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looked at a few boats


rbrtcrowther

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Hi everyone, well we had a day out and went to look at a few potential boats some slightly over budget some under budget and a couple right on.. Well it seems in our price range there will be some work to do which we don't mind. Be it cosmetic internal on a good hull or overplating where the boat is priced accordingly. I did look at one boat and it fitted our requirements perfectly regards layout,length bits and bobs and it even has two side hatches with steps.... But bugger me its rough... The hatches in the floor are rotten. Its a generally crusty all over but nothing that worries me. The bottom bearing in the rudder is baggy. The engine looked ok sat in its own puddle of oil and diesel.... The main issues are the bilge is wet and manky possibly from rain leaking through the side hatches which only need fettling. But it could be a wet bilge boat as I couldn't see a shower tray pump.... And the main concern is the previous over plate work... Apparently it had a 10 mm bottom pitted to 6mm so received a full 6.mm base plate and 6mm side plate from the swim forward... In 2011. Thoughts please.. Anyone else looked at its sorry state... The chap at whilton said it was one of theirs... What do you think its worth? I'd thought about offering 10grand for the boat plus a deal on bringing the hull and floors up to standard but have read horrendous stories about whilton.

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36 minutes ago, rbrtcrowther said:

oops sorry.. Its this one if the linky works called Avimar... https://www.whiltonmarina.co.uk/used-narrowboats/details/4036.aspx

Well, it improves slightly upon acquaintance. Cole Craft has long been a reputable make, and I think we're looking at a boat which used to be good (side hatches and hip-bath would have been considered quite luxurious in a 1980s boat) but which has been neglected (no hull blacking in the last six years, rough paintwork).

Apart from the damp which you mentioned, there are two areas of concern: firstly, it has only bunk beds and a "pull-out sofa" (which I assume will extend to double width.) If there is going to be more than one person on board, this might not be suitable. Secondly, it appears to have no heating at all: there isn't a stove and no central heating is mentioned. So it would be suitable only as a seasonal boat.

So, revised opinion: don't walk away quite as quickly, but probably walk away all the same.

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36 minutes ago, rbrtcrowther said:

unfortunately guvnor... We is poor workin types and we's only got 20 grands to spends, and we's got to keeps the lenght down to abouts 47foot maximums coz of yearly feesis...

Understood my first boat was £7k 30 years ago!

But always remember an older genuine reason for sale quality boat needing no work is very often better than painting/overplating a newer one it will keep its value much better when you change up in the future

But hey we all have budgets so good luck ......................

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12 hours ago, rbrtcrowther said:

Hi everyone, well we had a day out and went to look at a few potential boats some slightly over budget some under budget and a couple right on.. Well it seems in our price range there will be some work to do which we don't mind. Be it cosmetic internal on a good hull or overplating where the boat is priced accordingly. I did look at one boat and it fitted our requirements perfectly regards layout,length bits and bobs and it even has two side hatches with steps.... But bugger me its rough... The hatches in the floor are rotten. Its a generally crusty all over but nothing that worries me. The bottom bearing in the rudder is baggy. The engine looked ok sat in its own puddle of oil and diesel.... The main issues are the bilge is wet and manky possibly from rain leaking through the side hatches which only need fettling. But it could be a wet bilge boat as I couldn't see a shower tray pump.... And the main concern is the previous over plate work... Apparently it had a 10 mm bottom pitted to 6mm so received a full 6.mm base plate and 6mm side plate from the swim forward... In 2011. Thoughts please.. Anyone else looked at its sorry state... The chap at whilton said it was one of theirs... What do you think its worth? I'd thought about offering 10grand for the boat plus a deal on bringing the hull and floors up to standard but have read horrendous stories about whilton.

Everything you say points to a seriously neglected boat that would only make financial sense if you got it for next to nothing.  It illustrates what a state the market is in at the moment, brokers and boatyards up and down the country are buying up every tatty neglected rust bucket they can find because they know there are gullible first timers ready for the taking.  

Just for the record it's very unlikely a 1985 Colecraft would have 10mm bottom plating they were building in 6mm in the 80's (ask them yourself)  Their boats from that era are very pretty but you would be far better to find one that needs overplating that you can buy for a song then get the work done yourself.   

 

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58 minutes ago, Athy said:

Well, it improves slightly upon acquaintance. Cole Craft has long been a reputable make, and I think we're looking at a boat which used to be good (side hatches and hip-bath would have been considered quite luxurious in a 1980s boat) but which has been neglected (no hull blacking in the last six years, rough paintwork).

Apart from the damp which you mentioned, there are two areas of concern: firstly, it has only bunk beds and a "pull-out sofa" (which I assume will extend to double width.) If there is going to be more than one person on board, this might not be suitable. Secondly, it appears to have no heating at all: there isn't a stove and no central heating is mentioned. So it would be suitable only as a seasonal boat.

So, revised opinion: don't walk away quite as quickly, but probably walk away all the same.

it would be a holiday boat and perfect for us as our 5 year old can go to bed early in the bunks while we sit and drink wine of an evening in the saloon then pull the bed out.... It does have a crappy gass heater in the corner which we would swap for a stove at some point.... Its the oveplate work that bothers me...

