Pav

Just to let you know that anyone interested in buying one of these BBQs, I have put my unused Son Of Hibachi Grilletto up for sale. Details and pics are on the appropriate page. Thanks. Pav.

Hi Tony, Apparently once the FSA have ruled on a claim then that, it would appear, is that! I did contact one of the TV consumer programmes but never heard anything back from them. In the end my wife and I were just sick of the whole affair, firstly with the boat builder going bust on us just days after cashing in our cheque for over twenty grand, and then with the credit card company not compensating us under Section 75. Basically we decided, that for the good of our health, we would try to put it all behind us and down to a very bad experience. I have to say it's easier said than done and I still feel very aggrieved. Such is life as they say! Regards, Pav.

Hi, Afraid this isn't always the case...... We paid quite a few thousand pounds of the stage payments for our new build narrowboat on a credit card. When the boat builder went bust early in the build, we put a claim in to our credit card company under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. They disputed our claim because the total cost of the narrowboat, as per the contract, was over the £30,000 maximum covered under section 75. I appealed, stating that as the payments were stage payments,they were only covering actual supplied items/work at the time payment was made.....non of which exceeded the £30,000 maximum limit. My appeal was rejected so I contacted the FSA - (Financial Services Authority). The FSA ombudsman agreed with the credit card company. I never got a penny back because my 'purchase' did not fall between the £100 to £30,000 that Section 75 covers! I was gutted! Regards, Pav.

Hi Everyone, Very interesting that Ark Right has not answered the question as to whether or not he is connected to the industry in some way following his rather glib comments!! Regards, Pav.

Hi Martyn, Thanks for your good wishes. Wifey and myself do appreciate all the kind words of support we have received from members on here since Severn Valley went bump and things went belly up for us!Thanks to you all. I am sorry for harping on about things in one way, but not in another, especially if from our own experiances, others may be prevented from suffering the same fate that befell us. Regards, Victor .... Sorry I mean Pav!!

Hi Ark Right, Well i've given your suggestion some serious consideration but No.......... I really don't think I do want to lighten up! Neither do I suspect will any other person that has suffered financial loss to an unscrupulous boat builder. What a glib comment you make. One which you would never have dreamt of making, had you been on the receiving end of things!! I, like Alan, am interested to know if you are connected to the industry in some way? Sounds as though you very well may be. On another point you make. In general people don't like to admit they have been 'Stuffed', and so a lot more horror stories of peoples experiances about their new boat builds, and of being ripped off, remain untold. This is most likely why you mainly hear of the good experiances. I on the other hand personally know of instances where people, including some members of this forum, have lost vast sums of money, and in one case even their boat, and yet they have chosen not to 'Go Public'. I only know because these people were aware of what I had gone through with Marmaduke, and contacted me to ask what advice I could offer to them! Without exception each asked me not to reveal their stories. I have respected their wishes, but personally I do wish they would 'Go Public' as I myself did, which would hopefully help to make others aware of the rogues that lurk out there and that pitfalls do exist. I have always said that yes, good builders do exist, but unfortunately they are the minority. I also think that owners of boats which were ordered and built for them, say 6 or more years ago, did have a far more satisfactory experiance and so are happy to relate this. I think the rot started to set in about four or five years ago when new companies started to set up on a shoestring, quickly discovered they were in the shit financially and so began to cut corners, before going to the wall, causing customers to lose money and boats, seeing their dreams turn into nightmares!! Unfortunately I think the more reputable and established companies that were about, also suffered because of this, by losing orders etc. and in attempt to compete, they lowered their own business ethics and also lost the plot! The result being in many cases the customer was the loser, whilst some companies were re-established as 'Phoenix' businesses. Unfortunately these past couple of decades have seen a sad decline in peoples morals......I dont think for one minute my builder would have lost a single nights sleep over the situation he left me and my wife in!! Sad as it is, it seems that, with some exceptions, customer care and satisfaction are just not to the same levels as they previously were in most services and industies, hence my comment about customers being far more satisfied a few years back. Obviously all this is just my opinion and what the hell do I know!!! Regards, Pav ........ Aka Victor Meldrew

