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Found 21 results

  1. Hello there! I'm retired and am looking to do something better with my savings than have them earning a meagre interest rate in an account. I had been looking at static caravans, as a holiday home and to rent out, but the fees seem ridiculously high. I then thought about the canal holiday I had years ago and how peaceful it was, so I'm now thinking about getting a narrowboat in Northwest England to use and to rent out. I'm aware of the certificates it'll need and the annual cost of running a narrowboat, but as I'm completely new to this, I'm aware that there's LOADS that I don't know. So...... 1. Is it a viable idea? 2. If I had someone (Hoeseasons?) managing the rentals, cleaning etc, what would they charge and are there any rules about the boat's age, size etc? 3. I'm not looking for a large boat and have a budget of £30K. Would it be better to buy a project boat cheaply and pay for refitting it or get a better boat that needs less work? 4. I'll pay for full hull and engine surveys. Can you recommend a decent surveyor? Thanks in advance for your replies. Chris
  2. Hello all, Sorry for the long post and the rather basic questions, I am a genius with computers but a complete novice when it comes to boats. I have recently become the owner of another cabin cruiser after receiving a second chance offer on eBay and am after some advice/guidance on renovating her. This was the original advert: 20ft Cabin Cruiser Chenise is a great little family cruiser ideal for both river and sea, she has a forward cabin equipped with sink, work tops, bench seating with storage under, top hatch with integrated fan and two under counter cupboards. The V shaped hull is designed to form a bed with the appropriate cushions and boarding. A 12v inverter is fitted to power 240v equipment via the solar charged battery such as dvd player, radio etc. The rear deck has a full canopy witch has recently been re-proofed, the flooring is decking planks with an access panel to the electric bilge pump. Bench seating with loads of storage under including manual bilge pump. Water from the bilge and sink is ejected via built in ports. Steering wheel and remote controls for the main engine, cabin door with padlock clasp, window and port hole with removable panel. The decks have anti slip plates, bow rails, bow anchor roller, tie off points etc. 2x nav lights and 1x rod holder. Main Engine. Mercury 40hp (pull start) connected to remote steering and controls, last serviced November 2014. Great motor and moves her along on both river and sea. (see below) Auxiliary Motor. Mariner 2hp. Small unit but pushes her along to get you home if main engine should fail. Recent service with new impeller, oil etc. Chenise is a great boat and has given us some good family weekend fishing / cruising etc. She is currently moored at Heybridge Basin in Essex offering great cruising and fishing and access to the sea via the manned sea lock. It is possible to sail to Chelmsford stopping off at supermarkets and pubs on the way for great family days out. (Moorings available) Chenise was bought with the intention of a full refurbishment but enjoyed her so much we never got round to it and just enjoyed her “as is”. We have now purchased a larger boat hence this sale. Bad Bits. Used boat 2 weeks ago and all fine but now can’t start main engine, started to rub down cabin but never finished. Needs some TLC but will come good. Viewing welcomed and encouraged. Was purchased in this location so no trailer. If you buy to remove she will need to be sailed through sea lock to a slip way about 15 min sail at the cost of £30 to use slip way. (aux engine will get you there) Less than 10 feedback score please contact me before bidding! UK buyers only. You bid to buy, not view or haggle so please come and view if you have any concerns as this is now relisted and I really need the mooring for new boat Pictures can be viewed here: http://s287.photobucket.com/user/southeastbikers/library/Chenice?sort=3&page=1 The pictures are from two adverts, the original sale in August, which apparently fell through (and then the Mercury outboard unit stopped working) and how it looks now with the yellow/green interior, sink, and worktop units. She is cosmetically a tidy cabin cruiser but I need help with creating a 'plan' of things required to have her canal/seaworthy as I wish to take her from her current moorings out of the sealock and around to other rivers/routes (she is currently on a 13mile navigation that does not connect to anything else) So far I have secured the rights to her moorings and insured her with AIG (Insured her as a Microplus, although any confirmation would be great!), and thankfully at this stage she does not require a BSC due to being moored at the Basin, but obviously this would be necessary to take her on either the current navigation or any other inland waters. My first priority is to have the outboard repaired and hopefully have this running, having no experience of outboards and limited experiences of boats in general this will certainly be an adventure/challenge, I am currently attempting to contact the previous owner to obtain the 'auxilary engine' mentioned in the advert as this was not left on the boat, nor were any batteries or other marine items. My questions are: The boat apparently has 2 navigation lights but I have not seen a fuse panel like we have on our other boat, infact I am not sure how any of the electrical components are being powered so would like to fit a fuse panel, are these panels difficult to wire in yourself and do they need to meet any sort of requirements? What one would I require? According to the advert, there was a small auxilary engine (which we are still attempting to obtain), other boats we have seen have these mounted on a square block that protudes from one side of the transom, but our boat does not have this, is there a specialist mount we require to mount this next to the main engine? I aim to kit out the interior further, do I require a particular foam/wood for this purpose? I am not a fan of the padlock/clasp cabin lock, are there any issues with fitting a general yale-type door lock to cabin doors? I'm sure I will come across more on a closer inspection over the weekend, but all help for now is much appreciated!
