The cost of fitting out a 65' x 12' Widebeam shell

[MtB]

59 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Apart from all the stuff mentioned don't underestimate painting costs and the oodles of little things such as just light fittings and mains sockets etc etc as they all add up!!

 

This is especially true.

 

Whenever I'm doing work on one of my boats I usually find myself visiting B&Q and spending £75 on a carrier bag full of not a lot, at least once a day. Just trivial sundry bits and pieces.

 

In fact I'd say being out and about obtaining materials takes up more time than spent in the boat actually doing the work, so beware of this effect too. 

[roland elsdon]

Mooring fees while fitting out if in boatyard

or generator plus fuel costs which will be big

plus having to move at least fortnightly if towpath fit out.

special  tools you don't have.

bits you can't do yourself .

external paint, unless you want to join the wide boat in grotty primer club.

 

 

[koukouvagia]

Another factor to take into consideration is tools.  The OP may have a good selection of power tools, including something like a Fein Multimate, but I'd say these are essential.  I bought a De Walt radial arm saw when I was fitting out one of my boats.

 

I'd say it was just about possible to do a very basic fit out for £10K, providing you do all the work yourself. It's also worth exploring the use of recycled timber to cut down the expense.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by koukouvagia

[Athy]

Without actually counting, I reckon we must be up to about half a million so far. I hope Dee is not losing interest in the project!

[mrsmelly]

4 minutes ago, koukouvagia said:

Another factor to take into consideration is tools.  The OP may have a good selection of power tools, including something like a Fein Multimate, but I'd say these are essential.  I bought a De Walt radial arm saw when I was fitting out one of my boats.

 

I'd say it was just about possible to do a very basic fit out for £10K.  It's also worth exploring the use of recycled timber to cut down the expense.

 

 

 

This again is true. The first " tool " I purchased was a pick up truck for 1250 quid. The truck saved me loads a money by negotiating and picking stuff up direct including the beta engine/box direct from them and loaded straight onto the truck after getting twenty percent discount for being a grovellor. Bought other stuff from builders merchants and used the pick up which I sold over a year later for a grand. I also had to spend quite a few quids on tools and a gennie.

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, reg said:

Tip I was given for tongue and groove, particularly on the ceiling, was to give the same number of coats of varnish to the back as to the front. This was to prevent warping. I can vouch 11 years on that this was good advice. 

And if you’re going to stain it, do so prior to fitting it. That way you don’t end up with loads of pale stripes when it shrinks in the summer. It’s also best to varnish it prior to fitting, for the same reason. It’s a pain knowing where to put the varnished lengths though. 

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by WotEver
Double post

[Clodi]

4 hours ago, David Mack said:

Take a look at the Narrowboat Builders Book by Graham Booth. It's a bit long in the tooth now, and relates to a narrowboat, not a wide beam. But it will give you an idea of what is involved, how much he spent (in c.1993 prices) and how long it took.

I have Grahams book and thoroughly recommend it, sure it may be a bit dated but it gives a very good idea of the amount of work involved plus loads of valuable tips.

[X Alan W]

Look around at prices of new finished boats of your approx size note the price &  deduct the price of your shell, deduct aprox 20/25% from the amount you had left & i think by the time you have finished it will be around that amount & few extra thoughts are you still going to haveto work full time to fund this venture?  If yes it will be a longer task ,are you going to be living aboard during the fit out? again if yes is your wife & self willing to live in an unfinished sawdust laden clutter with for a period of time no finished furniture whatever you think it will cost & time taken be prepared for overspend/runif you start in the not to distant future the first & possibly the roughest time will be winter so heat will be a must do you have a weather proof area to store your fitting out materials  as you can often get discount if buy a larger amount  Is the fit out going to be carried out ashore ?if living aboard the up & down a ladder gets very wearing & iffy with snow & ice around Sorry to appear so negative but having fitted out 2 boats for hotel use I know how the cost & time was above my estimation My ad vice would be by a complete boat that needs a bit of fettleing if you can find a suitable one  but in any case The best of Luck

[Dr Bob]

5 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

There is a reason why a 'sailaway' widebeam shell is £38,000 and a finished boat is £120,000

Sorry Dee but I am going to be a bit negative. If you have lots of experience on boats then you may well achieve your aims on a small budget, but if you are not............!!

