It's always been my dream to own/live on a narrowboat. Now, I'm 50, no money, disabled and have to get my jollies watching you lovely ladies *sighs Btw, the cat looking out of the window in your bedroom made me smile Much love and thank you xx
One thing that should've been mentioned as a step or part of the engine inspection tip is the condition of the propeller, whether or not the propeller has ever been changed, damaged. A poorly cared for propeller will cost you monies in fuel costs and engine wear and tear. Also a poorly maintained propeller will get fouled easier due to rough edges catching things as the propeller doing through the water where as a properly maintained propeller will allow the potential fouler to just slide off the edges of the propeller blades.
Enjoyed the video thanks. We've found the sniff test is the greatest deciding factor 😁. Just got slightly distracted after point 3 by the adorable Alice 🐈
I think you'd be unlikely to get that. Same as selling a car and asking for a new MOT, I'd be happy for you to pay for the car to get a new MOT prior to completing the deal but I'm not going to pay £50 to get your sale when the next buyer won't care less. A lot of boats have long BSS when they go up for sale and if the BSS worries you then these are the o0nes to go for.
Thanks Ladies. Always ask for a drive so you understand how the hull performs. It's also useful to know whether you are driving with a full water tank (or poo tank) so you understand the trim and how the boat is sitting in the water.
I heard when looking at a few sailboat buying videos to never pay the amount it's listd for. Always go in with offer 20-30% below what they ask. I have a car for sale, I've listed it for what I want for it, and I know I'm not gonna get that price. I would probably accept an offer 20% below what I listed it for. And then it's whatever faults the person looking at the vehicle can find. The worst that can happen is seller says no! THe best thing is they say yes! And I personally kinda think that if the seller says yes on the first bid, then the bid was too high. I think that realistically one wants a no on the first offer , but this is also down to what something is worth to the person making the bid. Some might go higher, others may be like "Ok, I have the money cash in hand, this is my offer, take it or leave it" Trust me, it's hard to say no to an offer when the person is standing there, money in hand, ready to buy even if it is a little below what the seller wanted.. I'm way too good at buying stuff at listed price, and selling for an offer below what I wanted. (Vehicles mainly) . I see, I want, I buy... Bit off topic, but it's true. I think another thing is "There is always more 'fish' in the sea". Don't go bananas bidding on something unless there's a very specific reason you want THAT one item/boat. There will always be more boats/cars etc to purchase. Might have to wait, but there will be more listed as time goes by. If the seller denies what you believe to be your best offer, walk away... Tell them "Ok, my offer stands until X am/pm tomorrow, call me when you're ready to sell" Especially if the item you're bidding on has been for sale for quite some time, there should be even more room to go below what they ask for it.
if, & thats a big IF, I ever decided to look for 1, I would probably have to have 1 built, or rebuilt, or build it myself, I am too different. and your comment on maintenance, is spot on, IF, you use a modern engine, however, a 70+ year old engine, even when in top shape will leak more, drip more than modern engines, so compartment will never be as clean unless you have someone polishing the brass once a week cleaning geek. you can tell I love the sound of the vintage engines, plus would want electric power to save on fuel costs when having multiple locks to deal with. I see no point of idling for hours, wasting fuel if could have electric available to power boat through the locks, as long as has power available for emergencies, then saving fuel could be good.
Having watched London Boat Girl and her adventures with sorting out her water tank. I think opening the inspection hatch to that is a must, as the state of it was yuk!!!!
Always good for new ideas from the lovely Ladies! Sound, practical advice gained from experience! Always a joy to watch!...😊...😊...! P.S...The; "sniff test"?...Ammonia?...Cat Urine?....LOL...😂...😂...!
Cheers ,good information girls , We're buying our first narrowboat next year.We watched your video of the new boat ( very nice ) roughly how much was your boat.Thanks
Hi, Came here from David Johns vlog. Your explanation (this one and the video from 2 weeks earlier) had more practical information than many others I have watched. Plus it was entertaining, in light of the fact that I am 3,900 miles away, I will never be able to buy a canal boat myself. Perhaps you might address the possibility of gender bias in looking for a boat. Dealing with Zoe at Venetian must have been great because I am sure you could better relate to her. However, did you find any other boat sellers that figured "two girls can't know anything about boats, and bilges, and engines..."? (without naming names, of course). Thanks, - Phil K. Indianapolis USA
Hi ,great video ...I was just wondering if i was to buy a boat in the UK could it be shipped to the Irish canals , I'm wonder if you know any information on that ..?
