(Light Hearted) Business Opportunity

[twbm]

On the subject of asking for investments I had a idea at the weekend if anyone's giving money out.....

 

A pub boat!!!!!!

 

I'd call it "The Ale Boat"

 

Just imagine on a cold winters night, popping in for pint, the stove pumping, great beer, plesant chit chat.

 

Next day, off to somewhere else.

 

Umm. No. As the proud owner of a bar/really expensive hobby I can tell you that it takes punters about three years to notice the premises have changed, are reasonably priced, keep the beer well and have a comprehensive range of drinks. So popping up at random points on the canal and expecting punters to abandon their locals in your favour ain't going to work. Then add in the logistics of disposing of all the beer after the customers have drunk it, arranging deliveries and that pretty much no one on the cut seems to drink fizzy keg beers, which as had been suggested is all you'll be able to stock.

[Athy]

It's been done. When I was at University in Brum in the late Middle Ages, a pub boat opened up on a section of canal which ran through the campus. I visited it twice. from long memory, it was probably a wide beam boat. I am not sure how they managed legally; perhaps it was on the same licence as the students' bar on the campus.

 

I don't think it lasted more than a few weeks; fizzy beer was not a problem because that's what everyone drank then. Lager had not yet gained much popularity, and "real ale" from hand-pulled pumps was something you saw in old films, so most beer drinkers in Brum would quaff such brews as M&B Brew Eleven, Ansell's or Davenport's. This would have been circa 1969 by the way.

[Zig Zag]

Edit : stupid phone erased all I wrote. Will add it later when signals better.

Edited September 25, 2014 by The zig zag

[Athy]

Edit : stupid phone erased all I wrote. Will add it later when signals better.

You may have hit upon a business idea: "Sick of bloody know-all Smart phones? Then get the new Stupid phone".

[bizzard]

 

B*ll*x. Buying a house and renting it out does not increase the supply of accommodation one jot.

 

The house is there whether or not you buy it and rent it out, or buy it and live in it yourself. Buying northern houses to rent out is simply tinkering with the flow of the little green pieces of paper (to use the H2G2 term for money). Nothing altruistic about it.

 

The only thing that increases the supply of accommodation is building new homes. Whether they be hoses, flats, boats, caravans, whatever.

 

 

MtB

I don't think I'd feel at all comfortable living in a hose Mike, I'm not really the right shape, you'd need to be ever so thin wouldn't you. And if some joker turned on the tap you could drown, you'd have to wear a life jacket in there to be safe, to say nothing of getting frozen in in the winter if its not been lagged.

[patty-ann]

But think of the weight loss potential? Could be marketed as an all in one tummy toner to squidge all your wobbly bits..may catch on, living in hoses.

[MtB]

Snakes need somewhere to live too, surely?

 

You're being very hard-hearted today Bizz...

 

 

MtB

[peterboat]

I don't think I'd feel at all comfortable living in a hose Mike, I'm not really the right shape, you'd need to be ever so thin wouldn't you. And if some joker turned on the tap you could drown, you'd have to wear a life jacket in there to be safe, to say nothing of getting frozen in in the winter if its not been lagged.

The voice of reason as ever Bizz but you forgot to say about the rocking from side to side

 

Peter

[carlt]

 

B*ll*x. Buying a house and renting it out does not increase the supply of accommodation one jot.

That isn't always the case.

 

Many buy-to-lets in the North West (and also the North East) are houses, sometimes whole streets, that have spent a significant time boarded up and the landlords are returning them to habitability so they are in fact increasing the available housing stock.

 

That said I suspect there is little or no altruism involved.

[Athy]

That isn't always the case.

 

Many buy-to-lets in the North West (and also the North East) are houses, sometimes whole streets, that have spent a significant time boarded up and the landlords are returning them to habitability so they are in fact increasing the available housing stock.

 

That said I suspect there is little or no altruism involved.

In addition, houses previously occupied by one person, a couple or a small family are often sub-divided into several bed-sits, thereby offering accommodation, albeit of a lower standard, to more people than hitherto.

[bizzard]

But think of the weight loss potential? Could be marketed as an all in one tummy toner to squidge all your wobbly bits..may catch on, living in hoses.

And you'd need pilots licence and crash helmet for fear of someone trying to use your hose, turning on the tap and peering in the end wondering why the water won't come out because your blocking it and then suddenly whoooooooooooooosh your suddenly evicted and jettisoned up to a high altitude, to descend, land on your head claiming your rent money back.

Snakes need somewhere to live too, surely?

 

You're being very hard-hearted today Bizz...

 

 

MtB

I got misled. I saw you'd mention something about H2 and thought you'd missed the O off, (water) Lots of bugs like earwigs and spiders live in empty or derelict hoses.

[Emerald Fox]

But back to the original idea, it seems sensible enough. Sort of nice to have an old boat chugging up the Cut, and nearly every boat it passes should be buying something from it, supporting this way of life, certainly not moaning if the coal (etc.) that's bought off such a boat is a bit more expensive than elsewhere.

A business plan should be made on paper first for, say, up to 10 years (certainly 5!) to see if it's a viable proposition.

You need to make some 'profit' of course as you'd need some wages - you have to eat, and pay that loan back.

Being single is iffy - illness, boat breaks down, etc. - but not so serious in this as people can wait for stuff like coal, it's not as if you're running to a timetable like a bus.

