|
|
|
Once you have decided that you are going to purchase a boat or house boat and have got your financial arrangements sorted out and have an idea about your mooring, you will need to find the boat of your dreams! Well in my case it was not so much the boat of my dreams, more like what I could afford!
So what type of boat are you looking for and where are you going to find it?
The type of boat you chose will depend on where you are going to moor the boat. In general their are three areas where you can moor your boat, canals, rivers and the sea.
You need to have decided on one of these before looking for your boat as their is no point finding a great residential canal mooring and then buying a converted fishing vessel that is to wide and to high to navigate to your mooring.
So where do we look for our ideal boat?
 You will find advertising in the boating magazines for all sorts of vessels. Make sure you look for your chosen type in the right magazines. Now many magazines have an internet website that you should also look at.
An example is Boats and Yachts for Sale magazine that have a very good website at Boats and Yachts for Sale
There are many websites that specialize in boat sales and some like this one that specialize in houseboats and liveaboard boating. You will normally find boats, including Houseboats for sale on these websites.
It is not only the main boating magazines that you will find boats for sale. Look at some of the local and national free ads papers such as Loot
You will often find suitable boats advertised here and some papers have a Boating and/or Houseboat section of there own.
Do not forget that if you are looking for a specific type of boat you can also place a Wanted advert in the relevant magazines and on boating websites.
Another good place to look for boats for sale is at marinas, boatyards and mooring sites. It is surprising how many people put notices on their boats saying the boat is for sale. The owner may not have advertised the boat elsewhere so you could be lucky and find just what you are looking for.
Start by looking near the places you are thinking of mooring your new boat first and work your way outwards.
Whilst there, keep an eye out for any boats that look like they have been neglected or not attended for some time. You could ask the moorings owner if the owner of the boat is thinking of selling the boat.
Sometimes an offer to buy will prompt the owner to sell the boat if they have not used it as much as intended and you could get a good deal. They still have to pay mooring fees every month/year even if they do not use the boat so this may prompt them to sell.
One place you should look is at the many boat brokerage companies. You will see these brokerages advertising in the boating magazines and on the internet. They will normally have a list of their boats for sale in the advertising but this will not be all the boats they offer as advertising space is expensive they never list them all.
Contact all the brokerages in your chosen area and ask for a current list of their boats and then contact others outside of your area as it is best to cast the net wide or you may lose that boat that is perfect for you.
It is a good idea to tell the broker what type of boat you are looking for so they can keep an eye out for you as well and send you details of new boats that come in.
Some people will only look for a suitable boat in their local or chosen area but I urge you to look farther away as you may find exactly what you want.
Remember that this is not a house; it can be reasonably easy to move your boat although this would be an extra cost. You are investing a large amount of money into your boat so find the right one even if you have to travel to view it and transport it back.
You may find two boats of the same make and design adverted at vastly different prices. This could be that boat A is in the north of England and boat B is in the south. The difference in price could be thousands depending on market trends in different areas so transporting the cheaper one to your chosen location by road or sea could be a cost effect move so do not rule out boats that are outside of your chosen area, you could get a bargain!
Finally, do not forget the good old fashioned Word of Mouth. Talk to people at boatyards and marinas, use internet discussion forums to ask other users if they know of any boats for sale. You could be surprised what others can turn up for you.
So, now you are armed with all the information you need to find your boat, their is only one thing left to do.
Go out and find it!!
|
|
