Excellent comment !!!!!!!!! Being somewhat less lofty I hadn't thought about size of crew. Lack of suitably sufficient scalings (dimensions) could definitely be a deal breaker, if not a back breaker, literally. (I try.) Having read said comment ref your height, either measure the beds or bunks space. Or actually lie on the bed. (Be advised this might not be a particularly wholesome experience ... the mattresses on my boat had been "attacked" by condensation for years because owner had given up boating some time before he chose to sell it. A green tinged, crunchy foam mattress was quite an "interesting" thing to behold, in my experience.) I was just about able to crowbar in a new, trendy, memory foam standard length mattress in one cabin as the bunk space had been built with the owner's grandchildren in mind. You could just about get a Rizla between mattress and wall panels.
From my personal experience of trying to buy a narrow boat I was surprised to discover the lack of true sales professionalism combined with the lack of accountability with virtually zero standards. From my limited experience of looking at about 10 different boats from many different sellers some private and some marina based brokerages I found that some of the boat trade to be at about the same standard as the motor trade from about 15 to 20 years ago when there were and no doubt still are some questionable characters about. There appears to be very little or no Trading standards in so far as a broker can list a boat for sale and can say pretty much anything but the truth to describe a boat and get away with it with that it is what the Boat Owner told them! Then to add to the buyers troubles the Marine Engineer Surveyor will carry out a survey but will add a disclaimer stating that they are not responsible for anything that they did not discover on the survey!!!! What was particularly painful for me was having to pay for a survey on a boat that I walked away from because the survey uncovered a whole heap of problems that in my opinion could and should have been disclosed by the Broker at my point of inquiry. (Most brokers are based within marinas or boat yards that are staffed by experienced personnel and equipped to check the basics of the boat and can verify what they seller tells them) I consider myself as lucky to eventually discover what I believe to be a good broker and managed to buy a great boat from him, but Never has the expression BUYER BEWARE been more appropriate than when buying a used boat!
Thank you so much guys. This was super informative and perfect timing! I'm currently selling up and about to buy a narrowboat to live on . Very excited!
I being new to Narrowboats, I really enjoy these information Vlogs. Meaning, I am planning on owning a Narrowboat in the future. Thank you so much for this Vlog.
I’m buying a bit in the next 6months and have been trying to decide to buy new and do it up or old and renovate. this is so helpful in making my decision thank you!
Very interesting. Agree with Kath and Anna Marie about being at the survey. We also learnt a lot from our first boat which helped when buying our second. This took some time as although we did compromise on some things there were certain things we were adamant about.
Some good points J. And the other contributors. (The ladies' comments doubly useful as they are on their second boat.) Probably the very best advice for all new narrowboaters is getting a survey and going around with the surveyor. I believe that any prospective buyer should look at any and all boats to see what's what and to get a feel for a layout. Until you see a layout "for real" you can't really judge from.an advertising photo. Ditto the kind of stern ... a trad stern is not quite the thing if you have a lot of people aboard and you like to chat. Not all boats have well decks either. Some sales yards will let you look at just about any boat you want. Said boats range from "very nice indeed" to "I can't believe it's still afloat!" I have seen boats like the Marie Celeste with the last meal putrifying on the table and a defrosted fridge full of stuff you'd find at Porton. Down. Best to walk away as that might be an indicator of how well the entire boat was maintained. Insist on seeing all the "Ship's Papers" before even thinking about making an offer. If these will be sent on "later" then suggest you walk away. Lastly, although the above is hardly exhaustive, a chat with the customer service folks at an insurers. Might be useful to know about their policies ref older hulls such as having regular hull surveys after a certain age, etc, etc.
hi there , good luck to you, it might be worth contacting some of the hire companies that specialize in boats fitted out for disabled users and see if they are selling any of the old boats off.
i totally agree with Kath on people rushing you to look round a boat and making a decision because that in my book is just nothing but pure pressure sales tactics and its one thing i cannot stand and wont tolerate it, if i feel i'm being pressured into buying something that im not 100% sure about i will walk away without giving a reason and i wont return to that place i will just look elsewhere
Anthony, totally agree with you. I will not tolerate pushy or pressure sales people. This day and age we live, I say to boat sellers and Brokers, Just be straight and tell it as it is. You have a good boat, it will sell. Be honest with me and I will buy the boat.
Excellent advice and very informative. This has certainly highlighted a few things that I had not considered looking for, during my ongoing quest to buying a boat. Keep up the good work with your vlogs.
brilliant and informative. thankyou very much. i am just starting to look at boats. first couple next week. i will be checking everything you guys have advised.
Jasmin, what a lovely vlog. I hope to buy new so will have different knowledge to gain. The business boat will be interesting to get right. Take care all. Cheers
Ok between your videos and CrossingTheCut, yall got me wanting to go cruising the canals there for a month. I have zero desire to see London and would much rather see the countryside and this seems like an awesome way to do it. Can you rent or charter narrowboats for extended trips?
