Boatless

[Whatsinaname]

I have just seen this boat that looks a good match for me in terms of layout,size,style, etc, and am wondering if any experienced boater would like to give feedback on things that stand out (work and expense).

Swanline 55 Cruiser Stern for sale UK, Swanline boats for sale, Swanline used boat sales, Swanline Narrow Boats For Sale The Pearl Fisher - Apollo Duck

Thanks

[matty40s]

If you don't commission your own survey you are very silly.

Patch welded 8 years ago and then only blacked once since.

This boat has pretty much been neglected since I've been passing it for the last 10 years. It's probably why the exterior photo is so awful.

[dccruiser]

Obviously the biggest question mark is the condition of the hull, it states in the listing the last remediasl work was done 9 years ago and the boat hasnt been out the water for 5 years and needs remedial work to the topsides, personally with a 20k budget i would look for something approaching nearer 30k then make a cheeky offer, if of course you really like the boat you really need to be prepared to bear the cost of it being lifted out and a full survey bearing in mind this could cost you up to a grand you wont get back if the survey shows it needs more work than is cost effective .... for a 1975 boat it is already at the top of its money at 20k. i have seen similar at 12-14k needing work.

 

Rick 

[Athy]

Welcome to the forum!

The interior of this boat does have some appeal - but heed the words of the last two posts, whose authors aren't trying to be unwelcoming, but they are both experienced boaters and are helping you to avoid possible expensive grief.

Perhaps you could give us some idea of how the boat would be used (living on board? Weekend trips? Something in between?) and by how many people. My first thought is that 55 feet is quite long for a first boat unless you're intending to live on it.

[Whatsinaname]

Thanks, matt40s, for speedy and informative reply. 10 years passing is almost neighbourly! My enthusiasm is dented.

dccruiser - thanks,too. 20k would be pretty much on budget and I had heard good boats could be had for the sort of price you quote. Like the idea of silly offer. Is it a good time of year to buy?

[Whatsinaname]

Thanks Athy! I am intending to live aboard,only me, and would want space for work,hum,hobbies, as well as poss. family visits.

Having a mooring offered was what interested me,too? Been told longer boat is steadier in the water. I am absolute beginner,though.

[MtB]

26 minutes ago, Whatsinaname said:

Thanks, matt40s, for speedy and informative reply. 10 years passing is almost neighbourly! My enthusiasm is dented.

dccruiser - thanks,too. 20k would be pretty much on budget and I had heard good boats could be had for the sort of price you quote. Like the idea of silly offer. Is it a good time of year to buy?

 

The best time of year to buy is immediately you find a bargain under your nose. Whatever the date!

Most bargains involve a good deal of luck, mostly revolving around being in the right place at the right time, combined with having a carrier bag full of cash concealed somewhere about your person. 

Bargains are rarely advertised. They occur when you are chatting idly with someone who hasn't got around to preparing an advert or really done their homework on values. Or happens to be desperate to sell in a hurry. 

[dccruiser]

24 minutes ago, Whatsinaname said:

Thanks, matt40s, for speedy and informative reply. 10 years passing is almost neighbourly! My enthusiasm is dented.

dccruiser - thanks,too. 20k would be pretty much on budget and I had heard good boats could be had for the sort of price you quote. Like the idea of silly offer. Is it a good time of year to buy?

There doesnt really seem to be a good or bad time most marinas seem to sell a lot of boats towards the end of the season as strange as that seems ... the silly offer thing actually works more than you would think! ... unlike most things boats tend to change hands quite often at between 65 and 85% of the advertised price, either way 20k is a lot of money to spend so my advice is take time to look at more than a few, you will know when you see the right one and dont be afraid to keep coming on here asking for opinions.

Welcome to the forums btw! 

Rick

[Whatsinaname]

Thanks for the feedback re, luck and cash, Mike the boiler man. That would match with my way of navigating through life.

Met a lot of liveaboards recently, while staying near canal for couple of weeks. So helpful.

dccruiser - thanks again- 65 per cent, a real eye opener! Yes, I kind of hoped that it may be possible to spot a goodun - my father had a real knack with cars!

[dccruiser]

Like mike says its being in the right place at the right time, my friend bought her boat for 24k it was originally advertised at 37 then dropped to 35 ... she bid 24 as a "silly offer" a few weeks later she had it ... classic case of someone paying a few hundred a month for moorings and having a boat that had become a liability as they no longer used or needed it ... might also be worth putting a wanted ad on the forums, someone may see something to interest you on their travels.

Best of luck

Rick

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, Whatsinaname said:

Thanks for the feedback re, luck and cash, Mike the boiler man. That would match with my way of navigating through life.

Met a lot of liveaboards recently, while staying near canal for couple of weeks. So helpful.

dccruiser - thanks again- 65 per cent, a real eye opener! Yes, I kind of hoped that it may be possible to spot a goodun - my father had a real knack with cars!

 

You're welcome!

Another point not often made about bargains is not all sellers are looking for top money. Particularly if it is a much loved boat owned for a long time, the seller can surprisingly picky about who buys their precious boat and will hold out for the 'right' buyer. Perfectly good offers might be rejected while they continue to look for someone they feel will truly appreciate the boat. Once the 'right' buyer is found, sorting out the money is a secondary issue. To some sellers, getting the feeling their boat is going to be loved and looked after in future as well as they've looked after it in the past is paramount. 

