Buying A Boat

[scraggs]

We spent ages going all over the place looking at various boats, as we looked our brief changed.
We were originally dead keen on a Viking 20, however on the off chance we came across a Shadow 26 and once we has been on it we realised that spending a week on a Viking along with the dog is the weather should be rough would probably start to become a challenge after several days.
Whilst looking we met some very nice people, but we also met more than our fair share of lunatics who weren't really sure they wanted to sell, or agreed a price then changed their minds (happened twice). TBH my next purchase would probably be from a broker, purely because of some of the hassle we had with private sellers
Our brief was small, because of my diet having room for my girlfriend to move about and cook was pretty important because we do not eat out at all so a full oven was a must have, a shower room that you could at least move in, hot/cold water, a decent heater and the dining area needed to be somewhere you could just stretch out in comfort if the weather was bad without messing up the sleeping area, preferably Diesel, shaft drive, ideally able to get under Potter bridge, but we did forego that one in the end, we had to make compromises or it felt like we were never going to end up on the Broads.
We ended up buying a boat that needed quite a large amount of work doing to her, but we were aware of this and paid accordingly, luckily most of the work I can and have been doing myself, I quite like messing about anyway, for me part of the fun is just getting away from home and business, but we considered that virtually all the boats we looked at required a fair few pounds spent on them anyway to bring them up to standard due to their age, so if we spent it on this one at least we knew what we had, one thing we did notice though was buying away from the Broads saved us a fair amount, even after we paid to have her hauled over.
Someone once warned me  " whatever you buy you will end up spending on to get it to how you want anyway".

[ExSurveyor]

Easy,  we bought a boat ( Topliner ), we had hired it for a week the year before they came up for sale.

That's what you call a proper test drive.

[Maz]

Great tips on here !... been on the broads many times ( there at the moment in the southern broads ), looking to buy a boat for retirement to come and go as we wish .  There are only the two of us and a dog , we have 2 very young grandchildren . We are not looking for anything large and would love one that needs some TLC ( not with the engine though ). Would just like to put our own stamp on it as such .  Is there anything specific that we need to look out for problem wise ?.   Not looking to spend a lot of money just yet , Just looking to get something we can call our own and enjoy the peace and tranquility with some home comforts if we desire 😊Thanks in advance for any tips 😊

[vanessan]

I think a few people would recommend a survey being done on anything you are really interested in. That could save you a lot of pennies and worry. I’m sure there will be a lot of other advice soon. Good luck with your search. 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

I`m a newbie having brought my first and hopefully last boat this year, being +60 one thing I would say is consider how easy is the boat for getting on and off but as you`ve been boating for many years I guess you already know that. 

[Lastdraft]

Absolutely agree with OBB, accessibility, particularly with mooring for the crew, it is of paramount importance that your crew ( usually the wife, complete with bad knees, trick hip and arthritis) can step ashore with lines. Now on our fourth boat on the Broads, I think we have finally found the boat that suits our needs.... watch this space.  

[Ray]

Dogs too get old and stiff, easy access for them down the line is worth considering as I can attest from current experience!