As a retired Commercial Captain I couldn't find a single fault in all of tour ladies statements except for the replacement price of a new diesel engine I would guesstimate that it would cost up to 5 to 7 thousand.However diesel engines tend to last far longer than petrol engines and a fully rebuilt diesel can be almost as good as a new one . Overall an excellent vlog
Thank you and yes I see that i got that wrong but I do also say it is best to research how much anything that needs doing will cos so I'm hoping we will be okay...
Hey Jasmin, if u felt inclined to do a vid on solar panels on narrowboats- how to install and run them on 12v that would b v useful. Thanks 4 your channel x
There are a few vlogs about on the solar panels thing already on YT. (Be warned tho', some are very, very techy and the physical installation part is over in a few minutes.) It should be noted the following comments are more for permanent liveaboards than weekenders. It is interesting (?) to note that solar panels are not quite the answer to charging batteries as was once thought. Perfectly okay for keeping fully charged batteries topped up, but, as for recharging a deeply discharged service battery then we don't really get enough sunny weather for that purpose. There isn't enough room on a narrowboat roof to get anything like enough panels for a useful amount of power throughout the year. (A bit like lithium batteries, excellent tech in themselves, but perhaps not so useful in a very cold winter in UK.) Some boat builders (of new builds) are moving to installing much, much larger service battery banks from the outset of design. Four lead carbon tech service batteries might be considered the norm these days, with perhaps a total capacity, when new, of 500Ah. The thinking by some some designers is to fit a lot more traction type batteries (lead carbon tech) giving over 3000Ah capacity. Obviously the charging system for these cells is to scale. Not cheap but the thinking is to include a "hybrid power train" so boat can run off electric motors too. In short solar panels really for topping up batteries and not for recharging deeply discharged banks of service batteries. If pressed I would advocate more service batteries, and a second alternator, in preference to solar panels. In J's case, as an example, her roof appears to be used more for her garden/agricultural projects. Might be J gets a huge amount of pleasure and satisfaction by preferring "food" farming to "solar" farming???
In the interim your time won't be wasted ringing around the insurers and posing those same questions. If you buy an older boat, say, an insurer might insist on regular hull surveys and any works indicated are completed to maintain cover. In the event of a claim you can be sure the insurer's surveyor will looking after the insurer's interests, if you follow?
Very interesting Vlog format with input from other experienced narrowboaters. I thought all narrowboats had flat bottoms; to discover some had a V-shaped hull (and to learn of their benefits) was an extra bonus!
Hmm, if you are unlucky enough to get stranded in a water free pound you must tell us again of the virtues of a "vee" section hull. Springer "springs" to mind when talking of "vee" hulls. The thickness of the steel is sometimes a bit thinner than on a "conventional" flat bottom hull. Might be something to read up on, in detail, before buying a "vee" hull. Or have a matter with a BSS inspector before you start looking.
Thanks Jasmin and the other guys. I'll be watching this again and making notes. I think your cat is a comedian by the way! Do you have any information on whether pitting can be filled with a high quality epoxy? There are firms that make epoxy fillers for use on ships
Pits usually full with "weld" and sometimes ground flat. Filler could get knocked out when you wallop into lock sides/gates or piling or lock landings. Or if some twit wallops into your boat for you.
@@t1n4444 Thanks Ross. I wondered about welding because I've done quite a bit of stick. I'll only be able to afford an old boat so will probably have to fill pits that way
Also boats that are old have be cheap and have a good hull if it's been blacked regularly. Research welding on clanalworld I hear it is a difficult jod.
