Surveyor and hard-standing recommendations please (Bristol area)

[staszekimogen]

Hi all,

 

My partner and I are looking for a narrow boat which we plan to live on around the Bristol/Bath area. We're after surveyor recommendations as we're on a tight budget so can't afford to be caught out with buying a boat that needs lots of over-plating and drains all our funds that we've put aside to do an internal re-fit! We're looking at project narrow boats which need some or all of the interior fitting out.

 

Can anyone recommend a good surveyor to us please? we are interested in a few boats which are in different places round the country so it would need to be someone who will be wiling to travel.

 

Also we are looking for hard-standing in the Bristol area where we can do any work to the interior that is needed- does anyone know of anywhere with space and which allows full-time access?

 

thanks in advance, Imogen and Staszek

[Alan de Enfield]

If I might suggest you also take the time to investigate where you will finally keep the boat.

 

Residential moorings (liveaboard) are notoriously difficult to find and the area you mention is becoming a hot-spot for enforcement of 'illegally parked' boats.

 

Not knowing where you plan to moor - but - C&RT are having a real purge between Bath & Foxhangers and a number of boats have ready received 'overstaying' charges, and other boats told that their licences may not be renewed.

 

 

 

Good luck with your search.

[bigste]

It's no good looking for a surveyor until you find a boat. Surveyors will travel but only within their own limited area which will be somewhere within 50 or maybe 100 miles. Anything not local to them they will charge mileage for sure.

[sueb]

Have you thought of buying a boat in the area you want to live. Some come up for sale in Bristol but I believe moorings are expensive. If you do find a boat on moorings check with the authorities that the mooring is transferable. Suggest you find a mooring then a boat., you will then know where you need to find a surveyor.

Good luck.

[FadeToScarlet]

As other people have said, boats are mobile, so you can look at boats over the whole country pretty much- which can save you a fortune. Boats towards the lower end of the market tend to be very popular around liveaboard hotspots like London and Bath, because they're more affordable- and this drives prices up in those areas.

 

Keep an eye on Apollo duck, and the websites of the various brokers around the country- and, like houses, narrowboats tend to be cheaper the further north you go.

[craftycarper]

Hi all,

 

My partner and I are looking for a narrow boat which we plan to live on around the Bristol/Bath area. We're after surveyor recommendations as we're on a tight budget so can't afford to be caught out with buying a boat that needs lots of over-plating and drains all our funds that we've put aside to do an internal re-fit! We're looking at project narrow boats which need some or all of the interior fitting out.

 

Can anyone recommend a good surveyor to us please? we are interested in a few boats which are in different places round the country so it would need to be someone who will be wiling to travel.

 

Also we are looking for hard-standing in the Bristol area where we can do any work to the interior that is needed- does anyone know of anywhere with space and which allows full-time access?

 

thanks in advance, Imogen and Staszek

. Hello and welcome, all of what the others have said is true, but in answer to your question, I have had my boat done by Bob caldwell from Newport since I owned it, he also does all of my friends boats, he's a keen boater, very knowledgeable

[johnnie1uk]

Get hold of the monthly free paper "towpathtalk", In the classifieds section under surveyors there are ads with the areas that they cover for the whole country.

i picked a copy of the paper up at the hire base on the Somerset Coal canal.(off Dundas, K&A)

[dmr]

We are moored in Bristol right now and the harbourmaster patrols about once every two hours so unless you can find a way to get to the top of the long mooring waiting list there is no way to "unofficially" moor in Bristol.

Short term visitor mooring (two months maximum????) is about £30 per day depending on length.

The river Avon is no place to moor unless you are very experienced.

There are a couple of boats "squatting" on the semi tidal section and the harbour authorities are aware and concerned about how they will cope in the high spring tides this weekend!

CaRT are indeed clamping down on towpath mooring in the Bradford-Bath area with many boaters now needing to make visits to the East of Devizes to remain compliant. There are CaRT moorings in Claverton that come up for auction from time to time.

The surveyor is the least of your problems.

 

..............Dave

[MtB]

We are moored in Bristol right now and the harbourmaster patrols about once every two hours so unless you can find a way to get to the top of the long mooring waiting list there is no way to "unofficially" moor in Bristol.

Short term visitor mooring (two months maximum????) is about £30 per day depending on length.

The river Avon is no place to moor unless you are very experienced.

There are a couple of boats "squatting" on the semi tidal section and the harbour authorities are aware and concerned about how they will cope in the high spring tides this weekend!

CaRT are indeed clamping down on towpath mooring in the Bradford-Bath area with many boaters now needing to make visits to the East of Devizes to remain compliant. There are CaRT moorings in Claverton that come up for auction from time to time.

The surveyor is the least of your problems.

 

..............Dave

 

Yes there are. Lovely place, and one auction just finished on Monday. It was a leasure mooring with no facitlities and it went for a rent of £5,105 a year.

 

Just to give the OP an idea of the cost of moorings out that way.

 

 

MtB

[dmr]

 

Yes there are. Lovely place, and one auction just finished on Monday. It was a leasure mooring with no facitlities and it went for a rent of £5,105 a year.

 

Just to give the OP an idea of the cost of moorings out that way.

 

 

MtB

 

eek! what a lot of money. I thought they usually went quite cheaply, maybe the new enforcement regime is having an influence.

I noticed this year that Darlington wharf was almost empty, and Bath itself was not very busy till the Stag boats turned up.

 

.............Dave

[Dave Clinton]

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Edited April 15, 2015 by Dave Clinton

[MtB]

 

eek! what a lot of money. I thought they usually went quite cheaply, maybe the new enforcement regime is having an influence.

I noticed this year that Darlington wharf was almost empty, and Bath itself was not very busy till the Stag boats turned up.

 

.............Dave

 

 

Yes, Five years ago when enforcement was unheard of, yes.

 

Now I reckon the enforcement effort is paying for itself in the resulting stratospheric legitimate mooring fees.

[staszekimogen]

Hi all,

 

Firstly thanks to those who replied to our question about surveyours- 'crafty carper'- we tried Bob Caldwell but he doesnt travel outside his area and the boat we found is in Devizes but was a good suggestion.

 

We went with Charles Riley for our survey in the end who was really helpful during and after the survey process and gave us a really clear and extensive survey report- we highly recommend him to those looking to get a survey done.

 

I appreciate peoples other advice about moorings etc though thats not what we were asking about in our post. I am aware that people enter into buying a boat without any understanding of the many challenges it will bring but it shouldnt be assumed that every new boater posting in here falls into this category. My partner was brought up on boats and we have many friends living on the waterways so have a clear first-hand view of all the good and bad stuff that comes with continuously cruising etc!