Hi 'Tanis', You now tread the same optimistic path that many, including myself, have walked down. I wish you well, and that the build goes smoothly and your boat is delivered to you on time. I recently sold my boat Marmaduke. The new owner is a really nice guy that had seriously been considering buying new. He is certainly not 'sad' at now owning a fantastic high quality narrowboat. In a nutshell he has more boat for his budget, took delivery of Marmaduke just over a week after first viewing, and knows that he will have no worries, concerns and frustrations to endure, had he have gone new. For my part, yes I do feel 'Sad' that Marmaduke has had to be sold, but this is no fault of the new owner, but solely that of the builder!! I am so glad that Marmaduke has gone to a nice guy, and that said nice guy is now able to enjoy immediate boating without any possibility of becoming yet another 'Victim' of an unscrupulous builder. Regards, Pav

Hi Alan, What you say is exactly so. I stated on here some time ago, that despite being advised many times to go the route of a good quality used boat as opposed to ordering a new build, that I was a know all smart arse that totally discounted the advice of the 'Doom Mongers'!! Yes I thought I had done everything to make sure that our build was going to be risk free, but all to no avail. Even the BMF checks I made that Seven Valley Narrowboats was a member, proved a total waste of time as the company had ceased being members of the BMF months before. SVBC even continued to be flagged up as BMF members on the BMF website for weeks and weeks after SVBC went into administration!! To this day the BMF have failed to respond to my requests for an explaination!!! Regards, Pav

Hi Roger, The way it's going I dont think there will be much of an inland boat building industry in a few years anyway! Certainly not in the UK. Also the poor experiances of others that I talk about have been 'first hand' accounts, and not stories about a friend, or a friend of a friend! When you talk to people who are in tears, as Cathy and I have been on many occasions, because all they wanted was to buy a new boat, but the dream turned into a nightmare for them...well then it's hard to feel any other way than I do and they do!! Everyone can have their opinions on this, but would really need to have first hand experiance, God forbid, before fully understanding the devastating effects it can have on your lives!! Regards, Pav

Hi Ally, It's a fair point that you make and which I accept. All credit to yourselves that you have only had the one late delivery, and even then through quite understandable circumstances. However I have to say that you are one of the VERY few the exceptions to the rule. Being late in delivery does seem to be the norm, and whilst it is frustrating for the customer, and it can result in some extra outlays such as extended accomodation costs etc. my main concern is the well documented stories of how many builders go down the pan leaving customers lives in ruins. I have heard first hand from new buld customers, far, far more bad experiances than good ones, and that should be a concern to all in your industry. It's no good each individual company saying 'oh you can trust us, we are not like those companies that you hear about', because that's what they are bound to say when going after an order. No, overall the industry needs to recognise it's reputation is less than in tact, has left many customers financially in the shit, and really needs to sort itself out. The saying goes buying a house is one of the most stressful events in a persons life! Well wait until you order a new build boat...... Now that IS stress!! But Ally thanks for your sympathy which is appreciated. Yes I am very bitter about events, and still stand by my guns that buying a good quality used boat makes so much more sense than putting oneself under such stress with a very real risk of loosing if not everything, then certainly many hundreds or thousands of pounds.... Sorry I know it's not what you want to hear Ally, but if I can save one customer from going through the terrible circumstances Cathy and I found ourselves in... Well then I feel I have been of great service to them. Regards, Pav.

Hi, Anyone that has followed the events that happened to my wife and I, know exactly what I think ....... .......Buy used and save yourself all the grief that it appears is the norm when ordering a new build!! I also disagree with an earlier comment that in buying a used boat, it would always be second best. Well not so when you may have had a budget of say £70,000 for a new boat, when you could have a boat less than 2 years old, with a far higher spec and fit out than your £70,000 new one would have been. Far more importantly your money is safe, on top of which any snags should have now been ironed out. If I could turn back the clock I would never have gone 'New Build', and anyone that does needs to expect that they will have many a sleepless night!!! Regards, Pav.

Hi Terry, I have left a list for you, which you will find in the coal drawer under the stove, and this states what coals are best. Some types should not be used, and again those are on the list. The stoves manual is in the technical file, and it is worth having a look at the section on Fuel Types. Good luck for tomorrow. Pav.

Hi everyone, Just wanted to say how impressed I have been with the 'For Sale' facility available to members on this forum. Not only have I sold Marmaduke as a direct result of advertising her on here, but she was sold quite quickly. I would suggest that anyone looking to sell their boat especially, to give it a go on here. That brings me nicely onto the following........ My friend has decided today to sell his narrowboat. It is a sister boat to Marmaduke, being a Severn Valley Narrowboat Centre which was completed in December 2007, thankfully before the company went bump!! A few different features to Marmaduke and a lovely boat. The asking price is £79,950. Details will be added onto here within the next week or so, but if anyone is interested get in touch with me and I will pass your details onto my friend. Regards, Pav.