@@johnswimcat Ah, well, now. An old hull is not such a problem. You might like to garner the views from "working" yards where the resident welder is a grizzled old timer who hates everything new and everybody. The bloke should be as old as Noah and wear a permanent scowl. We have one on my yard, what he doesn't know isn't worth knowing. If anyone knows about "old" hulls it will be him. Older hulls are more likely to be built of British steel. The newer hulls are perhaps more likely to have been built with Chinese steel. Annecdotal evidence, repeat annecdotal "evidence", says this Chinese steel is not as "good" as our native British product. Further annecdotal "evidence" suggests yards used this Chinese steel to save on building costs. It was possible to specify British steel but would suggest some yards/clients were hoping to reduce costs. And you couldn't blame them for that. Not enough boats built in those days to form an opinion on the steel straight away. It might take a few years to discover the "unwisdom" or not, of using "foreign" steel. Problems were found when welding because, occasionally, imperfections in the Chinese steel plate would cause holes to appear as the weld formed. Some earlier boats were made in Poland and their steel, in the earlier days was reckoned to be "not bad". Interestingly some Polish hulls were designed with a 16mm hull plate. Excellent from point of construction and longevity ... but some reports of being tricky to shift enough ballast to retrim in the event of major refurbs. More annecdotal evidence; some boats were made in China and sent over inside steel containers. Chinese boats can be identified, so is claimed, by their more vertical sided superstructure. You will hear similar stories regarding British boats. In the old days of hire boats, to save on plumbing, showers and bathroom basins would vent into a permanently wet bilge where a suitable bilge pump would pump all the water overboard. Not perhaps the most sanitary of arrangements for obvious reasons. You will hear about stainless steel boats. Excellent notion from point of view of not rusting, but ss can corrode. Not as easy to weld as mild steel and hulls can crack of walloped. With respect to the foregoing I would suggest you are better equipped to ask questions and understand the replies. Doubtless you will have researched your eyes out via the internet so will almost certainly read of other things to consider. A lot of forums are a goldmine of information, but, unless you have the context not all this information is necessarily absolutely accurate to the last detail. You will note I have described the info above as "annecdotal". Would further, strongly, suggest you ask someone is old and grizzled, has black fingernails and inground dirt on his hands, and isn't trying to sell you a boat. With luck their grizzled appearance will conceal the heart of an angel, who will take pity on you and "tell it like it is". Almost lastly, visit as many yards as will put up with you and look for the oldest guy with a permanent scowl, then bend his ear. The more people you talk to the more info you will learn. Not all views will be the same so consider the views which match more often. And then there's engines and gearboxes and batteries and different sorts of loos, etc, etc, etc. All of which will produce as many views an opinions as hulls. Which is something you can research for yourself 🤔😂. Very lastly, d/l the BSS regs, free on-line so you get an idea of what is needed to pass the "next" inspection. Thing, as in regs, can change very rapidly and what was permitted last time might not be the next. Hope that helps?
Forgot to say, being plugged into the shoreline doesn't rust your boat, it can corrode it (potentially more serious) unless you protect it with a Galvanic Isolator - inexpensive and easy to fit.
Good video - basically don't buy a boat unless you know what you're buying and remember 99% of the time you have no come back if you later discover issues, so be very sure!
I personally think its about time that companies that build canal narrow boats started building them in the same material as companies that build boats for rivers such as the ones one the Norfolk broads that would save boat owners a lot of money on Blacking as they wouldn't need to do it in the same way as they have to on the steel boats
The comments about iron plate barges - 99% of the UK’s population wouldn’t know the difference between iron or steel plate. The small chance of buying a boat with an iron hull would most probably put that boat at over 50+ years old and if you needed to be told what to look out for when buying a boat of that age - well the best of luck
@@optimist3580 Suspect a surveyor would suggest novice should avoid buying the boat. If bought by a experienced canal boat enthusiast then more likely the enthusiast knows exactly what's what. Surveyor would, possibly, learn more from enthusiast and be happy to sign boat off for insurance purpose. There again insurer likely to have at least one underwriter who understood that method and material used in construction. That said how canal boats made of that material anyway?
£2k for a refurbed engine would be "lucky". Some engine installations need some "engineering" to remove decking supports and struts ... and then repaired once the new engine is in. Might cost £2k just for install on its own.
First thing is I want an incinerator toilet, a new technology that uses propane and not a lot I might add to turn human waste of two people for about two weeks with toilet paper into about one cup of ash. No canister and no pump outs, no mulch dumps that really stink. . The next thing is enough solar panels and lithium Ion batteries and electric drive to stay quiet. I would use a propane generator as I had a camper with one and it is very quiet, (Onan) and hardly any maintenance. I would rather use propane than Diesel because propane is the cleanest burning fuel in the world. I also have a Bosch on demand propane water heater and will never go back to electric or engine heating for hot water. Where I live we heat our hot water by solar panels and by propane in the winter months with cloud cover. . The next two things would be a bow thruster and a stern thruster. With the addition of the stern thruster you can find a space and elegantly slide in sideways. Many boats outside of narrow boating have the stern thrusters and there is no reason a narrow boat can't have one. Another thing is in my kitchen the outside walls would not narrow from gunnel to roof. It would look very square so that I could put a proper household stand up fridge freezer and not a no tell motel style small fridge freezer with hardly any room. That would be my perfect narrow boat.
Sounds all right on paper. Lithium tech batteries (not lithium ion btw, but LIFePo4 type, probably excellent in your neck of the woods but cold, sometimes way below freezing temperatures make lithium less than ideal in UK. Ditto solar panels, we don't get always get enough sun in our summers. Plus you need to keep the roof clear from centre rope to rear hatch when doing locks single handed. Don't know much at all ref propane tech so might be something to consider. Might be something which could get through the BSS exam??? Upright freezer and lack of gunnel. You may not always have enough power to run electric fridge/freezer. Possibly gas type but running one might end up costing more than you hoped? Definitely would not want to engineer out a gunnel. You might need something to stand on when when poling off the mud ... which can happen hourly on some shallow canals.
