Aintree beetle/bug

[Tony1]

Just another thought, in case you haven't yet considered it- how about a brand new 57 footer with a 'Sailaway plus extras' type of spec?

The cheapest I could find was Lymm Marina Boat Sales, and they have a decent reputation from what I've seen here. The website is lmbs.co.uk I think.

 

I went through their 'extras' price list and tried to price up everything I thought was a must-have for a new boat- the idea being to have at least the key domestic systems installed and working, and leaving only some interior decoration and wood treatment to be done, pipework to be boxed in, some free standing furniture to buy, and some finishing jobs- the biggest of which would be the coach painting, which I would be prepared to tackle myself, rather than hand over 5k or more for it to be done by a pro.  

 

From what I could see and  based on my own requirements, I think you would be looking at paying a bit over 60k for a boat with all the important systems installed and running. It would be blacked and primed but not coach painted, it would have water tanks installed and plumbed in, all windows, doors and locks fitted, hot water and all the electrics running (including 3 batteries, 1000w inverter, and associated wiring), bathroom fully installed and working, diesel central heating plus radiators, a cooker and gas supply installed, basic kitchen units (or you might consider doing that yourself), fridge installed. Etc, etc.. You get the idea. 

 

So for maybe 5k more than the 40ft Beetle (which I saw advertised at 57k), you might get a 50-60ft boat with a basic but fully functional fitout. I don't know enough about the details of narrowboat systems to be confident in my guesstimate of 60k-ish, but its certainly worth a look if you are attracted to the idea of a new boat but don't have the 85-90k to pay for a fully-completed vessel.  

 

My own conclusion was that a 5-10 year old boat was probably still my best bet at around 50k, partly because I didnt want to pay the 60k for the bare functional boat and then end up spending another 20k on decorating, furnishing and finishing it,- but if my budget expands in the next 2 years I may well go back to the LMBS options when the time comes to purchase.

 

 

 

 

[Tony1]

At the risk of turning into your personal narrowboat-shopper (well ok, I already have), here is a almost brand new boat for just 60k: 

The thing that attracts me to this sort of purchase is that if you go down in price by only about 5k, the boats you are looking at are all at least 5 years old, with all the wear-and-tear that means on the boat systems. 

https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/pat-buckle-60-cruiser-stern/578249

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

17 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

At the risk of turning into your personal narrowboat-shopper (well ok, I already have), here is a almost brand new boat for just 60k: 

The thing that attracts me to this sort of purchase is that if you go down in price by only about 5k, the boats you are looking at are all at least 5 years old, with all the wear-and-tear that means on the boat systems. 

https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/pat-buckle-60-cruiser-stern/578249

 

 

Says sale agreed now

[Philip]

27 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

At the risk of turning into your personal narrowboat-shopper (well ok, I already have), here is a almost brand new boat for just 60k: 

The thing that attracts me to this sort of purchase is that if you go down in price by only about 5k, the boats you are looking at are all at least 5 years old, with all the wear-and-tear that means on the boat systems. 

https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/pat-buckle-60-cruiser-stern/578249

 

 

Thanks for all the info and help you've provided here, it's just that I should have mentioned I'm not looking for anything above 30-32 feet, since I'm not planning on living aboard, instead just using the boat for trips out and would like something I can turn anywhere and can trail. My cruiser is good for that really, it's just I don't know the cause of this hole and what its long term prospects are.

 

Do you know much about Sea Otters by any chance? They appeal to me since they're lightweight (good for single handing) and they do some short ones.

[Tony1]

To be honest Philip I wouldn't begin to pretend I have the sort of knowledge you need, I can only give you the ramblings of an inexperienced fellow 'shopper', but hopefully someone will post who has some real knowledge.

The one thing that I didn't like about used Sea Otters I've seen advertised is that they seem to command a price tag at least 10k higher than steel boats of a similar age and condition. 

The seem to be aluminium, so they wont corrode at the same rate or in the same way as steel boats- so one would imagine blacking might be needed less often than every 2/3 years perhaps? If thats true it could potentially add up to a significant cost saving over the term of you ownership of the boat. 

Whether you'd get back the extra 10k you might spend up front is another question?

Personally I'd avoid them, but only on the thinking that for the same money you are getting an older boat than if you bought a steel hulled vessel, and that means possibly older domestic systems that might need replacing or repairing that bit sooner than they would on the newer steel boat that would be your alternative purchase.  

But that's all guesswork to be honest, hopefully someone with real knowledge will enlighten us. 

To be honest though, if you want to trail it, another GRP cruiser does seem the best option- they don't all develop random mystery holes, so that issue is not something you're likely to see again in a hurry on a different boat. 

 

[Philip]

Thanks Tony, it's difficult to know what the best option is now. A nice new small steel boat has its attractions, but then transporting it out of the water would be difficult.

 

I have a question for anyone who owns or has owned an Aintree Beetle...is the weed hatch easy to access? Just going off the engine bay pictures I've seen, it looks as though the weed hatch is tucked away under the stern and not easy to reach just by lifting the deck board up.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Philip