Once a seller really wants you in particular to have the boat, they can be surprisingly flexible on the price.

[Whatsinaname]

Thanks again

Such brilliant response.Will concoct,hum,compose a wanted post and up the towpath image just in case......

[RichM]

Welcome to the forum.

It's probably worth bearing in mind £20k will not buy you a 100% sound 55ft Narrowboat. Anything at that price point will likely need some work doing to it which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're prepared for it. If you're able to find another £10k, you will find many more boats which require less doing to them.

I am guessing this is the boat?

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/image.phtml?id=481703&image=1

The interior has some character to it, almost like a traditional English pub. I note it is fuelled by petrol which isn't ideal. Most boats are diesel powered and getting ahold of petrol on the cut might be difficult.

[croftie]

3 minutes ago, RichM said:

I am guessing this is the boat?

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/image.phtml?id=481703&image=1

The interior has some character to it, almost like a traditional English pub. I note it is fuelled by petrol which isn't ideal. Most boats are diesel powered and getting ahold of petrol on the cut might be difficult.

" recently serviced with new glow plugs,"

Think that makes it a diesel

[MtB]

 

Looks to me like a fibreglass top. Or possibly even a plywood top. 

Worth checking before visiting. If plywood, I wouldn't want to be paying even £10k for it. 

The boat in the background looks MUCH more interesting!

[Whatsinaname]

So much to learn...... thanks for all replies and suggestions.

[MtB]

It's an interesting boat oozing personality though, very different from yer modern clone craft lined in ash veneered plywood.

[Whatsinaname]

Well, I am old school in most design choices and was hoping to find a solid wood interior with beams, are they called, a put put engine, yes the expense, either with original interior or a shell to free form organically stage. A real necessity is big windows. Not much of a want. Oh, and cruiser stern. 

[ditchcrawler]

30 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Looks to me like a fibreglass top. Or possibly even a plywood top. 

Worth checking before visiting. If plywood, I wouldn't want to be paying even £10k for it. 

The boat in the background looks MUCH more interesting!

They are GPR with a sliding centre section that tends to leak

 

I have seen this boat about in the passed and always thought it looked very smart, but that is going back a bit and gives no clue what its like underneath 

[Whatsinaname]

Yes, that pesky sliding centre leak could pose a problem.

The catalogue of considerations is a learning curve.

thanks, ditchcrawler

Edited September 10, 2017 by Whatsinaname

[Neil2]

Some of you on here may be familiar with a boat called "Wildflower" on the Leeds Liverpool, it's a rare 57 foot Springer from the early 1970's, home to the current owner for nearly 30 years and it's immaculate.  I was talking to her owner the other day, she thought I was joking but I suggested that at some point in the not too distant future her boat is going to be worth a lot of money, it may already be unique as I don't think Springer made more than a dozen 57 footers.  You may all laugh, like folk laughed when Charlie Ware started his Morris Minor business all those years ago but look at it now.  

Boats like this Swanline, old Springers, Harboroughs, Fernies, Foxboats, Dartlines, Crestelles etc etc they all offer something very different from the current standard steel box and sooner or later the market is going to take off.  A glass top wouldn't bother me either there's a lot to be said for them.  

BUT, this is not a boat for a first timer.  

 

 

[magictime]

For what it's worth, we've been boat hunting lately and this one -

http://cvmarine.co.uk/2017/01/25/mighty-quinn-57ft-cruiser-stern-narrowboat/

- stood out as a bit of bargain. The decor is obviously a bit kooky, it's a lot tattier inside than it looks, and the external paintwork is looking a bit ropey, but for all those reasons it's been struggling to find a buyer all year and the price has already dropped below £30,000. How many 2005 boats by reputable builders do you see in that bracket nowadays?

I'm no expert, but it does look to me as if someone is going to get a pretty solid, pretty new boat here, in need of relatively little attention, for the price of a typical 80s 'project'.

[Whatsinaname]

Neill2 - love the list of star boats. Had heard of Springers, but none of the others, so guidelines are good.

but Not for first timers is sad. Is that a maintainance issue?

[Whatsinaname]

Magictime- yes have had fun tracing the selling price history of Mighty Quinn! Bit worrying to see so much of it but will keep watching.

[WotEver]

44 minutes ago, magictime said:

For what it's worth, we've been boat hunting lately and this one -

http://cvmarine.co.uk/2017/01/25/mighty-quinn-57ft-cruiser-stern-narrowboat/

- stood out as a bit of bargain. The decor is obviously a bit kooky, it's a lot tattier inside than it looks, and the external paintwork is looking a bit ropey, but for all those reasons it's been struggling to find a buyer all year and the price has already dropped below £30,000. How many 2005 boats by reputable builders do you see in that bracket nowadays?

I'm no expert, but it does look to me as if someone is going to get a pretty solid, pretty new boat here, in need of relatively little attention, for the price of a typical 80s 'project'.

The description is all about the (somewhat sad) lipstick and blusher with virtually zero technical info. When was it last blacked, what electrics does it have on board, how is the water heated, when does the BSS expire...?