Newboat swap-outs

[1233jackb]

Hello their! This is my fist post on here, and i would like to apologise in advance if A. thees are stupid questions and are just ridiculous ? B. Theyve already been asked and im just too lazy to croll through all the millions of other posts. 

 

Anyways with that out of the way, I have 3 questions -> Abit of background , ive been looking at narrowboats and have decided that its a cheaper alternative to buying a house and i just think its a more quirky way and cooler way of living. So ive been looking at boats for sale, i think ive found one - typically a new boat but it will do for now to base my research on. 

 

I think at the moment its the ideal boat for me, however it has 3 things i would like to change on it and i was wandering if theese were possible / reasonable, and how much you reckon it would cost to carry out such changes. theese are;

 

1. it has a cassete toilet. I know, right now, without any doubt, what-so-ever i want a pump out. (we already have a caravan with a cassette toilet i have to empty, thats plenty enough trauma for me thanks! - i am aware of the pros and cons of both but i just prefer pump-out. so is it possible to convert a cassete toilet into a pump-out? I know their has to be space for a black tank but is it possible for this to be fitted?

 

2. It also has no cratch cover at all, is it possible to fit one?

 

3. Finally it has a solid fuel stove ( like solid fuel stoves dont get me wrong) However im interested in theese diesel stoves as its just one less cost having to buy coal and wood etc. can i saqp out the solid fuel stove for a diesel one?

 

If your interested, this is the boat im basing myself on; (http://newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boats-for-sale/949) , i really like it. And it has everything that i would want on it already. Apart from the above.

 

Can you help me out ?

 

Best regards Jack 

 

- BTW if your about to post nothing but flames, anger and rage... please don't, I'm looking for constructive answers only - Thanks  

 

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by Athy
Removing abusive language.

[Alan de Enfield]

23 hours ago, 1233jackb said:

 

 

Best regards Jack 

 

- BTW if your about to post nothing but flames, anger and rage... please don't, im looking for constructive answers only - Thanks  

 

 

 

Welcome to the forum - how to make friends and influence people - you'll go far (but for some not far enough)

Edited June 17, 2018 by Athy

[Boater Sam]

Sadly another hopeful with a head full of steam and a potty mouth, I can easily ignore folk like this. Please don't buy a boat, if you do, keep away from me. You are ignored.

[Tony Brooks]

1.Depends upon what type you want but providing you have space for the lack tank and your electrical/charging system cab cope (except for dump throughs) then its more than possible. Can't give a price until we know how much work it will be to fit. Say £2500 as an idea and that could be well out either way.

 

2. Yes but you will need the triangular front board and a top board. I made mine. The cost will to a degree depend upon how much work is involved e.g. Just a roll up cover or one that stays in place but has roll up zipped side panels, Windows in the sides or not.

 

3. Yes, but if cost is a problem why swap the cheapest boat heating for a more expensive one? Diesel will only keep on going up in price. There is also a question if its sensible to get a tall enough flue on the boat to get optimum draw and thus a clean diesel burn. Have a look at the flue length on the Bubble demo caravan.

[roland elsdon]

Itll cost a fortune to put in a pump out. You need a space for the tank and to be able to hide the pipe. You have to cut the hull the internal linings and find a big space. Thats why boats are designed early on with them . Its later they get removed as reality strikes

2 it has central heating from gas yes you can change the solid fuel for oil but again you need a tank plumbing and pipework. The central heating while expensive will distribute heat better and you will need it for hw.

 

a deckboard plank and top plank is easy.

 

the electrics appear reasonable if you watch usage but you will be charging every other day off mains especially if you use the central heating

 

 

 

 

[zenataomm]

23 hours ago, 1233jackb said:

 

 

- BTW if your about to post nothing but flames, anger and rage... please don't, im looking for constructive answers only - Thanks  

 

 

Nice!

Edited June 17, 2018 by Athy

[OldGoat]

Nothing special about that boat. At that price why not find something with all the bits you need?

[1233jackb]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

1.Depends upon what type you want but providing you have space for the lack tank and your electrical/charging system cab cope (except for dump throughs) then its more than possible. Can't give a price until we know how much work it will be to fit. Say £2500 as an idea and that could be well out either way.

