BUYERS GUIDE
It’s important that when investing in a canal boat you do so in the right one. Whether it be a simple getaway or a fully fitted home, it needs to have all of the amenities you desire.
At Collingwood we aim to offer as much as we can from basic hollow builds made for the person looking to develop their own project to fully fitted models which have been beautifully designed to become your perfect home. Try starting by exploring some of our work for yourself.
WHERE TO START
At Collingwood, we understand that purchasing a canal boat is not only a life-changing experience but it can also be overwhelming. We want to make this process as understandable and straight forward for you as possible. We think this guide below will outline all the fundamentals you’d like to be aware of.
It’s important that when investing in a canal boat you do so in the right one. Whether it be a simple getaway or a fully fitted home, it needs to have all of the amenities you desire.
When starting out it’s important that you have a firm grasp on what you want from your finished boat, and its usage is a key factor. Someone looking for a canal boat to spend the odd weekend a year getting away from it all is going to need a lot less in terms of space and amenities than someone who plans to live aboard their vessel. Once you have an understanding of what you want out of your new Collingwood boat, then you can start start designing your vessel around your needs.
Once you have decided what your craft will be used for, the next step is to consider your budget. If you are looking to live aboard your boat then you will most likely need more space and mod cons, so, therefore, you will need a bigger budget to accommodate the added dimensions and fittings that come with a bigger boat.
Now that you have a rough idea of the type of boat you’re looking to invest in, you can now decide whether you want to be involved in the building process yourself.
If you have experience of interior design you may want to fit the boat out yourself, in which case going for one of our Sailaway lines might be the best option. If you’re wanting the full works from the get-go however then a fully fitted vessel is probably the best option.
This will solely depend on the specification of the boat you’ve planned. The bigger the size and higher the specification, the longer the boat will take to build. At Collingwood we typically estimate that our boat building projects take between 6 to 12 weeks to complete.
We will organise the delivery of your craft to your preferred location in the UK. We have two of our own dedicated delivery vehicles based in Liverpool at our yard. We can provide a quotation for your boat to be delivered, on average, the cost to us is around £1,000. Once your vessel has been delivered you will have to organise cranage and any costs incurred to get your boat to water.
Canal and River Trust licences: Costs depend on your boat’s size, but as an idea, a 40ft vessel is just over £700 per year. Boat Safety Scheme: This is like an MOT for your boat and costs approximately £87.50 per year. Council tax: If your boat is moored permanently, it will typically be in the lowest tax band.
Wide Beam Waterways
Narrow Beam Waterways
CANAL NETWORK
- Nature blessed routes inspiring a perfect retreat and beautiful views
- Large network of canals encouring peaceful exploration
- A new lifestyle putting the environtment first
- Peaceful canals disposing of loud city conjestion and frustration
We understand that for first time buyers, the world of canal boats can cause a little confusion. In order to facilitate things, Collingwood have put together this handy guide; ensuring you end up with the boat of your dreams.
Although we are still in the early stages of taking the delivery of our new 66 / 12 Wide beam boat, the communication, service and workmanship has been outstanding, if we all took the Collingwood Boat approach, we would all be better off! If your thinking of having a boat built, talk to these guys first, you won’t be disappointed. Very pleased!
Clive Hall
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