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Boat Buying Checklist - HELP!


Holly Lacey

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Hi all,

 

Was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on what to look for when buying your first boat.

 

I've been doing my own research since September 2016, and am now in the position to start my hunt for the right boat.

 

I'm ideally after a 40-45ft, don't have a huge budget but am looking for something livable that I could do a little work on over the years.

 

When it comes to actually viewing the boat, what are the key questions to ask, and what are the main things I'll need to make sure the boat has to be able to live aboard full-time at a marina?

 

I don't want to end up with a money-pit, so am trying to gather as much advice a possible!

 

Any help is massively appreciated!!

 

Thanks,

Holly

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Don't take this the wrong way.... but....

 

Only you can decide what is "liveable" and what constitutes "a little work"

 

Some on here that would claim that a steel shell, a sleeping bag, a bucket of water and a bucket of "not water" would match up perfectly with that description.

 

Others will take it to mean a perfectly finished floating apartment with every mod-con where the "little work" translates as needing to buy some cushions to match the interior.

Edited by Jess--
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You need to consider your basics.

1) How will you heat the boat in winter? Possibly using electricity in which case you need to ensure the marina supply bollard is 16A if only a few amps it will not keep you warm. A solid fuel stove is good, but does the marina have any policy on smoke from a wood burner.

2) Does the marina allow living on board? If officially 'no' but they turn a blind eye to it then you can not use the marina as a postal address. If they do not allow living on board you will need to find what they require you to do. For example take the boat out every week for say 36hours, in which case you need a boat with adequate electric power to support your cruising lifestyle.

3) Similar to 1 above, how will you heat your water?

4) What width boat do you want? A narrowboat can travel all over but is cramped as basically you live in a corridor, a wide boat has rooms and a lot more space, but is restricted on the canals and rivers it can navigate along. For example it is not possible to take a wide boat onto the northern canals from the south of England unless you don't mind some salty water trips.

5) What length do you want? The longer the boat the more room, but it costs more to moor in a marina. There was a thread on here some time ago about someone that had bought a broadbeam boat and was unable to find a marina that would take it.

 

A better approach would be to look at some of the brokers sites and find some boats that you think would be suitable for you and then ask specific questions.

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Starter questions might include

When was the last boat safety certificate issued...any recommendations,

When was the engine last serviced/run

Has there been a recent survey done

Year of build

Can the owner prove it is theirs to sell

What is the insulation

When was it last blacked

What type and size water tank

What are the heating/hot water/electrical(12 & 240v)/gas systems on board (including amount of battery power and charge)

Is there a bilge inspection hatch (cabin)

What is included in the sale.

Then....ask for a trial run, preferably allowing you to take the tiller at least briefly to feel for unusual tiller vibration etc, ask for demonstration that pumps, toilets etc are in working order.

Then....Full survey if you really like it.

 

The list to look at and ask is fairly endless really, and should include much more than just this. Perhaps take a boat knowledgeable friend who knows how you wish to use the boat, and will help suss out if it will suit or not, as well as be able to see good or bad signs with an objective eye.

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I don't want to end up with a money-pit, so am trying to gather as much advice a possible!

 

 

 

 

All boats are money pits to a lesser or greater expense. My advice whilst far from trying to put you off is to have some contingency money kept back as whatever boat you buy WILL cost you more than you expect in the long term.

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All boats are money pits to a lesser or greater expense. My advice whilst far from trying to put you off is to have some contingency money kept back as whatever boat you buy WILL cost you more than you expect in the long term.

 

...I'd just add to that that while some sort of contingency fund makes a lot of sense - unexpected costs will crop up sooner or later - there's definitely a balance to be struck here between buying the best boat you can afford and keeping a bit of money in reserve.

 

For the sake of argument, if you've got a £20,000 budget and it comes to a choice between spending £19,000 on a boat that's well-equipped and in good condition, or spending £14,000 on a boat that needs a couple of things repairing, a couple of things replacing, 'a little work' on the paintwork, etc., you might very well be better off going for the more expensive boat. You wouldn't believe how quickly all those odd jobs add up, and a genuine £1000 contingency fund in the bank beats £6000 that quickly disappears leaving you with a boat that's still 'not quite right'.

 

It's a different calculation if you've genuinely got the time and skills to do a lot of work on the boat yourself, of course, but for anyone who's looking at paying boatyard prices, I suspect a 'doer-upper' is always likely to be the more expensive option in the long run.

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Thank you all for your help!

 

My budget is not big, and with the unavailability of wide-beam moorings, a wide-beam is completely out of the question, at least for now. I've already had a look at a couple just to get a feel for the type of layout I'm after.

 

I'm just cautious as I am very much a novice and so want to avoid being taken advantage of, to put it bluntly.

