bridges didn't open to that high an angle, and inexperienced hirers could easily catch the bridge. However all but a couple of the original bridges have now been replaced by characterless steel versions, which do at least have the advantage of offering much more clearance in the open position, so the risk of impact is less.

 

Bridge bars make getting on and off the front of the boat difficult for all but the most agile. But at least they are are easily removed.

[nebulae]

I believe that a hirer was killed,many years ago,getting between these bridge bars and something solid.After this incident,bridge bars were removed on some hire boats .Cant remember the details .One snag with old Harborough Marine boats was the wet bilge. Steelwork was certainly good.

[maty]

Don't be shy in putting in stupid offers for a boat , if I had 15 k to spend on a boat I'll be looking at boats in the 20k market and putting in a silly offer , they can only say no . Plus it opens the door to negotiations , there a lot off boats out there and someone who's had there boat advertise for some time may want to get rid , plus in a couple off months just before winter you will find people may be moor willing to sell as they don't want the hassle and expense off keeping a boat over the winter