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How much to refit a narrowboat


PartTimer

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Hi, trying to create a finger in the clouds budget for refitting a 44' trad boat - full works, rip out everything and make look pretty - all nice wood, cushions and shiny metal - but not too shiny.

 

New bed, kitchen, lounge and bathroom, replace and move the engine - over 12-18 months whilst living aboard.

 

Looking to do as much work as possible my self, though my construction skills lean more towards the functional than the aesthetic, but labour costs would also be of interest. It would be very helpful to hear of other people's experiences.

 

Thanks,

PT

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Hi, trying to create a finger in the clouds budget for refitting a 44' trad boat - full works, rip out everything and make look pretty - all nice wood, cushions and shiny metal - but not too shiny.

 

New bed, kitchen, lounge and bathroom, replace and move the engine - over 12-18 months whilst living aboard.

 

Looking to do as much work as possible my self, though my construction skills lean more towards the functional than the aesthetic, but labour costs would also be of interest. It would be very helpful to hear of other people's experiences.

 

Thanks,

PT

 

A trifle dearer than refitting an house of approximately the same size (or a bit larger!)

 

It's a bit like the piece of string question really isn't it?

 

If you mean rip out back to steel - - and then re-build . . how about £30k?

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Total refit ? .............................think of a number say £30K (as already given) then add 10%

 

Move the engine ???...............Why and where to, this will need to be done by someone that knows what they are doing. :(

 

over 12-18 months whilst living aboard.........................In your dreams,;) more like 24 to 36 months, if you ever finish it. Can you live in 22' of the boat ?

 

 

 

 

ps. this is slightly tongue in cheek but only very slightly. I wish you good luck and hope you prove me wrong.

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Don't even think about it! When you have stripped out the existing linings you will have an old boat shell which has cost nearly as much as a new shell. Plus a pile of firewood of course.If you manage to finish the job you will have a boat worth little more than the original one, but which has cost the same or more to fit out than a new shell. If you don't finish the job, no one in their right mind will buy it from you at even the original price.

This isn't what you want to hear but it's the bald truth.

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Unless you have decided to (re)foam the interior then I wouldn't do this! Look to break the job into small manageable chunks -even 4 hours of work. Having the entire boat as a building site would almost certainly mean you getting selected crafts people in to do their bit doing 10 hour days while you (and yours?) sleep safely in a hotel.

 

I've been looking at cheap boats recently, and lots are simply cheaply on the market because someone stripped it all out then never finished the job. There are boat's I've seen that were worth £50K that are not getting £50 bids because they are "Stripped out ready for rebuild" meaning wrecked and filling up with water.

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Total refit ? .............................think of a number say £30K (as already given) then add 10%

 

Move the engine ???...............Why and where to, this will need to be done by someone that knows what they are doing. :(

 

over 12-18 months whilst living aboard.........................In your dreams,;) more like 24 to 36 months, if you ever finish it. Can you live in 22' of the boat ?

 

 

 

 

ps. this is slightly tongue in cheek but only very slightly. I wish you good luck and hope you prove me wrong.

Thanks - much appreciated. This thread was really an ask for a reality call.

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Don't even think about it! When you have stripped out the existing linings you will have an old boat shell which has cost nearly as much as a new shell. Plus a pile of firewood of course.If you manage to finish the job you will have a boat worth little more than the original one, but which has cost the same or more to fit out than a new shell. If you don't finish the job, no one in their right mind will buy it from you at even the original price.

This isn't what you want to hear but it's the bald truth.

OK, thanks.

 

So here's my followup question - what are the options. It looks a nice strong shell, but it's not layed out very well, the bathroom and kitchen need complete change, so might as well do the bed. So if building on the original linings - is that doable? I'm complete newbie, I know I need to do more reading but looking for direction. Ta, PT.

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OK, thanks.

 

So here's my followup question - what are the options. It looks a nice strong shell, but it's not layed out very well, the bathroom and kitchen need complete change, so might as well do the bed. So if building on the original linings - is that doable? I'm complete newbie, I know I need to do more reading but looking for direction. Ta, PT.

If the kitchen, bathroom and (quite probably) the bedroom all need a rebuild, given that many boats don't tend to have a lot more than open saloon space after that, it sounds like most of the boat to me!

 

Find a different one - it is unlikely to be sensible to try rebuilding this one, and living on it at the same time, I would say.

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cakes002.jpg

 

 

Before . .

 

 

IMG_8082.jpg

 

 

during . .

 

img_54121-1.jpg

 

 

and after.

 

Just to give you some idea of the cost and the work involved. It took about £10K to fit out the butty from scratch, including kitchen, bedroom and and bathroom. It's a pretty simple fit out but it took me about six months to complete it, working about three days a week. In addition to this I had to do a lot of work on the back cabin.

 

When I did a similar fit out on the motor this took me eighteen months working on it at weekends and holidays. This conversion was more expensive because I splashed out on some rather nice second hand eucalyptus for lining out which added about £5k to the cost.