Sounds like you may need to add many of those or get a brand new boat. Not many narrowboat are fit with bow or stern thrusters , most people just learn to drive the trad way. Most boats don't have insinorator toilets and its always worth doing lots of research into solar, the more batteries you have the more charging they require (we have a starter and two leisures) thought we never have power issues in summer there is always a week or two in winter were we have to use the engine
What do pirates wear in winter? Long Johns! (Well you liked my other pirate jokes.) Hahaha. I just realised I commented on the wrong video! Oh well, a joke is a joke.
When priced to sell that is 🤔. Naturally most boat owners have an optimistic view of what their boat is worth. Buying a boat via a brokerage might be a more sensible way to travel. The small ads sometimes have a "price reduced" tag. Sometimes a vendor tries it on and prices a boat too high for anyone to either bother making enquiries, or someone makes an offer the vendor considers too low ... until it dawns on the vendor the asking price really was too high. Sometimes a boat is priced too low and this can provoke a "bidding war" between two or more buyers. However, a survey might reveal unseen works required below the waterline, and then you might see revised offers appear. On my yard one boat was sold, privately, subject to survey. The surveyor found the hull was rotten and would require £15,000 worth of replating. Allow me to repeat that, £15,000. Much to everyone's astonishment the sale went through as the vendor simply reduced the asking price by said £15,000. However, the welder, who covered almost the entire hull in new plating, was not happy. He took the view that if the hull was that bad then the frames, which were not examined in the survey, could be equally rotten. Naturally most of us were agog to see if the welder's concerns might be correct and the hull would collapse when the boat was craned back into the water. Disappointingly for us onlookers the hull remained intact, floated and then sailed away a few weeks later. Naturally we listened out for stories of a disaster but as far as we know the boat still floats. I suppose the moral of the story is that if a boat is comprehensively overplated it might need the deck lifting throughout to check on the condition of the frames which sit on the bottom plate. So, if you see "price reduced" the above might be the reason.
@@ThisNarrowboatAdventure Quite. Boats sitting for years were either too dear or garbage or both. And if really years then don't suppose for a moment the yard checked the hulls for state of blacking and anodes. If the owners don't contract the yard to do any remedial work prior to sale then boat simply rots away on its moorings. Walk away.
With the greatest respect ladies this video was not the most scientific and efficient appraisal of the subject. It just needed to be a little more professional....I do understand you have had quite a few years experience. You did extend on a lot of obvious stuff !!! Good effort though Guys !!!!!
Can I suggest also the internal height of the boat. As a tall person, (191 cm or 6 foot 3 inches), ceiling height is important.
Excellent comment !!!!!!!!! Being somewhat less lofty I hadn't thought about size of crew.
Lack of suitably sufficient scalings (dimensions) could definitely be a deal breaker, if not a back breaker, literally. (I try.)
Having read said comment ref your height, either measure the beds or bunks space. Or actually lie on the bed.
(Be advised this might not be a particularly wholesome experience ... the mattresses on my boat had been "attacked" by condensation for years because owner had given up boating some time before he chose to sell it.
A green tinged, crunchy foam mattress was quite an "interesting" thing to behold, in my experience.)
I was just about able to crowbar in a new, trendy, memory foam standard length mattress in one cabin as the bunk space had been built with the owner's grandchildren in mind. You could just about get a Rizla between mattress and wall panels.
From my personal experience of trying to buy a narrow boat I was surprised to discover the lack of true sales professionalism combined with the lack of accountability with virtually zero standards. From my limited experience of looking at about 10 different boats from many different sellers some private and some marina based brokerages I found that some of the boat trade to be at about the same standard as the motor trade from about 15 to 20 years ago when there were and no doubt still are some questionable characters about. There appears to be very little or no Trading standards in so far as a broker can list a boat for sale and can say pretty much anything but the truth to describe a boat and get away with it with that it is what the Boat Owner told them! Then to add to the buyers troubles the Marine Engineer Surveyor will carry out a survey but will add a disclaimer stating that they are not responsible for anything that they did not discover on the survey!!!! What was particularly painful for me was having to pay for a survey on a boat that I walked away from because the survey uncovered a whole heap of problems that in my opinion could and should have been disclosed by the Broker at my point of inquiry. (Most brokers are based within marinas or boat yards that are staffed by experienced personnel and equipped to check the basics of the boat and can verify what they seller tells them) I consider myself as lucky to eventually discover what I believe to be a good broker and managed to buy a great boat from him, but Never has the expression BUYER BEWARE been more appropriate than when buying a used boat!