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6 minutes ago, rbrtcrowther said:

while we sit and drink wine of an evening in the saloon then pull the bed out....

Been there, done that - it works for the 1st few days (nights) but then it gets really tiresome, "I want to watch that late night movie", "well you are not going to, I'm tired and going to bed", or "I'm having a lie in this morning", "No you are not we need to get the bed away, have breakfast and set off"

No more, never again :- pulling the bed out, finding all the bedding, making the bed, then in the morning, stripping the bed, putting the bedding away, 'breaking down' the bed. It doesn't sound much, but believe me it could be the cause of a divorce.

 

Other scenarios are available

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Trouble with existing overplating is that you cannot see behind it.

Unless you know who did it, and it was done by someone who knew What they were doing (ask on this forum if you find out), i would walk away.

As already stated, better to  it a boat in need of overplating and then get it done yourself by someone reputable like Kedian Engineering.

Edited by cuthound
To unmangle the effects of autocorrect.
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You say the hatches in the floor are rotten. In that case there is every reason to think the whole floor could be horrible as well. So..... you start pulling up bits of nasty floor and then bulkheads / walls are horrible as well where the damp has spread up them and the panelling from gunwhale down to floor is not too good either. You can't get the floor out anyway as everything has been built on top of it. The polystyrene is brown with rust and the steel behind it is scabby and nasty. You already need to replace some of the wood where the windows have leaked and all you have left is an old, overplated hull, a dirty old engine and a pile of old wood on the towpath. That's when you burst into tears, your wife leaves you, you become homeless and you end up living in a cold, damp boat. Sorry, Perhaps I shouldn't have watched 'Dr. Foster' last night. Seriously though, this could be a lot of work.

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3 minutes ago, Bee said:

You say the hatches in the floor are rotten. In that case there is every reason to think the whole floor could be horrible as well. So..... you start pulling up bits of nasty floor and then bulkheads / walls are horrible as well where the damp has spread up them and the panelling from gunwhale down to floor is not too good either. You can't get the floor out anyway as everything has been built on top of it. The polystyrene is brown with rust and the steel behind it is scabby and nasty. You already need to replace some of the wood where the windows have leaked and all you have left is an old, overplated hull, a dirty old engine and a pile of old wood on the towpath. That's when you burst into tears, your wife leaves you, you become homeless and you end up living in a cold, damp boat. Sorry, Perhaps I shouldn't have watched 'Dr. Foster' last night. Seriously though, this could be a lot of work.

And the Oscar for best screenplay goes to...

Seriously, you may have over-dramatised the plot a little, but your point is sound indeed.

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3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Been there, done that - it works for the 1st few days (nights) but then it gets really tiresome, "I want to watch that late night movie", "well you are not going to, I'm tired and going to bed", or "I'm having a lie in this morning", "No you are not we need to get the bed away, have breakfast and set off"

No more, never again :- pulling the bed out, finding all the bedding, making the bed, then in the morning, stripping the bed, putting the bedding away, 'breaking down' the bed. It doesn't sound much, but believe me it could be the cause of a divorce.

 

Other scenarios are available

Oh yes.

After our first boat the one completely non negotiable item my wife insisted on was a fixed bed.    

This is why the minimum size for a narrowboat  is 45 feet and definitely if it's a cruiser stern.  Any less than that and you can't have a fixed bed without some other compromise such as a cramped lounge or galley.      

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8 hours ago, rbrtcrowther said:

oops sorry.. Its this one if the linky works called Avimar... https://www.whiltonmarina.co.uk/used-narrowboats/details/4036.aspx

Quote

Last Hull Blacking 2011
Anodes 2011
Further Maintenance re plated 2011

Brilliant!

Hull re-plated 6 years ago, and apparently absolutely zero attempt made at maintaining it since.

In the worse case scenatio, it could well be at least half way to needing it done again!

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like so many out there ..been there done that .also got the tee shirt ...and its so very true if you dont have this boat ..some other idiot will ...i should know i was one of those idiots once ...all i would say is what ever you go for ...a survey is a must ..sooner drop a few hundred then a few thousand ..

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20 hours ago, rbrtcrowther said:

The engine looked ok sat in its own puddle of oil and diesel..

This is a part that would worry me. A clean tidy engine 'ole shouts "well-maintained boat". A mucky one ... doesn't.

There should not be any liquids under the engine, they belong inside it.

Walk away, walk away, walk away, for at least three reasons.

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I think your all right.. My head says leave it alone but my heart can see the potential... I've spent the last 15 years restoring a scammell explorer that was a complete basket case but now it sits on the drive looking fantastic.. I just find it easy see the potential in something and the isn't anything I cant tackle myself... I'd even consider bringing a boat back to my mates yard and plating it myself... But in reality I don't have the time for such a project.. And I think my days of lying on my back getting covered in welding spatter are over.. There is one other boat that fits the bill but I think it will have sold before all our funds are in place... I've sold the scammell but the chap needs to get a few more pounds together before he can take it away...

Edited by rbrtcrowther
fat fingers
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