Very annoyed.

[dm6045]

Hi all first post on here and sorry its a bit of rant been following the forum now for over a year and thanks for everybody's great information.

 

Went to see a boat today that I've been interested in for some time and as my partner is 6'2 we need at least 6'3 headroom as a priority so the other day called up the brokerage (one that as far as im aware doesn't have a bad reputation) and spoke to the manager and asked about headroom and explained that as we're from the south coast it would be a 5 hour drive to get there and so would need to stay the night before in order to see it so i just wanted to make sure that it would have enough headroom and save a wasted journey. And was specifically told by said manager that he was 6'5 and had no problem standing up straight without touching the ceiling. So anyway booked a viewing for this morning and drove up and stayed last night. Arrived at the brokerage handed keys and get onboard and she was everything we hoped she would be an amalgamation of everything we've learned we want from all the others we have seen over the last year, apart that is from one small problem OH couldn't even come close to standing up and actually measured the headroom in the middle of the boat and was only a shade over 6' and that was without the doorways which protruded another inch or so. So unfortunately feeling very sad walked back to reception with OH livid to be told "oh you must of spoken to the manager unfortunately he's not here to see you. (does this mean that the manager regularly gives potential customers false information? ) so all in all a wasted journey, £120 of fuel and hotel fees wasted and a load of disappointment as had it not been for the headroom we'd of had her then and there. So unfortunately with winter stoppages looming and no way of getting it where we'd want it have to wait till march now.

 

Sorry for the rant just annoyed that a manager would give false information like that (surely you know if your 6'5 and weather or not you could stand up) after we told him what coming to see it would entail and that headroom was not an option.

 

Apologies again I had hoped my first post would be on a happier topic.

[Southern Star]

Sorry to hear that, in my experience some sales people will say anything in the hope of getting a sale, regardless of how much they mess other folk around.

[b0atman]

so not naming and shaming then

[bizzard]

The manager was probably standing in the bilge at an inspection hatch.

[bigste]

Being well over 6 foot. my gripe is the builders. A lot will do a good height, like 6ft 5in maybe but the main bed is often shorter. Bit pointless having a good headroom if you cannot sleep.

Edited October 10, 2015 by bigste

[Southern Star]

so not naming and shaming then

Five hour drive from the South coast, £120 in fuel... my guess would be somewhere in Northamptonshire.

[Guest]

so not naming and shaming then

I only personally have experience of one broker 'handing the keys over' and allowing unaccompanied viewings.

 

And that was Whilton. Of course there may be others. The problem with not actually being clear about who it was only leads to unhelpful speculation.

Edited October 10, 2015 by MJG

[dm6045]

It was in staffordshire, and I would happily name and shame in a pm but not publicly

[bizzard]

Five hour drive from the South coast, £120 in fuel... my guess would be somewhere in Northamptonshire.

61 years ago I could have run from the south coast to Northamptonshire in that time, unless you mean the Devonshire or Cornish coast.

[Guest]

It was in staffordshire, and I would happily name and shame in a pm but not publicly

If your experience is factually correct I dont understand the reluctance to name. You can't be sued for telling the truth. (As far as I know)

[Southern Star]

It was in staffordshire, and I would happily name and shame in a pm but not publicly

Well, it's not "naming and shaming", it is just giving feedback on a customer experience so as long as you posted in good faith it would simply be "fair comment".

[dm6045]

Ok it was Norbury Wharf and the boat was Harebell

[Southern Star]

The question of headroom is quite interesting. At 5'9" it's not really something I've ever had to consider but I suppose it must be a problem for taller folk. I'll measure the interior height of mine next time I'm aboard but I would guess that too is just a shade over 6'. I suppose the problem is that the more interior height you have, the greater the draft or the air draft has to be, each of which can cause its own problems. Still no excuse for the manager telling you a Big Whopper on the phone though.

[Guest]

Ok it was Norbury Wharf and the boat was Harebell

That helps. Because if somebody else sees this they can press on something specific that really matters to them.

 

Their web site is pants BTW as it appears hopelessly out of date, not only on stock but also the duff link to RoyScott who no longer provide loans for boat purchases.

[dm6045]

The question of headroom is quite interesting. At 5'9" it's not really something I've ever had to consider but I suppose it must be a problem for taller folk. I'll measure the interior height of mine next time I'm aboard but I would guess that too is just a shade over 6'. I suppose the problem is that the more interior height you have, the greater the draft or the air draft has to be, each of which can cause its own problems. Still no excuse for the manager telling you a Big Whopper on the phone though.

The standard does seem to be just over 6' but there are plenty out there that we've seen that are fine its always just been a case of calling and asking beforehand to check and up until now any of the brokerages all over the country that we've been to have always been able to give the answer which turned out to be true if they weren't sure they would check as they all say your not going to buy a boat you cant stand up in lol

That helps. Because if somebody else sees this they can press on something specific that really matters to them.

Their web site is pants BTW as it appears hopelessly out of date, not only on stock but also the duff link to RoyScott who no longer provide loans for boat purchases.

My reluctance was based on other forums where it can turn into a personal attack on the OP there website is bad but i have heard nothing else negative about them from anyone i have spoken too.

[Alan Saunders]

I have had excellent feedback by telephone from vendors when I emphasised the distance that I needed to travel to view a boat.

 

OTOH, I once bought a suit from a high street store and it was a poor fit. I had informed the the retired Saturday assistant that I was half an inch short of 5' 8" and he said "Oh no sir, I am 6' tall and you are taller than me".

 

In the centre corridor of my semi-vee, ala-springer, there is ample headroom. The back cabin of an imitation trad may have little over 5'!

