Assuming you’ve calculated the budget you have to spend and secured your finances, you may feel ready to begin looking at used boats for sale. But before travelling London or Herts to view second hand boats for sale do you know whether you are looking for a wide beam, liveaboard, barge, trad narrowboat or cruiser stern?

Ship shape?

Whether you intend to liveaboard, go on an extended cruise, use the boat most weekends, or keep to summer cruising and ‘winterise’ the boat for half the year will affect the kind of boat you are looking for. Be aware that certain English canals and navigations can only accommodate boats of certain widths or lengths. However, while continuously cruising the whole system may sound ideal, your personal circumstances may find you based in one area with a home mooring. Therefore being restricted in size may not be so important to you. For living aboard you may prioritise space and storage and choose a longer or wider boat.

Pump out or Porta Potti?

Many a boaters’ debate has begun around a pub table, considering the pro’s and cons of a pump-out toilet versus ‘Porta Potti’. A pump-out has a large holding tank, but will need to be (you guessed it) pumped out. This can be done at a service point where there is a charge for using the pump-out machine, (at the time of writing £10-£15). In London there is even a pump-out boat visiting boats on their moorings. Alternatively you may have your own pump (hand pump or electric) to carry on board. If you have your own pump you can empty your tank at any sewage disposal point, also known as an Elsan point. You can find your nearest one in your canal guide book. However, if your toilet is a ‘Porta Potti’ or ‘cassette toilet’ the cartridge can be carried and emptied by hand in to any Elsan point. This container will be smaller than a pump-out tank, so needs emptying more often, but you can always carry a spare. Elsan points are more common than pump out points when travelling and you will always be able to remove the sewage from your boat, even if your boat is immobilised by engine breakdown or a frozen canal.

Fixed double or flexible?

Consider how many berths you might need if friends and family are likely to join you on board. Some boats have the flexibility of a dinette or sofa that converts to a double bed but on an extended cruise you may prefer a fixed double, to folding your bed every night.

It can be time consuming and even time wasting to travel to several different locations to view different boats. Our website shows up to 80 photos of each boat so that you get a good idea if the boat is suitable before travelling. If you are selling a boat our broker will visit you to take plenty of quality digital images so that the right buyer can find you more easily.

Image: Widebeam 55 Spacious Liveaboard boat for sale

Peggy
www.narrowboatwife.com

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