My dream is going to become a reality!

[Athy]

Aside from the fact it's an ex-rental what are people's opinions of this one?

 

http://www.venetianmarina.co.uk/used-narrowboats/details/2948.aspx

I get only a line of gibberish along the top of the page. I don't think much of that.

Whaddya mean, "Aside from being ex-rental"? Hire boats will have been regularly maintained during their working lives (because a boat breaking down while carrying paying hirers is not good for business) and probably has plenty of storage space. The interior may not excite, but will be hard-wearing. It may have too many beds or bunks (older hire boats in particular tended to cram six bunks into a boat which would comfortably sleep 2 or 3 people) but these can be removed or used as clutter repositories shelves. They often represent good value.

 

It has been a while now, and I've forgotten what criteria (if you mentioned any) you are looking for in your dream boat. Could you take a moment to remind me and other forgetful forumites, [please?

[Lmcgrath87]

I get only a line of gibberish along the top of the page. I don't think much of that.

Whaddya mean, "Aside from being ex-rental"? Hire boats will have been regularly maintained during their working lives (because a boat breaking down while carrying paying hirers is not good for business) and probably has plenty of storage space. The interior may not excite, but will be hard-wearing. It may have too many beds or bunks (older hire boats in particular tended to cram six bunks into a boat which would comfortably sleep 2 or 3 people) but these can be removed or used as clutter repositories shelves. They often represent good value.

 

It has been a while now, and I've forgotten what criteria (if you mentioned any) you are looking for in your dream boat. Could you take a moment to remind me and other forgetful forumites, [please?

 

oh only in so much as i have read alot about the pros/cons of an ex-hire boat and hubs and both actually quite like the idea of something that has been well maintained, it has a usable looking kitchen, bathroom and although the living space isn't inspiring, we can rip it out and it's essentially a blank canvas.

 

The only big thing would be the lack of wood burner, but at the price we can add one within our budget.

 

I don't know why i can't get the link to work!

 

Basically, we want to spend about £35k, and really so long as I don't need to replace the kitchen or bathroom I'm open to any other ideas. I like semi trads I think best, but open to traditional as well.

[Athy]

 

actually quite like the idea of something that has been well maintained

 

 

Aye, it beats the sh1t out of something wot hasn't been.

 

Sorry, I'm being faecetious.

 

And now for something completely different: look in the Apollo Duck Narrowboats site, select South West Durham from the list of makers down the left hand side, and look at their two 55-footers, Skooks and In My Own Time. Not trads of semis (relatively few hire boats are, most are cruiser-backed), but very good use of space, especially in bedroom and galley, no stove but I have seen these boats jiggled about so that a stove could be and was fitted. Around your ideal price range too.

 

Drawback: some folks reckon as how they look funny. Would you care?

 

Maybe not your thing at all, but worth a look, if only to see a type of layout which you may not have encountered before.

[Lmcgrath87]

Aye, it beats the sh1t out of something wot hasn't been.

 

Sorry, I'm being faecetious.

 

And now for something completely different: look in the Apollo Duck Narrowboats site, select South West Durham from the list of makers down the left hand side, and look at their two 55-footers, Skooks and In My Own Time. Not trads of semis (relatively few hire boats are, most are cruiser-backed), but very good use of space, especially in bedroom and galley, no stove but I have seen these boats jiggled about so that a stove could be and was fitted. Around your ideal price range too.

 

Drawback: some folks reckon as how they look funny. Would you care?

 

Maybe not your thing at all, but worth a look, if only to see a type of layout which you may not have encountered before.

 

I like both of them! More sleeping space than we need, but we can move it around to make it work for us, and like you say, a stove isn't impossible to add, it gives us good options to really make it our own too.

 

Certainly worth considering, thanks!

[Mrs Tawny Owl]

I see you're intending to come to the Buckby banter, You're welcome to come and look at Tawny Owl, she's an ex hire boat, and at 70ft may well be longer than you want, but you'll be able to see what ex hire means.

There will be other boats there, and I'm sure if you ask nicely you'll be able to have a nose round some of them for ideas.

 

I would be a bit careful about ripping too much of the interior out for a refit straight away, live with it for a few months if you can, you'll then know what annoys the hell out of you, and what's actually a good idea and works for you.

 

We had big plans, but have actually done very little, just changing a few things as they seemed right.

 

Sue

[Lmcgrath87]

I see you're intending to come to the Buckby banter, You're welcome to come and look at Tawny Owl, she's an ex hire boat, and at 70ft may well be longer than you want, but you'll be able to see what ex hire means.

There will be other boats there, and I'm sure if you ask nicely you'll be able to have a nose round some of them for ideas.

 

I would be a bit careful about ripping too much of the interior out for a refit straight away, live with it for a few months if you can, you'll then know what annoys the hell out of you, and what's actually a good idea and works for you.

 

We had big plans, but have actually done very little, just changing a few things as they seemed right.

 

Sue

Hi Sue,

 

Thank you, that's really kind of you :-) and yes I agree with not going in all guns blazing re: refitting the boat we do eventually get, will take a while to adjust to life afloat to begin with anyway I assume. I just like the idea of having the option to change things as being in rented for the last 7 years I haven't had a chance to do anything at all!