Perhaps you could ask one of those wealthy Russian oligarchs if they'd be amused to invest in such a scheme, and come round with you once in a while - after all they seem happy to splash their money out on buying football clubs - and all these English folk seem so mean talking about 0.25% interests and suchlike.

30,000 GBP is nothing - what you have to pay to go to one of Tony Blair's talks, I think.

How about asking a company to sponsor you? A coal company for instance?

[carlt]

and nearly every boat it passes should be buying something from it, supporting this way of life

I don't quite get this "way of life" malarkey.

 

I use traditional methods and vintage equipment to earn a crust as a weaver and upholsterer/restorer and am also a boater.

 

I certainly wouldn't expect "nearly every boater" to be buying fabric from me or getting their furniture reupholstered in order to support my chosen lifestyle indeed I have made a point of never advertising my wares on this forum.

 

Many coal merchants are traditional family firms that have been trading for generations...are they any less worthy recipients of your generosity than somebody who has bought an old work boat and fancies himself as a hobby coalman?

[mark99]

 

Many coal merchants are traditional family firms that have been trading for generations...are they any less worthy recipients of your generosity than somebody who has bought an old work boat and fancies himself as a hobby coalman?

 

 

There is a shop near us (Coal Merchant) that's been there for 200 years. Incredible.

[Fat Boat]

I have always wondered about running a bath boat

 

it is the one thing that I miss being on the boat, yes you could have one but the ones I have seen have been hip baths and my mate who fitted a full size one told me he only has 2" of water in it or he's running to the water point every week

 

Just thinking like the old wild west days, charge for time in the bath, top ups of hot water, sell home made soaps etc could do a beard shaving/trimming service

 

Would need some big old water tanks though:D

[John V]

 

 

Would need some big old water tanks though:D

 

canal water purification system???

[Fat Boat]

 

canal water purification system???

 

I like your thinking, is it possible to do that

[b0atman]

Oh for a nice soak after all day humping coal and diesel for those moaning boaters.

Oh sorry junior you have only got a Buckby can.

[mark99]

 

 

There is a shop near us (Coal Merchant) that's been there for 200 years. Incredible.

 

 

Just found out it's just closed!

 

http://www.dorkingandleatherheadadvertiser.co.uk/Leatherhead-business-close-201-years-family-runs/story-21192075-detail/story.html

Edited September 25, 2014 by mark99

[David Mack]

I have always wondered about running a bath boat

 

[Zig Zag]

 

Umm. No. As the proud owner of a bar/really expensive hobby I can tell you that it takes punters about three years to notice the premises have changed, are reasonably priced, keep the beer well and have a comprehensive range of drinks. So popping up at random points on the canal and expecting punters to abandon their locals in your favour ain't going to work. Then add in the logistics of disposing of all the beer after the customers have drunk it, arranging deliveries and that pretty much no one on the cut seems to drink fizzy keg beers, which as had been suggested is all you'll be able to stock.

Well I disagree. For starters, I drink in my local 5/6 times a week. It will always be my local but that doesn't stop me going in to diffrent pubs. I've traveled 100's if miles to go to a paticulor pub before that I've read about or I know has a beer on I wanna try. That doesnt stop me going back to my local. Also what about hoilday goers that pass and see you moored up?! As for deliverys, I never said it would be a simple. And maybe not if you're talking about the big brands like Greene King, marstons etc etc. but as for local brewerys, well the ones that I know. They are more than happy to travel to deliver there beers to a place that sell them. So of course would take some planning of aranging where and when youre going to be to take delivery of stock. And obviously would depending where you on the system that's who youd buy of off. As for range of products? I wasn't suggesting being a floating wheatherspoons. At the end of the day novelty value would have to come in to it.

Anyway it was just somthing that popped in to my head when was in the pub at the weekend.

 

Now to think how to stop the sediment issue.

[Athy]

Now to think how to stop the sediment issue.

 

[quote

 

 

Didn't somebody say "Don't let sediment get in the way of business"?

[KevMc]

Well I disagree. For starters, I drink in my local 5/6 times a week. It will always be my local but that doesn't stop me going in to diffrent pubs. I've traveled 100's if miles to go to a paticulor pub before that I've read about or I know has a beer on I wanna try. That doesnt stop me going back to my local. Also what about hoilday goers that pass and see you moored up?! As for deliverys, I never said it would be a simple. And maybe not if you're talking about the big brands like Greene King, marstons etc etc. but as for local brewerys, well the ones that I know. They are more than happy to travel to deliver there beers to a place that sell them. So of course would take some planning of aranging where and when youre going to be to take delivery of stock. And obviously would depending where you on the system that's who youd buy of off. As for range of products? I wasn't suggesting being a floating wheatherspoons. At the end of the day novelty value would have to come in to it.

Anyway it was just somthing that popped in to my head when was in the pub at the weekend.

 

Now to think how to stop the sediment issue.

 

Isn't it possible to buy ale ready for consumption that hasn't any sediment (fined I think its called) - ok it might make stock control more of an issue in that it doesn't keep as long as other ales but not impossible. I think this idea has legs. You'd want some stretches of canal without pubs but with a decent customer base and a fairly regular route you could probably build up a decent business.

[Zig Zag]

Yeah basically you can get ale bright or live.

So bright is basically with out sedi but then youre only really looking at 3 days of shelf life. Possible 2 to the decerning drinker.

 

And if you bought in Polly pins (like giant boxes of wine) yes they have less pints in but also cost a lot more.

Edited September 25, 2014 by The zig zag

[luctor et emergo]

Hang the barrels from a rack, gimbal stylee.