A loan for a launch
Don't let high loan rates spoil your time afloat. Talk to the specialists to ensure that you do not miss out on the competitive rates available.
The sight of a few dinghies searching for the wind on every available patch of water above a hundred yards long, or narrow boats wending their slow way through a staircase of locks are enough to remind the observer that Britain has an ancient and often heroic bond with water. Anything that floats thereon is from our early years regarded as something which can transport us; maybe for a sunny afternoon's duck pond adventure, perhaps for a gentle and relaxing holiday or when the need arises, as a vehicle to carry us to war.
So it is not surprising that the call of the sea, the river or the canal can affect many of us, resulting in an interest which can last a lifetime. However, the delights of drifting around on a vessel which comprises a few oil drums and the odd length of timber can soon pall, but the interest has been aroused and so the search for something rather more substantial gets underway, tempered only by the limits imposed by cash availability.
Early days can see great contentment gained and sustained for many years by the purchase of a sailing dinghy or small powerboat. Unfortunately the thrill to be gained from sitting in the middle of a large stretch of water, becalmed or out of fuel, whilst icy rain trickles down your neck can be surprisingly brief, turning as it does into a determination to get something which will provide a bit more comfort.
This resolve brings to the fore the previously mentioned cash availability problem. Ignoring for the moment the esoteric but often dreamed of joys of the floating gin palace, on the basis that the average wage slave has no chance of ownership, it pays to be realistic. To obtain your dream vessel to launch on the waters it is necessary to come down to earth, and as good an example as any is the canal narrow-boat.
True that these can, at over £1,000 per foot, represent a very large expenditure but not one which is ridiculously out of reach. It is possible to start with a 35 foot boat and trade your way up over a period to the remarkably spacious 60 or 70 foot which could be second hand or, at the other extreme, built to your own specification.