Cheap boat -what am I missing?

[grannykins]

Good idea. Thank you

[RLWP]

Good idea. Thank you

 

Nobody needs a canal boat, so this part can be purely subjective. Go and see if you like the boat - you'll know if this is the boat for you pretty quickly

 

Richard

[OldGoat]

Athy, on 19 Jun 2016 - 10:24 AM, said:

Perhaps you mean that they have a distinctive, pleasing beat as they carry on working for year after year?

Yes, of course; how insensitive of me.

Perhaps less so if I had to spend hours charging batteries and not moving.

 

bizzard, on 19 Jun 2016 - 11:18 AM, said:

No trouble charging a large bank of batteries with an SR3, as long as it has the large diameter alternator drive pulley on the camshaft. There should be lots of room to fit a 70 or 90amp alternator or even two alternators, 'which it might already have', with a bit of simple adaption.

 

As 'we' have seen with the poor lady who could would not adapt her engine but complained at length that she couldn't charge her batteries sufficiently. If the engine has not been adapted - there could be some 'challenges'.

[grannykins]

Ok - the stress is over.

 

The boat did indeed speak to us!

 

It said 'RUN!' very loudly.

 

So we did. Very fast.

 

Better luck next time. Thanks again for everybodys help.

[Dave_P]

Ok - the stress is over.

 

The boat did indeed speak to us!

 

It said 'RUN!' very loudly.

 

So we did. Very fast.

 

Better luck next time. Thanks again for everybodys help.

What were the reasons?

[grannykins]

The hull seemed ok to look at - rust by the waterline which I would expect as it was overdue to be blacked. But for 4 years the boat has been connected full time to shore power, and he wasn't sure if there were any anodes either. For the last 12 months (hes had it for 5 years) the boat has been unoccupied.

 

The engine bay appeared dry. The engine started at the 3rd attempt, and wasn't as noisy as I was expecting. However it hadn't been serviced for over 5 years, and didn't charge the batteries at all. Though I would be planning to buy new batteries on any boat I get anyway.

 

A few signs of water leakage by the window frames and at various other places internally, although he claimed there were no leaks at all. One area by the side hatch there was a hole that went almost all the way through to the outside that was obviously rotted wood. I could put 3 fingers into it. No idea how far it extended.

 

Electrical systems set up for using only shore power. No systems in place for power generation at all whilst cruising. 240v fridge, water heater etc.

 

Internally lots of half done panelling/ roofing etc. The whole thing was filthy, smelly and tatty. I'm not the most house proud of people, but the shower and toilet almost made me vomit. (I kn ow cosmetic only, but obviously not a well cared for boat.) How can someone show people around places that are filthy? Certainly not 'ready to move onto' as claimed in the ad - not by a long way!

 

Got a bit worried at one stage - hubby is a d i y er, and the d i y gleam appeared in his eyes!

 

If he just wanted a project boat to tat around with for the next year or two, we might have offered 8k for it. But we want to be onboard before the onset of winter.

 

No way!

[W+T]

This was good in a way, you looked without being all dreamy and knew what to look for, wish i could do that lol. Sounds a lot to be done and although cheap by the sounds price reflects it.,

 

plenty more out there, good luck on the search

[Jo_]

Great example of the best of the forum & its population. You had done a lot of prep yourselves, came here & asked for everyone's help, ideas, thoughts etc. You took that with you to view, obviously did and looked at all the right things in the right way and reached sensible conclusions! What a great exercise. You'll be so so ready for the next boat that catches your eye!!

[magnetman]

Also a 70ft boat is a bit of a 'niche' as it only allows a certain amount of cruising range. perhaps better to look for a 55-60 footer if you intend to travel more widely. The extra space on a 70 footer is nice though.

 

Depends where you want to go.

[W+T]

Also a 70ft boat is a bit of a 'niche' as it only allows a certain amount of cruising range. perhaps better to look for a 55-60 footer if you intend to travel more widely. The extra space on a 70 footer is nice though.

 

Depends where you want to go.

 

 

Is 57 foot the best/easiest for locking as then you dont need to slant in some locks. you get around the full system in a 57 footer?

[magnetman]

I think so but I have not actually tried it. I seem to recall from information on here that 62ft will go most places (narrow boat).