Thank you so much guys. This was super informative and perfect timing! I'm currently selling up and about to buy a narrowboat to live on . Very excited!
Hope you find a good one :)
Excellent video, thanks very much for all the info shared by everyone.
I sure miss your Vlogs. What ever you are doing now I wish great success .
I being new to Narrowboats, I really enjoy these information Vlogs. Meaning, I am planning on owning a Narrowboat in the future. Thank you so much for this Vlog.
You may find this play list useful ruclips.net/p/PLHxNsC0zCUXFZc4UYfMEjiOTxuQA4FzXc
I’m buying a bit in the next 6months and have been trying to decide to buy new and do it up or old and renovate. this is so helpful in making my decision thank you!
Very interesting. Agree with Kath and Anna Marie about being at the survey. We also learnt a lot from our first boat which helped when buying our second. This took some time as although we did compromise on some things there were certain things we were adamant about.
Some good points J.
And the other contributors. (The ladies' comments doubly useful as they are on their second boat.)
Probably the very best advice for all new narrowboaters is getting a survey and going around with the surveyor.
I believe that any prospective buyer should look at any and all boats to see what's what and to get a feel for a layout. Until you see a layout "for real" you can't really judge from.an advertising photo.
Ditto the kind of stern ... a trad stern is not quite the thing if you have a lot of people aboard and you like to chat.
Not all boats have well decks either.
Some sales yards will let you look at just about any boat you want. Said boats range from "very nice indeed" to "I can't believe it's still afloat!"
I have seen boats like the Marie Celeste with the last meal putrifying on the table and a defrosted fridge full of stuff you'd find at Porton.
Down.
Best to walk away as that might be an indicator of how well the entire boat was maintained.
Insist on seeing all the "Ship's Papers" before even thinking about making an offer. If these will be sent on "later" then suggest you walk away.
Lastly, although the above is hardly exhaustive, a chat with the customer service folks at an insurers.
Might be useful to know about their policies ref older hulls such as having regular hull surveys after a certain age, etc, etc.
Yes many good ideas...
Now THAT .... is a well produced , cooperative video that says it all and so .. WELL DONE all. BZ as we say in the real Navy. 5 star production.
Thank
Brilliant video, great advice, we are in the process of buying a boat at the moment, we will take much of your advice, thank you.
I love this! just what I needed, Im ready to buy, being disabled has some challenges, so your vlogs are priceless, thank you
hi there , good luck to you, it might be worth contacting some of the hire companies that specialize in boats fitted out for disabled users and see if they are selling any of the old boats off.
i totally agree with Kath on people rushing you to look round a boat and making a decision because that in my book is just nothing but pure pressure sales tactics and its one thing i cannot stand and wont tolerate it, if i feel i'm being pressured into buying something that im not 100% sure about i will walk away without giving a reason and i wont return to that place i will just look elsewhere
Anthony, totally agree with you. I will not tolerate pushy or pressure sales people. This day and age we live, I say to boat sellers and Brokers, Just be straight and tell it as it is. You have a good boat, it will sell. Be honest with me and I will buy the boat.
I would say that for many places we where given keys and ways at a boat
The boat we bought we had tea and croissants with the previous/current owner on after looking around
Excellent advice and very informative. This has certainly highlighted a few things that I had not considered looking for, during my ongoing quest to buying a boat. Keep up the good work with your vlogs.
Very detailed and informative, thank you. Some lovely cats making guest appearances too!
Glad you enjoyed it!
brilliant and informative. thankyou very much. i am just starting to look at boats. first couple next week. i will be checking everything you guys have advised.
That is the best video I have seen, with great advise. And I've seen a few. Much kudos to you :)
It got quite long and in depth ...
ThisNarrowboatAdventure yup. And told us things I would never have thought of, and was unaware of. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank You 😊
Jasmin, what a lovely vlog. I hope to buy new so will have different knowledge to gain. The business boat will be interesting to get right. Take care all. Cheers
Ok between your videos and CrossingTheCut, yall got me wanting to go cruising the canals there for a month. I have zero desire to see London and would much rather see the countryside and this seems like an awesome way to do it. Can you rent or charter narrowboats for extended trips?
you can rent canal boats all over the place pick where you want to go and find a place to rent a boat near by !
Very helpful perspectives from all. Thanks for sharing.
A lot of things to think about ... Thank you ...
As a retired Commercial Captain I couldn't find a single fault in all of tour ladies statements except for the replacement price of a new diesel engine I would guesstimate that it would cost up to 5 to 7 thousand.However diesel engines tend to last far longer than petrol engines and a fully rebuilt diesel can be almost as good as a new one .
Overall an excellent vlog
Thank you and yes I see that i got that wrong but I do also say it is best to research how much anything that needs doing will cos so I'm hoping we will be okay...