  3. Hello all We are new to boating and are moored with the bank portside, another NB starboard and moored to our boat, and then with another NB ahead of us. Behind is clear. What is the best way to manoeuvre out of this situation? And in what order the moorings be untied? We will have to moor the abreast NB to the bank whilst we are away, obviously, but the owner is away. There will be two of us on board, by the way, and our boat is a mighty 70 footer. Any advice would be really appreciated!
  4. Hi, So I'm considering buying a cheap grp cruiser to liveaboard. I have a lot of questions and a lot of research to do but I will start with just one: I have a preference for a narrowbeam cruiser so that I'm free to travel across the country in my boat, I especially like the idea of going up to Birmingham for curry. I don't drive so it would be a big asset to me to have a boat that is also one of my main modes of transport. Anyway, as I peruse ebay all misty-eyed, it's becoming apparent to me that the boats that look feasable as a liveaboard (they have showers) are also wide beams. Should I give up on this idea of getting a narrow beam cruiser if I want to practically live on it? Or should I get used to washing in a sink? Or are there in fact plenty of examples of narrow beam cruisers with showers? ___________ Context: I am a poor boy with fairly humble needs for living, so I'm looking for a boat I can get for <£10, 000 under 30'. I intend to (genuinely) continuously cruise around the London loop.
  5. Hi there, I'm planning to buy a narrow boat and liveaboard back in my home town of London in the next few months. I'm currently pregnant with my first child and although I am living about an hour and a half away from the Hackney area I plan to move back to, I intend to be moved in and settled before I give birth. My drs surgery is in Hackney as i'm still registered to my old address and would like to stay on their books. I have arranged to have my midwife appointments in London as that's where i'll be when i'm in the later stages of pregnancy however I wondered if there will be any issues with this as my current address is in Suffolk? If anybody has experience of midwife appointments whilst living on a boat or any advice of bringing up a baby whilst continuously cruising it would be very much appreciated! Thank you x
  6. Just retired and have made living aboard a narrow boat my first project, having spent three years hiring and longer researching the idea - found this forum a valuable resource for understanding customs and technicalities, so thank you. Recently acquired a (2003) 52' semi-trad 'leisure boat' which is currently undergoing repaint and renewal/rectification work. I plan to reorganise the interior, including laying a slate floor, creating a walk-through shower-room, and re-siting the stove. The first job will be to remove ballast adjacent to the engine room bulkhead to lighten the rear end - she has five inches of water above the uxterplate and a draught at the skeg of 2 feet 5 inches. The photo suggests to me the boat is bow-up but the scuppers are only 4 inches above the water-line (the cabin door is raised 6 inches above the well-deck). Current displacement is 14.5 tonnes. Opinions welcome!
  7. Our handcuff key is in the post but we are not likely to receive it in the next week. If we are travelling from Tring to Welford on the Grand Union (and Leicester branch) are we going to need this key? Or anything else we don’t know about yet? Thank you!