It sounds like you do not have the experience so your ability to build a boat that you want, will be very difficult because you will not know what you want. You may think you know what you want but until you get on the water and experience boat life, you will not know how to design stuff to your requirements. It is possible you will spend a lot of money building something that is badly planned and low value to others. Things like electrics. Layout of batteries, charging, using, monitoring. Difficult to plan if you dont know about how to make a lead acid battery for more than a few years. Toilets!! It is very difficult for anyone with no knowledge of boats to know what is best for them. Water tanks, black tanks etc etc etc.

Why not buy a good used boat - maybe a 7ft wide one and get on the water for a year....and learn the ropes ....then sell it for the same price (or more) and then start your project but with a great deal more knowledge and the ability to 'get it right first time'. Your chance of  'get it right first time' with no knowledge of boats is very slim to non existant.

[matty40s]

2 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Whenever I'm doing work on one of my boats I usually find myself visiting B&Q and spending £75 on a carrier bag full of not a lot, at least once a day. Just trivial sundry bits and pieces.

 

In fact I'd say being out and about obtaining materials takes up more time than spent in the boat actually doing the work, so beware of this effect too. 

Your daft, go to screwfix and get the same stuff for half the price....

 

2nd bit is entirely corrrect

 

[David Mack]

If you are still thinking of fitting out yourselves, http://lmbs.co.uk/widebeam-pricelist/ * gives you a range of widebeam prices at various degrees of fitout. (Note that these prices exclude VAT). Worth reading through the specifications to see what you do (and don't) get at each level.  Then look at all the possible extras on http://lmbs.co.uk/widebeam-extras/ and think how many of these you might want/need.

 

*Other suppliers of shells and part-fitted widebeams are available.

 

Then go here to see what a second hand wide beam might cost you.

[Robbo]

53 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Sorry Dee but I am going to be a bit negative. If you have lots of experience on boats then you may well achieve your aims on a small budget, but if you are not............!!

It sounds like you do not have the experience so your ability to build a boat that you want, will be very difficult because you will not know what you want. You may think you know what you want but until you get on the water and experience boat life, you will not know how to design stuff to your requirements. It is possible you will spend a lot of money building something that is badly planned and low value to others. Things like electrics. Layout of batteries, charging, using, monitoring. Difficult to plan if you dont know about how to make a lead acid battery for more than a few years. Toilets!! It is very difficult for anyone with no knowledge of boats to know what is best for them. Water tanks, black tanks etc etc etc.

Why not buy a good used boat - maybe a 7ft wide one and get on the water for a year....and learn the ropes ....then sell it for the same price (or more) and then start your project but with a great deal more knowledge and the ability to 'get it right first time'. Your chance of  'get it right first time' with no knowledge of boats is very slim to non existant.

The advice I got when I got my first boat (that needed a refit) was too life on it for at least a year before hand.  It was good advice, but I would say it wasn’t until the 5th year until I knew what I wanted and I still changing my mind on things to this day.

Edited August 23, 2018 by Robbo

[Alan de Enfield]

Paint & Go

 

60ft x 12' 62

 

https://www.apolloduck.com/boat.phtml?id=578868

[peterboat]

4 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

Mooring fees while fitting out if in boatyard

or generator plus fuel costs which will be big

plus having to move at least fortnightly if towpath fit out.

special  tools you don't have.

bits you can't do yourself .

external paint, unless you want to join the wide boat in grotty primer club.

 

 

Is that the same club as the Narrowboat in grotty primer?

[roland elsdon]

Yes but even less chance of getting painted.

we got quoted £10000 to repaint our 70 ft converted boat in 2004 so god knows what a proper paint job costs on a wideboat.

[LadyG]

have a look on youtube , colin jacques is fitting out his narrowboat, he is a master craftsman, it will take him roughly 12 months, there are one or two others by amateurs, takes several years,

[Dee Kay]

Gosh! So much sound and varied advice.

Varnish....many coats.

What kind of toilet...prop shaft?...

Why not buy what's already there?

All very good points.

Hard standing mooring, so the boat can be worked on.....we thought about £1000 ....4 months at £250 per month...

