Can you recommend a marina?

[Whisky]

Can you recommend a marina? For whatever purpose.

I am going to buy a boat in a few months time, maybe this year or the beginning of next year, for example September, October this year or April, May next year.

Which marinas in England (south of Lancaster) have a good range of pre-owned narrow boats?

Where have you had good experiences when buying and using the other services of the marina.

Which marinas offer a good service to people who moor their boat on them?

I live in Spain but have family in the north west and south west of England, so would base my boat in those areas, I think. But I don't mind buying a boat in another part of the country.

Do you think it is safer to buy from a marina?

I will be very grateful for any help.

Peter

[Athy]

Depends on what you mean by a "good range". I assume that by "pre-owned" you mean second-hand. Whilton Marina on the A5 probably has the largest range but the overall quality of their stock may not be the best. If you want a cheap boat they are worth visiting. If you want a good quality second-hand boat you would do well to approach a specialist, reputable broker. Rugby Boats (who are not in Rugby any more, beware!) and ABNB (Andy Burnett Narrow Boats, who are not run by Andy Burnett any more, beware!) are two dealers whom you may wish to visit.

[Sea Dog]

ABNB.co.uk is a good place to do your dreaming and get a feel for what you'd like. Start visiting brokers when you've got some ideas you'd like to see in the flesh.

 

It's brokers you're asking about by the way, although some are based in marinas.

[Top cat]

Buying a boat is not like buying a car, most marina are just places people store their boats. Most boats are sold by brokers some of whom are based at marinas.

We bought via the New and Used boat company 7 years ago and were happy with the service and boat description, but a lot could have changed since then.

During our buying process there were two places we were very unhappy with they were Wilton because of the poor quality of the boats and minimal description. And Braunston marina because of what we regarded as sharp business practices.

 

If you do see a boat you like INSIST on a test drive, some sellers don't like doing that and you wonder what they are trying to hide.

 

Rugby boats and ABNB both described their offerings well and were OK to deal with, we could have done business with either of them had they had the right boat at the time.

 

There are an awful lot of really crappy boats on the market and buying from a big name doesn't guarantee anything.

 

Top Cat

[Boat&Bikes]

We have dealt with two brokers over last couple of years. Braunston and ABNB. Both were fine with us.

[Victor Vectis]

Another vote for ABNB.

[cuthound]

I found ABNB , Rugby Boats and Great Haywood Boat Sales to be very easy to deal with.

 

Whilton don't accompany you on the boats, which means you can look at them in a unpressurised manner and they have more boats than all of the others put together, so a great place to view lots of boats to help decide what features you like other dislike (trad, semi-trad or cruiser stern, internal layouts etc).

[tizzy]

We started seriously looking for a boat when we were living in abroad and at first we spent hours on the internet looking at boats and layouts and really deciding what we wanted in terms of length,layout ,toilet type etc. We also decided on what we were prepared to spend and where we would like to base the boat although we decided to be flexible about this as boats are moveable . This meant when we came home we were ready to buy. As it turned out all the boats we had identified were sold by the time we were in the country so I googled the sort of boat we wanted and found the perfect one on Apollo Duck for sale through a small broker. It has turned out great and we had good service from them. I think it helped that we had hired before so had some idea about boats and what we liked. Hope this helps

[Nightwatch]

Depends on what you're looking for really.

I know of a lovely,good condition boat for sale at Rugby boats. I also know of an extremely well looked after older boat which is for sale privately.

 

Best advice is to get out and about and see as many as you can,and then make your own mind up of what is good for you and what may not be. You are at a good place here to get honest experienced advice. Not necessarily from me!!!

 

Good luck and welcome.

Martyn

Apolloduck.co.uk is a good site. Brokers advertise on the site as do private sellers. Follow the onsite links to get to narrowboats.

[Whisky]

Thank you everyone.

It turns out that several of the places suggested are close together. I shall be in the UK for Crick at the end of the month and shall take that opportunity to make a preliminary visit to those brokers/marinas.

If anyone is tempted to add other suggestions, please do so.

[Athy]

Thank you everyone.

It turns out that several of the places suggested are close together. I shall be in the UK for Crick at the end of the month and shall take that opportunity to make a preliminary visit to those brokers/marinas.

If anyone is tempted to add other suggestions, please do so.

Yes, that's a feature of the UK canal system: if you're visiting places on it by road, they are often much closer together than you expect them to be. So you can visit several of them in a fairly short time, particularly in the Midlands.

[David Mack]

 

Which marinas in England (south of Lancaster) have a good range of pre-owned narrow boats?

 

Well that's pretty much all of them, since there can't be many marinas where you would find narrow boats for sale north of Lancaster!

[Whisky]

 

Well that's pretty much all of them, since there can't be many marinas where you would find narrow boats for sale north of Lancaster!

You spotted the trick question, Mack! But what I'd really like to know is which you would recommend.

[cuthound]

Thank you everyone.

It turns out that several of the places suggested are close together. I shall be in the UK for Crick at the end of the month and shall take that opportunity to make a preliminary visit to those brokers/marinas.

If anyone is tempted to add other suggestions, please do so.

Close to Crick by road are:

 

ABNB - Crick, Leicester Branch

 

GHBS - Wigwams Turn & Ventnor Farm, GU

 

Braunston - Braunston, GU

 

Whilton - Whilton, GU

 

Rugby Boat Sales - Weedon GU

[Lysander]

Close to Crick by road are:

 

ABNB - Crick, Leicester Branch

 

GHBS - Wigwams Turn & Ventnor Farm, GU

 

Braunston - Braunston, GU

 

Whilton - Whilton, GU

 

Rugby Boat Sales - Weedon GU

Whilst at GHBS, it may be worthwhile looking at Calcutt Boats who have some boats for sale. I moor there but have no knowledge of their reputation as brokers.

[Whisky]

Thanks for all those helpful replies. We shall try to visit all the boatyards near Crick and maybe one or two of those further away.

[Nightwatch]

Thanks for all those helpful replies. We shall try to visit all the boatyards near Crick and maybe one or two of those further away.

Browse Apolloduck as well. It will definitely give you an idea of what's what.

[Joe the plumber]

We bought ours from Whilton last September and have been delighted with it. They do have some boats that aren't as good as others, but they have loads to choose from so you'll soon get a feel for which are the better ones, and the cafe next to the chandlers do some nice grub if you want to make a day of it too.

 

It's worth noting that they mainly sell boats in the condition in which they were left by the current owners, so that should give you a good idea of how it's been treated in the past.

 

They also sell boats that they've bought in for stock (ie that they aren't offering for sale on brokerage for the current owner, as an estate agent would a house), and they'll tell you about that if you ask. You have far more protection under the Sale of Goods Act for one they own than one on brokerage.

 

Have fun!

[rustydiver]

We bought ours through Lakeland leisure who owns a few marinas.

But one thing we did notice if it's a good boat it usually sales quick. The amount off time we rang up to be told sorry that one is sold.