new boat needed

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rowey2006

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1 Jan 2006
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144
www.birdcareuk.com
hi all

I could do with a bit of help and advice.

I would like a inland water boat for weekends and holidays based on the lancaster or northen river suggestions would be great in this area also?

my budget is 10K what would you advice? (new boat if poss or as new as i can get)

My wife wants a narrow boat but they are so expensive.

thanks in advance.

marc.
 
Hi Marc,
With a budget of 10k I would advise something like a Viking 20, 22 or 24 wide beams or, for use on the canals as well, Viking do make narrow beams. You won't get a new boat for this, but they do last very well; with an outboard of around 15-20 hp it will be economical too. If you want to take another couple (or two kids?) away there is enough room to do this. I always find on inland waterways space on board is important, so these boats are hard to beat for the price. A four stroke is also better than two because if you are cruising for a few hours per day a noisey two stroke can shatter your peace and quiet, unles, of course, the two stroke is a fairly modern one.

Hope this helps; happy hunting!

Mike
 
How about a nice Freeman 22, or poss even 23. Not new I know, a long way from new, but you won't find a more solid or better boat for the money. Don't know if you need narrow beam, they are a bit more rare. See thread on FREEMAN .
 
I too would plump for a Freeman 22 or 23. You have style, class and comfort coupled to a boat that will not devalue. Also you will get a good lump of change out of £10k.
 
Thames Boat Sales website has a good selection of well known makes for under and around £10K.

Be prepared for a boat which requires regular owner care, and to the uninformed may even appear a bit raggedy, but the old GRP hulled cruisers are generally tough and resiliant to most things.

Allow £4,000 a year to berth, tax, fuel, maintain and run.
 
rowey2006 said:
hi all

I could do with a bit of help and advice.

I would like a inland water boat for weekends and holidays based on the lancaster or northen river suggestions would be great in this area also?

my budget is 10K what would you advice? (new boat if poss or as new as i can get)

My wife wants a narrow boat but they are so expensive.

thanks in advance.

marc.
Click to expand...

One other very popular boat for canal cruising is the Norman, mostly outboard, a few with inboard/sterndrive. Whilst no longer made, there are still loads about, try the Norman Boats Appreciation site, they have a whole load of Normans for sale, http://www.normanboats.co.uk/ They have full headroom and 6ft 10in beam so can handle all canals and rivers both broad and narrow. At a pinch, and dependant on having a big 4 x 4, you can trail many of them as well.
 
Trouble is with narrow beam stuff, it leans/ rolls about so much when you both stand on the same side!

A 10' beam on a 22-24 footer is far nicer in many ways, and offers vastly more space.
 
thanks for the info

I have done a lot of internet surfing, and i was thinking about the freeman 22/23
but the age 1960-70's put me (more the wife) off.

should i wait till the budget gets bigger maybe 25-30k next year and buy a narrow boat
may be a better investment. or better for the canal system.

anybody know of anyone selling a mint freeman 22/23

thanks again.

marc.
 
£10k does not buy much 'mint' in boating terms.

The best you can hope for is 'sound' and 'tidy' the rest is up to you, and your elbow!

Seriously, it's enough to buy a great entry level boat, and this includes many popular makes such as Birchwood, Norman, Shetland, Seamaster and Freeman, all basically good old trusted designs, and all with potential issues.

There are plenty in brokers at relistic sums, and a good broker will offer you sound enough advice in my experience. Common sense prevails of course, but then boating and common sense have never been the best of friends...

As a rough rule, ignore age, and go for condition, stick to shaft drive if possible, it's simple and unlikely to cause as many issues as an outdrive can at this price range. Petrol engines in their simplest form (Ford Cortina based!) should be reliable and simple to fix, while Diesels can suffer worn parts which require specialist attention, and if made by Volvo, cost a bomb for spares!

Outboards are OK, and easy to replace with similar used units for not much money, but look a bit lower-caste!

Be prepared to scrub and polish after a good jet wash, most old boats look far nicer after some love.
 
cheers no regrets
good sound advice.

I dont agree with the 4k per year to run a grp canal boat.

I had a maxum 2400scr on a tidal river and it didnt cost more than 2k per year to run including £750 moorings. (the boat did only get run a very nice days only)

are grp boats strong enough to play with steel narrow boats and tight locks?

marc.
 
Sorry, missed the location at first, as this is the THAMES forum! :)

More like £2-2500 then, as you save £1500 on moorings.

GRP bends a bit. Best avoid hard knocks though, but it's very very tough, hence the condition of most of those 30 year old tubs after a good scrub up!
 
sorry maybe it would cost 4k

I forgot about the safety certificate and waterways fees.

where i moored my ex boat i wasnt on the waterways, and no speed limits.

marc.
 
sorry yes i know it is the thames forum but i thought you guys would be better experianced having similar experiances on rivers.

ha ha!! i have just read the forum description it says A place to discuss boating issues specific to the Thames and other inland waterways. lol

so you have to let the northen boys in on one of the best places in england lol. wish i lived in oxford so i too could have a boat on the thames.

marc.
 
Thames and other inland waterways

A place to discuss boating issues specific to the Thames and other inland waterways

:-) no Regrets did we forget the other inland waterways lol

I paid around 11.5k for the old girl and agree with the guys, go for condition and worry less about age, The Birchwood does everything we need and has been fine with 2 teens a 10 year old and two adults on board for 9 days, freemans also a solid classy boat, hope you find what you are looking for rowey2006, dont wait a year get out there and enjoy it now lol
 
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