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Buying Canal Boat any advice?
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Selling house and business to buy canal boat and hopefully fuck around the uk leisurely
(If the Covid ever stops)
Please may anyone advise of other canal boat owners? Advice? Singles? Etc?
Very excited |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Check when it last got taken out of the water for the hull to be repainted. I believe it is about every 10 years it needs doing. Also research costs for mooring in various places. X |
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By *inaTitzTV/TS
over a year ago
Titz Towers, North Notts |
I've read in Private Eye about problems concerning continuous cruising regulations and a friend who had one seemed to have constant problems. Nothing massively major, but just a drip drop of little issues.  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Check when it last got taken out of the water for the hull to be repainted. I believe it is about every 10 years it needs doing. Also research costs for mooring in various places. X"
Every 3 or 4 years.more if epoxy paint.
Hire a boat , in bad weather and see if you still enjoy it.
In fact just hire a (private) boat for 6 months and see if you still like it.
Constant cruising is alot more time consuming than living in a modern house. Good luck
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Get a survey done on the boat, then ask for a short trip in it."
Or you can take it for a long trip, and if you still like it, then consider paying £500 for a dry dock and survey...  |
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get it out of the water. dry dock is usually cheaper than a crane. if it's a crane make sure the price is for both ways i.e. out and back in again. there usually will be yard fees while it's out. get a full pre-purchase survey including the hull and engine. if it's good to go then do the deal and get it blacked before it's re-launched. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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There’s a guy who has a website “living on a Narrowboat” who does discovery days where he goes through the pros and cons of owning a narrow boat ... worth looking at |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Boat survey, specifically engine and habitation systems inspection and report. When was it last blacked? Safety certificate. water trial of at least 30mins, preferably more, so the engine gets warm. Check the bilges before and after to check for water ingress.
Pick your boat to suit the waterways you expect to use, ie suitable beam.
Ready installed solar panels is good unless you will always be on a fully serviced mooring, ie water and power.
Pay serious attention to the heads, condition and cleanliness.
Insurance, river licence and mooring fees, all governed by the length/beam. |
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"Have good insulation, get a log burner and know a bit about engines  "
Great advice. Also, if what I smell in the air as I cycle the Lea / Lee ? River & canal from Ware to Stratford is anything to go by, get a good supply of ‘the Devils lettuce’. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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It depends if you want to take it out and where you want to go, because the standard lock size of 70ft isn't applicable everywhere and if it's a wide beam there's very few locks you're going through. So like many good posts about mooring locations and hull conditions from others you need to look at a few to get a feel and decide on what you want, it's expensive game when you consider the slipway every 2 years to 'black' it, fuel(heating and propulsio), elec and mooring fees |
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"Fish fingers and a little captains hat. Parrot optional me hearty.
Some really do wear a captions hat....hilarious when they go by on a plastic pig (pleasure cruiser on the canal)  "
Captains hat!!! My fingers are still cold |
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Actually, do look out for pirates. A mate of mine was living on one, went away for the weekend, when he came back - no boat. Boat gone, all his belongings gone. Never found any trace of it.
Suspected that someone had seen him leave, towed it under cover of darkness, quick paint job a few miles away, vanished without trace. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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You probably already have done but renting one for a week would seem sensible to make sure you like it. If you are going to be alone I would think going through locks could be difficult. I rented one a few years ago with my two sons. |
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