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paulnsarah

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Hi all,
Firstly apologies if this is not the place to post, but here goes.
Over the last 3 years, my wife and i have spent just under 10K on hiring river crusiers. We have done day hires, weekend hires and off course a week holidays too.
Every trip no matter how short, we've loved.
So after hiring a day hire, we've come to the conclusion that we should think about owning our own cruiser... and this is where we come unstuck. We know next to nothing about ownership or what steps to take going forward and so find ourselves here looking for advice.

So this is what we (think) we know ...

We live 10miles from Lechlade.
We loved our longer trips
We'd like to share them with friends / family
We currently don't have a vehicle that can tow.

We'd like to think we know how to muddle through a lock if it was unattended, but recognize we not experts ! We've never been very good at time keeping, so on a four hour hire, normally arrive earlier than expected as haven't yet worked out how to take account of the current.

We've done what I imagine everyone does and googled boats for sale....and really don't know what we're looking at. Budget wise we think the first purchase should be not too expensive in case we realise we've made a mistake - so looking around 10-15k .

Thank you for your time.
Paul n Sarah
 
Personally, I wouldn't consider a boat small enough to tow. That restricts you to day boats and you won't get very far on the Thames at 5mph without spending the night on board. And I'd get bored only being a few hours from the same place.
Are you looking for a cruiser (something you can sleep on) or a little boat with an outboard?
 
paulnsarah said:
Hi all,
Firstly apologies if this is not the place to post, but here goes.
Over the last 3 years, my wife and i have spent just under 10K on hiring river crusiers. We have done day hires, weekend hires and off course a week holidays too.
Every trip no matter how short, we've loved.
So after hiring a day hire, we've come to the conclusion that we should think about owning our own cruiser... and this is where we come unstuck. We know next to nothing about ownership or what steps to take going forward and so find ourselves here looking for advice.

So this is what we (think) we know ...

We live 10miles from Lechlade.
We loved our longer trips
We'd like to share them with friends / family
We currently don't have a vehicle that can tow.

We'd like to think we know how to muddle through a lock if it was unattended, but recognize we not experts ! We've never been very good at time keeping, so on a four hour hire, normally arrive earlier than expected as haven't yet worked out how to take account of the current.

We've done what I imagine everyone does and googled boats for sale....and really don't know what we're looking at. Budget wise we think the first purchase should be not too expensive in case we realise we've made a mistake - so looking around 10-15k .

Thank you for your time.
Paul n Sarah
Click to expand...


Welcome to the forum :)

probably time for some boring moments thinking about what you need to enjoy your new boating life.
10 mins at any lock will display the full range of boating skills of Thames boat owners and everybody has to start somewhere.
Some would feel more comfortable to do a day at a training school, some would just jump in and get on with it.
The boat.
The cost of the boat will more or less depend on its size.
The size of the boat will depend on what you want to do.
Day trips for two ?
Weekends away for two.
Extended week long trips.
All the above with family and/or friends.
Over a certain size you will not want to trailer it for very long or any distance and will need to add the expense of mooring afloat.

More details please :)
 
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On your budget, you'd get a nice little Freeman 22 with change to spare towards a mooring, It will comfortably sleep 2 with a couple of guests on the dining table that drops down to make a bed. Or Project, Senior RLM31. Bigger but a practical first boat. I've had an RLM31 for the past 11 years.
 
Sounds like you are in budget for a used Shetland (4 plus 2 maybe?) or a Viking (22 or 23 (narrow beam)). Plenty of these around and great little starter boats. Will go under Osney Bridge as well so you can explore the Thames much more.
 
Hi Paul
I'd look at a Seamaster 813. Plenty around Lechlade and deservedly popular for the budget. Good space, easy to handle, comfortable - all have hot water, full size cooker, some have heating.
Some good ones around but also some that need a bit of work. The good ones don't hang around for sale for long.
Keep an eye on the classifieds, Apollo Duck etc. You may have to wait a little to find a good one.
 
