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Buying your first boat - what would you have done differently?


golden_chapati

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5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

A put-up bed.

Had one once, never again.

It might seem a minor thing but having to put the bed and bedding away every morning, then putting it all back down again at night, then putting it away ……………………..

 

OK for a weekend but day after day after day weeks and months on end. No thankyou.

 

A 47 foot boat should be laid out well enough to have a permanent bed.

 

 

The toilet and basin looks as if it is just sat 'in the middle of the boat' , no sign of any doors or a bathroom ?

 

What's the story with the stair gate behind the basin ?

 

 

If it is as good as it sounds it is not overly expensive, but it is 25 years old - it will probably need a survey to get insurance. Check with your chosen insurer if they will accept the existing survey or want a new one done in your name.

 

It wouldn't be for me its "London White Emulsion" (splashed over to look good for a quick sale) and I don't go a bundle on newspapers stuck on the wall as wall-paper.

Its a good job we are not all the same.

 

Thanks Alan!

 

I noticed the loo too - not sure what's with that. The stairgate is because he has children, presumably, why he's upsized.

 

Insurer I got a quote from says under 30 years not necessary. 

 

Built by John South, not much details about that. Should the hull have been 10/6/4 for a boat built in the 90s?

 

I think I could handle the bed, since it's not the in galley. Another boat I liked had the double berth in the 'living room' and so that would be annoying. 

 

Like you say, taste in interiors differs but I like the fittings and the boat has character. 

 

Thanks for the advice! :)

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53 minutes ago, golden_chapati said:

https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/narrow-boats-cruiser-stern/591300?id=591300#contactForm

 

Found this, really like it. Want to put an offer in. Boat listed on eBay for 27k, then taken down, listed before for 28k. Spoken to seller, it's a private sale. I like the boat. It looks very tidy inside. Recently been blacked. Any red flags? I'm viewing tomorrow :)

The boat is in Northwich Drydock in one of the photos if you want a second opinion

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2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

The toilet and basin looks as if it is just sat 'in the middle of the boat' , no sign of any doors or a bathroom ?

 

What's the story with the stair gate behind the basin ?

Careful perusal of the pictures suggests it's a "walk through" bathroom, with a sliding door to galley on one side and the stair gate where a door should be the other side. I think even my skills could cope with replacing the stairgate with a door (actually I can do most things, it's just that the finish is so nice on my boat I'm nervous about ruining it by redoing stuff with a less good finish!)

 

I've not had a bed like that, but I'm with you on it - it would bug me no end and I'd get bored very quickly. I'm also with you on the London whitewash, but some seem to like it (and to hate the traditional wood panelling I love on mine).

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Lister SR2, in a 1992 boat is a bit out of time I would have thought. 

Most John South hulls are from the 1980s I would check exactly how old this is and not just by the registered number. Something seems wrong.

I would check plating thickness, suspect that it will not be 10-6-4. John built almost exclusively in 6-6-4

 

You will need hearing aids after a month, air cooled early rattler Lister but usually reliable.

Don't try to hold a conversation with anyone on the bank. you won't hear them.

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6 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

Lister SR2, in a 1992 boat is a bit out of time I would have thought. 

 

It would be, as the SR2 was made from 1967 to 1976. But this boat has a later ST2 model. However, production of that one ceased in 1983, so I'm not sure what the engine was doing for the first 10 years or so of its life. Note that, while some ST2s are water cooled, many (probably the majority) are air-cooled, so they won't heat your domestic water.

 

The stove is the only method of heating the boat's interior. Many boats (probably the majority)( have some form of central heating too. It's best to have two methods of heating.

 

I like older boats and i like older engines. But this one, to me, says "interesting oddity" rather than "Buy It Now".

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8 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

Lister SR2, in a 1992 boat is a bit out of time I would have thought. 

Most John South hulls are from the 1980s I would check exactly how old this is and not just by the registered number. Something seems wrong.

