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Ex-hire Boats for Newbie Boaters?


soggyfrog

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Hi all,

 

My friend and I are looking into buying a boat, and another friend has recommended considering an ex-hire boat as these are most likely to give us the two separate bedrooms that we require, as well as the space to live comfortably without always being under each others feet.

 

Does anyone have any advice relating to purchasing an ex-hire boat? Are they generally better maintained than privately owned boats? Anything else we should be thinking about/asking about/looking for?

 

I'd be quite happy taking on a "blank canvas" and fitting it out from scratch, but apparently that's too optimistic for first-timers!

 

Thanks in advance.

 

SF

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For: they are built solidly and with maintenance in mind. So, important things are easy to get to

 

Against: holiday layouts don't suit a liveaboard, some parts will be bodged in a hurry, wiring for instance. It may have hull wear so get a survey

 

We bought one as our first boat, we still love her ten years on

 

Richard

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Hi all,

 

My friend and I are looking into buying a boat, and another friend has recommended considering an ex-hire boat as these are most likely to give us the two separate bedrooms that we require, as well as the space to live comfortably without always being under each others feet.

 

Does anyone have any advice relating to purchasing an ex-hire boat? Are they generally better maintained than privately owned boats? Anything else we should be thinking about/asking about/looking for?

 

I'd be quite happy taking on a "blank canvas" and fitting it out from scratch, but apparently that's too optimistic for first-timers!

 

Thanks in advance.

 

SF

I have several friends who have ex hire boats and all seem quite happy with them, all bought straight from the hire fleet, once its 3rd hand you don't know how its been maintained or changed.

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Thanks for the swift replies.

 

Good point, ditchcrawler. If we take that path we'll definitely look at getting one straight from the hire company.

 

RLWP, in what ways don't they suit liveaboards? I'd be interested to know more...

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Most hire boats are built for sleeping in not living in. i.e. they usually have more beds than you want. If they have a saloon area it is usually a couple of bench seats rather than comfortable chairs. Not many will have a stove if it's straight from the fleet. If they have an inverter it's usually very small. You can also expect a few dents. The list is endless. Having said that they are usually good quality if you can live with making the changes.

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All the best advice has gone to the previous posters, but I'll have a say anyway. tThe rental layout is meant for max beds as you'll be down the pub most nights and eating out, they're holiday boats so who needs a decent kitchen you'll be down the pub (againwacko.png ), however, they are usually well built and well maintained, if one come up go look you might get a bargain and some of the fleets that replace on a rote basis sell some right bargains. My advise is forget everything, if it looks right go take a look, it's free and a day out don't dismiss anything.

K

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Don't be put off by ex hire boats, as said previous they are well maintained, if you dont like the layout change it, our's was a 8 berth it's now a 2 berth, it's what you want that matter's. if you are planning on living on it you will have to upgrade some stuff, they dont usually come with 240v so won't have an invertor and you would need more batteries. if buying as a leisure boat minor changes would be in order, whatever you do enjoy it.

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Increasingly the hire boat market has gone more and more upmarket, (or at least some of it has).

 

So the tendency for maximum number of berths to be forced in at the expense of living space is often far less than it was in hire boats of the past.

As you imply you want multiple sleeping cabins anyway, it would seem to me to be a good option to explore.

 

As has been said though, solid fuel stoves will be a rarity in a hire boat, but many people consider them by far the best heating option in a private boat. It will often be possible to add one of course, but if that is of interest, you need to consider how practical this is with current layout. IMO solid fuel stoves are best bot at one extreme end of a longish boat, (ours is, unfortunately), and some way back though the accommodation works better, if it ends up as your primary heat source.

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There are hire boats and then - hire boats.

Some of the better companies' boats are fitted out to quite a high standard.

It's easy to see which might suit you as the company should be able to send you a layout plan

Avoid the companies who cater for large groups of boaters.

 

Look at -

Napton narowboats

Black Prince

Alvechurch.

