A London Houseboat Bargain

Hi Everyone,

I'm posting this to the blog as I thought this vessel could be a real bargain for anyone that wants a houseboat in London which is getting very rare these days.

Anyway, I found a 42' part completed project in the form of an Ex Customs Launch being used as a houseboat and moored in London.
The surprising thing was the cost of £13,000.

Now, you would have to be sure the vessel is in reasonable condition before parting with your money and enquire about the status of the mooring (residential?) and if the boat can stay on the mooring. Remember this is a project as it is only part converted so you will have to do some work on her.

If it was me and I really wanted to live in London the most important aspect would be the mooring and the type of questions I would ask would be:

1. Can the new own keep the boat on the mooring?
2. Is the mooring a proper residential one and is there a proper contract in place that can be transferred?
3. If I purchased a new boat could I move the new boat to the same mooring?
4. How much are the mooring fees?

Do not forget that if this boat does not work out for you as a project and you have tenture of the mooring you could always sell the project boat without the mooring and then purchase a new boat to occupy your mooring. Finding a mooring in London is very hard so buying a cheap boat on a mooring can be a good option.

A small pad in London for £13,000 is a real bargain in my book, even if the boat needs some work.

Do not forget that all the same rules apply to buying a boat that has a London mooring as they do to any other area. If you don't have a survey and the boat turns out to be in very bad shape then £13K is still a lot of money to lose no matter where the boat is moored!

Here are the details I found with a picture.

42 x 11ft, double diagonal, wooden ex Customs Launch.

Part completed project, currently used as house boat in central London. Perkins 6 engine, excellent galley, solid fuel stove, shore power and phone line.

£13,000



I will not publish the contact detail here but I can tell you that I found this vessel on the Apollo Duck website and you should search for Advert ID: 52684

That's it from me, good luck if this is of interest to you, I would be quick as this one may go fast!