ABC boats???

[callumrexreid]

I'm fairly new to all this and I've come across ABC boats which seem to offer narrowboat hulls at a very competitive price, am I right to be a bit skeptical? I understand you pay for what you get, but has there been any issues that any one may of heard of with narrowboats built by ABC?

 

Any thoughts welcome

 

Cal

[alan_fincher]

Do you mean boats built by the "ABC Leisure Group", or something different, please ?

 

I wouldn't have expected the former to be particularly cheap.

 

Can you please post a link to what you are looking at?

[callumrexreid]

Do you mean boats built by the "ABC Leisure Group", or something different, please ?

 

I wouldn't have expected the former to be particularly cheap.

 

Can you please post a link to what you are looking at?

 

 

Sorry bout that sure thing: http://www.abcboats.co.uk/15501.html

[alan_fincher]

Sorry bout that sure thing: http://www.abcboats.co.uk/15501.html

Ah,

 

Never heard of them, I'm afraid.

 

Personally from the pictures the boats are not to my taste.

 

There is insufficient attention to detail around the front deck area, (no raised cants, cheap looking T-stud etc), and (in my view) not enough in the way of adequate rubbing guards on the hull. The bows look to have insufficient shape to me, I do not think they would swim well.

 

It has all the looks of boats built to a low budget. But the pictures are not that clear, and that's just my opinion - others may take a different view.

 

Finally, I'll swear one of the wide-beams pictured on the site has had it's sacrificial anodes overpainted with blacking. That hardly raises confidence!

 

look at the top pictures here.....

 

http://www.abcboats.co.uk/14201.html

 

Alan

[carlt]

There is a thread about these builders but I can't find it, even using Gary's searchy thing.

[callumrexreid]

Ah,

 

Never heard of them, I'm afraid.

 

Personally from the pictures the boats are not to my taste.

 

There is insufficient attention to detail around the front deck area, (no raised cants, cheap looking T-stud etc), and (in my view) not enough in the way of adequate rubbing guards on the hull. The bows look to have insufficient shape to me, I do not think they would swim well.

 

It has all the looks of boats built to a low budget. But the pictures are not that clear, and that's just my opinion - others may take a different view.

 

Finally, I'll swear one of the wide-beams pictured on the site has had it's sacrificial anodes overpainted with blacking. That hardly raises confidence!

 

look at the top pictures here.....

 

http://www.abcboats.co.uk/14201.html

 

Alan

 

 

Yeah.. I also felt that the overall build quality didn't look right, somehow. There also seemed to me to be a lack of reinforcement in the bow, but I'm no expert so thanks for your opinion Alan... My search continues...

 

Cal

[alan_fincher]

This is just my view, and doesn't represent that of the forum owner, but personally if buying a shell, sailaway or completed boat in the current climate, I'd not go near anybody who....

 

1) Doesn't show an actual address prominently on their web-site.

2) Quotes a "tesco.net" or similar e-Mail address.

3) Can only supply a mobile, not a land line phone number.

4) Who's advert actually acknowledges that you might have trouble reaching them, and may need to keep ringing.

 

If an outfit is hard to contact before you buy a boat from them, I'll wager they will be even harder to get satisfaction out of, if you take delivery of a boat with any problems.

 

If you post the name of a company on here, and few people have heard of it, I'd say avoid like the plague in the current economic environment.

 

Even if it's "cheap" you will still be handing over a great deal of cash. Even an established name doesn't guarantee a problem free transaction, but most of the time, it at least makes it more likely.

[David Schweizer]

Unless someone can correct me, I doubt very much whether the boats on that site are built by Alvechurch boats (ABC) They are not the same design as those which I have seen built by them, and they certainly are not up to the same standard of The Alvechiorch boats built at Hilperton.

 

See Here:- http://www.alvechurch.com/frameset_boatbuilding.html

[callumrexreid]

Unless someone can correct me, I doubt very much whether the boats on that site are built by Alvechurch boats (ABC) They are not the same design as those which I have seen built by them, and they certainly are not up to the same standard of The Alvechiorch boats built at Hilperton.

 

See Here:- http://www.alvechurch.com/frameset_boatbuilding.html

 

Is ABC the name they use for their hulls too?

[bottle]

I am 99.9% sure these two companies are not connected.

 

Alvechurch are now the ABC Leisure Group

[alan_fincher]

Unless someone can correct me, I doubt very much whether the boats on that site are built by Alvechurch boats (ABC) They are not the same design as those which I have seen built by them, and they certainly are not up to the same standard of The Alvechiorch boats built at Hilperton.

 

See Here:- http://www.alvechurch.com/frameset_boatbuilding.html

Yes,

 

I agree entirely.

 

Two quite different companies I'd say, although searching the forum, they have clearly been confused in the past.

 

I think an "Alvechurch" boat would be in a different leaugue, and very much more robust.