  8. Hi everyone, After wanting to do so for a good while, I am hoping to buy my first boat by the end of this year. I want to be as prepared as possible, and am wondering if anyone can recommend things to make sure you have done/knowledge you need to have before starting. I plan on completing an RYA Inland waterways course (2 days) which covers "Safety, helmsmanship, locks and tunnels, collision avoidance, an introduction to engine maintenance" in the next couple of months. Are there any books, courses or resources that people think would be helpful? Particularly in relation to understanding electrics and so on. I'm a novice (I have spent quite a bit of time on boats but don't have a lot of technical knowledge). Thank you in advance, any input is appreciated :)
  9. hello new to the forum so thought i would say hello and make some new friends
  10. Hello there I'm calling myself Calzonemuncher in the forum. Nice to meet you in the forum
  11. But, I'm moving back onto the cut after a 30 year gap. Something of a sudden decision, but aren't all the best ones like that? Get ready for all the daft questions...... Bye! John.
  12. Hello lovely people, we are starting to look for our first live-aboard and saw this boat. It ticks lots of boxes, the price allows for modifications so it's on the list. My concern is the plate thicknesses... 6mm bottom and 3mm top appear very thin to this novice, even with the epoxy coating. Is this an issue?
  13. Hello everyone, Hope you don't mind but I'd like to ask your advice again as I'm still hunting for the right boat. I'm interested in this boat on apollo duck http://www.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=490723 She's just been reduced from £41,000 to £38,000 after being on a few weeks. In April 2016 she was washed,scraped and hammered the hull and had two coats of Intertuf 16 applied and 4 new anodes fitted as the old ones were at 40%. She had a hull report performed in April 2016 which showed "There was rust around the water line and rust scale and lime scale present. There was pitting below the water line on the sides to a depth of 0.5mm, these were in irregular sizes ranging from 5-30mm. There was evidence of zinc phosphate primer. The base plate sacrificial edge dld not appear to be damaged. Recommendations:Boats with bitumen hull coatings should be blacked every two years". Your advice is greatly appreciated on what you think of her as you helped me massively last time and avoided me making a fairly big boo boo. I'm new to this, so your experience is invaluable. Thanks so much for your input, Melissa
  14. Hello everyone, Thanks to you all for your help with my boat search so far. I went to see another boat today, who I'm rather taken with. I just spotted her walking along the canal and she was for sale, so had a look. She's a 58ft Paul Widdowson built in 2006, blacked last year with one owner at £36K. She only has one double berth (I really wanted two but she may be worth making the compromise for), a Beta marine engine which sounded and looked lovely and a 3000w Victron Inverter. She had LED lighting (no solar panels yet..), spray foam insulation and a diesel stove which was also connected to the radiators. She was very well maintained and comfy. The owner fitted her out (he is now a retired builder) and the carpentry was lovely inside (mainly ash with solid wood flooring). I think she might be a good deal and am thinking of making an offer on her, can any of you tell me what you might know of Paul Widdowson boats? I really liked the steelwork and shape of her. Thanks for your help!
  15. Hi everyone, Hope you're not fed up of me posting boats for you to have a look at yet, it's just your advice has been invaluable thus far to inexperienced me and saved me from making several mistakes. I've taken on board what you've all said about buying my first boat, in looking for a good shell and a decent boat builder, which has helped my search a lot. Could you please let me know what you think about this boat, which I'm hoping to go and see on Sunday? It's a Gary Gorton 60 footer. https://www.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=485799 Thanks, Melissa
  16. Hey, I've been looking into living on a narrowboat for around a year now after it being a life long dream! I am currently in the process of trying to secure a mooring spot in Manchester. I am struggling to find any websites or direct contacts too the marinas etc based in Manchester, in order to pop my name down on the waiting list or whatnot. Therefore, I was wondering if anyone could advise me on the process of getting hold of a mooring spot in Manchester?! Any advice would be amazing Thanks Chloé
  17. Hi, I'm a newbie after some expert opinions... After dreaming about it for 7 years, my husband and I are finally buying our first narrowboat and becoming continuous cruisers. We have fallen in love with a 54ft Springer, but it's quite run down and we're worried it could too much for a pair of newbies to renovate. The plan would be to buy now with the aim of completing all the essential work and moving on board by September. We do have some funds to make significant repairs but I wondered if expert eyes could tell me whether it's worth it... It's had a recent survey that shows that it's been rather neglected but the sellers have already made many of the improvements recommended (including a brand new wood burner). One concern is that some areas of the hull are 4.2mm - so would need some welding. I've heard mixed things about Springers too - so not sure if that kind of hull work is worth it? And another is that the engine is old and might not be ideal for continuous cruising. Should we get over the heartbreak and look elsewhere or could a bit of love sort her out? Layout-wise she's ideal and all the cosmetic stuff we're happy to fix. Any opinions or recommendations gratefully received! This is her listing: http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=471769 Thanks Kim