 

 

 

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Avoid the companies who cater for large groups of boaters.

 

Look at -

Napton narowboats

Black Prince

Alvechurch.

 

Although certainly not quibbling with that list as being good ones to look at, (plus Athy's additions), surely Alvechurch, more than many, are one for whom a lot of their fleet is designed specifically to cope with large groups of boaters?

 

Or have we just been unlucky that most of the largest groups of single sex stag party type boating seems to rely on that fleet! :lol:

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Although certainly not quibbling with that list as being good ones to look at, (plus Athy's additions), surely Alvechurch, more than many, are one for whom a lot of their fleet is designed specifically to cope with large groups of boaters?

 

Or have we just been unlucky that most of the largest groups of single sex stag party type boating seems to rely on that fleet! laugh.png

Perhaps they have a hire base near your mooring(s)?

 

The company which I'd associate with large-capacity boats is Union Canal Carriers; I believe that they cater for school parties, student groups & c. Not sure if there is a preponderance of same-sex groups (don't knock it, they may all be married couples).

Edited by Athy
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Perhaps they have a hire base near your mooring(s)?

They don't.

 

Apart from one privately owned firm, hire boat compoanies are now I think otherwise extinct on the Southern GU south of Gayton.

 

My point was that by casual observation only, although Alvechurch have a number of shorter boats, the vast majority of their fleet seem to be in the "near 70 foot" category, and set up for high occupancy.

 

Maybe a visit to their web-site would say otherwise, I don't know, but the lion's share of what we see seem to be the long ones - now always known to us as "Death Baots"

 

 

Edited by alan_fincher
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Perhaps they have a hire base near your mooring(s)?

 

The company which I'd associate with large-capacity boats is Union Canal Carriers; I believe that they cater for school parties, student groups & c. Not sure if there is a preponderance of same-sex groups (don't knock it, they may all be married couples).

 

Not really true Mike. You are probably thinking of the London Narrowboat Project whose boats are managed by Union Canal Carriers, or Willow Wren, who have six 12 bertth boats.

 

UCC have fifteen boats, two are 12 berth the rest are family boats,

Edited by David Schweizer
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Thank you David. I said that I would associate UCC with such groups - perhaps because I've seen their big 'uns (or perhaps the same big 'un more than once) stopping in the Cropredy area and disgorging numerous people. Come to think of it, I think I've seen similar crowds emerging from Willow Wren boats too.

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The Wyvern boats look quite well looked after to me, but I don't think I've ever seen one in private ownership? There was one knocking around Camden in December which was a bit strange, but I've since been told it may have been leased by CRT.

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We have an ex-hire boat from a small company but originally built for a very large monetary organisation - The Bank of England!! Good solid shell - Colecraft and Rugby fitout. It needed adapting to suit our needs but is a sound boat.

The important thing is to look at a lot of boats - when you find one you like at a price you can afford get it surveyed.

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The Wyvern boats look quite well looked after to me, but I don't think I've ever seen one in private ownership? There was one knocking around Camden in December which was a bit strange, but I've since been told it may have been leased by CRT.

There are may ex Wyvern boats in private ownership.

 

These include 1930s built "Middle Northwich" boats "Sextans" & "Theophilus" which were sisters to our "Sickle" and like her converted to icebreaker tugs in 1942. Wyvern bought these from BW by tender in the 1960s, and converted them to hire boats.

 

Even the wooden Nurser butty Hazel was once a Wyvern Hire boat.

 

But you of course mean ones built originally as leisure boats.

 

There are loads of these too, the older ones being "wooden tops", one of the smartest of which is "Cherry" which we hired twice from Wyvern before getting back into owning our own boat.

 

But several of their steel topped boats are also around on the private circuit, including boats like Amethyst, I think.

 

As they first had their own purpose built hulls 45 years or more ago it is inevitable that quite a few survive as private boats.

 

However Wyvern tend to keep boats a very long while, so I doubt any recent builds have been sold off?

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