Upsize, Downsize, and winning a narrowboat

Debbie says she is "looking to down size boat due to relationship breakdown. Do you know of any? Around 20,000.  Thanks."

It depends what you mean by downsizing.  Well, there's:

1. Downsizing because the current boat will seem too big to live on when one person leaves (unlikely).
2. Downsizing to split up assets and you can't afford a better boat.
3. Downsizing simply to save money (because smaller boats are cheaper). 
4. Downsizing because you can't handle a larger boat on your own.

I'd guess Debbie's request is all about saving money.

The best choice is probably on Apollo Duck (even many of the biggest brokers advertiser their boats there) and you can place an ad there yourself in the 'wanted' section if you don't see what you want.

There's an imaginative ad in Apollo Duck this week:

Lady wishes to purchase 30 to 50 foot liveaboard narrowboat. Nothing 'posh', just comfortable and reliable. I have £5,000 cash and would like to pay remainder monthly over 2 to 3 years by legally binding contract.  Any area.

Meanwhile, Tony Shaw of Nottingham wants to upsize his boat. He hit upon the idea of holding a prize draw, via www.winmynarrowboat.com, for someone to, well, win his narrowboat so he can afford a bigger one.  It's called Anguilla, it's no longer big enough for him, it's based at Priory Marina, Bedford, and you can see it here.

He's selling tickets for £5/time and you have to answer three simple questions, send him the money and sit back and hope the draw is fair, and that the boat is something you'll actually be pleased to have and won't regret winning. 

Both 'Debbie' and 'Lady' might like take a punt with a fiver each way on Anguilla.  You never know.   Although some of the small print is ominous:

... The Promoter accepts no liability for errors or omissions contained within the Prize details, description or specification or any other part of the Website. It is the responsibility of each Entrant and in particular the Winner to satisfy him/herself as to the accuracy of any such details and/or any content of this Website.

So if it doesn't turn out to be what he says it is, it's your own fault, not his.

... The boat will also be advertised privately to give it the widest possible coverage. Should the boat be sold privately, alternative prizes to the value of ALL tickets sold will be offered to the winner of the draw.

So that means if he only sells a few tickets - let's say £800-worth - and sells the boat privately, your £5 will be an entry for an £800 draw, not a £32,000 one (less an unspecified 'admin' fee).  I'd feel happier about this sort of thing if the picture showed something that everyone really wanted to win, and that was provably worth the money.