Love you guys. Great vlog.....I enjoy watching all about these narrowboats and canals and just everything. Do y'all ever get into like "Boat Jams" at the locks or just a very busy spot ? I'm sure this sounds silly,lol,. Anyway, looking forward to the next vlog.
Thanks really interesting, the sniff test and the general point of not getting carried away with specs but focus on general condition is a really good point. I'm planning on getting a boat middle of next year, the last point was really useful I hadn't appreciated the negotiation post survey issue. I think I'd add battery age / condition. They can be expensive to replace if they are racing the end of their useful life.
Hi great video! Very informative to new comers like myself! When you say you will only be able to negotiate money off on a level 1 requirement, what does that mean please?:)
Excellent vlog, can’t believe I missed this one, so helpful as we are looking to buy another one soon. Also brought things to my attention for when we sell our current boat, thanks 👍
Lady's thank you .I am thinking of buying a boat .this was so helpful .and you should do more .on this topic .because like you said it is so important. ☺
Hi Thank you so much for this fantastic advice it's really helped me to think about what to look for when I come to buy a boat (which will hopefully be soon) and also I believe this will greatly reduce the risk of me making a mistake. Thanks for everything that you do. Best wishes Jo
Hi girls, a great blog as usual and very informative 👌 Surely, and please do correct me but, wouldn’t an offer be subject to a survey 🤔 after all, isn’t that the purpose of a survey? John, Watford
Yes, and that's why the bonus tip is important, because unless the survey throws up major work, bss or a high level problem (hull or engine) then you may not have much wriggle room. But it is always worth asking, my advice is ask, but don't go into the purchase thinking you can negotiate a lot after the survey for cosmetic problems- most brokerages will assume you have noted them before you put in your offer.
If ever I have a dinner party, you lovely ladies will be at the top of the guest list! :-) I love your vlogs, and I wish I had an intelligent question to ask you! Hell, I wish I had any question to ask you! :-O
Great hints and tips! Thank you. If I ever am over there and want a narrowboat, I know where to start. I also think you just need to start hosting a narrowboaters dinner party!
I think you had another implicit tip - always get a survey. Even if the boat had a survey a month before, that was not on your behalf and the surveyor did not have your instructions.
I'm surprised you didn't test drive either boat. That's the fun part of looking at boats! Seriously though, different boats handle very differently and the last thing you want to be spending X thousand pounds on is a boat that won't go in a straight line.
When changing engine oil do you suck it out or can you get to sump nut ok . Bet its a full time job keeping on top of DIY jobs . I do like u boat . Looks like you chose well .
Is it possible to get a hull report? Has the bottom been blacked or dry docked and the hull inspecting recently? That type of information seems important. Do dry dock operators issue a report on the hulls condition? Is there any regulation requiring such an inspection?
@@TheNarrowboatExperience Thank You! One more thing please - Do You feel that the canals are too full of boats? Do you feel there are plenty of spaces to have the privacy - each of us need?
You pay for the blacking- because it is a service- so the person doing the blacking for you makes the money. If you do it yourself you pay someone to use their dock. Brokers sell boats they don't really make money from you blacking it- like a car salesperson doesn't make money from you buying new tyres.
The most important point to assess on ANY boat before any checks can go ahead is the size, condition and level of said vessels rum store. Another quality production by the best crew on RU-vid. .
Hopefully along with all the other narrow boat experiences. That would be an awesome documentary but might take a year or two (or more) to cover it :-)
Wow that’s a lot to take in but so useful I’ve yet to purchase my dream boat and escape the house renting trap thank you both for all your wonderful knowledge of the trials and tribulations of narrow boat buying keep up the great work
With brokerages, are there any that accept offers subject to the sale of your current boat much like a selling chain with houses? For us liveaboards not being able to go through the buying process until we had sold our current boat would be a huge stumbling block for us. 😎
An interesting question and one that a brokerage would answer best for you. It would be my guess that you have to sell first and buy another to free up the cash. But then where do you stay? I also think it is much easier to sell a boat that is not lived on.