Thames boat sales are good guys to deal with, very helpful and you get to nose around some boats to try and get a better idea of what appeals:

https://www.tbsboats.com/boats-for-...rom=&lengthto=&marina=-1&sort=priceasc&page=1

Spoiler alert: The boat I ended up with was an unmitigated disaster...
Now into my 3rd Year with shafts and couldn't be happier :)


Good luck, the folk on here are extremely helpful and will see you right with your first boat. Happy hunting! :)
 
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Time to spend a weekend or four annoying brokers up and down the Thames looking at actual boats.
Interweb searches are OK but you cannot get feel of wether a boat is for you by looking at a screen.
Downside of the Thames is a built in price premium simply due to the general affluence of the area.
Upside is the vast choice in a very small area and no need to travel half way across the country.

Time to visit marinas and boatyards and of course the local pubs and eateries when the inevitable boat search despair/fatigue sets in.
One other tip, although the brokers boards always feature a selection awesomely expensive craft, there will be starter boats somewhere on the listings.
As a starter location the Thames is second to none.
 
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Penton Hook is a good place to visit even if you're just window shopping. They have more boats on their sales pontoon that anywhere else.
 
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The Seamaster 813 has already be mentioned, there's also Freeman 26 and Elysian 27 to consider.
 
And don't assume that if a broker states a boat is " well presented " that it is.
Subject done to death on this forum, but one person's well maintained is not necessarily the opinion of the majority, so tread carefully. And photos should be viewed with a pinch of salt- they never tell a true story.
Look at as many boats as you can- you'll discover what you like and dislike and take your time sitting and 'using' the boat even on a sales pontoon.
Have fun!
 
I would also recommend viewing boats not just on the Thames but in other locations. I bought a Viking 23 at a dealer located in Nottingham, which was cheaper, and included in the deal was transport and launching within a 250 mile radius. There are however not many slipways on the uppermost part of the Thames, so you may need to factor that in. Good luck and enjoy boating!
 
oldgit said:
Time to spend a weekend or four annoying brokers up and down the Thames looking at actual boats.
Interweb searches are OK but you cannot get feel of wether a boat is for you by looking at a screen.
Downside of the Thames is a built in price premium simply due to the general affluence of the area.
Upside is the vast choice in a very small area and no need to travel half way across the country.

Time to visit marinas and boatyards and of course the local pubs and eateries when the inevitable boat search despair/fatigue sets in.
One other tip, although the brokers boards always feature a selection awesomely expensive craft, there will be starter boats somewhere on the listings.
As a starter location the Thames is second to none.
Click to expand...
Thought I'd spend just an hour or so at a certain Thames brokerage yesterday. First mistake was thinking that a photograph of a boat was a reasonable indication of condition. Second mistake was thinking that the broker may actually give a s#%&. As usual, here's the key, help your self, so no change there then. When I had spent around 10 minutes fighting through the filth on said boat just to get inside, it was clear that the owner had no intention of selling what was, some years ago, a nice boat.
When I returned the keys the broker said how did you get on??? My somewhat measured response was yet another shipwreck off the list. And only 60 thousand pounds too.
His response? Yeah, rough isn't it!!! Caveat emptor my friend!
 
We've just bought a new boat and pick it up this Friday. Last weekend was spent at the brokerage cleaning it. Two of us, two long days and a carpet cleaner. After our efforts, the wife said that if it looked like it did now, she would have paid more for it! Some owners are missing the obvious I'm afraid.
 
I think you would be hard pushed to find a better starter boat than a Freeman 23. If you don't take to boating, you could sell it again and pretty much get your money back.
 
Indeed. I know T and K make you sign up to having your boat cleaned regularly whilst it's on brokerage there. That's the only way to get folk to part with their hard earned cash.
 
Thanks so much for your help everyone. That's given us more to think about :)
there is a marina at Lechlade by the RIverside pub. I've tried googling for info but so far not been successful any ideas ?
 
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