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Black prince - covert for liveaboard


chubby

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Hello ,

 

Im looking to buy a narrowboat to live on ,moored up in marina s for most of the time , but will want to take my boat out from time to time .

Budgets are quite tight - 25000 max really as i m looking to keep some money for contingency probs .

Does anyone have opinions on these black prince ex hire boats ?

Pro s and cons ? Horror stories or happy endings etc . Im sure they might divide opinion but are they built strong ,

solid reliable engines ; probably thrashed )? Any help , advice , very welcome , cheers chubby

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Hello ,

 

Im looking to buy a narrowboat to live on ,moored up in marina s for most of the time , but will want to take my boat out from time to time .

Budgets are quite tight - 25000 max really as i m looking to keep some money for contingency probs .

Does anyone have opinions on these black prince ex hire boats ?

Pro s and cons ? Horror stories or happy endings etc . Im sure they might divide opinion but are they built strong ,

solid reliable engines ; probably thrashed )? Any help , advice , very welcome , cheers chubby

we have an ex black prince and although we ripped the interior completely out (floor to ceiling) and refitted it over 2 years its an excellent well made boat and never had any probs with the engine, yes it has a few dents in it but im sure you have seen hire boaters drive them :cheers:lol

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Hi goodboy

 

Thanks . its a 2 way thing really because these boats do alot of hours , but i would imagine this means they get serviced regularly ?

 

As hire boats i imagine them to be solidly built , or at least there might be parts / areas of the hull that are strengthened ?? Might be wrong ??

 

Im considering a 60 footer and it too will need alot of work inside ( any engine or structural stuff will be left for the experts if i proceed after veiwing) , but mainly cosmetic stuff and electrical or plumbing .

 

They appear to provide more space for less money provided the hull and engine come thru largely unscathed .

 

Its all theory with me at the moment - i need to go and view it . Its on apolloduck 24995 tingdene marina

 

Cheers again , chubby

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Hi goodboy

 

Thanks . its a 2 way thing really because these boats do alot of hours , but i would imagine this means they get serviced regularly ?

 

As hire boats i imagine them to be solidly built , or at least there might be parts / areas of the hull that are strengthened ?? Might be wrong ??

 

Im considering a 60 footer and it too will need alot of work inside ( any engine or structural stuff will be left for the experts if i proceed after veiwing) , but mainly cosmetic stuff and electrical or plumbing .

 

They appear to provide more space for less money provided the hull and engine come thru largely unscathed .

 

Its all theory with me at the moment - i need to go and view it . Its on apolloduck 24995 tingdene marina

 

Cheers again , chubby

Try http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=244856

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Hi goodboy

 

Thanks . its a 2 way thing really because these boats do alot of hours , but i would imagine this means they get serviced regularly ?

 

As hire boats i imagine them to be solidly built , or at least there might be parts / areas of the hull that are strengthened ?? Might be wrong ??

 

Im considering a 60 footer and it too will need alot of work inside ( any engine or structural stuff will be left for the experts if i proceed after veiwing) , but mainly cosmetic stuff and electrical or plumbing .

 

They appear to provide more space for less money provided the hull and engine come thru largely unscathed .

 

Its all theory with me at the moment - i need to go and view it . Its on apolloduck 24995 tingdene marina

 

Cheers again , chubby

just looked at the boat and cross matched it back to the black prince fleet (via index number), i suspect this is the boat your looking at BP fleet if you do go ahead with it make sure you have it surveyed, well worth the money at 25k if survey goes ok.

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Hello ,

 

Im looking to buy a narrowboat to live on ,moored up in marina s for most of the time , but will want to take my boat out from time to time .

Budgets are quite tight - 25000 max really as i m looking to keep some money for contingency probs .

Does anyone have opinions on these black prince ex hire boats ?

Pro s and cons ? Horror stories or happy endings etc . Im sure they might divide opinion but are they built strong ,

solid reliable engines ; probably thrashed )? Any help , advice , very welcome , cheers chubby

 

Looks like a reasonable buy to me Chubby...