@@TheNarrowboatExperience its certainly a tricky one. I suppose were just going to have to stick with ours u til we can find a wonderfully rich benefactor.
My experience is that Brokerages won't take offers unless you have cash in hand. If you're selling your house you need to have exchanged before they'll take a deposit. That may depend on how long the boat has been on the market but their main interest is getting cash for the seller, so whilst you're trying to sell your boat they could have sold the boat you want several times over. Cruising the cuts broker video is worth a watch - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TDH6dyidvuc.html
I have just traded my narrowboat through a broker and they did a part exchange.The same as you, I live aboard, and needed the sale of the old one to finance the purchase.
Hello lovelies, and thanks for this video! I see you bought your new boat from the broker at Mercia. My question to you both is, which surveyor did you use, and would you recommend them?
We were happy with the surveyor that we used. We were present for the survey and everything was very clear for us. Private message through our Facebook page as we won't go public with recommendations.
Brilliant tips thank you. We will be looking at some point but not just yet and these kind of tips are so useful to those of us who have never bought a boat before. Ian
I'm quite short so even driving with a full water tank or coal on the roof helps to push the bow down an inch or so, makes it much easier for me to see.
Interesting video and I'm not likely to every buy a narrowboat. :) Do you feel safe sleeping with the window/door open at the head of the bed? Or with sidehatches open? A narrowboat vacation seems like a great idea, but with the summer heat can't imagine it would be comfortable without max air circulation.
Brilliant vlog girls. Great advice, because it's quite different from buying a house. However, I did get a little distracted half way through, watching Alice up to mischief on your bed lol.
Very useful. We’ve been put off boats because of the smell! That is a very helpful tip. I’m always disappointed by how reluctant brokers are to show the engine bay and start the engine. A couple of brokers confirmed they would only let you drive the boat if your offer was accepted and I think by then it’s a bit late. I’m enjoying these bonus midweek videos but you may be raising false expectations 😁 thanks.
If a broker won’t start the engine then I’d walk away. That’s a red flag. I know some brokerages will test drive for very serious buyers. But again it’s about finding the right boat. Midweek- I’m trying so hard for two vlogs a week- get your hopes up. 😂
Good advice, it looks as if buying a nb looks rather like buying a house that is also a car. My question is: what is the usual projected lifespan of a nb? What can you do to counteract normal technical deterioration of the boat, and what kind of wear would (eventually) result in a total-loss?
Good questions, thanks. Just in short you need to protect the hull of the boat by getting it blacked every couple of years if using bitumen and keep your engine serviced.
If ever I have the chance to purchase a boat, I’m going to look for you ladies, I’m probably not on my own either, I wouldn’t know where to start. Well done well presented, see you Sunday 😂
We do get asked a lot, that's why we are working at putting out these extra vlogs, so people can learn from our mistakes and also from the things we learnt along the way.
Interesting comment about the test drive and it being mentioned in the contract. we are close to completing the purchase of our boat, from the same broker yours came from, (in fact we looked at your boat ourselves online a while ago ;) ). We had made an offer and negotiated a price, but we didn't pay the deposit until we'd had a second look, during which we did have a test run, albeit a brief one around the marina. It wasn't until read the contract paperwork later in the day that I saw the actual entitlement to "sea or river trial". It's worth noting that the contract is actually a fairly standard RYA approved document, not necessarily specific to that brokerage. (who to be fair so far have been great).
It's interesting what you assume compared to what actually happens. Glad you got to have a test drive and that your experience with that brokerage was positive.
Almost all my life, I wanted to own a liver aboard boat but I find it very hard to earn enough money. I save almost everything I receive but something happens to knock me back and I get disheartened, I don’t have any vices
A standard yacht purchase contract in the US requires deficiencies found during survey to be corrected or the price adjusted. If the contract a broker wants you to sign does not have this give them a contract you are happy with. Another standard inclusion is successful completion of a sea trial. Does the engine reach design RPM at wide open throttle? Using a temperature gun is the exhaust riser at a proper ttemperature? Is the cutlass bearing worn? Are all the cells in the batteries at the correct specific gravity? etc.
