Narrow boat share in Freedom

There is a share for sale on	Freedom

Type of scheme	Private
Number of sharers	11
Year of construction	1987
Home mooring (2017)	The boat over winters at Hawne Basin, Halesowen, West Midlands where there is a permanent mooring. The boat cruises between March & October.
Length	61'
Engine Type	Thorneycroft 1500cc Model T95 4 cyl 39 BHP, new 2008, and PRM 160V gearbox.
Berths	2 + 3
Change over day each week	Saturday
Are pets allowed	Allowed
Is smoking allowed INSIDE the boat	Allowed
Booking System	Weeks are arranged at the AGM in November. Weeks are allocated in a draw. Each owner gets a number 1 to 11. There are usually about 36 weeks available. In the first round number 1 picks a week first, in subsequent rounds the numbers are reversed until all weeks are taken. Owners drop out of each round once they have the number of weeks they want meaning some users can take more than the minimum 3 weeks. After the draw there is often some swapping negotiated between individuals. All weeks are treated the same.
Priority for school holidays	None as such. Each member chooses weeks at the AGM. Swapping between members occurs after the meeting and occasionally through the season as circumstances dictate.

General comments about the boat

Freedom is a comfortable 61 foot steel narrow boat with a traditional stern. She is fitted with: Engine room with storage area. Door to: Bedroom with a permanent double bed, wall mounted TV, storage cupboard and under-bed storage space. Wardrobe with hanging rails and shelves. Bathroom with wash basin, shower bath and toilet (pump out). Kitchen area with sink, full size 4 ring gas hob, gas grill and gas oven, electric fridge, microwave oven, storage cupboards. Sitting area with a fixed settee converting to a double bed, movable easy chair converting to a single bed, solid fuel stove, book case, colour TV, DAB radio and DVD player, cupboards. There is a table which folds flat, and two wooden folding chairs which allow 5 to sit at the table for meals etc. Front cockpit with seating space, storage and cratch cover. The gas bottles are stored in a hold in front of the cratch area. Freedom was built in the late 1980s and has been well cared for by members of the society. Consideration was given to buying a newer boat around 2010 but the strong consensus was that we would be hard pressed to find a boat that offered the same balance of attractiveness, comfort and value. A new engine was fitted prior to the 2008 season and the outside of the boat was repainted in May 2010. The kitchen was replaced during the winter of 2012. As there are no ‘out and back to base’ rules, the next crew takes over from wherever you end your holiday. This way you get to experience a wide range of canals and waterways. Members tend to help each with transport at the various hand-over locations. The boat is left clean, fuel and water tanks are filled and the toilet pumped out, ready for the hand-over to the next members. The only restrictions on where you cruise are the size of the boat (slightly too long for the locks on a few waterways) and our insurance policy which restricts tidal cruising unless for access. Freedom is owned by members of the Canal Cruising Society, formed over 20 years ago by a group of canal enthusiasts with the aim of buying a boat and running it on a non-profit basis to provide holidays at reasonable cost. We have an agreement (which was drawn up by a solicitor, to protect both the group and the individual member) which we all sign and abide by. A copy is available on request. The day to day affairs of the group are managed by an elected committee and we hold one general meeting each year to elect the Committee, discuss any matters concerning the boat, agree the maintenance actions for the winter, and formulate the holiday rota. The members of the Canal Cruising Society come from all over the country.
Pictures of the boat




Specific details for the share offered
Size of share as a percentage or fraction	There are no shares advertised for sale on this boat on boatshare at present. This page is just a template for any potential advertiser to re-use To re-use it go here
Price in UK pounds
Reason for selling
Holiday entitlement with share offered here.
Pre-booked weeks included
School holiday option possible?
Running costs for 2017
Contact details for vendor
Search terms

General Comments by vendor
Freedom over-winters at Hawne basin at Halesowen in the West Midlands. She leaves Hawne at the beginning of March and will not return until the end of the season which is generally the last week of October. The cruising area is decided by agreement at the members AGM which is held at the end of the season. At this meeting, weeks for the following year are chosen and general boat matters are discussed. Changeover places are advised to the oncoming sharer by Thursday pm prior to the Saturday changeover. Those joining the boat, agree when joining the scheme to assist the sharer leaving with transport back to his start position thereby enabling worry free cruising. 2015 was spent in NW & N. England, and last years season (2016) was the the East and SE England and the Middle Levels. (Fens). 2017 the boat has been on the Shropshire Union. 2018 is "south of Birmingham". The scheme offers a standby rota and it is possible to pick up weeks that other sharers cannot use if you have the time available. At the AGM, shares are chosen using a turn by turn system. Each member draws a number (1 to 11) and then the weeks are chosen. Once the first 11 weeks have been chosen the process is repeated until all weeks have been allocated. Following the draw/selection, members often swap among themselves and the scheme is monitored by the secretary who issues the rota. You can also visit our website at www.canalfreedom.org.uk