I would check plating thickness, suspect that it will not be 10-6-4. John built almost exclusively in 6-6-4

 

You will need hearing aids after a month, air cooled early rattler Lister but usually reliable.

Don't try to hold a conversation with anyone on the bank. you won't hear them.

PS. How does go about verifying that?

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22 minutes ago, golden_chapati said:

PS. How does go about verifying that?

If you enter the reg number into Canalplan (link below) it will show you when it was first registered with BW. That date isn’t definitive however as it precludes any time it may have spent not on BW waters prior to being registered. It will of course show that it can’t be any younger than that date. 

https://canalplan.org.uk/boats/

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16 minutes ago, WotEver said:

If you enter the reg number into Canalplan (link below) it will show you when it was first registered with BW. That date isn’t definitive however as it precludes any time it may have spent not on BW waters prior to being registered. It will of course show that it can’t be any younger than that date. 

https://canalplan.org.uk/boats/

I tried it by name but can't seem to find the exact boat. Also, it the results include "last updated" but don't seem to indicate first registartion. Is that only applicable to searches done by reg? 

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6 minutes ago, golden_chapati said:

I tried it by name but can't seem to find the exact boat. Also, it the results include "last updated" but don't seem to indicate first registartion. Is that only applicable to searches done by reg? 

My boat was built 2003 ( I have the builders invoices, VAT paid certificates etc) but it was not put on waters requiring registration until 2015 - if you do a check on the 'registrations list' it will simply show that it was 1st registered 2015, not that it was built 2003.

 

As far as the boat you are looking at, does the owner have a 'paperwork collection' which may have bills / invoices / surveys / licences etc. which are dated prior to 1992 ?

 

Being pre-1996 (or 1998) it will not have been built under the RCD regulations so there is unlikely to be a 'dated' builders plate, or dated components (for example fuel tanks must be pressure tested and marked and dated with the test date - my 1998 NB fuel tank had 'writing' in weld trails giving the information)

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39 minutes ago, golden_chapati said:

I tried it by name...

That’s why I said ‘registration number’. The name could have changed a dozen times. 

 

However, all of Alan’s points are valid. 

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Whatever boat you buy,you are going to have to take a bit of a risk. Follow most of the advice given here and you will reduce the risk,but not completely eliminate it. With the best will in the world,you cannot crawl over every inch of your prospective purchase,until you actually own it. 

In my case,the engine never reached it's operating temperature,investigation found that there was no thermostat fitted.The cooling water pipe to the water filter ( it's canal water cooled) kept getting blocked with weed,and was a pig of a job to clear it.Had to undo the pipe at both ends and shove a curtain rod through it. Investigation revealed that there was no inlet strainer fitted.There were other niggles too that were missed,a leaking window frame,poppers missing from the cratch,and other things that I have forgotten.   The point I am trying to make is that untill you have lived with your boat for a year or so,you will not really know what you have got.  But don't let this put you off,just offer up a prayer to the appropriate authority,and dive in!  

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13 minutes ago, Mad Harold said:

Whatever boat you buy,you are going to have to take a bit of a risk. Follow most of the advice given here and you will reduce the risk,but not completely eliminate it. With the best will in the world,you cannot crawl over every inch of your prospective purchase,until you actually own it. 

In my case,the engine never reached it's operating temperature,investigation found that there was no thermostat fitted.The cooling water pipe to the water filter ( it's canal water cooled) kept getting blocked with weed,and was a pig of a job to clear it.Had to undo the pipe at both ends and shove a curtain rod through it. Investigation revealed that there was no inlet strainer fitted.There were other niggles too that were missed,a leaking window frame,poppers missing from the cratch,and other things that I have forgotten.   The point I am trying to make is that untill you have lived with your boat for a year or so,you will not really know what you have got.  But don't let this put you off,just offer up a prayer to the appropriate authority,and dive in!  