 

My barge was built in Todmorden and it is 58ft (or might be 57ft) which I assume was so it would fit comfortably in the locks there. Its 12ft wide.

My boat is now down south so the designed length seems a bit pointless in a way as there are no restricted size locks available without a long coastal passage or a trip on a motorway.

[RichM]

Also a 70ft boat is a bit of a 'niche' as it only allows a certain amount of cruising range. perhaps better to look for a 55-60 footer if you intend to travel more widely. The extra space on a 70 footer is nice though.

 

Depends where you want to go.

 

I liveaboard a 55 footer nb. Imo it's on the small side for a liveaboard and I have to make do without quite a few things. For people looking to live aboard who are not accustomed to living in smaller spaces, I'd definitely recommend something bigger if it's within their means. Even with a bigger boat, there's still plenty of places on the canal system they can go.

 

 

Ok - the stress is over.

 

The boat did indeed speak to us!

 

It said 'RUN!' very loudly.

 

So we did. Very fast.

 

Better luck next time. Thanks again for everybodys help.

 

 

Sorry to hear it was a no go. Out of interest what put you off?

[RLWP]

Ok - the stress is over.

 

The boat did indeed speak to us!

 

It said 'RUN!' very loudly.

 

So we did. Very fast.

 

Better luck next time. Thanks again for everybodys help.

 

Well done - you've started looking for real now.

 

Where is the boat...

 

No - Sue would kill me

 

Richard

[magnetman]

 

I liveaboard a 55 footer nb. Imo it's on the small side for a liveaboard and I have to make do without quite a few things. For people looking to live aboard who are not accustomed to living in smaller spaces, I'd definitely recommend something bigger if it's within their means. Even with a bigger boat, there's still plenty of places on the canal system they can go.

I lived full time on a 55ft narrow boat for 10 years

 

It had a big engine room. At the time ut was just me and a dog - I found it quite satisfactory personally but then I do like small spaces I have to admit.

[Stilllearning]

I think you said there were 2of you and 2 dogs? In which case, if it were me making the choice, it would be for 70ft and don't worry about some canals you can't get to, there are plenty of others. You will be glad you chose 70ft, with the options for space to spread into and often full length boats are cheaper pro rata than 55 or 57ft ones.

[Dave_P]

The hull seemed ok to look at - rust by the waterline which I would expect as it was overdue to be blacked. But for 4 years the boat has been connected full time to shore power, and he wasn't sure if there were any anodes either. For the last 12 months (hes had it for 5 years) the boat has been unoccupied.

 

The engine bay appeared dry. The engine started at the 3rd attempt, and wasn't as noisy as I was expecting. However it hadn't been serviced for over 5 years, and didn't charge the batteries at all. Though I would be planning to buy new batteries on any boat I get anyway.

 

A few signs of water leakage by the window frames and at various other places internally, although he claimed there were no leaks at all. One area by the side hatch there was a hole that went almost all the way through to the outside that was obviously rotted wood. I could put 3 fingers into it. No idea how far it extended.

 

Electrical systems set up for using only shore power. No systems in place for power generation at all whilst cruising. 240v fridge, water heater etc.

 

Internally lots of half done panelling/ roofing etc. The whole thing was filthy, smelly and tatty. I'm not the most house proud of people, but the shower and toilet almost made me vomit. (I kn ow cosmetic only, but obviously not a well cared for boat.) How can someone show people around places that are filthy? Certainly not 'ready to move onto' as claimed in the ad - not by a long way!

 

Got a bit worried at one stage - hubby is a d i y er, and the d i y gleam appeared in his eyes!

 

If he just wanted a project boat to tat around with for the next year or two, we might have offered 8k for it. But we want to be onboard before the onset of winter.

 

No way!

Fair enough. I know this boat a bit, and to my mind, that's a hell of a lot of boat for the money, any way you slice it. If you're going to be looking at others in 15-20k bracket, it may take you a long time to find anything substantially better. A 15k boat is always going to be a fixer-upper and will have plenty of deficiencies. It's only when you get up to above 25k that you're likely to find something which doesn't require substantial work, and even then it's far more likely to be a smaller boat 45-50ft.