 

2. Yes but you will need the triangular front board and a top board. I made mine. The cost will to a degree depend upon how much work is involved e.g. Just a roll up cover or one that stays in place but has roll up zipped side panels, Windows in the sides or not.

 

3. Yes, but if cost is a problem why swap the cheapest boat heating for a more expensive one? Diesel will only keep on going up in price. There is also a question if its sensible to get a tall enough flue on the boat to get optimum draw and thus a clean diesel burn. Have a look at the flue length on the Bubble demo caravan.

 

1 hour ago, roland elsdon said:

Itll cost a fortune to put in a pump out. You need a space for the tank and to be able to hide the pipe. You have to cut the hull the internal linings and find a big space. Thats why boats are designed early on with them . Its later they get removed as reality strikes

2 it has central heating from gas yes you can change the solid fuel for oil but again you need a tank plumbing and pipework. The central heating while expensive will distribute heat better and you will need it for hw.

 

a deckboard plank and top plank is easy.

 

the electrics appear reasonable if you watch usage but you will be charging every other day off mains especially if you use the central heating

 

 

 

 

Thank-you all very much. So sounds to me that i need to find a boat that already has a pump-out loo fitted, Thats cool. I did realise that it would be a pretty major job, and would probably need some quite major structural changes to the boat.  

1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Nothing special about that boat. At that price why not find something with all the bits you need?

Its not a boat i was intending to buy as such, i was just one i rather liked. I thought it was a reasonable price for a new boat with all the kit that was included.  

 

No thats ace, Thank-you very much people appreciate you all finding the time to respond   

2 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

Sadly another hopeful with a head full of steam and a potty mouth, I can easily ignore folk like this. Please don't buy a boat, if you do, keep away from me. You are ignored.

Not quite sure how you can say i have a head full of steam as you've never met me? 

Also; a potty mouth? not really, i was trying to deter people like yourself from bothering to comment ?

 

 

[WotEver]

38 minutes ago, 1233jackb said:

Its not a boat i was intending to buy as such, i was just one i rather liked. I thought it was a reasonable price for a new boat with all the kit that was included

But if you don’t want the kit that’s included but would prefer a list of different kit that’s not included then it’s not a reasonable price, surely?

[1233jackb]

19 hours ago, WotEver said:

But if you don’t want the kit that’s included but would prefer a list of different kit that’s not included then it’s not a reasonable price, surely?

A fair point yes. However i was just wandering if i was to be a serious buyer, (im not at this point, im just looking) would this boat be a reasonable choice or not. I know that when you by a boat each person likes to make their own little personal changes to it. - I appreciate that installing that type of toilet would not be no simple task however for everything else the boat has, it seemed rather good. 

The boat in question is obviously one thats built to a template, which i dont mind. I has a really nice kitchen area, decent saloon area, a separated bathroom. all things im looking for in a future boat. 

 

BTW: I love the name of your boat, made me chuckle ?  Thanks for commenting  

[Athy]

Welcome to the forum, Jack. I have done some minor editing to the last line of your first post, as I feel it will enhance your chances of getting the positive responses which you seek.

[1233jackb]

5 minutes ago, Athy said:

Welcome to the forum, Jack. I have done some minor editing to the last line of your first post, as I feel it will enhance your chances of getting the positive responses which you seek.

 

? Thank-you very much I see what you've done! Im a member of a fair few different forums (Some very different topics)  and ive found that their tends to be a fair few people who have little of any use to say, so i tend to be abit brutal! - My apologies. Clearly this is a slightly different crowd to what im used to!  

 

I can assure everyone im quite pleasant but i tend to be abit blunt at times so i can get a definitive answer  

 

[adam1uk]

That’s a boat fitted out by a small firm.  If you search the guy’s name you’ll find his Facebook page.

 

if you particularly like his work, why not get in touch with him and ask if he ever does boat’s with the things you want, and if so how much would it cost.  Builders like this often just build boats on spec and then put the up for sale, but they often make each boat different and might be open to building one to your requirement.  This may, however, result in you having to sign a contract on a yet-to-be-built boat, and making stage payments etc.

[mrsmelly]

On 16/06/2018 at 18:49, 1233jackb said:

Hello their! This is my fist post on here, and i would like to apologise in advance if A. thees are stupid questions and are just ridiculous ? B. Theyve already been asked and im just too lazy to croll through all the millions of other posts. 

