Widebeam canal boats appeal to a broad range of people – with new designs offering an amazing amount of living space and when compared to property prices, excellent value for money.
Whether you already live on a narrowboat or want to move out of rented housing with the opportunity to own an asset, a wide beam boat can give you more space and loft-style living on the water. Many owners find themselves better off financially living on a wide beam with a marine mortgage, compared to renting or with a property mortgage.
Maybe a change in your circumstances has prompted a desire to live on the water and to experience a different type of lifestyle, finding some escape from traditional urban living – even when moored in a major city. Alternatively, you may be looking for a holiday retreat and the opportunity to explore the UK’s incredible canals and waterways, albeit with restrictions on some canals. So, regardless of if you are looking to live-aboard, or if you’re more interested in weekend cruising, we make no distinction in our underwriting criteria.
We have financed many liveaboard and leisure boats and there are a few areas you need to be mindful of and pay attention to when purchasing any canal boat. We always insist on a boat survey and a current boat safety certificate. This might sound the obvious thing to do and we think it is but beware of anyone looking to sell you a boat without this critical information.
It’s also really important to be sure the vendor of the boat has good title to sell you the boat.
Used wide beam boats usually have a correctly documented history but it’s still important to establish who owns the boat and whether they are legally able to sell the boat to you.
Many wide beams can be purchased and financed as “sail away” vessels or as new builds – please see our new build vessels for more information
These are just a few examples of how Promarine can support you through the finance and purchasing stages of your new wide beam. Our team will guide you through the entire process, and hopefully save you from issues and complications down the line.
If you are buying via a broker, they should be able to help with many of the above queries, but we will be on hand throughout to assist you too.