Hi all ... well a few of you ... who are "houseboaties". My son is poised to move out of a shared house in Bristol as it has been sold, and would be in a position to consider this: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152165435#/?channel=RES_BUY Any observations welcome
Massively over-priced tarted up OLD boat that was at the lowest end of the market when built... and it's small... and you can't live on a BM leisure mooring. So old in fact that many insurers will want it surveyed every year. Mine's 10 years newer, 20 ft longer, way better quality hull and I'd guess worth about £50-60k. It's also very well equipped. for Ref a friend is selling a widebeam here in tip-top condition and just accepted an offer for £85k Just read all the work it's needed recently. I value that boat at about £30k (if it doesn't need over-plating). If it does - £5k aka run away. Someone is going to be royally shafted. The mooring has no rights, they could chuck the boat off when it's sold or any time they like and I bet it's expensive too + as mentioned BM will NOT let you live on it - they are very strict about that.
I could go on and on... 40ft is too small to live on BTW - where is the bed? answer, there isn't one, there is no bedroom. If you want a bed(room) - 50ft min. Reading between the lines it got over plated already i.e. it was in danger of sinking at some point.
This is all good stuff ... we've already started the conversation around how "houseboats" do not appreciate in the same way that a "house" does, and how expensive maintenance can be ... but he needs to look at various options, even if it means realising that some are not really options after all
If you keep up the maintenance and it's a good one to start with they stay about the same £ while inflation eats away at your capital. I would have thought you could/can by a spanking brand new 40ft boat for that money or probably a fair bit less. If that was on a residential mooring with an agreement to take over the mooring you'd be paying over the odds for the boat to get the mooring. you see that a lot in London.
The site to look at boats is Apollo duck. I searched for 40ft boats for you to get perspective. https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.u..._nation4=&search_county4=&sr=1&q=1&x=1#result
You know when someone or repeated someones throw stupid money at a worthless bus and then think it's worth what they spent? This is the boat equivalent. On apolloduck for half that you get an all aluminium narrowboat or for around £60k a 2 year old steel one. Or one the same age with a transferable residential mooring in Limehouse Londinium for £47K
Its Bristol, people get hooked on it. Find another shared house or live somewhere like Trowbridge, or Newport.. Actually thinking some more.. even though this is a ripoff it still could be cheaper than renting, even with marina fees etc.. A flat in Clifton eg. would be £600-£1000 a month.. And if maintenance is performed, some capital might be returned as the next starry eyed and desperate to live in central Bristol punter comes along.. Treat it as a variable rate rental. If the budgeting involves spending all spare cash on nightlife then it will end in tears and the bank of mum and dad..
You've picked up on where he's coming from ... having lived in Bedminster for several years, at much lower than "normal" Bedminster rent, he's looking at all options including getting out of Central Bristol ... The houseboat idea was built on looking for a bit of autonomy I think, and this one popped up on Rightmove. Yes, attractive when compared to renting, but personally I think it could turn into a bit of an albatross. Early days and he has a couple of months to narrow things down. Even "small plot of land and a selfbuild" is being considered
If he wants to throw £50K+ down a hole: buy it. He'd only have the remotest chance of getting it back if he can find a complete brainless idiot to rip off in turn. I hope you sent him the apollo duck link so he can see for himself. Anyone can buy a belfast sink and Farrow and Ball paint.
Yes, but you don't have to first give the landlord £90,000 for the privilege! I will repeat this until I'm choking - that particular boat is up for 3x it's worth and you do not want to be saddled with an over plated narrowboat (sorry @Merlin Cat ) unless it's at a giveaway price. Sometimes even AFTER overplating they fail insurance surveys because the hull is still not thick enough, reason being any thicker would make them sit too low in the water. Air-cooled engined ones are the worst for this - one sank on the Thames a few years back when water flooded in through the vents for the engine which had got too low after over plating. The advert doesn't actually say it's been overplated but it does say it's had hull repairs which could mean the same. If not, hull repairs will be ongoing until someone bites the bullet and forks out £20k to overplate properly.
Living on a narrowboat = keeping your head down. Residential moorings are hens teeth and you pay accordingly. Same problem - where would he park it?