Hey Jasmin, if u felt inclined to do a vid on solar panels on narrowboats- how to install and run them on 12v that would b v useful. Thanks 4 your channel x
There are a few vlogs about on the solar panels thing already on YT.
(Be warned tho', some are very, very techy and the physical installation part is over in a few minutes.)
It should be noted the following comments are more for permanent liveaboards than weekenders.
It is interesting (?) to note that solar panels are not quite the answer to charging batteries as was once thought.
Perfectly okay for keeping fully charged batteries topped up, but, as for recharging a deeply discharged service battery then we don't really get enough sunny weather for that purpose. There isn't enough room on a narrowboat roof to get anything like enough panels for a useful amount of power throughout the year.
(A bit like lithium batteries, excellent tech in themselves, but perhaps not so useful in a very cold winter in UK.)
Some boat builders (of new builds) are moving to installing much, much larger service battery banks from the outset of design.
Four lead carbon tech service batteries might be considered the norm these days, with perhaps a total capacity, when new, of 500Ah.
The thinking by some some designers is to fit a lot more traction type batteries (lead carbon tech) giving over 3000Ah capacity.
Obviously the charging system for these cells is to scale.
Not cheap but the thinking is to include a "hybrid power train" so boat can run off electric motors too.
In short solar panels really for topping up batteries and not for recharging deeply discharged banks of service batteries.
If pressed I would advocate more service batteries, and a second alternator, in preference to solar panels.
In J's case, as an example, her roof appears to be used more for her garden/agricultural projects.
Might be J gets a huge amount of pleasure and satisfaction by preferring "food" farming to "solar" farming???
I have been trying to get in contact with a solar company to help me do this but no luck so far
@@ThisNarrowboatAdventure I wonder if Thames Solar Electric.co.uk would be interested. They do solar powered narrowboats.
Would like to see a VLOG on insurance. What types, how expensive and recommended coverage.
In the interim your time won't be wasted ringing around the insurers
and posing those same questions.
If you buy an older boat, say, an insurer might insist on regular hull surveys and any works indicated are completed to maintain cover.
In the event of a claim you can be sure the insurer's surveyor will looking after the insurer's interests, if you follow?
We have only used one company so I'm not that Knowlegable I will contact some insurance companies for an interview maybe
@@ThisNarrowboatAdventure Most excellent wheeze J!
Thank you, a very informative video, j from the uk
Really useful, thank you all very much x
Very interesting Vlog format with input from other experienced narrowboaters. I thought all narrowboats had flat bottoms; to discover some had a V-shaped hull (and to learn of their benefits) was an extra bonus!
Hmm, if you are unlucky enough to get stranded in a water free pound you must tell us again of the virtues of a "vee" section hull.
Springer "springs" to mind when talking of "vee" hulls. The thickness of the steel is sometimes a bit thinner than on a "conventional" flat bottom hull.
Might be something to read up on, in detail, before buying a "vee" hull.
Or have a matter with a BSS inspector before you start looking.
Nice to see Lazy Days crew on someone else's channel :-) 'waves'
Very informative, thank you.
Very welcome
Hi Jasmin. Thanks for all the info in this episode. Do James and Marlis have a youtube channel?
no i'm afraid not but marlis is in two more videos
Thanks Jasmin and the other guys. I'll be watching this again and making notes. I think your cat is a comedian by the way! Do you have any information on whether pitting can be filled with a high quality epoxy? There are firms that make epoxy fillers for use on ships
Pits usually full with "weld" and sometimes ground flat.
Filler could get knocked out when you wallop into lock sides/gates or piling or lock landings.
Or if some twit wallops into your boat for you.
@@t1n4444 Thanks Ross. I wondered about welding because I've done quite a bit of stick. I'll only be able to afford an old boat so will probably have to fill pits that way
Not my cat that the current neighbor cat
Also boats that are old have be cheap and have a good hull if it's been blacked regularly. Research welding on clanalworld I hear it is a difficult jod.
@@johnswimcat Ah, well, now.
An old hull is not such a problem. You might like to garner the views from "working" yards where the resident welder is a grizzled old timer who hates everything new and everybody. The bloke should be as old as Noah and wear a permanent scowl. We have one on my yard, what he doesn't know isn't worth knowing.
If anyone knows about "old" hulls it will be him. Older hulls are more likely to be built of British steel. The newer hulls are perhaps more likely to have been built with Chinese steel.
Annecdotal evidence, repeat annecdotal "evidence", says this Chinese steel is not as "good" as our native British product.
Further annecdotal "evidence" suggests yards used this Chinese steel to save on building costs.
It was possible to specify British steel but would suggest some yards/clients were hoping to reduce costs. And you couldn't blame them for that. Not enough boats built in those days to form an opinion on the steel straight away. It might take a few years to discover the "unwisdom" or not, of using "foreign" steel.
