Ripped-off with cheap narrowboat

WOULD-BE BOATERS bought a fairly inexpensive narrowboat, but had more than they bargained for.

David and Adrian soon realised there was so much wrong with it, that it was not worth the £17,184 they paid for the 35ft boat, Janet Friend reports.

They expected the boat would need some attention at such a low price but seeing a little rust poking through the paint on the hull, they had a scrape, to find the hull entirely rusty, that needed a complete clean and repaint.

Cracked piston

Then they came to the engine that they realised would need a little attention due to its noise, so this prompted the head being removed, that revealed a cracked piston that needed replacing, so they went for a complete rebuild.

Other parts had either rusted or were not working, this they believed being brought about by long periods of inactivity or inadequate maintenance, that then required replacement parts to ensure the safety of the narrowboat.

The two warned others it is better to pay for a professional survey, as the overhaul cost made this boat very expensive indeed.