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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/04/21 in all areas

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  6. I started out when my wife died with the intention of selling it at some stage and returning to offshore (my first love). I sold our 30' yacht which funded the hull, engine and a few other things. Other costs simply came out of income over the years. I didn't skimp on either materials or fittings. Tools were a significant cost as were silly little things like screws, sealants and glues. Much 'went off' when only part used. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned satisfaction. Last Monday I managed to get back to it after lockdown and the sheer pleasure of just sitting there with a mug of tea thinking "I did all this" just cannot be described ?
    3 points
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  9. Personally , NO. I'd go for a bigger GRP boat at around half that price. Springer boats do have a 'following' but they are not for me. Of course other opinions are available. Sam did a great job in getting boating out the masses at a budget price. A brief summary of Springer boats. Even in the seemingly egalitarian world of boaters, there’s a social pecking order and this is rarely more pronounced than where Springer boats are concerned. Springer was a company based in the Midlands that began mass-producing cheap and cheerful live-aboard narrowboats in the 1960s. While their affordability allowed countless people to join the boating lifestyle, the standard of their construction is sometimes, perhaps unfairly, questioned by the sniffier residents of converted working boats or higher-spec residential craft. But there’s still something hugely endearing about the Springer. These are boats made solidly and entirely without pretension, and as a consequence Springer boats have provided a friendly and affordable introduction to the canal network for thousands of boaters. Sam Springer spotted the growing market for purpose-built live-aboard boats in the late 1960s when he was working as a steel fabricator making water tanks in Market Harborough, close to the Grand Union and River Welland. He decided to move into boat-building later claiming “I used to build water tanks, building boats is the same thing but in reverse”. Although his boats were well constructed, Springer had a reputation for using whatever steel was available, meaning that his hulls weren’t always as thick as they could have been. His approach can be summarised by the popular yarn that early in his career, Springer acquired some scrap steel that had once formed an old gasometer and drove back and forwards over it with a truck to remove the bend so it was flat enough to use. Because of such shortcuts, his boats were recognised as providing great value for money and his yard was soon knocking out 400 a year, accounting for almost 50 per cent of the market and at a much lower price than any competition. Springer boats were built to all sizes but most have two distinguishing features: a raised splash board at the bow and, less visibly, a v-shaped hull rather than the usual flat bottom. They were also among the first boats to be built entirely out of steel rather than with a wooden cabin. Springers do have a tendency to look a little boxy, which does nothing for their reputation among waterways connoisseurs, but they are still lovable boats with a colourful history that, as the years have passed, has lent them a certain rakish charm. Belying their reputation, Springer boats also appear to be impressively hard-wearing with thousands still in use despite the fact the company closed down in the mid-1990s. And Springer boats aren’t just confined to the English waterways – in 1990, the boatyard built the Typhoo Atlantic Challenger, a 37-foot craft shaped like a bottle that crossed the Atlantic from New York to Falmouth. Not bad for a company whose first boats were made from a scrapped gasometer.
    3 points
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  11. Blue Line boatman Jim Collins on the coal run from Atherstone to the'Jam Hole' on the Paddington Arm. The photo of him beneath the vent shaft of Braunston Tunnel is by the late Eric Coltham.
    3 points
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  24. Hi all, After looking at the layout / length we've decided not to go ahead and seek something a little longer - thank you for the replies - every day's a skool day ?
    2 points
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  27. I fitted out a a new 55' bare shell back in 1996. It was based on a budget hull fabricated by Eastwood Engineering. £175 per foot including tanks, stern gear and engine beds of my choice. Side hatches extra. It was done as a DIY project and cost was not a significant factor. I did the work afloat in a nearby marina with 230v power. I also did ALL the work myself including a FULL rebuild on a BMC 1.8. How much did it cost?, god knows, I don't. All I can say is that it was a lot. How long did it take? It was delivered in May 96 and when I set off on my first real trip in 2003? to the IWA Festival at Beale Park there were 69 hours on the engine and the kitchen was still not fully fitted !. Was it worth it ? All I can say is that for me the answer is yes.
    2 points
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  30. I was under the impression that another aspiring boater has done lots of planning including detailed costings and has proved (at least to himself) that it is a piece of cake to fit out a 70x14 sailaway while continuously cruising around central London and using a bike to transport all his materials. If he can do why not anyone else?
    2 points
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  32. I suppose the price is just a figure picked frim the ether, it's not likely to be worth much less than £15k, if in good condition (relative to age), but it is still a risky proposition . You should get an out of water hull survey at the very minimum. As far as I am aware Springer built boats of steel which is thinner than that used today, so to me, that is rubbish, not a bonus feature. The overplating indicates the original steel corroded, hence needed plated, if this is done well, fair enough, but you don't know just by looking. Calm down a bit. You will get a good GRP cruiser to suit your purposes, so I think you should have a look around, before spending any money.
    2 points
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  35. As even Collingwood seem to quote around £35,000 for a bare sailaway I think that you need to revise your expectations. You ask for advice so: Have you investigated the implications of the RCD for you? Are you aware of just how long it takes to fit out a bare hull? Expect two to three times longer than you initially think. Do you have a place where you can do the fit out and can get easy deliveries of materials? Trying to fit out and abide by the CC rules makes the whole thing extremely difficult and thus time-consuming. Remember a budget hull is always a budget hull so however good the fit out it will not enhance the future selling price as much as many think.
    2 points
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  39. We like sharing locks with ships ?
    2 points
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  41. Peter with @p6rob on the BCN challenge in 2018, Tame Valley Canal
    2 points
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  43. A good friend had one of Arthurs shells, I went to the farm with him to pick it up. Not the most beautiful thing but built like a tank a very sound boat. It was in 1991 and we moored at Thorne t the time, bluewater ?
    1 point
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  48. Thank you for your reply. I'm aware of GRP boats and decided to look at a 20' narrow boat by choice. I've had a good look around already and this will certainly suit our purposes more than a GRP. And, erm, quite calm thank you ?
    1 point
  49. I have to confess to the occasional covert visit the Thunderboat just to see how TD is getting on with his case against CaRT. Whilst the comments over there are highly amusing and I have no idea to the rights and wrongs of the case, the latest posts by TD suggest he may indeed be getting somewhere. Seems like, according to TD, that Nottingham police have agreed that CaRT have acted illegally in seizing his boat. I now find myself in something of a quandary between supporting the under-dog and thinking maybe TD was probably pushing it a little bit too far in his squabbles with officialdom and reason. I think I'll choose the under-dog if only because I admire his fighting spirit and grasp of legal issues.
    1 point
  50. I'd go along with your last sentence to a large degree; we had a legal battle with the London Dock Labour Board about carrying cargo on the Thames and although we won our Court case the dockers still refused to load our boat - at that point we decided we could not become 'martyrs to the cause' and looked for work elsewhere. But that did not in anyway mean LDLB action was legal - just that we had to earn a living. Similarly if Tony is convinced of the legality of his postition, good on him. We knew him in the 60s and he was a pretty cantankerous fellow back then, but that does not mean his position should not be tested in law. I'm afraid it is rather naive to assume CRT to be sure of their legal position. It is not that black and white - there is no law allowing them to charge for EOG moorings, though in some circumstances they may be correct in doing so. The decision in a couple of cases went in their favour, allowing them to side-step the issue by convincing applicants to sign an agreement. Most people now accept that position, and who wants to want to involve themselves in the time and vast expense of contesting the issue which is not anyway guaranteed of success? They console themselves with the same sentiments as the Jdge in the EOG case - CRT need the money. ? Tam
    1 point
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