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If you have made up your mind to live on a boat then you are going to need that very thing, a boat to permanently live on.
So how do you buy a suitable boat? There are so many out there.
Lets go through some of the steps to help you find and buy the boat that is right for you.
Step 1.
Where do you want to live? This should be your first question so you can buy the right type of boat.
There is no point rushing out and buying a sailing yacht if you want to live in an area where there are only canals. If you do not have a particular area in mind then you have more flexibility.
Step 2.
Before making any buying decision decide what you want from a liveaboard boat. Is it a permanent base on the water, or do you want to use your boat to travel? Are you only interested in canals and rivers or really want to be on coastal waters.
Do you need a large boat with lots of room or would a smaller boat suit your needs?
Answering these questions will help you decide on a suitable boat.
Step 3.
Decide if you want a houseboat or a liveaboard boat. There is a difference.
Houseboats are vessels that are permanently moored and do not have an engine and can not be easily adapted to move under there own power. Houseboats are really permanent dwellings on the water.
Liveaboard boats are any other boats that have engines and can be used for navigation on a waterway or at sea. Essentially a liveaboard boat is a recreational or commercial boat that is used for living on.
Step 4.
The previous three steps should now have narrowed down the type of boat that will suit you so now you need to find one. Before we do we have one more thing to do to narrow your search further and that is to decide how much you can afford to pay for your boat.
You should now have a much narrower list of boats to choose from out of the thousands for sale.
Here is an example of what we have done so far.
Example:
I want to live in the Birmingham area on the canal, I want to have as much space as possible and use the boat for weekend trips and holidays. I have a maximum of £40,000 to spend.
From this example you can see that I will only be looking to buy a narrowboat that is as long as possible and costs no more than £40,000.
Now you are able to concentrate your search.
Step 5.
Finding a suitable boat will involve searching in many places. The best places to look are:
Boating Magazines
Boating Websites
Boat Brokerage offices
Noticeboards in Marinas and Boatyards and for sale signs on moored boats
When you find a suitable boat find out as much information about the boat so you can decide if you want to view the boat.
Step 6.
Viewing boats is time consuming and could involve some long travel so you need to be sure it is worth the effort. Get the seller to provide as much information as possible before you view. This should include a detailed description, inventory and photos of the boat.
Make sure your time is well spent at the viewing by going prepared. Write down a list of questions before you go so you don't forget anything. Wear some old clothes or take some overalls so you can check the usally not so clean bilges and engine. Check all the equipment works such as water pumps, batteries, electronics etc. Check all the paperwork is correct and is in the owners name.
If your happy with the boat you could make an offer subject to a survey.
Step 7.
You should always have a marine survey on a boat you wish to buy. If the seller refuses to allow a survey then look elsewhere as they are probably hidding a major fault.
The cost of the survey and moving the boat if required is your responsibility but is well worth the cost for a boat selling for many thousands of pounds. If the survey shows faults try to get the sale price down some more to allow for repairs. If this is acceptable to the seller you can complete the sale. Make sure you get a bill of sale and all registration documents and licenses are updated to your name. You should also check that the moorings operator will allow you to continue or renew the mooring agreement, if you don't you may be asked to move your boat right away.
Step 8.
When you take ownership of your new boat check that everything that was on the inventory is still aboard. If not contact the sell right away.
The most important part of step 8 is to ENJOY your new boat.
There you have it, a simple 8 step process to buying a boat. I hope you find this information useful in your search for your new boat.
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