 

 

In addition to the fit outs there was, of course, additional expense on steelwork and the engines.

 

 

 

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cakes002.jpg

 

 

Before . .

 

 

IMG_8082.jpg

 

 

during . .

 

img_54121-1.jpg

 

 

and after.

 

Just to give you some idea of the cost and the work involved. It took about £10K to fit out the butty from scratch, including kitchen, bedroom and and bathroom. It's a pretty simple fit out but it took me about six months to complete it, working about three days a week. In addition to this I had to do a lot of work on the back cabin.

 

When I did a similar fit out on the motor this took me eighteen months working on it at weekends and holidays. This conversion was more expensive because I splashed out on some rather nice second hand eucalyptus for lining out which added about £5k to the cost.

 

 

In addition to the fit outs there was, of course, additional expense on steelwork and the engines.

 

 

OH, that's beautiful, I absolutely love it.

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Hi, trying to create a finger in the clouds budget for refitting a 44' trad boat - full works, rip out everything and make look pretty - all nice wood, cushions and shiny metal - but not too shiny.

 

New bed, kitchen, lounge and bathroom, replace and move the engine - over 12-18 months whilst living aboard.

 

Looking to do as much work as possible my self, though my construction skills lean more towards the functional than the aesthetic, but labour costs would also be of interest. It would be very helpful to hear of other people's experiences.

 

Thanks,

PT

Is the boat you have in mind worth doing do you think as you can visialise it in the end?

Is the shell a good shell?

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Don't even think about it! When you have stripped out the existing linings you will have an old boat shell which has cost nearly as much as a new shell. Plus a pile of firewood of course.If you manage to finish the job you will have a boat worth little more than the original one, but which has cost the same or more to fit out than a new shell. If you don't finish the job, no one in their right mind will buy it from you at even the original price.

This isn't what you want to hear but it's the bald truth.

I tend to agree with Mike; we're re-fitting a fire damaged tug and it's taking nearer 18 months than the 6 - 9 I expected, plus it's also a lot trickier and quite different to the houses I've worked on in the past. And it's costing more than our pretty realistic initial estimate. It's a very special looking boat so it's worth it but for a straightforward boat then, unless you are buying it very cheaply, then no. I would say that it's going to cost you £20-£30k depending on the extent of the work and the level of equipment you want.

A big thing to bear in mind is that the quality of your joinery workmanship in particular will always be on display in the finished boat so you can't hide mistakes and bodge-ups. In a house they're all behind the plastering! When you come to sell an amateur-looking fit-out is easily spotted and won't make anywhere near the money of a pro one.

There are lots of boats for sale out there (900 nbs, 300 being trads on Apolloduck) so I would keep looking to find one that's at least largely right to start with.

 

And you want to live on board too? On a 44 footer? Sorry, it just won't work.

Edited by starman
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So the reason I'm plugging for this boat is that it's got a mooring near central london.

 

So go for it -- - just make really sure you can take over the mooring if you buy the boat, and that the mooring isn't totally overpriced for the area, and be prepared to have a difficult, uncomfortable and more expensive than you think 18 months or so living in a workshop!

 

(You should also check that the moorings owner will permit you to do the thorough re-build on his moorings)

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As Grace and Favour says, you will need to get it in writing from the mooring owner, not the boat seller, that the mooring is transferable.

 

Do not take anyone's word get it in writing.

 

Another option, if you can definitley have the mooring and finances work, buy the boat, with mooring, sell the boat without mooring buy different boat.

 

Again get it in writing from mooring owner that they will let you put a new boat on the mooring.

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Aye bottle, that is an alternative plan of action - am considering the costs either way, alongside the 'fun' of course of putting together your own home.

 

 

masochist :lol:

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As others have said, fitout prices vary greatly, my old boat, very nearly finished now, cost well over £30k to fitout but it has a quality spec with lots and lots of hardwood (ash and sapele) generator, hi spec electrics etc etc.

 

Whereas the Butty will, I think, be completed for less than £5k if i'm lucky and that includes £1500 of welding on the hull and some interior steelwork (£1500 budgeted for that) I've begged and scrounged about for most of the bits and bobs for the fitout and the watertanks and a few wiring bits were all i needed to buy in. It is a very basic build though.

 

I'd not fancy living on a boat whilst fitting it out, just done that and it was a challenge, i still remember the thrill of getting running water and watching it drain away again, after a few months of aquaroll and bucket and chuck it living, little things like that became milestones in the build

 

We did have the luxury of a back cabin with heater that we could escape the mess in the evenings, that was invaluable.

 

Paul

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If you Google "Le Corbusier sofa" and "Mies Van Der Rohe Barcelona chair", you'll find plenty of suppliers.

 

Cheers...

 

Is the sofa comfy?

 

PS. Looks to be a nice fitout, do you have any more pics? - not that I'm nosey :)

Edited by Robbo
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