Eloise

Yes haggis, that seems to be what happened, from various reports by locals, The elderly couple apparently decided to reverse through the lock, so the boat was actually heading up, but backwards.

Lock 4, so Derbyshire. Will update if I find out what's happened.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/9650/weston-lock

I pay less than this for a Mercia mooring, and I can't see how security could be improved, except perhaps if a barrier were added to leave the marina.

There's no vendetta. I'm just concerned that the boat owners stated quite clearly that there have been no arrests, so this remains an unsolved crime.

I've held off from posting here, but have followed this from the start. Since C and G have stated clearly that their boat was found without anyone on board, and that no arrests have been made, why are we assuming that third party reports are more accurate?

I love all of these winter photos and now can't wait for snow. Might even get a sledge. I like the idea of a middle-aged woman sledging, like some kind of Beryl Cook painting.

Hi Mike On a boating holiday a couple of years ago, I met a lady in her eighties single-handing. She had sold up everything to live aboard, in her seventies! A real inspiration. I do have a couple of books (I have 'Going it Alone') and I've read the advice on this forum too. The photos are just breath-taking. Off to visit Mary-Jo now, to move her to her mooring spot! Everyone at Mercia has been really friendly and helpful.

I've just bought a boat and will be spending quite a bit of time on it. I was a bit apprehensive about starting out in the winter, but this advice is really useful and the photos have clinched it for me. I'll be at Mercia Marina initially so will have shore power, and the oil-filled radiator sounds like a good investment. I won't be able to go very far initially because of the stoppages, but I can practise single-handing a bit! Think I've decided that Christmas on board would actually be a great start to a boating life, even if I'm iced in.

No names were mentioned. I may have an announcement myself soon. Fingers crossed ...

Wow, this thread makes fantastic and useful reading. I've followed your story right from the start, and think it should all go in a book! Helpful and heartwarming - I've been astonished at all the assistance that's been offered, and the genuine community of boaters here. Even the grumpy ones. No, especially the grumpy ones. I think you might have become a Cut Character, Star! Hope to see you out there soon, cussing as you chase cats. Well done!

There are several newly-blacked boats at this broker's, and I wondered whether this was an attempt to cover up faults. I certainly wouldn't have known any of the things you all mention, and I know a survey provides some bargaining power. Many private sellers are still stating 'no offers', but that seems to be exactly what they get, because they're still for sale months later. There are hundreds of boats about at around 25000, and I think many of them are over-priced, comparing like for like.

Yes! One of my recurrent thoughts was that an apostrophe wouldn't have taken much more paint. I do find that I'm swayed by boat names, although I'm trying to see beyond that. The trouble is, often it's not just the name, it's a whole paint job 'theme'. There must be something to be said for calling a boat something inoffensive. If I didn't like the name, it would be a choice between an expensive repaint or regularly yelling out 'I didn't choose this name!'

So, still mithering here. Does this look like a decent hull? Link Eloise

Thanks all. It's so useful to have a range of opinions, and I think I'll be in a better position to decide if something's really wrong (although I'll then have the survey anyway and be there). Prices are dropping now that winter's coming ...

Off boat-hunting this weekend, and a couple of the boats I'll be viewing have just been blacked. So, apart from a huge hole and a sinking boat, what should I be looking for? I'll be having a survey on any final choice anyway. Is there anything I can spot while the boat is in the water? And if there's a recent hull survey, how recent is useful? Would it be worth buying one of those instruments for gauging steel thickness? Eloise

I suppose 'owner fit-out' could cover everything from fitting out a shell to adding a few cupboards, and I'd imagine that issues such as dodgy electrics could be as much of a problem as a thin hull. So I'd definitely go for a full survey. And I'd rather pay more for a boat that's not going to need major repairs within a year or so, eg hull re-plating. So I've dismissed this particular boat. It's been on sale for at least six months, at two different brokers. I'm going to look at a few boats at Notts Boats this weekend. I do have plenty of information about what to look out for, much of it from reading these boards! I'm sure I'll have loads more questions though, so I'll put them in a separate thread. In fact, I'll start now ... The hammer thing sounds a bit drastic.

Thanks for replying PB - I was in Bilbao! Plenty of very large boats there ... I'm sure you're right about pricing, particularly private owners (except you ). Many boats advertised on ebay don't sell at the moment because they don't reach their reserve price. One seller recently seemed to get quite disgruntled that people were watching but not offering, and added a rather terse message that since no-one had bought it, he would now have to put it with a broker and charge more. I can't see any harm in offering 25% less now winter's on its way, so thanks very much for the advice. One more thing to look out for - dodgy owner fit-outs!

Hi there Smudge. I haven't actually bought a boat yet, and although I've read endlessly, particularly on these forums, I've only been to see one boat and rejected it because there seemed to be some mysteries surrounding the ownership of it. Also, the seller seemed to have assumed that I'm a bit stupid and tried to tell me several things about boats that were untrue, eg that you would rarely get a proper cooker with a 40 foot boat. There's no substitute for finding out as much as you can before you view, by reading the topics here and asking questions if you need to. After that, I think you need to go and view some. Perhaps you could draw up a checklist of what you want - maybe 'I must have this' and 'I'd like this but it's not vital'? The key thing is a sound hull, so you'd have to have a hull survey at least. I can't really advise you, because I'm just a novice! I'm happy to share ideas though. At the moment I've gone into a bit of a catatonic state about the whole buying process, and might just leave it until the spring, unless I see something I really want. Eloise

Thanks very much for all of this advice. I know there's no substitute for actually going to have a look, so I think I'll do more of that, and I wouldn't think of buying anything without a full survey. It's useful to know that offers could be well below the asking price. I hadn't actually noticed the height! Not a problem for me, but I do have some tall friends ... There seems to be so much to consider. I think there ARE probably some kind of issues with the hull here, but I'm going to take a trip round some marinas soon and I'll compile a list of questions to ask. This forum is an absolute godsend for the novice. Many thanks again - think this one is probably a 'buyer beware'.