  18. Hey guys, I know its late but if i don't do this now i will put it off until it is too late. i am sorta new to all things boating and I have a small narrow boat on stainforth and keadby canal and was wanting to take my boat towards leeds for a holiday in july which would mean i would have to travel on the A&C navigation. Now from what i understand, the A&C Navigation is a commercial river and therefore tidal but i was wondering how difficult it would be for me (a novice with about 1 weeks narrowboat holiday experience, a little experience on the river hull and 1 trip on somebody elses boat on the humber.) to travel on this stretch of water? i should say that on the river hull and humber i had somebody else with me with alot more knowledge about the river hull and humber so tides and the routes was all done through him. is there anything i should know about? is there a website that would tell me tide times and a schedule for the comerical traffic? is the bottom full of rubbish like the river hull or shallow like the humber? is it beyond my capabilities? does my bum look big in my 28ft narrowboat? thanks in advance, Lawzy
  19. Hello everyone, Well the day is finally here tomorrow morning (Wednesday 19th July) we will travel down to Sawley Marina and take Kathleen out for her first major trip, repairs to engine are done, if Paola can get on the boat (if not modifications will be made later) then it will be both of us, if not I will go solo. Our goal is to get from Sawley on the River Trent to Aston Marina on the TMC. We should be leaving home at 9:30, plan to leave the Marina at 11-12 but will not rush if something is not ready. As long as I can figure out how to access this site on my tablet you will know how it is going :).
  20. Dear all, Hello! First post on the site and a very green member here. But thanks for taking the time to stop by and hopefully answer. I went to look at a boat today, made in 2006 and having only had one owner, the broker said she wouldn't probably bother with a survey- she knows the hull needs blacking but not plating. She said they would recommend to lift it out of the water at another marina, who have quoted £1400 for the job of blacking the hull- the current owner is open to some negotiation and will lower the asking price accordingly subject to a quote for all the work needed- i asked if that include an engineers quote to make sure the isuzu engine is fit for service to which they were sure the answer is a yes. My naturally slightly skeptical mindset thinks this to good to be true. But if i get the boat lifted have it blacked and the engine serviced- would people still recommend it for a service? It has only had one owner and been used as a weekend cruiser, Many thanks, T
  21. Hello. This summer, we have rented a 4 night narrowboat hoilday from Wyvern (Leighton Buzzard). We are brand new to boating. There will be one adult and two kids (11 and 13). We will start on Monday afternoon and return Friday morning. I am hoping for some advice about routes. Realistically, how far might we get and how many hours per day should we plan to spend actually on the move? I will likely be the only person driving the boat while the kids operate the locks. We are trying to decide whether to head North or South from the Wyvren base. We'll be headed out in during the school holidays which I realize is prime season so the canal might be busy, but I think that we would prefer whichever is the quieter route. On the other hand, we are open to advice maybe half the fun is getting to meet other boaters/families? Right now, we are leaning towards heading south towards Berkhamsted since it seems like that might be the prettiest route. On the other hand, we could also go south towards Aylesbury. Is the southern route actually prettier and quieter? I am not sure why I have that impression. Are the locks in one direction easier to operate than the other? Alternatively, we could head north to Gayton Junction so that we could experience tunnels and aqueducts as well as the canal museum. It seems like it might be the more "exciting" route. My kids seem to think that they just want to enjoy the scenery, read a lot, take photos, journal, play lots board games and do some walking. Neither seems that interested in sightseeing or visiting the canal museum, but I'm wondering if we will regret not doing the northern route, which seems like it might have more "things to do and see" along the way. Note, they are too old to be interested in playgrounds and that sort of thing, but I am slightly worried that they will drive each other crazy in that sibling way due to four days of close quarters. In any case, any advice about routes would be appreciated as well as any tips about narrowboating in general. Or I suppose we could toss a coin to decide. Thanks!
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