Problems were found when welding because, occasionally, imperfections in the Chinese steel plate would cause holes to appear as the weld formed.
Some earlier boats were made in Poland and their steel, in the earlier days was reckoned to be "not bad".
Interestingly some Polish hulls were designed with a 16mm hull plate.
Excellent from point of construction and longevity ... but some reports of being tricky to shift enough ballast to retrim in the event of major refurbs.
More annecdotal evidence; some boats were made in China and sent over inside steel containers.
Chinese boats can be identified, so is claimed, by their more vertical sided superstructure.
You will hear similar stories regarding British boats. In the old days of hire boats, to save on plumbing, showers and bathroom basins would vent into a permanently wet bilge where a suitable bilge pump would pump all the water overboard.
Not perhaps the most sanitary of arrangements for obvious reasons.
You will hear about stainless steel boats. Excellent notion from point of view of not rusting, but ss can corrode. Not as easy to weld as mild steel and hulls can crack of walloped.
With respect to the foregoing I would suggest you are better equipped to ask questions and understand the replies.
Doubtless you will have researched your eyes out via the internet so will almost certainly read of other things to consider.
A lot of forums are a goldmine of information, but, unless you have the context not all this information is necessarily absolutely accurate to the last detail.
You will note I have described the info above as "annecdotal".
Would further, strongly, suggest you ask someone is old and grizzled, has black fingernails and inground dirt on his hands, and isn't trying to sell you a boat.
With luck their grizzled appearance will conceal the heart of an angel, who will take pity on you and "tell it like it is".
Almost lastly, visit as many yards as will put up with you and look for the oldest guy with a permanent scowl, then bend his ear.
The more people you talk to the more info you will learn. Not all views will be the same so consider the views which match more often.
And then there's engines and gearboxes and batteries and different sorts of loos, etc, etc, etc.
All of which will produce as many views an opinions as hulls.
Which is something you can research for yourself 🤔😂.
Very lastly, d/l the BSS regs, free on-line so you get an idea of what is needed to pass the "next" inspection.
Thing, as in regs, can change very rapidly and what was permitted last time might not be the next.
Hope that helps?
I enjoyed that. Some good advice, thank you.
Such a awesome video.very interesting guys
Forgot to say, being plugged into the shoreline doesn't rust your boat, it can corrode it (potentially more serious) unless you protect it with a Galvanic Isolator - inexpensive and easy to fit.
Debateable how effective a galvanic isolator can be in that situation but as I'm not on a mooring I may not be the best person to debate
Brilliant video 😊
Interesting vlog, well done
The "golden rule" with regard to cost and time required to perform repairs applies equally to all boats, not just canal barges!
Is there a reason that no boats have any sort of roof window ?
Search through Google images. More roof lights than you could imagine.
Some do its more common on dutch badges. I imagine not as common on narrowboat as the roof is used as storage space and garden
ThisNarrowboatAdventure oh, ok thanks.
Good video - basically don't buy a boat unless you know what you're buying and remember 99% of the time you have no come back if you later discover issues, so be very sure!
Depends you do have some coeback if you got a survey
nice one Jasmin .
Love the video
I personally think its about time that companies that build canal narrow boats started building them in the same material as companies that build boats for rivers such as the ones one the Norfolk broads that would save boat owners a lot of money on Blacking as they wouldn't need to do it in the same way as they have to on the steel boats
They have their own Maintinance to be done. You caN get aluminium narrowboat now and If you wanted a Norfolk cruisers you can buy one of them
The comments about iron plate barges - 99% of the UK’s population wouldn’t know the difference between iron or steel plate. The small chance of buying a boat with an iron hull would most probably put that boat at over 50+ years old and if you needed to be told what to look out for when buying a boat of that age - well the best of luck
Busy a surveyor would surely think of it?
This link makes for interest reading www.waterways.org.uk/blog/historic_boat_spotting_guide
ThisNarrowboatAdventure what would a busy surveyor think of?
@@optimist3580 Suspect a surveyor would suggest novice should avoid buying the boat.
If bought by a experienced canal boat enthusiast then more likely the enthusiast knows exactly what's what.
Surveyor would, possibly, learn more from enthusiast and be happy to sign boat off for insurance purpose.
There again insurer likely to have at least one underwriter who understood that method and material used in construction.
That said how canal boats made of that material anyway?
enjoyable
sounds like buying a house.
I think it is but lots of people think of it more like buying a car
2k for a new engine refit 😄😄😄😄😄times that by 5. Where are you getting your info.😀
£2k for a refurbed engine would be "lucky".
Some engine installations need some "engineering" to remove decking supports and struts ... and then repaired once the new engine is in. Might cost £2k just for install on its own.
Forgive me I've never had one , I thought that was how much a refurbished one was
Hi Girl how's you and the other half. OK I hope.