Don't take this the wrong way.... but....

 

Only you can decide what is "liveable" and what constitutes "a little work"

 

Some on here that would claim that a steel shell, a sleeping bag, a bucket of water and a bucket of "not water" would match up perfectly with that description.

 

Others will take it to mean a perfectly finished floating apartment with every mod-con where the "little work" translates as needing to buy some cushions to match the interior.

By 'liveable' I mean a boat that has everything you need but may be a bit out dated in terms of the interiors. I know with my budget I can't be too picky!

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...I'd just add to that that while some sort of contingency fund makes a lot of sense - unexpected costs will crop up sooner or later - there's definitely a balance to be struck here between buying the best boat you can afford and keeping a bit of money in reserve.

 

For the sake of argument, if you've got a £20,000 budget and it comes to a choice between spending £19,000 on a boat that's well-equipped and in good condition, or spending £14,000 on a boat that needs a couple of things repairing, a couple of things replacing, 'a little work' on the paintwork, etc., you might very well be better off going for the more expensive boat. You wouldn't believe how quickly all those odd jobs add up, and a genuine £1000 contingency fund in the bank beats £6000 that quickly disappears leaving you with a boat that's still 'not quite right'.

 

It's a different calculation if you've genuinely got the time and skills to do a lot of work on the boat yourself, of course, but for anyone who's looking at paying boatyard prices, I suspect a 'doer-upper' is always likely to be the more expensive option in the long run.

I've definitely taken this into account. From what I've read on multiple threads, living aboard is not necessarily a cheaper way to live and I fully expect to have to fork out a bit to get me started.

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Like mrsmelly said, ALL boats are moneypits. Far more expensive to maintain properly than a house, although the expense stream can be VERY lumpy. Years can go by with only trivial expenses then several multi-£k bills all at once.


(At which point bailing out can make very good fincancial sense. Make sure you are not buying from someone who has reached this point.)

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Starter questions might include

When was the last boat safety certificate issued...any recommendations,

When was the engine last serviced/run

Has there been a recent survey done

Year of build

Can the owner prove it is theirs to sell

What is the insulation

When was it last blacked

What type and size water tank

What are the heating/hot water/electrical(12 & 240v)/gas systems on board (including amount of battery power and charge)

Is there a bilge inspection hatch (cabin)

What is included in the sale.

Then....ask for a trial run, preferably allowing you to take the tiller at least briefly to feel for unusual tiller vibration etc, ask for demonstration that pumps, toilets etc are in working order.

Then....Full survey if you really like it.

The list to look at and ask is fairly endless really, and should include much more than just this. Perhaps take a boat knowledgeable friend who knows how you wish to use the boat, and will help suss out if it will suit or not, as well as be able to see good or bad signs with an objective eye.

This is so helpful!

 

In terms of electrics, is it likely to find a boat that won't have what's necessary to match a Marina mooring? (Apologies for my newbie talk, I'm trying to learn as much as possible)

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If you have time to invest, walk along the towpath of a canal near you. Dawdle near boats and whenever you see signs of life, chat to the occupants. My experience is that most them will be delighted to tell (and show) you about their boats and their quirks and deficiencies and you can learn a lot from what they have to say. The only drawback is that it can be difficult to detach and get away!

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Like mrsmelly said, ALL boats are moneypits. Far more expensive to maintain properly than a house, although the expense stream can be VERY lumpy. Years can go by with only trivial expenses then several multi-£k bills all at once.

(At which point bailing out can make very good fincancial sense. Make sure you are not buying from someone who has reached this point.)

How's best to tell if said someone ha reached this point? Will the survey pick up all necessary work to be done immediately and any possible faults I may find down the line (obviously there will be things that cannot be foreseen)?

If you have time to invest, walk along the towpath of a canal near you. Dawdle near boats and whenever you see signs of life, chat to the occupants. My experience is that most them will be delighted to tell (and show) you about their boats and their quirks and deficiencies and you can learn a lot from what they have to say. The only drawback is that it can be difficult to detach and get away!

I plan to make many trips to local marinas. Having done so already, I've met some lovely people. I'm happy to sit and talk about it all day, they'll be pushing me out by the end!

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How's best to tell if said someone ha reached this point? Will the survey pick up all necessary work to be done immediately and any possible faults I may find down the line (obviously there will be things that cannot be foreseen)?

 

 

I am old and dangerously cynical, but surveyors tend to tell you a lot more stuff face to face than what they are prepared to put in writing. In addition, the future life of a bote is not possible to predict and the funnel of possibilities is very wide. If you are a risk taker and the cards fall in your favour then GREAT. If not, then run away very fast,

 

Curiously, the risk takers do tend to win. What's yer starsign?

