Ex-Hire Boats...

[BlueStringPudding]

Not true! We secretly covet the kitchen gadgets as well (or is that just me).

 

Kev hates the kitchen gadget bit. I love it. I still have my IKEA tea leaf infusing device (that looks kind of like a metal seive pacman) which I've never used except to "bite" Kev with when he's doing the washing up... if he's doing the washing up!!! (Thinks: Maybe I should stop attacking him with the metal pacman...?)

[Ian_L]

I have just bought a 70 ft Black Prince Hire Boat built in 2001. It had one owner between me and BP and he ripped out all the berths and bulkheads, made an absolute mess of it and gave up. He paid 43k for it in 2005 and because he didn't put the work in (for what ever reason... there could be a host of personal reasons) he lost out to the tune of 6k when he sold it to me for 37k. Alvechurch were the brokers and I found the Marina Manager balanced and fair in his dealings with us. In fact, during the first week of gutting the boat he has been excellent with his advice, but very pushed to complete the work I wanted to pay his engineers to complete. The boat had a reasonable survey and its main problem has it has not been looked after for the last 2 years so there are one or two things on the services that need attendion as well as an internal refit. I am also upgrading the electrics. Incidentally, if anyone wants a very good surveyor, with a mind-numbingly attention to detail, then message me and I'll give you the details. The Marina Manager said he spent a full day on the survey, his fee was £455. Well worth it in my view.

 

Our plan is to drive it nearer home from Alvechurch to Stratford upon Avon this weekend, spend the next six weeks fitting it out and then drive it to its new moorings in London... an adventure for us as we are novices. We have spent four months researching though and we (my son and I) will have completed a helmsman's and diesel engine maintenance course. One tip re ex-hireboats from our surveyor: don't take any notice of the hours that the engine has supposed to have run. They don't mean a thing. The hire company engineers frequently whip an engine out on a mid-week morning and replace it with another workinging one rather than look to repair a fault on the boat. So your engine could have done twice or half as much... or any number you can think of. His view of Black Prince was that they generally look after their fleet and the hull on this boat is good and built from a good grade steel.

 

Now, one or two thoughts from you seasoned boaters if you could... my surveyor has measured the boat length (he says excluding fenders) at 71feet. My internet research has produced one 70ft narrow lock on the Stratford Canal, my chats with other boaters on the Stratford Canal has not produced any problems. Again the internet tells me there is a 70ft lock on the Leicester Stretch of the G.U. though as this appears to be a wide lock, I should be able to go in diagonally. I am concerned about hanging he stern on cills and the bow on lock gates. My helmsmans course has dealt with the theory of this but I am about to put this into practise soon so wish me well.

 

Cheers

Ian

[carlt]

Now, one or two thoughts from you seasoned boaters if you could... my surveyor has measured the boat length (he says excluding fenders) at 71feet. My internet research has produced one 70ft narrow lock on the Stratford Canal, my chats with other boaters on the Stratford Canal has not produced any problems. Again the internet tells me there is a 70ft lock on the Leicester Stretch of the G.U. though as this appears to be a wide lock, I should be able to go in diagonally. I am concerned about hanging he stern on cills and the bow on lock gates. My helmsmans course has dealt with the theory of this but I am about to put this into practise soon so wish me well.

 

Cheers

Ian

You'll have no problems. My boats are 71'6" and can go through all full length locks. The former hotel boat mabel was accidentally rebuilt at 73' when she was motorised (Doh!) and has done the Stratford many times.

[mayalld]

Afternoon, I have curtains!!!! I mean I have curtains to sell!!!, they a lovely, we have recently changed our curtains on our 47 ft ex Silsdens boats hire boat(although she was only hired for 5 months), the curtains are 4 sets of short, beautifully hand made and lined, and one pair longer for the front of the boat, I will measure them and maybe can e-mail a pic, of course depending on how many windows you have!!!

Wendy Mr Jinks

 

Aha, the *other* Mr Jinks :-)

 

When we decided on a boat name, there was no other Mr Jinks registered, but blow me if Silsden didn't name their new boat Mr Jinks at about the same time as we named ours (BW registrations are only about 300 apart)

[BlueStringPudding]

The Marina Manager said he spent a full day on the survey, his fee was £455. Well worth it in my view.

Blimey! Bargain. My surveyor charged over £700 (plus haul-out charges) and on the written report got the location of the gas locker wrong (apparently it's in the portside stern locker... our boat doesn't have any stern lockers! The gas bottles are in the bow locker!!! Oh and he told us it had no anchor, when it's got the biggest anchor in the universe in side bow locker) Can't help but wonder if he was looking at the right boat.

Our plan is to drive it nearer home from Alvechurch to Stratford upon Avon this weekend, spend the next six weeks fitting it out...

Snap!!! That'll be two ex-BP bpats being tarted up in Stratford then! Edited July 12, 2007 by BlueStringPudding

[StoneHenge]

Mine in Leicestershire, and we see loads of BP boats going past.

 

I have to say we are happy with ours. As with all hire boats, the fit out wasn't the best of the best, but it did the job until we had time to change it. We wanted the cabins as we have two children, but we totally refitted the saloon and galley, as the two sided fixed seating took up too much room. so that went and we have a lovely sofa in there now, and a galley that is both sides where as most BP I've seen are a 'U' shape on one side.

 

We took out all the shelving etc there too, so it's all open plan right up to the bathroom which gives a nice sense of space.

 

The body work was fine, but I have spent some time repainting the bow, stern and gunnels as there were was rust patches and paintwork flaking, so it will look nice and neat for the winter.

 

I have to say I am happy with mine though. I was going to buy another ex hire boat, but when I realised all the inevitable problems and money, I went with this, purely because it's age meant it had less bashing done to it, they only hire them for 2 years at most, so it's something I haven't regretted.

[Mr Jinks]

Aha, the *other* Mr Jinks :-)

 

When we decided on a boat name, there was no other Mr Jinks registered, but blow me if Silsden didn't name their new boat Mr Jinks at about the same time as we named ours (BW registrations are only about 300 apart)

 

Hello, Actually Silsden didn't name the boat, their fllet are all called Drummer girl/bot/something, so we re -registered it, beacuse our sur name is Jinkins!!

 

Small world isn't it

 

Wendy