Keep Safe. 😷😷
We are doing okay have been seriously isolating and moving for the 1st time today
@@ThisNarrowboatAdventure hope you enjoy the new freeish movement you have. 😃&😷
First thing is I want an incinerator toilet, a new technology that uses propane and not a lot I might add to turn human waste of two people for about two weeks with toilet paper into about one cup of ash. No canister and no pump outs, no mulch dumps that really stink. .
The next thing is enough solar panels and lithium Ion batteries and electric drive to stay quiet. I would use a propane generator as I had a camper with one and it is very quiet, (Onan) and hardly any maintenance. I would rather use propane than Diesel because propane is the cleanest burning fuel in the world. I also have a Bosch on demand propane water heater and will never go back to electric or engine heating for hot water. Where I live we heat our hot water by solar panels and by propane in the winter months with cloud cover. .
The next two things would be a bow thruster and a stern thruster. With the addition of the stern thruster you can find a space and elegantly slide in sideways. Many boats outside of narrow boating have the stern thrusters and there is no reason a narrow boat can't have one. Another thing is in my kitchen the outside walls would not narrow from gunnel to roof. It would look very square so that I could put a proper household stand up fridge freezer and not a no tell motel style small fridge freezer with hardly any room.
That would be my perfect narrow boat.
Sounds all right on paper.
Lithium tech batteries (not lithium ion btw, but LIFePo4 type, probably excellent in your neck of the woods but cold, sometimes way below freezing temperatures make lithium less than ideal in UK.
Ditto solar panels, we don't get always get enough sun in our summers.
Plus you need to keep the roof clear from centre rope to rear hatch when doing locks single handed.
Don't know much at all ref propane tech so might be something to consider. Might be something which could get through the BSS exam???
Upright freezer and lack of gunnel.
You may not always have enough power to run electric fridge/freezer.
Possibly gas type but running one might end up costing more than you hoped?
Definitely would not want to engineer out a gunnel.
You might need something to stand on when when poling off the mud ... which can happen hourly on some shallow canals.
Sounds like you may need to add many of those or get a brand new boat. Not many narrowboat are fit with bow or stern thrusters , most people just learn to drive the trad way. Most boats don't have insinorator toilets and its always worth doing lots of research into solar, the more batteries you have the more charging they require (we have a starter and two leisures) thought we never have power issues in summer there is always a week or two in winter were we have to use the engine
What do pirates wear in winter?
Long Johns!
(Well you liked my other pirate jokes.)
Hahaha. I just realised I commented on the wrong video! Oh well, a joke is a joke.
Bye the way when these narrowboats come to the market, they appear to me .....to sell pretty quickly.
When priced to sell that is 🤔. Naturally most boat owners have an optimistic view of what their boat is worth.
Buying a boat via a brokerage might be a more sensible way to travel.
The small ads sometimes have a "price reduced" tag.
Sometimes a vendor tries it on and prices a boat too high for anyone to either bother making enquiries, or someone makes an offer the vendor considers too low ... until it dawns on the vendor the asking price really was too high.
Sometimes a boat is priced too low and this can provoke a "bidding war" between two or more buyers.
However, a survey might reveal unseen works required below the waterline, and then you might see revised offers appear.
On my yard one boat was sold, privately, subject to survey. The surveyor found the hull was rotten and would require £15,000 worth of replating. Allow me to repeat that, £15,000.
Much to everyone's astonishment the sale went through as the vendor simply reduced the asking price by said £15,000.
However, the welder, who covered almost the entire hull in new plating, was not happy. He took the view that if the hull was that bad then the frames, which were not examined in the survey, could be equally rotten.
Naturally most of us were agog to see if the welder's concerns might be correct and the hull would collapse when the boat was craned back into the water.
Disappointingly for us onlookers the hull remained intact, floated and then sailed away a few weeks later.
Naturally we listened out for stories of a disaster but as far as we know the boat still floats.
I suppose the moral of the story is that if a boat is comprehensively overplated it might need the deck lifting throughout to check on the condition of the frames which sit on the bottom plate.
So, if you see "price reduced" the above might be the reason.
Not strictly true we saw a fair few that had been sat empty in a boat yard for years when we last looked
@@ThisNarrowboatAdventure Quite.
Boats sitting for years were either too dear or garbage or both.
And if really years then don't suppose for a moment the yard checked the hulls for state of blacking and anodes.
If the owners don't contract the yard to do any remedial work prior to sale then boat simply rots away on its moorings.
Walk away.
With the greatest respect ladies this video was not the most scientific and efficient appraisal of the subject.
It just needed to be a little more professional....I do understand you have had quite a few years experience.
You did extend on a lot of obvious stuff !!! Good effort though Guys !!!!!
I didn't mean for it to be scientific just a run down of the things to think about and places to start your own research
buyer be where
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