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I am old and dangerously cynical, but surveyors tend to tell you a lot more stuff face to face than what they are prepared to put in writing. In addition, the future life of a bote is not possible to predict and the funnel of possibilities is very wide. If you are a risk taker and the cards fall in your favour then GREAT. If not, then run away very fast,

 

Curiously, the risk takers do tend to win. What's yer starsign?

I guess any used boat is never going to be risk-free! And I'm a Sagittarius, not too sure what that says about me.

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This is so helpful!

In terms of electrics, is it likely to find a boat that won't have what's necessary to match a Marina mooring? (Apologies for my newbie talk, I'm trying to learn as much as possible)

Yes, quite possible to find one without hook up for example, which means charging via engine or genny and upsetting neighbours, annoying yourself, etc. But depends on the mooring. If you are say, on an online mooring with distant neighbours, not so much of a problem, though if you need 240v, it also means a decent inverter and extra hammering of batteries. So, another question arises....has it got a hook up facility.

If you were buying locally to me I'd offer to view some with you (ex boat builder & off grid long term liveaboard ) but my time constraints now don't allow longer trips I'm afraid. Keep asking questions!

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"In terms of electrics, is it likely to find a boat that won't have what's necessary to match a Marina mooring? (Apologies for my newbie talk, I'm trying to learn as much as possible)"

 

 

It's possible to live on a boat with only 12v power for lights, water pumps, fridge, radio and tv, and plenty do, but if you want any 240V items you will need an inverter (google it). To charge your 12v batteries in a marina your boat will need a shore-line (hook-up) connection and charger box (can be seperate but is included in an inverter). Most modern boats have these but some don't; a new inverter is about £400 plus £100 for shoreline plug socket.

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I guess any used boat is never going to be risk-free! And I'm a Sagittarius, not too sure what that says about me.

Surely Aquarius or Pisces would be better for someone planning an aquatic lifestyle?

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If you are Cambridge based why not wander down to Midsommer Common and fry to find Fade to Scarlet and his partner on Willow. They'd have had every boating "experience" known to man, Except sinking, in a very short time and they can talk for England about them. They are both extremely articulate and would be very glad to help I am sure.

Edited by PaddingtonBear
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Yes, quite possible to find one without hook up for example, which means charging via engine or genny and upsetting neighbours, annoying yourself, etc. But depends on the mooring. If you are say, on an online mooring with distant neighbours, not so much of a problem, though if you need 240v, it also means a decent inverter and extra hammering of batteries. So, another question arises....has it got a hook up facility.

If you were buying locally to me I'd offer to view some with you (ex boat builder & off grid long term liveaboard ) but my time constraints now don't allow longer trips I'm afraid. Keep asking questions!

I'm based in the Cambridge area but I fully expect to do a bit of travelling in search of the right boat.

 

"In terms of electrics, is it likely to find a boat that won't have what's necessary to match a Marina mooring? (Apologies for my newbie talk, I'm trying to learn as much as possible)"

 

 

 

It's possible to live on a boat with only 12v power for lights, water pumps, fridge, radio and tv, and plenty do, but if you want any 240V items you will need an inverter (google it). To charge your 12v batteries in a marina your boat will need a shore-line (hook-up) connection and charger box (can be seperate but is included in an inverter). Most modern boats have these but some don't; a new inverter is about £400 plus £100 for shoreline plug socket.

From this, I think hook-up facility is a must. With older boats, if they do not have this facility, is it always possible to add it?

If you are Cambridge based why not wander down to Midsommer Common and fry to find Fade to Scarlet and his partner on Willow. They'd have had every boating "experience" known to man, Except sinking, in a very short time and they can talk for England about them. They are both extremely articulate and would be very glad to help I am sure.

Thanks for this, my weekend's now sorted!

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From this, I think hook-up facility is a must. With older boats, if they do not have this facility, is it always possible to add it?

 

Yes you could always get an electrician to install a mains ring (and inverter if you want one) on a boat which doesn't have one. But you need someone who works on boats and understands hull earthing and galvanic isolation.

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Will the survey pick up all necessary work to be done immediately and any possible faults I may find down the line (obviously there will be things that cannot be foreseen)?

 

 

 

A survey (surveyor) is not a panacea and will NOT pick up all of the problems - all you can hope for is that he finds the majority of the MAJOR faults.

 

Just as a 'word of warning', I had a survey, got a '100% clean bill of health', purchased the boat and then found it needed over £20,000 spending to make it 'sea-worthy'.

 

You have no come-back on the surveyor - I tried to take legal action and the surveyors 'small print' exonerated them from any errors they may make.

 

You need to be aware of the realities as well as the 'rose tinted glasses' version of boating.

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