Your full of surprises Jeff
Forum
http://the-norfolk-broads.co.uk
Firstly have you tried boating on the broads? there's an enormous hire craft industry on the broads, which is good and bad for the private boater. It's your friend if you have not explored the broads before. Get yourself up there for a mid week break or two outside of the school holidays when prices are more sensible.
If your an old hand at the broads boating then obviously not required.
Forum noted above I can recommend. A bit old school like our forum...
Time to buy a boat is at end of season, eBay is your friend in this regard. Some broads boats listed on eBay come with a mooring if owner is totally selling up. Most you will need to find a mooring.
The more out of the way a mooring is, likely it will be cheaper. Key requirements are secure unlimited parking and relatively easy access. Mooring holders tend to look after each others boats when you are not there which is great.
My background comes from yearly hire craft holidays when I was a lad, followed by a fair few years on the tricky Thames Estuary, both sailing and power boating.
As a dad myself now several boating holidays in the recent past. Owned several trailer boats that I would haul to the broads and then take family out. Not recommended though especially with a young family, it is hard work..
Now buying a boat is both the pleasurable and where most pitfalls are.
Boats generally suffer from lack of use rather than too much.
My opinion - forget about seagoing craft and use. Big money if you want to do it safely and you need to be really dedicated and deep pockets. Also a decent seagoing craft does not make a good broads boat and vice versa.
Your budget will get you something for broads use. Depending how much luxury or back to basics you want a 21/24 footer with a decent four stroke outboard engine might suffice. Advantage of a decent outboard is that it can be removed and taken away for servicing. Many boatyard moorings for instance insist that you use them for maintenance. An inboard engine requires any experts to come to your boat. Ex hire craft sometimes appear for sale at the top end of your budget.
There's a MOT type licence you have to have for almost any craft except open rowing boats. You will normally see when advertised how much ticket is left.
The test is mainly about gas fittings and things of a toiletry
nature.
Test does develop over time so you need to keep pace with changes.
Finding a boat that will give you turn key reliability out of the box is fraut with danger.
I have been out of the broads boating loop for a couple of years now.
Buying from the boating industry on broads is mighty expensive / overpriced.
Moorings are sought after but available, money talks.
Starting points to get a feel for buying and nowt else is Wroxham, (dreadful place) but not bad on a sunny day and lots of boatyards about.
Very good used boat sales at Potter Heigham bridge or used to be. Still generally overpriced and some rubbish amongst them but you just walk on the pontoons and can look at your leisure.
Do weigh up the merits of buying and ongoing costs against hiring when ever you like. Your budget would buy a lot of broads holidays without the hassle and responsibility of ownership.
I know you have the Norwich mafia in place with different types of expertise as well as your electrical expertise
Discuss it here and get a feel for the other forums available, Happy for you to PM me. Likewise with time on my hands at the moment happy to view with you anything of interest. I believe the only other broads boat owner on here is Guru who is still about from time to time. He got his boat from eBay and I am sure could be a source of much information.
Get everything right and it is a wonderful sublime place, believe what some people thing (normally based on teen booze holidays or visiting Wroxham on a mega hot summer sunday) you will think it is a place to avoid.
Will add to this thread further thoughts as I remember them!