We haven't got the skill to do it ourselves unfortunately...

We were hoping a wizard would appear in a puff of smoke with a bag of tools and a jolly disposition...

Our total budget...for the shell, the motor and gearbox and the fit out is £55,000

We have seen a few really nice 57' widebeams in very good condition with low mileage motors for £55K...but we thought that maybe we could buy a shell, find and man with a bit of time on his hands and get something that was more to our liking than the boats we have seen.

It has to be said that both boats were sold before we could get to see them...our fault...but disappointing nevertheless...so we thought...why not give putting our own boat together a try?

We made the mistake of thinking...60 sq metres...kitchen/bathroom/some radiators and some lights and plugs...a spot off flooring and then measure up for curtains...how hard can it be?

We've already done up, quite successfully, some small houses... both here and abroad...so we figured fitting out 60 sq metres of space would be a bit of a doddle.

Clearly not!

We want to cruise as continually as is reasonably possible.

We want the layout to be...enter into a 'space'...which could be a  lounge or bedroom...then, in the middle of the vessel a bathroom enclosed by two bulkheads...a modest kitchen next to that...then another 'space' then the 'exit'

Very minimalist....laminated flooring...£20 per sq metre or so...plywood on lower walls...t&g on upper walls and ceiling.

3 or 4 domestic batteries and one starter...plus invertor.

Some radiators...a stove...

Very simple interior...no fitted furniture, no fitted cupboards or storage.

Gas bottle somewhere for hot water and cooking.

As I type I can sense it's adding up fast!

I'll definitely get hold of that book mentioned above...by Graham Booth...

The shell is looking less of a bargain now...

It appears to be some sort of cannibalized vessel, that used to have a 70 bhp engine installed, but doesn't anymore

This is a quote taken from one of the above postings:

" There is a reason why a 'sailaway' widebeam shell is £38,000 and a finished boat is £120,000 "

 

We are both beginning to slowly grasp this one now!

 

We were hoping to live aboard...in a state of bliss at 4 mph max...and we hadn't thought much further than that....

This posting is very long, because I haven't, as yet, figured out which button to press to answer or respond to each message individually.

 

Thanks for your help, advice and patience everyone !

[LadyG]

I have an idea that laminate flooring won;t cut the mustard,  before you rush down to Homebase fire sale.

Might be a good idea to buy a bespoke wiring loom [see https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwQgC1WmlrQ-GuTURK-POJg ]

Narrowboat Helen did a good floor. 

Edited August 23, 2018 by LadyG

[Dr Bob]

9 minutes ago, Dee Kay said:

We haven't got the skill to do it ourselves unfortunately...

...but we thought that maybe we could buy a shell, find and man with a bit of time on his hands and get something that was more to our liking than the boats we have seen.

 

 

Add another £20-30K on then!

[roland elsdon]

for 55000 you can buy a seriously nice 60 ft narrowboat, or somebody else's problem wide boat. 

[LadyG]

When I asked a top fitter about upgrading a used NB, [I thought it was a quick job, just remove old lining and replace with nice new stuff, he said nooooooooooooooooo , cheaper to start with a sailaway!

[MtB]

18 minutes ago, Dee Kay said:

We want to cruise as continually as is reasonably possible.

 

In which case don't buy a boat 12ft wide as your original plan!

 

It will be a right ball ache to cruise in.

 

 

 

 

[Robbo]

20 minutes ago, Dee Kay said:

What kind of toilet...

Ask that question to 10 boaters and you'll have 20 different opinions! 

[Dee Kay]

We  thought it might be better to do it from scratch rather than try to renovate a doer upper.

Will check out the guy on YouTube...the master craftsman whos doing his own boat...

Its incredible how much material there is on YT...so many people have taken the time to share their experiences and knowledge...amazing...

[Dee Kay]

Are we coming up to the' boat buying season'?

End of summer...

 

People start buying again before next Spring?

 

We thought maybe at the end of summer there'd be a lot of sellers...and around Spring there'd be a lot of buyers....

 

?

Are prices 'seasonal'?

We saw some 'eco' toilets at the Crick Boat Show...

Didn't get to try one out...

Are they any good?