 

I know of a 40' wooden top which was in far worse nick than this one and needed a completely new cabin top and internal fit out almost straight away. It sold for 10k. The new owner must have spend around the same again to get it usable. So that's 20k for a 40' boat to be usable. I'd estimate the work needed on Redshank to get it ready for living and cruising would be around £1000 for the DIYer (2-3k if you get someone else to do it) if it doesn't need any overplating, and more of course if it does.

 

Good luck with the continued search.

 

Edited to add: signs of water damage around windows often indicate condensation rather than leakage. Either way, a leaky window is a fairly easy fix. Show me a 40 year old boat for 15k which doesn't have any water marks inside.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Dave_P

[Dave_P]

 

I liveaboard a 55 footer nb. Imo it's on the small side for a liveaboard and I have to make do without quite a few things. For people looking to live aboard who are not accustomed to living in smaller spaces, I'd definitely recommend something bigger if it's within their means. Even with a bigger boat, there's still plenty of places on the canal system they can go.

 

 

 

 

Sorry to hear it was a no go. Out of interest what put you off?

I live on a 55' and I'm wondering what you make do without? The only thing which a house typically has which I'm missing is a freezer and that's not for lack of space, it's more to do with power generation when I'm away from my mooring.

 

Many people live on boats a lot smaller than mine, there's a guy I know who lived in a boat which I'd estimate is around 18' until recently.

[grannykins]

Fair enough. I know this boat a bit, and to my mind, that's a hell of a lot of boat for the money, any way you slice it. If you're going to be looking at others in 15-20k bracket, it may take you a long time to find anything substantially better. A 15k boat is always going to be a fixer-upper and will have plenty of deficiencies. It's only when you get up to above 25k that you're likely to find something which doesn't require substantial work, and even then it's far more likely to be a smaller boat 45-50ft.

 

I know of a 40' wooden top which was in far worse nick than this one and needed a completely new cabin top and internal fit out almost straight away. It sold for 10k. The new owner must have spend around the same again to get it usable. So that's 20k for a 40' boat to be usable. I'd estimate the work needed on Redshank to get it ready for living and cruising would be around £1000 for the DIYer (2-3k if you get someone else to do it) if it doesn't need any overplating, and more of course if it does.

 

Good luck with the continued search.

 

Edited to add: signs of water damage around windows often indicate condensation rather than leakage. Either way, a leaky window is a fairly easy fix. Show me a 40 year old boat for 15k which doesn't have any water marks inside.

 

We will have a budget of somewhere about 40k in August. This is the first 'cheap' boat that we have looked at seriously - something about the photos attracted us. Dont know when they were taken though, as its a right state inside now. I know thats just cosmetic, and the windows would be easy, but the rotted wood was worrying, as the whole thing might need replacing. And the general air was of a very neglected and run down boat. Didnt want to spend 20-30k fixing up a 15k boat thats never going to be actually worth more than about 20 and be difficult to sell if we get to the point that we needed to come back on land. And we would like to be living on board before winter sets in. Both still working at the moment, with bits of work still doing on the house before we put it up for rent.

[Dave_P]

 

We will have a budget of somewhere about 40k in August. This is the first 'cheap' boat that we have looked at seriously - something about the photos attracted us. Dont know when they were taken though, as its a right state inside now. I know thats just cosmetic, and the windows would be easy, but the rotted wood was worrying, as the whole thing might need replacing. And the general air was of a very neglected and run down boat. Didnt want to spend 20-30k fixing up a 15k boat thats never going to be actually worth more than about 20 and be difficult to sell if we get to the point that we needed to come back on land. And we would like to be living on board before winter sets in. Both still working at the moment, with bits of work still doing on the house before we put it up for rent.

If you are going to have a 40k budget then my advice would be not to bother looking at 15k boats, It's a totally different market. If you were hoping to find a pristine boat for 15k but worth twice that then you perhaps were always going to be overly hopeful. When I peeped inside about half an hour ago, it looked exactly how I'd hope a decent 15k boat would look. I've seen boats going for a lot more in far worse internal condition. My favourite was one on sale at a well known marina. From memory it was around 27k and I was treated to the sight of what can only be described as 'strips of material over the bathroom floor which were smeared in sh*t' oh and a toilet cassette which was clearly overflowing. The whole boat stank. I can only presume that no marina staff had ever been inside the boat. Needless to say, I didn't buy the boat.