 

Big advantage is the perceived fact that BP boats are well built and well maintained on a 'money no object' basis for the whole of their hiring life. Downside is their spartan fit-out, and the fact that any private owner in the interim may not have spent ANYTHING on maintenance since it left the fleet.

 

As a liveaboard I suggest you will find it lacking in a number of areas that need money spending.... eg no carpets, spartan and unwelcoming interior decor, undersized engine for size of boat, gas-fired (i.e. expensive to run) central heating, and thats all that springs to mind glancing through the apolloduck listing.

 

Mike

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Hi Chubby,

I've been living aboard my ex Black Prince for five years now. She's fab. And was also a real bargain. There are a couple of cabins which I have remodelled and some I've kept the same (bathroom, bedroom and galley). In my experience the engine's aren't under powered for the size of the boat. However that many other boats have engines way bigger than they need so people don't realise what a boat really requires. I've never been unable to manoeuvre out of a tricky situation with my 27hp engine on my 65ft boat. However I am a canal boater and have no intention of cruising across rivers in flood or the like.

Having looked at the advert the boat has just a 16hp engine which seems unusual. Yours is a Duchess class like mine with mitred windows. You may want to budget to replace the windows. Mine leaked badly and after trying various repair jobs which never fully worked, I had them replaced. Now they're perfect. I've spoken to another couple who own a Black Prince of the same era and they too have never managed to stop their windows leaking.

Some of the articles on the Black Prince Owners website are mine, and you can see some of the work I've done on the boat over the years. I found the leaking windows caused the OSB lining under them to rot. It's been inexpensive to repair and replace the rotten bits but worth checking when you view the boat.

Plus sides of owning a Black Prince include IMHO sturdy hull 10:6:4, shower over a bath, proper full size flushing loo with at least one pump out tank bigger than most people's tanks, big water tank (mine lasts a month), sturdy feeling internal cabin doors (no flimsy vibrating ply doors which is a pet hate of mine on boats), plus the scope to do it up or rip bits out relatively easily.

If you want to PM me I'll give you some more details of the good and less good things about owning a Black Prince. Personally I recommend them.

Edited by BlueStringPudding
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Hi Chubby,

I've been living aboard my ex Black Prince for five years now. She's fab. And was also a real bargain. There are a couple of cabins which I have remodelled and some I've kept the same (bathroom, bedroom and galley). In my experience the engine's aren't under powered for the size of the boat. However that many other boats have engines way bigger than they need so people don't realise what a boat really requires. I've never been unable to manoeuvre out of a tricky situation with my 27hp engine on my 65ft boat. However I am a canal boater and have no intention of cruising across rivers in flood or the like.

 

I agree, except that the boat under consideration is 60ft with a 16hp engine. Will be fine in most situations but decidedly underpowered for the Thames.

 

Mike

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I wasn't aware Chubby was going to be in a marina on the Thames.

 

same here BSP ours is also 65ft and we mainly do canals unless we have to cross rivers to get to the other side.

 

Same here. Not because of worrying about the engine but because I have no desire to cruise rivers myself. I crossed The Trent from Sawley to Shardlow in it when the river was raging which was fine, and I've done a short stretch of the Avon. That's all the rivers I feel the need to explore for now! :D

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I agree, except that the boat under consideration is 60ft with a 16hp engine. Will be fine in most situations but decidedly underpowered for the Thames.

 

Mike

did he say thames? i didnt see that :banghead:

 

i dont mind doing rivers if its a means to an end, we have come thru a couple of ambers this year and a red where we were stuck for a few days but the boat handled it ok.

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I agree, except that the boat under consideration is 60ft with a 16hp engine. Will be fine in most situations but decidedly underpowered for the Thames.