 

Alan

[Delta9]

When I was looking to buy I spotted a boat I was interested in a boat at a brokerage up north. I emailed them several times asking a few specific questions and generally for more info as their website was pretty crap. I got no reply to the email and called the broker who told me he couldn't find the paperwork, he couldn't answer any of the questions I had and said I should just pop in and see the boat. He didn't want to make an appointment and said it was fine to pop by any time. My friend and I made the 3 hour drive there on a Saturday afternoon to take a look, only to find their office empty. After asking around the marina a bit we found out the brokerage was closed on weekends...

[harleyj]

When I was looking to buy I spotted a boat I was interested in a boat at a brokerage up north. I emailed them several times asking a few specific questions and generally for more info as their website was pretty crap. I got no reply to the email and called the broker who told me he couldn't find the paperwork, he couldn't answer any of the questions I had and said I should just pop in and see the boat. He didn't want to make an appointment and said it was fine to pop by any time. My friend and I made the 3 hour drive there on a Saturday afternoon to take a look, only to find their office empty. After asking around the marina a bit we found out the brokerage was closed on weekends...

You think that is tough, we are trying to buy a boat from the other side of the world. Even thought of flying over for the week. Talk about daunting!!!

[Delta9]

You think that is tough, we are trying to buy a boat from the other side of the world. Even thought of flying over for the week. Talk about daunting!!!

I was also buying from a distance and had flown over for a week of viewing boats. Fortunately i had lined up plenty of others to view and bought one on the fourth day of looking.

[Emerald Fox]

In the old days 200 years ago people were shorter so boats and bridges were made to fit.

Now there is too much cheap food and humans have grown too tall.

Us gnomes fit nice 'n' snug into little metal boxes

 

Would it be worth writing a letter in black & white to the seller? It helps to disperse the anger, anyway.

These people shouldn't be allowed to get away with tricks like this.

[blackrose]

The headroom in my widebeam is 6' 8" - 6' 9" in the centre and it has a very curved roof. Most of the narrowboats I've been on generally have a bit less. I think 6' 5" would be about the maximum on most narrowboats unless they had a very thick baseplate and no ballast.

[dm6045]

In the old days 200 years ago people were shorter so boats and bridges were made to fit.

Now there is too much cheap food and humans have grown too tall.

Us gnomes fit nice 'n' snug into little metal boxes

 

Would it be worth writing a letter in black & white to the seller? It helps to disperse the anger, anyway.

These people shouldn't be allowed to get away with tricks like this.

I have already sent an email to the manager got his direct email from the receptionist as yet no reply. But i quite agree with you I've learned that sometimes specs may be wrong at the brokers as a lot of it is done on trust from the seller but headroom is probably the easiest to check especially if it is there at the brokerage and not a remote sale.

The headroom in my widebeam is 6' 8" - 6' 9" in the centre and it has a very curved roof. Most of the narrowboats I've been on generally have a bit less. I think 6' 5" would be about the maximum on most narrowboats unless they had a very thick baseplate and no ballast.

It is harder to find but in general of all those that we have looked in the past year we have found that liverpools have the best headroom then there was a couple of measham boats and a colecraft that all measured up nicely we've found that its more common to get good headroom on something built in the last 10 years though

[alan_fincher]

It is harder to find but in general of all those that we have looked in the past year we have found that liverpools have the best headroom then there was a couple of measham boats and a colecraft that all measured up nicely we've found that its more common to get good headroom on something built in the last 10 years though

 

You are probably not looking that old, but the 20 year old Evans and Son boat we sold earlier this year had easily 6' 4" internal headroom. A Mike Heywood would would probably be similar, as it is effectively the same builder.

 

Of course this often means on a "typical" height modern hull that the cabin may appear an inch or two taller than the norm, which may not be to everybody's tastes, but a greater internal height will generally mean that either the hull, or the cabinsides (or of course both) may be a bit deeper than normal.

 

Our "Flamingo" also has masses of headroom, but being a conversion of a working boat wherre the hull sides alone are 4' 9" deep, that is hardly surprising!

[Guest]

 

You are probably not looking that old, but the 20 year old Evans and Son boat we sold earlier this year had easily 6' 4" internal headroom. A Mike Heywood would would probably be similar, as it is effectively the same builder.

 

Of course this often means on a "typical" height modern hull that the cabin may appear an inch or two taller than the norm, which may not be to everybody's tastes, but a greater internal height will generally mean that either the hull, or the cabinsides (or of course both) may be a bit deeper than normal.

 

Our "Flamingo" also has masses of headroom, but being a conversion of a working boat wherre the hull sides alone are 4' 9" deep, that is hardly surprising!

 

That reminded me of this boat on Rugby Boats.

 

http://rugbyboats.co.uk/brochure_pdfs//1396.pdf

 

Still on the market too OP.

[dm6045]

That reminded me of this boat on Rugby Boats.

 

http://rugbyboats.co.uk/brochure_pdfs//1396.pdf

 

Still on the market too OP.

Thanks, but if only budget would allow and dont really want a 70' because of moorings and liscence costs budget allows for a maximum of about 62' we really liked and tried to get a measham called Rosinante that is up at great haywood for £54,950 and thats our max budget but it desperately needs repainting its so bad you touch the cabin paint and it falls of so made an offer of £49,950 to allow for it and was rejected even though the boat has been up for sale since last october even the broker was surprised that they didnt take it, shame because the second bedroom would have been easy to turn into office for OH and an art studio for me. But im sure the right one will be out there at some point :-)