Actually buying a boat...

The logistics of buying a houseboat and what to do next.

When you buy a boat you make an offer if the offer is accepted you then have to pay a ten percent deposit ( held by the agent) before you instruct a marine surveyor. However, if there is any major problems with the hull the deposit is refundable, the owner is entitled to have the repairs done at their expense or refund the deposit, if there are no problems the balance is paid and you get a set of keys and a laminated bill of sale and that is it.

Survey 

No major problems a few advisories work to be done but mainly cosmetic.

What to do next?

Bought the boat got the keys, brilliant the previous owners have left a lot of furniture/junk, first lesson learn't, make sure you get a list of what is and isn't being left and dont release money until cleared , if you are on a residential marina and at the end of the pontoon, which we are, it can be a bit of a mission lifting heavy furniture up and down, lesson 2 if the previous owner has had pets on the boat invest in a steam cleaner.

Two days a carrier bag of cat and dogs hair later the downstairs is clear most of the unwanted furniture is in the front room but the place is clean.

Bilges, all boats take in a small amount of water the water goes to the lowest part of the boat, the bilges, there are four on the boat with two manual pumps both operate two compartments, a houseboat should have an automatic bilge system that pumps the water out as soon as it gets to a certain level. On the survey one of the advisories was to fit an automatic bilge system, research required. Pumped out bilges with it in mind to look into bilge systems.

Spent the next couple of days just looking around trying to come up with a layout the floors in the hallway and kitchen are painted a dirty off white, got to go closes the areas in, there are two bedrooms but to get to the second bedroom you have to walk through the first bedroom, when they fitted the front room structure on to the boat they had to change the weight distribution downstairs so there are what can only be described as large stairs to the left and right of the bedrooms.