 

Mike

 

My first narrowboat was 56 ft with a 9 hp lister fitted. It certainly was a great teaching aid in how to handle a narrowboat :wacko: Your engine will be fine if not on rivers and its not very windy. We did the trent ( tidal ) on ours but I wouldnt have ever done it again with that engine. Most narrowboats are hugely overpowered these days for the canal system BUT many people take their boats at some time onto rivers and they are a totaly different ball game. :cheers:

 

Tim

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This is probably a 10 year ex BP. They probably sold it off in 20000. Anything could have happened to it in that time. It's not the same as buying one out of the fleet

If it is the one linked to in the "Ducky" advert for a boat at "Tingdene", then it is a 17 year old Black Prince.

 

Given their usual disposals policy, I would have thought it would have been off the hire fleet for a goodly number of years. How it has fared since is probably far more important than it's actual life on the fleet.

 

I wonder if the 16HP engine thing is a mistake ? Surely the 3-cylinder Kubota based engines are at least normally 20HP, plus ?

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just looked at the boat and cross matched it back to the black prince fleet (via index number), i suspect this is the boat your looking at BP fleet if you do go ahead with it make sure you have it surveyed, well worth the money at 25k if survey goes ok.

Think you have linked to wrong one.....

 

The one you show is "Stratford" BW index no 500578.

 

The boat on sale, now called "Denny" apperas to be the former "Ruthin" BW Index No 500579.

 

Jim shead details as follows.....

 

STRATFORD Built by BLACK PRINCE - Length 18.29 metres (60 feet ) - Beam 2.08 metres (6 feet 10 inches ) - Draft 0.5 metres (1 feet 8 inches ) Metal hull, power of 999 BHP. Registered with British Waterways number 500578 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 20-Apr-2012.

 

DENNY - Length 18.29 metres (60 feet ) - Beam 2.08 metres (6 feet 10 inches ) Metal hull, . Registered with British Waterways number 500579 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 19/04/2005.

 

If so the correct link is here.

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Think you have linked to wrong one.....

 

The one you show is "Stratford" BW index no 500578.

 

The boat on sale, now called "Denny" apperas to be the former "Ruthin" BW Index No 500579.

 

Jim shead details as follows.....

 

 

 

If so the correct link is here.

yes you are correct in noticed after i posted it it is in fact Ruthin, BP usually keep their boats for 5 years+ so would have been sold off after 2001 as it is a 1996 boat.

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STRATFORD Built by BLACK PRINCE - Length 18.29 metres (60 feet ) - Beam 2.08 metres (6 feet 10 inches ) - Draft 0.5 metres (1 feet 8 inches ) Metal hull, power of 999 BHP. Registered with British Waterways number 500578 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 20-Apr-2012.

 

999BHP alan? whooaaa whats in it a bugattie veyron?

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STRATFORD Built by BLACK PRINCE - Length 18.29 metres (60 feet ) - Beam 2.08 metres (6 feet 10 inches ) - Draft 0.5 metres (1 feet 8 inches ) Metal hull, power of 999 BHP. Registered with British Waterways number 500578 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 20-Apr-2012.

 

999BHP alan? whooaaa whats in it a bugattie veyron?

 

I think "999BHP" means phone the police/ambulance/fire brigade/life guards before revving this engine

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Hello

 

Thankyou everyone who has replied. Ive been away for a few days and have just checked to see if i had any more opinions . This site is fantastic - everyone is so helpful . I have got to be the most hesitant potential boat buyer ever ,but its bigmoney to buy and possibly an evenbigger pit to throw what littles left into ! Just to clarify - i would need to get it onto the Thames as i work in London in tourism , so for around 8 months a yr at least i need to be close ish . The rest of the time ??? . Maybe travel overseas , or maybe travelaround on my boat - its why i want my liveaboard to be a narrowboat . My only real option mooring wise is Gravesend , on the Thames as just about everthing else costs a small fortune and almost impossible to get . No CC ing for me in London . Any alternative mooring suggestions would also be very helpful . Once again heartfelt thanks to all whove helped - im going to open a new can of worms about Springers shortly !

 

Cheers

Chubby

Chubby

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