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KenK

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KenK last won the day on May 4 2016

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    Electronics Engineer (Retired)

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  1. The boat was built in the UK, hull by Pickwell and Arnold and fitted out by Mitchell Narrowboats to a specification required by the original owners. They used it in the UK for a couple of years before it was taken to Europe.
  2. My Dutch Barge which is 55ft long and 12 ft wide has two fuel tanks both of which hold 1500 litres, a total of 3000 litres and the water tank holds 3400 litres. So it is possible to have large fuel and water tanks in a 60 ft widebeam.
  3. KenK

    Buyer Beware

    No I'm not suggesting that having paperwork makes the boat more or less valuable, I said if the original paperwork was available then a more informed decision could have been made by the purchaser. As I said maybe it was and he or she still decided the boat was worth the money. As far as improvements I would say it had gone downhill rather than been improved with the exception of the solar panels. For added information I paid £60,000 for her as a new boat although of course that money buys a lot less today.
  4. KenK

    Buyer Beware

    I think my original post may have been too subtle, I was trying not to make an accusation which I could not substantiate. In my post I clearly said that when I sold the boat I included both the original sales invoice and also the invoice (RYA version) when I sold her. I'm fairly certain that if the current owner had been aware that the boat had been purchased for £50,000 in 2019 they may have thought long and hard before paying almost 50% more for a boat 3 years older. It has been pointed out many times on this and other boating forums that often a boat is the most expensive thing many people buy after a house but there is no requirement for any paperwork, not even proof of ownership, hence the Buyer Beware. The paperwork I handed over to my purchaser should have been, in my opinion, retained and passed on to future purchasers, maybe it was I don't know. Possibly the current purchaser wanted the boat so badly that price was no object. Yes, it was Winter Rose, as far as I am concerned I sold her for a fair price and I have no regrets as the quick sale meant I was able to purchase my current boat a Luxemotor barge for a very good price. The current Winter Rose Luxemotor, (the name has personal reasons), has allowed my wife and I to experience a very different type of boating in Europe from the UK rivers and canals, long may it continue. Ken
  5. I've put this into the New to Boating section as it very much applies to people looking to purchase their first boat. Yesterday I was checking out boats when I came across my old narrowboat which had just been sold by Rugby Boats for £74,950. I was somewhat surprised as I sold her at the end of 2019 for £50,000, so a 50% price hike on a boat which is three years older. Looking at the pictures on the site not much has changed, a couple of solar panels added, the Wilsons sofa / bed replaced with a different sofa and the dining table and chairs missing, replaced by a large TV, even the pictures on the walls are the same. When I sold the boat I supplied the purchaser with the original bill of sale from the builder and of course a copy of the sale details at that point along with a file containing al the paperwork relating to the boat. I do wonder how much of that paperwork was available to the current owner, I doubt if many people would be happy to accept a 50% price increase on a boat which is three years older. I know that boats have increased in price over the last couple of years but 50% seems excessive. As the topic title suggests when contemplating purchasing a boat do your research. Ken
  6. We no longer boat in the UK our boat is now in the Netherlands, on Sunday we moored up at the passantenhaven (passing mooring) the cost was 32 Euros for an overnight stay, although that does include electricity, water and rubbish disposal. Seems a lot but the Dutch canals do not require the payment of a licence fee so unless moorings are charged for there would not be any. When we had a narrowboat in the UK we followed the rules and on a couple of occasions over the 14 years we had to request a longer stay on a time limited mooring for personal reasons both BW and CRT were helpful once we phoned to explain the problem. The OP can read the sign, if he does not wish to pay then move on after 24 hours. The EA already uses car parking companies to enforce 24 hour mooring on the Thames, you certainly do not want that on CRT waters.
  7. My wife and I own a replica Luxemotor which was designed as a liveaboard, be aware that old barges were designed to carry cargo. A 17 metre barge has probably been cut down from its original size and an old boat will have needed overplating, hopefully done correctly. I would second the advice to join the Barge Association many of the members own old dutch barges of various types and will be happy to answer questions. Take a look at the DBA website you do not need to be a member to view a lot of the content.
  8. Not related to your original question however as you are based in France you may find this site useful https://barges.org Canalworld is UK based and does not have much if any European information, barges.org covers both Europe and the UK and despite the name many of the members have boats similar to yours.
  9. IMO Chesterfield very pretty and quiet. North East waterways generally quiet and very pretty in many places, also an excellent variety of canals and rivers. Marina moorings also tend to be more reasonable in the north east compared to Midlands and the South which are generally the busiest.
  10. My wife and I did it in 2019, in May, it was a late spring so the blossoms etc. were just in bloom and the weather worked in our favour. It is without doubt one of the most beautiful canals and because it does not see huge numbers of boats easy to find delightful moorings. From memory the first six locks are wide and the rest narrow, I asked a local why and was told, they were widened to allow stone from a quarry to be moved more quickly as it was used to rebuild the Houses of Parliament, no idea if that's true but it does make sense. The very end near the blocked up tunnel is a little disappointing, maybe one day it will be opened and the whole canal will be open again.
  11. Sarah, a boat just like anything else is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. As you are moving from lumpy water you must have some experience of boat costs for that environment anything from a few hundred pounds to many millions. The inland waterways are similar there are a range of prices from a few thousand up to possibly a quarter of a million. As for the boat you have looked at, judging from what information is available it looks like it would work as a live a board boat, it is a little old fashioned but if that works for you no problem. I sold a 60 foot narrowboat in Oct 2019 for £50,000, that boat was built in 2006 and was in A1 condition when it was sold, I then purchased a Dutch Barge built in 2007 for £80,000. I priced the narrowboat at £55,000 expecting people to offer lower prices, I knew I would accept £50,000 but no lower, so room for negotiation. I made a ridiculous offer for the Dutch Barge and it was accepted, you never know what the seller will accept, so make a cheeky offer, you can always go up if they say no.
  12. It's six of one and half a dozen of the other, so far this month we need a new boiler in the house, the fridge has packed up and needs repair. To balance that I just received my mooring cost for the Dutch barge based in NL and its booked in for out of water checks and blacking in March.
  13. That sounds a sensible option. With regard to looking for boats I assume you are aware of Apolloduck, website for all types of boat sales, will give you a good idea of what is out there and prices. We had a 60 foot semi trad for 14 years and covered all of the England / Wales system where it would fit which is most of it, we now have a Dutch barge currently in the Netherlands, very different from UK boating. Good luck with your search.
  14. I would suggest the obvious, take the family for a narrowboat holiday before committing a large sum of money buying a boat, your dream may not be theirs. Living on a boat is not for everyone, especially CCing with children who need to go to school.
  15. Boards are a traffic light system, Green OK, Amber a warning, Red don't travel. Lockkeepers will issue a red card if you insist on moving under red boards. You normally find them at the locks, as the level of the river rises due to rainfall the green board is covered first, followed by the amber until you can only see the red. Unlike most UK canals rivers have a current flow which increases as the levels rise, your boat may not have sufficient power to overcome the current travelling upstream or be able to bring you to a stop when travelling downstream. The Thames is a wonderful river to navigate as long as you treat it with respect.
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