 

Anyways with that out of the way, I have 3 questions -> Abit of background , ive been looking at narrowboats and have decided that its a cheaper alternative to buying a house and i just think its a more quirky way and cooler way of living. So ive been looking at boats for sale, i think ive found one - typically a new boat but it will do for now to base my research on. 

 

I think at the moment its the ideal boat for me, however it has 3 things i would like to change on it and i was wandering if theese were possible / reasonable, and how much you reckon it would cost to carry out such changes. theese are;

 

1. it has a cassete toilet. I know, right now, without any doubt, what-so-ever i want a pump out. (we already have a caravan with a cassette toilet i have to empty, thats plenty enough trauma for me thanks! - i am aware of the pros and cons of both but i just prefer pump-out. so is it possible to convert a cassete toilet into a pump-out? I know their has to be space for a black tank but is it possible for this to be fitted?

 

2. It also has no cratch cover at all, is it possible to fit one?

 

3. Finally it has a solid fuel stove ( like solid fuel stoves dont get me wrong) However im interested in theese diesel stoves as its just one less cost having to buy coal and wood etc. can i saqp out the solid fuel stove for a diesel one?

 

If your interested, this is the boat im basing myself on; (http://newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boats-for-sale/949) , i really like it. And it has everything that i would want on it already. Apart from the above.

 

Can you help me out ?

 

Best regards Jack 

 

- BTW if your about to post nothing but flames, anger and rage... please don't, I'm looking for constructive answers only - Thanks  

 

 

Hi Jack

Listen to everyone on here then take heed!!

Its 100k. Its very shiney, in a year or two it will not be so shiney. It is second hand the day you buy it and becomes an 80k boat. Do your self a favour buy a lovely secondhand ( Thats the term that we used for years till the bullshit term pre owned came in) boat for about 60k and with the fittings you already want and live with it for a year and find out what you realy like/need and spend the other 40k on something sensible like err beer 

Edited June 17, 2018 by mrsmelly

[MtB]

1 hour ago, 1233jackb said:

Im a member of a fair few different forums (Some very different topics)  and ive found that their tends to be a fair few people who have little of any use to say, so i tend to be abit brutal! - My apologies. Clearly this is a slightly different crowd to what im used to!  

 

I can assure everyone im quite pleasant but i tend to be abit blunt at times so i can get a definitive answer  

 

 

You say this, but start off in your first post saying you can't be bothered to search the forum. Not a great way of encouraging constructive replies. 

 

My advice would be buy a cheap(ish) boat to start with (say £25k) and just use it for a year or two. This way you'll learn what you really want in a boat. Until you've owned one, you won't know and your views and wants will change with experience. Trust me on this. You could easily blow £25k anyway making the changes you describe to the boat you like and then changing it back again later 

 

One further point, how do you think the pump-out tank gets emptied? Cassettes are not pleasant but pump-outs are worse. People seem to have to poke about through the bog hole with sticks and hoses to loosen the 'solids' when pumping out. Lovely! I've also had a bloke standing behind me in a marina near the pump-out and covered in effluent after a piumping out 'incident'. He was fuming in more ways then one lol!

 

[reg]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

Welcome to the forum, Jack. I have done some minor editing to the last line of your first post, as I feel it will enhance your chances of getting the positive responses which you seek.

Virtual greenie 

[OldGoat]

12 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

You say this, but start off in your first post saying you can't be bothered to search the forum. Not a great way of encouraging constructive replies. 

 

My advice would be buy a cheap(ish) boat to start with (say £25k) and just use it for a year or two. This way you'll learn what you really want in a boat. Until you've owned one, you won't know and your views and wants will change with experience. Trust me on this. You could easily blow £25k anyway making the changes you describe to the boat you like and then changing it back again later 

 

One further point, how do you think the pump-out tank gets emptied? Cassettes are not pleasant but pump-outs are worse. People seem to have to poke about through the bog hole with sticks and hoses to loosen the 'solids' when pumping out. Lovely! I've also had a bloke standing behind me in a marina near the pump-out and covered in effluent after a piumping out 'incident'. He was fuming in more ways then one lol!

 

Must have a badly designed unit then - perhaps one where the discharge point is on the gunnel?

