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What price a beautifully kitted out old Hancock and Lane?


captain flint

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Hi there

There's a Hancock and Lane boat fitted out in an unsual way I really like. I've seen a recent survey (I'd get a new one if bidding). Not awesome, to be honest. I'm wondering what people think about making a bid. I'm inclined not to even try a lower price than being asked. I'll explain why

She has been beautifully fitted out, with really top greade materials and in a style I love. I hesitate to post a link as I have a feeling it's not to everyone's taste! But anyway, the point is, the cost is £49,000 and I am really am no expert but from what I've seen I would think half of that would be the more normal price for that boat, were it not for a fancy fit out.

Of course, there are questions about the fit-out - like has the guy done boats before, will the panelling all pop out in the first cold snap, etc. But even if it turns out he's an experienced boat fitter, I'm left thinking I should not let me heart rule my head, and should not spend 50 grand on a boat like this, however pretty the interior.

The 2016 survey itself shows that she's not in bad nick in general but has not been all that well well looked after recently, needed various bits of overplating at various times over the years (of course - and better that they've been done than not!!) but that not all the overplating was done perfectly (no suggestion of leaks, but some done over the rubbing strake, which is considered bad practice according to the survey, and the odd bit left off, not filling one with confidence, including one place ommitted on the stbd waterline where it was down to 3.6mm). The baseplate is a bit less than 6 in some places, as to be expected on a boat that had 6mm as new, but generall between 5.7 and 6.7... The survey did say that when it was last looked at it hadn't been blacked recently enough and there was some signs of corrosion through what was left of the bitumen, but the gyuy says it now has four (!) new coats.

I think the thing to do is have one last, lingering look at the photos of the inside, and give a whistful sigh, then turn away, never to look back again.

I suspect he spent a lot on the various hardwoods he put into this venerable little boat, and wouldn't be able to come down in price much, but what would people think was OK? It's a hard one because I think a newer, better boat, done up like that, could cost more than twice, but that a 30+ year old hancock and lane should go for half that price!
 

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Any boat that's been overplated is living on borrowed time. I'd avoid this boat at half the price.

And never mind panels popping out in the cold, are they designed so you can you pop them out at will when you need to get at the inside of the hull in a hurry?

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6 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

If it is the boat I think it is, it seems very overpriced: perhaps 37years old, possibly in need of welding, and being sold as a floating flat ( without a mooring) in Manchester rather than as a boat. 

Horrendously overpriced.

 

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Potty - only confirms to me that most/ many /all newcomers get seduced by the interiors and completely ignore the mechanics / mechanism / structure of the boat.

Old adage - No Foot, no horse. Think on't

 

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2 hours ago, captain flint said:

...
I think the thing to do is have one last, lingering look at the photos of the inside, and give a whistful sigh, then turn away, never to look back again.
...
 

The forum appears to agree you'd be playing your cards right.

  • Greenie 2
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7 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Any boat that's been overplated is living on borrowed time. I'd avoid this boat at half the price.

 

Wouldn't overplating a boat give it a new lease of life and make it last much longer than doing nothing. Some folks seem to dismiss overplated boats, but others don't object if its done well.

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On 19/07/2017 at 22:49, AllanC said:

Wouldn't overplating a boat give it a new lease of life and make it last much longer than doing nothing.

 

We are into semantics here. Lots of rustbuckets have been overplated to save them from sinking. You call it a new lease of life, which could arguably be the case if every inch of the underwater of the boat is competently encased in new steel. But it won't be in most cases, which is why I call it living on borrowed time. Your 'much longer' will probably be about ten years in most cases before the overplating needs overplating.

 

On 19/07/2017 at 22:49, AllanC said:

Some folks seem to dismiss overplated boats, but others don't object if its done well.

 

That 'if' you slipped in there is probably the biggest 'if' in the whole world of narrowboating. Most overplating I've seen has not been done well.

 

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Hancock and Lane boats seem to be well regarded, but looking at H&L's for sale, they all seem to be getting pretty old. I'm not sure when they stopped building them, but what other options are there available to preserve them if they are not to end up scrapped? If indeed they are worth preserving.

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£49,000 and it hasn't even got central hating? Harrumph.

I can see that time and money have gone into the refit but I don't especially like it. And as for those weeds invading the shower...

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I think there will come a time when people start to appreciate older boats from the 70's and 80's as in many cases they offer something the average modern box doesn't. Just lately I have seen an old Springer an early 1980's Colecraft and a 70's Harborough all in immaculate condition and they stand out a mile amongst the anonymous arrow straight offerings from the middle market builders of today.  

But I don't know that I would put an old H&L in this category and I certainly wouldn't pay a premium for an old boat just because someone has spent a fortune on the interior.  At the moment I can't think of any H&L that would be worth more than £30,000 and from the description this boat certainly isn't.  

One thing about H&L boats worth mentioning is they do have a reputation for handling well, especially astern.  The modern "Clipper" shells sold by Calcutt Boats are I believe a recreation of the old H&L "Norseman", (I don't know, but I would suspect Andy Robinson that makes the Calcutt shells may have learned his trad at H&L?) and I've met a lot of happy owners of these boats who praise their handling.  So why spend £50k on an ancient rusting boat when you can have effectively the modern version, brand new, for almost the same money?  

   

 

Edited by Neil2
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I ask how much you think you could sell it for, if you had too.

Or when the time comes, will you get your money back, or will the depreciation be written off as a reasonable cost of boating.

 

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Thanks to all the replies, basically what I thought but with some more info and insight, helpful.

Not to everyone's taste but I think it's nice in a bonkers kind of way. Can't help but think of he'd done something similar in a modern boat he'd find a buyer willing to pay top price for his wacky fitout (if it's technically sound). Expect he didn't have enough capital, but seems a shame, in that he's obviously put time, thought as money into what is, in the final analysis, a turkey...

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2 minutes ago, captain flint said:

Thanks to all the replies, basically what I thought but with some more info and insight, helpful.

Not to everyone's taste but I think it's nice in a bonkers kind of way. Can't help but think of he'd done something similar in a modern boat he'd find a buyer willing to pay top price for his wacky fitout (if it's technically sound). Expect he didn't have enough capital, but seems a shame, in that he's obviously put time, thought as money into what is, in the final analysis, a turkey...

He should sell it by Christmas, then.

People do it to cars such as VW Beetles and Morry Minors, sometimes restoring them to as near original condition, sometimes as little pick-up trucks. If they had done so in 1970 they would have been considered bonkers too, but such vehicles are now worth considerable sums.

Is this the dawn of the Post-Vintage Thoroughbred narrowboat?

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I'd agree with Robbo and what's with that weird clerestory thing or whatever it's supposed to be.

however, the main issue is I reckon this is one of H&L's wet bilge boats.  Note there are no pics of the front well or the engine room which would confirm it but the cockpit clearly drains into the bilge which is consistent with the through bilge that early Hancock and lane boats had.

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