[GoodGurl]

 

We will have a budget of somewhere about 40k in August. This is the first 'cheap' boat that we have looked at seriously - something about the photos attracted us. Dont know when they were taken though, as its a right state inside now. I know thats just cosmetic, and the windows would be easy, but the rotted wood was worrying, as the whole thing might need replacing. And the general air was of a very neglected and run down boat. Didnt want to spend 20-30k fixing up a 15k boat thats never going to be actually worth more than about 20 and be difficult to sell if we get to the point that we needed to come back on land. And we would like to be living on board before winter sets in. Both still working at the moment, with bits of work still doing on the house before we put it up for rent.

you absolutely made the right choice, if you don't "feel"it it's not for you, good luck with finding your dream.

[Paul G2]

 

I know of a 40' wooden top which was in far worse nick than this one and needed a completely new cabin top and internal fit out almost straight away. It sold for 10k. The new owner must have spend around the same again to get it usable. So that's 20k for a 40' boat to be usable. I'd estimate the work needed on Redshank to get it ready for living and cruising would be around £1000 for the DIYer (2-3k if you get someone else to do it) if it doesn't need any overplating, and more of course if it does.

 

Good luck with the continued search.

 

 

 

Seriously? Just for starters, according to the OP, the boat has no electrical system other than shore power. The needed electrical system alone would cost more than £1000 for the parts.

[magnetman]

I've seen boats going for a lot more in far worse internal condition. My favourite was one on sale at a well known marina. From memory it was around 27k and I was treated to the sight of what can only be described as 'strips of material over the bathroom floor which were smeared in sh*t' oh and a toilet cassette which was clearly overflowing. The whole boat stank. I can only presume that no marina staff had ever been inside the boat. Needless to say, I didn't buy the boat.

Probably best to tape the toilet shut as if you have a lot of people viewing it like at Whilton or whatever then sods law is that someone is going to try using the onboard facilities. Possibly several people.

 

I am not poo-pooing the fact that the boat was basically badly presented but its up to the owner to make a bit of an effort.

 

Why would the marina give a sh't ? Their primary aim is to buy the boat off you cheap so they can tidy it up and sell it on anyway. Achieving a good price for the vendor is going to come second unless the boat is exceptional.

 

I agree with waiting for the £40k. Definitely.

Edited June 19, 2016 by magnetman

[Dave_P]

 

Seriously? Just for starters, according to the OP, the boat has no electrical system other than shore power. The needed electrical system alone would cost more than £1000 for the parts.

Depends which you mean by no system I guess. There's an inverter and batteries so there's clearly some kind of 12v system. Many boats cruise with the inverter on 24/7 so what electrical work is actually needed?

Probably best to tape the toilet shut as if you have a lot of people viewing it like at Whilton or whatever then sods law is that someone is going to try using the onboard facilities. Possibly several people.

 

I am not poo-pooing the fact that the boat was basically badly presented but its up to the owner to make a bit of an effort.

 

Why would the marina give a sh't ? Their primary aim is to buy the boat off you cheap so they can tidy it up and sell it on anyway. Achieving a good price for the vendor is going to come second unless the boat is exceptional.

 

I agree with waiting for the £40k. Definitely.

I'd always assumed the brokers received a percentage of the sale price. Perhaps I'm wrong.

[magnetman]

I think so yes but the maths seems to work out better in some cases if they deliberately make no effort to sell the boat then all of a sudden a low offer comes in and is accepted by the vendor.

 

Might this be a scam? Not sure how to prove it but I definitely think this happens.

 

Not on all sales obviously.

[Dave_P]

I think so yes but the maths seems to work out better in some cases if they deliberately make no effort to sell the boat then all of a sudden a low offer comes in and is accepted by the vendor.

 

Might this be a scam? Not sure how to prove it but I definitely think this happens.

 

Not on all sales obviously.

 

If I was selling and wanted a broker. I'd definitely go for one who was motivated to sell for the highest price possible, rather than one who just took a fixed fee.