freedom

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Share Holding
Price
Reason for sale
Weeks 2008
Contact
Running costs 2008

General comments

Freedom is a comfortable 61 foot steel narrow boat with a traditional stern and an attractive ‘cottage style’ interior. She is fitted with:

Engine room with storage area. Door to:
Bedroom with a permanent double bed.
Wardrobe with hanging rails and shelves.
Bathroom with wash basin, shower bath and toilet (pump out).
Kitchen area with double sink, full size 4 ring gas cooker, electric fridge, storage cupboards.
Dining area with a fixed ‘breakfast bar’ dining area (at kitchen work-top height and attached to it) and stools.
Sitting area with a settee converting to a double bed, easy chair converting to a single bed, solid fuel stove, book case, colour TV, radio and cassette player, cupboards.
Front cockpit with seating, storage and cratch cover.

Freedom was built in the late 1980s and has been well cared for by members of the society (which currently includes a retired boat builder, a skilled technician and a chartered engineer!). Consideration was given to buying a newer boat at the last annual meeting 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 recent valuation confirmed that members’ shares have maintained their value since buying Freedom.

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 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 20 years 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 copy 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 Anglesey, Lancashire, Dorset, South Wales, Sheffield, Ellesmere Port and the Midlands.

Name of craft	FREEDOM

FREEDOM	Click on images to enlarge
Type of scheme	Private
No of sharers	11
Year of construction	1987
Home mooring (2006)	Hawne Basin, Halesowen (west of Birmingham). The moorings are secure (including parking) and have maintenance, pump out and other facilities. Freedom is rarely there during the summer - there are no 'out and back' rules.
Change over day each week	Saturday
Length	61'
Engine	Thorneycroft 1500cc Model T95 4 cyl 39 BHP, new 2008, and PRM 160V gearbox.
Berths	2 + 3
Pets	Allowed
Smoking	Allowed
Booking arrangements	We have an annual meeting in November, when we make a draw for holiday choices. Number one picks their first holiday week, then the next and so on. When it gets to the lowest number, the next choices for the second week are made in reverse order. After these two guaranteed weeks have been chosen, the vacant weeks are offered to anyone who wants them, again picking them week by week in the order of the draw. Several members use Freedom for three weeks a year, and some manage four or more. It is rare for all the weeks in the main cruising season to be filled, and there is no restriction on using Freedom in the winter, provided that it is not needed for maintenance.
Special holiday arrangements	This draw system for holidays works out well and in a friendly manner. Several members are retired and have the flexibility to swap weeks to accommodate commitments or constraints (such as school holidays) or to allow for unexpected problems.
Share for sale via this site?	If a share is available the details will be towards the foot of this page


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