Our two go through the roof (!) and the only challenge is getting both loos pumped out with one ticket..

Design dear boy, design.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, OldGoat said:

Must have a badly designed unit then - perhaps one where the discharge point is on the gunnel?

Our two go through the roof (!) and the only challenge is getting both loos pumped out with one ticket..

Design dear boy, design.

 

All I know was the boat was a Hudson, and the butler was doing the pump-out for him (or it may have been the yard staff) which made it all the funnier, and he was seething with rage!

[OldGoat]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

All I know was the boat was a Hudson, and the butler was doing the pump-out for him (or it may have been the yard staff) which made it all the funnier, and he was seething with rage!

Ah! Upper Class poo is much more solid that everyone  else's  - or were there some rivets in it? 

[Athy]

2 hours ago, OldGoat said:

Ah! Upper Class poo is much more solid that everyone  else's  - or were there some rivets in it? 

No, but he was a washer afterwards.

[X Alan W]

There are many boats for sale the original was certainly not good value for money if you were intending changing incorporating what you require  scroll through the boats for sale & pick out the ones with as many of the bits you require & view some/all that have these, failing that a less hassle would be if the boat doesn't have alternative kit to what you would like at least then it's a fit only not remove unwanted kit before refitting the required stuff I think if you do a good search you will come up with a boatyou like/fitted with kit you like/want for a lot less money than the listed one as an aside I would err toward a boat with more tumblehome to the cabin sides that one looks to be a possible bridge arch banger

[1233jackb]

Thank-you, all very much indeed for your comments. I know and i appreciate that it is an expensive boat however like i said im only doing some research at the moment. Im not looking to buy  I will definatley be going second hand. its the same thing with new cars; is the minute you drive it off the forecourt you've already lost thousands of pounds. im sure its exactly the same with a new boats. I simpally cannot afford a brand new boat - as much as i would like one (as everyone im sure). but another reason i would rather buy second hand is im sure ill bump into bridges and locks, even other boats at some point, so ill only be damaging the shiny new paintwork. Its just not worth me spending the money on it 

 

I do agree pump-outs do have their draw backs and yes i am aware how its all done however i am told pump-outs are usually attended and if their not ill try to avoid it for the first few times until i know im confident in doing it myself without a sticky end! And yes searching and purchasing one that has the majority of the features that i want would be a suitable option, that way giving me some projects to do aboard the boat; making it feal more like my own - if you catch what i mean. 

 

best regards

 

 

[jddevel]

Firstly the early comments regarding your "terminology". I met a similar response when when I joined the forum and enquired about boats for sale. You sometimes have to be thick skinned and take it on the chin. However welcome. Personally although never viewing my narrowboat as a liveaboard I`ve hired boats for over 50 years both in the UK and elsewhere. The vessels have moved a long way from the wooden Broads cruisers to the new widebeams where novelty has been superseded by well planned comfortable craft. Spending £100k on a boat is a huge investment and has to "feel" right for you.   To that end I would firstly list the items you currently feel are a must have in todays` society from a respectable standard of living to the inclusion of the needs of modern technology. Then consider the practicalities of living on a boat. Battery power, space and comfort. With proper planning you don`t need to be masochist and suffer.  Second step visit as many boats you can especially those occupied by liveaboards. Even ask them what they might change given the chance, bearing in mind the answers may not be totally honest. Next talk to as many boat builders as possible. Not only the hull producers but those who also fit out. See how flexibly they are with designs and your personal ideas. Don`t forget whilst difficult things come at a cost they should not necessarily dictate how YOUR craft is finished. Once you`ve crossed off some of the things you "must" have and realize what you will get -hopefully is what you want. Finally expect to wait sometime for a good product. Infact this as suggested will maybe allow you to purchase a less expensive craft to appreciate what living afloat in a narrowboat entails. I couldn`t find my ideal or have the patience to wait so I fitted out a "sailaway". Time it took allowed me to modify/change ideas as I progressed. So far extremely satisfied - although still needs some superficial finishing touches but then as a house builder I had some practical experiences. Only thing I currently fault is that the hideaway bed installed in the bedroom to provide a second social area could have been a bit narrower to help with my nocturnal visits. Will sort that. 

[Richard10002]

Nocturnal visits??

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

Nocturnal visits??

When he has a friend staying ?