Thanks. I think any boat offered up here would have negatives, even if it was just with the vendor, private sale, risk, etc. But so far the replies have definitely been informative. There is inherent risk in buying anything, and it's heightened with big purchases like houses, boats, etc. I suppose the main thing is not to buy a rust bucket and something at least retains its roughly original price, annual repairs, etc, set aside as just the price you pay for living on the water. 

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2 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

My error, ST2 engine but still much too early for a boat built in 1992.

If you want to hear one, the old BW/C&RT work boats used ST2s, pardon? Hello, pardon? Speak up, pardon?

My boat, launched just 17 years ago has a BD3 in it, because I bought it second hand and put it in a new boat. I had a friend with a boat a bit younger with a Ford Transit engine in it that had probably done several thousand miles in a pickup truck, he used the truck while fitting out.

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36 minutes ago, golden_chapati said:

Thanks. I think any boat offered up here would have negatives, even if it was just with the vendor, private sale, risk, etc. But so far the replies have definitely been informative. There is inherent risk in buying anything, and it's heightened with big purchases like houses, boats, etc. I suppose the main thing is not to buy a rust bucket and something at least retains its roughly original price, annual repairs, etc, set aside as just the price you pay for living on the water. 

There is no more risk buying from a 'private seller' than there is buying from a Broker.

 

Please don't buy a boat expecting it to retain its original price - the only way to achieve this is to either 'buy-well' ( I managed to get £80,000 knocked off the asking price due to a technicality), or by getting 'given' a boat. (even then you may end up having to pay someone to take it away).

 

Boats are normally a depreciating asset, but there are always the odd exception for something rare or 'collectable'.

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On ‎07‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 20:59, golden_chapati said:

Hi all,

 

My name is Ross and I'm here because I want to live on a canal boat. However, I know virtually nothing about anything and certainly almost nothing about canal boats. That said, I have learned one thing, which is that buying a boat seems rather overwhelming. So in short, what would you have done differently when you bought your first boat? Things to check or avoid; is it better to buy from eBay or from a Marina? Is buying a boat which 'needs a fair amount of welding' a daft idea even if it's otherwise a dreamboat? How does one even decide on a boat to get surveyed when you know virtually nothing accept 'that looks nice'? Any advice, experiences or 'learned the hard way' stories welcome.

 

Many thanks,
Ross

 

 

I'm sure you can do it Ross, but my advice would be to get more interested in boats because if you're only doing it for a place to live you may end up hating it. It can go either way - some people naturally become more interested in boats after they buy one and move onboard, while other people never really become interested and the whole thing just becomes a massive burden.

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16 hours ago, golden_chapati said:

https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/narrow-boats-cruiser-stern/591300?id=591300#contactForm

 

Found this, really like it. Want to put an offer in. Boat listed on eBay for 27k, then taken down, listed before for 28k. Spoken to seller, it's a private sale. I like the boat. It looks very tidy inside. Recently been blacked. Any red flags? I'm viewing tomorrow :)

I'm sure someone has asked but I cant see it ……….why has it got a 2 month old survey - what was the reason for that survey??

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59 minutes ago, Halsey said:

I'm sure someone has asked but I cant see it ……….why has it got a 2 month old survey - what was the reason for that survey??

Maybe insurance, the photo shows it out of the water at Northwich, I would be giving them a ring and try and get some info.

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2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I managed to get £80,000 knocked off the asking price

GORDON BENNET!!!

What was the price before?

Were you just buying one boat,or several? Reading this,I almost had a wallet attack!!!

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1 minute ago, Mad Harold said:

GORDON BENNET!!!

What was the price before?

Were you just buying one boat,or several? Reading this,I almost had a wallet attack!!!

£240,000, I got it for £160,000 due to the fact the RCD paperwork was 'missing' and their was no VAT Paid certificate.

 

I know these things are not important on sewer-tubes, but on 'lumpy water boats' they are required.

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