Having put the world to rights, ROTFLMAO, my next question is about buying a narrow boat [see? Im already learning about the correct terminology!]
All this new information that Im quickly acquiring [and Im even absorbing some of it <g>] leads me ever forward towards thoughts about the acquisition of a suitable vessel, probably in the 45/65 ft category [this really comes down to costs right now as Ill only have a budget of around £25k for the purchase, with perhaps another £5k reserved as a contingency fund], and suitable for a singleton live-aboard with occasional company of another person for periods of 2/3 weeks at a time. I can see at least four sources: (a) Brand new [hollow laugh!] (b) Ex-Hire (c) Private sale (d) Commercial sale (e) Gift [well, included only because you are all such *nice* guys and gals .. :-)] I can guess - or have read about - some of the advantages and disadvantages of each source [how worthwhile are any commercial guarantees likely to be even if offered?] and I will almost certainly follow the given advice about having any boat pulled from the water for a professional survey. I also plan to do as much viewing as I can before making any firm commitment to purchase, *and* Ill be following the good advice of taking a holiday in the early part of next year; hopefully soon after the end of the Mad march Winds, whilst Im happy to work up to narrow boat handling in that sort of weather, I really would prefer a few hours under my belt first! Ive already been well advised about the pros and cons of different types of toilets (and am also persuaded to dump the blue and go green with the PP for my mini-caravan; it only sleeps two and comes complete with table, wardrobe, cooker, fridge and kitchen sink; as it is all in an internal length of 8ft we are quite used to *small* accommodation the PP has its own tent BTW!]. But the *prices* seem to vary widely - frightenly widely the ones I have seen today ranged from sub £15k to upwards of £50k for second-hand boats built pre 90; a few of which appear quite reasonable on the surface. *Dampness* Some do appear to have suffered from either significant humidity, or water ingress from above [rather than below] is this likely to be a common or ongoing problem [perhaps I may need to acquire a dampness meter, as used for homes / caravan testing?] I suspect that internal access to the steel [iron?] hull and upper-works may be difficult, if not impossible without substantial dismantling, so how do you guys [and gals] usually check and maintain the inner surfaces or dont you?; are wood or glass upper-works to be avoided even? *Insulation* None of Mondays adverts actually mentioned this, other than a couple of empty sail-aways :-( ; elsewhere I have come across sprayed foam and polystyrene sheet, but not any sort of fibre/pads do builders generally insulate well or at all? Am I likely to need to upgrade thermal insulation or just pop another log on the fire? *Hull thickness* Corrosion, even through blacking is almost certainly going to appear at some time and re-plating become necessary but just how much of a problem is this, do *all* hulls have a finite life and, as I have seen reference to iron and steel, are both used commonly or is this likely to be incorrect descriptions of the same thing? BTW, Im used to normal anti-fouling treatments but not blacking which Im presuming goes from the upper strakes to the keel. Is blacking some form of pitch with anti-fouling properties or is it a much more complex compound, and how long could it be expected to last below the water-line? *Internal tanks* Water/waste/fuel tanks could I normally expect to see these built in to the hull, perhaps in the bilges below the deck? in the fore/aft ends [or even under the bed/s]? Should I expect them to be reasonably accessible for inspection/treatment? Finally I am a big user of the local library this month they have effectively closed down here whilst they shift from the old building to a brand new one three weeks is the latest guestimate Sheesh! I have seen whole factories shift *towns* in a far shorter period <sigh>! Take care, Trevor S. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
