BUYING MY FIRST BOAT, PLEASE ADVISE ME

[MtB]

 

Or accept you'll have to live life on the move under pain of getting your license rescinded: Can you please tell me more about that?

 

 

To get a license you need to either rent a mooring (for £10k a year is in London!) OR 'continuously cruise'.

 

Continuously cruising ('CC'ing) is hard to define legally and there are endless arguments on here about what it means, but there is a big clue in in the term. You'll get the idea I think....

Edited July 27, 2015 by Mike the Boilerman

[RLWP]

 

Or accept you'll have to live life on the move under pain of getting your license rescinded: Can you please tell me more about that?

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/mooring/want-to-be-a-continuous-cruiser

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing/enforcement

 

Richard

[Athy]

 

I think that is very doubtful. If you are looking for a boat to appreciate in value like a house does you invariably will be disappointed.

...unless you buy one which is scruffy but sound, and spend time and effort repainting, reupholstering, replacing carpets etc.

[BoatNoob]

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/mooring/want-to-be-a-continuous-cruiser

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing/enforcement

 

Richard

Thanks for the link

[MtB]

...unless you buy one which is scruffy but sound, and spend time and effort repainting, reupholstering, replacing carpets etc.

 

 

Even then, the financial return is probably less good (in terms of money earned per hour spent doing the work) than doing the same number of hours as ovetime in the day job.

Probably far more enjoyable though!

[Guest]

...unless you buy one which is scruffy but sound, and spend time and effort repainting, reupholstering, replacing carpets etc.

 

Debatable, it may appreciate a bit but not enough to impact much on trying to get on the ladder in London I would say.

 

Anyway I see what the OP is saying. By not spending money on rent they can save more towards buying property - which makes more sense than relying on the boat to increase in value.

[BoatNoob]

 

Debatable, it may appreciate a bit but not enough to impact much on trying to get on the ladder in London I would say.

 

Anyway I see what the OP is saying. By not spending money on rent they can save more towards buying property - which makes more sense than relying on the boat to increase in value.

Exactly, plus I am really looking forward to live life on the slow lane

[MtB]

One thing no-one has said yet, is this question pops up about once a week on here, so have a look back through the old threads, there is tonnes of discussion on the exact questions you are asking. Loads of detail. Use the 'search' button above ^^^ .

Exactly, plus I am really looking forward to live life on the slow lane

 

 

Oh dear. Where do you think this slow lane is, exactly?

[RLWP]

 

Once upon a time, folk used to come on here, dewy-eyed saying 'I'm going to buy a boat boat and live on it, it's going to be wonderful'. The dull and useful following posts usually went along the lines of 'Lovely - have you actually been on a canal boat before?' This was then followed by some reality checks about toilets, water, gas, diesel, electricity, mud, dark winters, etc. etc.

 

Those seem to be golden, far-off days now when Continuous Cruising and Enforcement often become the first topics of discussion

 

Anyway - where were we?

 

Richard

[Beaker]

One thing no-one has said yet, is this question pops up about once a week on here, so have a look back through the old threads, there is tonnes of discussion on the exact questions you are asking. Loads of detail. Use the 'search' button above ^^^ .

 

 

Do you have to talk in metric?

[MtB]

 

Once upon a time, folk used to come on here, dewy-eyed saying 'I'm going to buy a boat boat and live on it, it's going to be wonderful'. The dull and useful following posts usually went along the lines of 'Lovely - have you actually been on a canal boat before?' This was then followed by some reality checks about toilets, water, gas, diesel, electricity, mud, dark winters, etc. etc.

 

Those seem to be golden, far-off days now when Continuous Cruising and Enforcement often become the first topics of discussion

 

Anyway - where were we?

 

Richard

 

 

London, according to the OP. Hence the direction of discussion.

[brassedoff]

That's more in the sense that I won't spend 10k plus a year on rent

 

Hey BoatNoob, I will be on the water too very soon

 

Wishing well with getting your Boat and enjoying a different lifestyle.

 

Their is lots of good advice on here that will hopefully save us a fortune in the future.

Edited July 27, 2015 by brassedoff

[Beaker]

 

 

London, according to the OP. Hence the direction of discussion.

 

Darn sarf.

[MtB]

 

Do you have to talk in metric?

 

 

well last time I wrote 'ton', someone pointed out we went metric in 1972!

[RLWP]

 

 

London, according to the OP. Hence the direction of discussion.

 

Oh yes - Mash and eels, hows-you-father, Lord Sewel. That place

 

Richard

[MtB]

 

Oh yes - Mash and eels, hows-you-father, Lord Sewel. That place

 

Richard

 

 

Fascinating place. Although it's a load of joined up different places actually.