[Pykebird]

Be very careful, once you start re doing, it's very hard to stop!!(guess how I know this??)

[Lmcgrath87]

Be very careful, once you start re doing, it's very hard to stop!!(guess how I know this??)

 

Is there much restriction when it comes to redecorating/re-doing things?

[b0atman]

Yes you have to live through it so slow but sure and always remember KISS

[Athy]

Yes you have to live through it so slow but sure and always remember KISS

???

This looks like a refugee from the "inappropriate contact" thread. What do you mean?

[Rickent]

 

Is there much restriction when it comes to redecorating/re-doing things?

 

 

 

 

I would imagine it all depends on how much mess and disruption you are prepared to live with .Unlike a house where you can just close the door on it and live in another room.

[Lmcgrath87]

Yes you have to live through it so slow but sure and always remember KISS

 

I have no idea what that means

I would imagine it all depends on how much mess and disruption you are prepared to live with .Unlike a house where you can just close the door on it and live in another room.

 

Yes, good point, something I guess we will find out in due course!

[bottle]

Keep It simple, stupid

[Lmcgrath87]

Keep It simple, stupid

 

hahaha oh dear.... need another coffee methinks..

[Terryb]

Me Too.

Ha Ha Ha.

 

Goodbye to the wicked world of work, I'm off to retirement on the ocean waves ( well, the ripple of the cut)

 

House just sold too, so I am actively searching out a 50 footer or so to spend my next few years in.

I would want to have as much space as poss, but at the same time keep costs down. I am of the assumption that the difference in costs between a 45` versus 60` is not really that much, please correct me if you know different. I will only have around £500 per month to live on, is this being silly or is it acceptable. Just me and my pooch, I know my food ( and Drink ) costs are only around £150 per month, so that leaves me with £350 to run the boat on. I will be CCing so will not need a permanent

mooring. Hopefully I can survive on that. Any suggestions, recommendations ??

[Athy]

Keep It simple, stupid

If that's what it really stands for, I don't think that referring to a recently-joined forum member as "stupid" is acceptable*. Most of us recall tales of new members leaving the forum abruptly after they felt that they had been rudely received. Let's not perpetuate that trend.

 

* except in cases where their posts have revealed them as stupid, which our LMcG certainly hasn't!

[John V]

Athy.....don't be so uptight...............

 

It's a standard joke in almost all engineering sectors, and there should be a plaque on every designers desk with those 4 letters embossed

[Lmcgrath87]

If that's what it really stands for, I don't think that referring to a recently-joined forum member as "stupid" is acceptable*. Most of us recall tales of new members leaving the forum abruptly after they felt that they had been rudely received. Let's not perpetuate that trend.

 

* except in cases where their posts have revealed them as stupid, which our LMcG certainly hasn't!

 

 

haha don't worry - I've been called far worse trust me!

[John V]

Just to add to my earlier...KISS is normally used to prevent "creeping featurism" which has sounded the death knell of many good basic ideas

[Athy]

Athy.....don't be so uptight...............

 

It's a standard joke in almost all engineering sectors, and there should be a plaque on every designers desk with those 4 letters embossed

Alas, I do not move in engineering sectors. Strictly on the arts side, me.

 

If it had been a reference to Gene Simmons' rock band or to a fairly good commercial radio station it would have been more acceptable. I quite understand the advice to "keep it simple", but why then insult the addressee by suffixing it with "stupid"?

Edited October 2, 2014 by Athy

[Pykebird]

It really depends, I am not known for doing things by half so basically gutted my whole boat and took her back to metal inside and out!!! But you can do as little or as much, just seems that on a boat a "simple " job like removing a partition wall or a cupboard turns into so much more!

Yes you can live in a boat whilst doing it up, but I wouldn't recommend it. I would take plenty of pictures for when you have those " what the hell am I doing days"?. But you can just decorate, if you are looking for a youngish boat probably better to get one as near as what you want, mine is nearly 30 years' old, so anything is an improvement!

[John V]

Alas, I do not move in engineering sectors. Strictly on the arts side, me.

 

If it had been a reference to Gene Simmons' rock band or to a fairly good commercial radio station it would have been more acceptable. I quite understand the advice to "keep it simple", but why then insult the addressee by suffixing it with "stupid"?

 

Because that was is standard phrase and probably has been since the first engineer took on an apprentice

[Athy]

 

Because that was is standard phrase and probably has been since the first engineer took on an apprentice

Hmmm, I can just imagine George Stephenson saying it to Robert Stephenson.

Still not comfortable with it though - as we have seen in other threads, actions and words which were deemed acceptable 40 years ago are now frowned upon by many people. Do these uncivil engineers employ variations such as KISYFUG, perhaps?

[John V]

Are people really getting that thin skinned and PC? how pathetic is that!

[Athy]

Are people really getting that thin skinned and PC? how pathetic is that!

If you seek evidence, look around - I have seen offence taken on CWF at things which looked quite OK to me. But I can see that calling someone stupid could be construed as rather naughty, unless the person was truly stupid - or perhaps even more naughty in that case.