[BoatNoob]

 

Hey BoatNoob, I will be on the water too very soon

 

Wishing well with getting your Boat and enjoying a different lifestyle.

 

Their is lots of good advice on here that will hopefully save us a fortune in the future.

Thanks brassedoff, wishing you well too!

[Guest]

Thanks for the link

 

Some of this you may feel is coming across a bit negative or trying to pee on your parade, however this is not the case. People are providing you with a reality check and making sure you enter this with eyes wide open. It appears that a lot of people go into this without the faintest idea (particularly with regard to how seriously CRT are taking the enforcement issue these days), that is the biggest threat to your proposed lifestyle and if you don't adhere to the rules you will end losing your boat ie home. This will either because you will get fed up of the Trust chasing you and end up selling it (at a loss probably) or because the Trust take the enforcement process to it's conclusion and you lose your boat ie home.

 

I would say before you take any drastic action like buying a boat you would do well to make contact with some London boaters (through the FB page Richard put up) and speak to them face to face.

 

It's not much of a slow lane if you have got the Trust on your back, so be fully aware of your obligations about moving enough before the Trust start to point out to you that you aren't.

[Athy]

 

 

Even then, the financial return is probably less good (in terms of money earned per hour spent doing the work) than doing the same number of hours as overtime in the day job.

Probably far more enjoyable though!

Yes, but not everyone has the scope to earn extra money for working extra hours. As a schoolmaster I certainly didn't.

[MtB]

 

Some of this you may feel is coming across a bit negative or trying to pee on your parade, however this is not the case. People are providing you with a reality check and making sure you enter this with eyes wide open. It appears that a lot of people go into this without the faintest idea (particularly with regard to how seriously CRT are taking the enforcement issue these days), that is the biggest threat to your proposed lifestyle and if you don't adhere to the rules you will end losing your boat ie home. This will either because you will get fed up of the Trust chasing you and end up selling it (at a loss probably) or because the Trust take the enforcement process to it's conclusion and you lose your boat ie home.

 

I would say before you take any drastic action like buying a boat you would do well to make contact with some London boaters (through the FB page Richard put up) and speak to them face to face.

 

It's not much of a slow lane if you have got the Trust on your back, so be fully aware of your obligations about moving enough before the Trust start to point out to you that you aren't.

 

 

^^^ This ^^^

 

Conversation has swerved onto CCing Vs getting a mooring because this is BY FAR the most important aspect of the plans you have outlined so far. Far more important than the risk you mention of buying a boat and finding everything on it breaks two weeks later.

 

You state in Post 8 you are fully aware of the cruising requirements for boats without a home mooring but it looks to some of us as though you are barely aware at all.

 

Perhaps you could clarify please...

[Athy]

 

Debatable, it may appreciate a bit but not enough to impact much on trying to get on the ladder in London I would say.

 

 

It may well appreciate a bit - I have done this and can assure you that there is some profit to be made. Combine this with, as you have pointed out, savings on rent and council tax and a person should be able to put regular money in the bank to save up for their deposit on a flat or house, provide of course that they have a wage or salary coming in.

[Guest]

Yes, but not everyone has the scope to earn extra money for working extra hours. As a schoolmaster I certainly didn't.

 

Two jobs?

 

That is what my son in law did (one in Maccy D's but somehow don't think that line of work would suit you)

[MtB]

 

Two jobs?

 

That is what my son in law did (one in Maccy D's but somehow don't think that line of work would suit you)

 

Good point. School master is a part time job anyway isn't it?

 

[BoatNoob]

 

 

^^^ This ^^^

 

Conversation has swerved onto CCing Vs getting a mooring because this is BY FAR the most important aspect of the plans you have outlined so far. Far more important than the risk you mention of buying a boat and finding everything on it breaks two weeks later.

 

You state in Post 8 you are fully aware of the cruising requirements for boats without a home mooring but it looks to some of us as though you are barely aware at all.

 

Perhaps you could clarify please...

 

I am no interested in a mooring and I am more interested in moving my boat on the regular.

I am not fully aware of legal repercussion as Alan de Enfield put it (post 25).That is something I am going to have to research and that is the reason I posted this thread.

 

MJG

 

Some of this you may feel is coming across a bit negative: Not at all. This is exactly what I wanted out of that thread, get a dose of reality.

 

 

 

I will be sure to comply with all the regulations but that is not something that scares me. Getting a broken boat scares me more

[RLWP]

OK, you are looking into the CC requirements - that's good

 

So, what's your boating experience so far?

 

Richard