Hi everyone, Just to report that from today Marmaduke now has a new owner. Sad as we are that we have had to sell Marmaduke, we are extremely pleased that the new owner, a fellow forum member, Terryvanman, is a really nice guy, that will very much appreciate and look after Marmaduke, just as we would do. Although Cathy and I were only 'Boaters' for a short time, we found this forum invaluable in helping us to learn the ropes. The members here are a font of information, always ready to offer advice and guidance, and I will always be grateful for the offers of help we received from many members, in the days and weeks following Severn Valley going bust on us!! So thanks to you all. I shall remain a member on here and continue to follow your adventures on the cut...... Especially those of Terry and Marmaduke!! All the best. Regards, Pav.

Hi, Well this is a really dead easy question for me to answer, not so much on style and layout of the boat etc, but nevertheless I think it relevant.... .....I wish I had purchased a second hand boat and saved my wife and myself from all the grief, worry, upset and cost that can, and very often does, come about from buying new. Obviously going used can mean a compromise on your ideal layout, but in hindsight, getting a used boats layout altered to suit, would be a much better option than putting oneself through months of frustration etc. It also allows new owners to 'live with' what they have, to see how they get on with a certain layout, before deciding on what they want to change, or indeed if they actually need to. Is this a case of sour grapes from me??? Well yes maybe, no actually deffinately, but I have heard so many stories of woe first hand, from others, who had ordered/purchased new boats, and lived to regret it, and so if this helps others to reflect on the path they choose, new or used, then great!! Obviously there are exceptions, some folk (but I have only come across a handful)have nothing but good to say about their own experiances, but in the main I have heard of far, far more bad experiances than good!!! The daft thing was that when we had been looking to buy a boat, we had lots of advice given to us to go used rather than new...Unfortunately and to our cost we chose to ignore this advice, because as a 'know all' I thought I knew better!! Regards, Pav. Forgot to mention that our boat Marmaduke is now for sale and is listed in the For Sale & Wanted Section......An excellent buy for someone!!!

Hi Colin, We thought the same but still got caught out! Severn Valley Boat Centre had been in business and run by the same person for over 30 years. They always had 3 to 4 boats in build at a time, and when we placed our order, the lead time was for over a year. All good signs so we thought for a healthy business. We spoke to SVBC customers, both past and present, for feedback. Apart from just one instance, the feedbak was positive.....Some of whom were having their second SVBC boat built which seemed another good sign. According to an industry website, they were also members of the organisation, which gave a certain level of reassurance...........or again, so we thought, but unfortunately SVBC had ceased to be members, but the organisations website did not insure that SVBC were removed from the member listing.....Result was that each time I checked before handing over another stage payment, I was getting false reassurances. I contacted the organisation but they did not want to know! I have admitted we were foolish...........After being 'harassed' by the director of SVBC for over a month, we were stupid enough to hand over a large sum (£26,400) for a stage payment, even though the agreed completed stage of build had not been met. BIG mistake.......we lost every penny of that as the company went into administration just days after our cheque had been cashed. We have not been able to get a cent back as creditors. The painful thing was that we then had the nightmare and extra cost of getting Marmaduke completed.....and believe me it was a nightmare! If we had our time again, it would be second hand, second hand, second hand. As others have said, new only if the boat was completed and ready to go. I wish you and every other new build customer well.......No one should have to go through the terrible experiance we did. Regards, Pav.

Not at 6.30am, but she was helpful when she later came on duty.

Hi Everyone, Going down the last lock at Hurleston last week, whilst coming off the Llangollen and onto the Shroppie , I caught the cill It would appear that I am trying to experiance all the bad bits of boating as early on as possible following my 'swim' last year! At the time I caught the cill I could have really kicked myself........ .......However, I have been amazed at the number of folk that I have since learned of, who have also caught cills. This got me wondering just how common an event this actually is. So come on forum members.......... ......Time to own up. Regards, Pav.

Hi Everyone, Barrus have excelled in the level of customer service they have provided to us. Regards the warranty, the company came good when it mattered and when I needed them. The engine that we had fitted last year seems to have been one that got through quality control. That can happen with any product, even the best of them, and the two other Barrus engines delivered and fitted into friends boats the same week as ours, have performed brilliantly. Barrus had attempted to sort out the problems (excessive smoking and performance issues) with ours over a period of time, but in the end, they decided to do an engine change, and this was carried out yesterday. All along Barrus had reassured me that they would not walk away from the problems, and one way or another things would be resolved. Words and action can sometimes be two different things, but not with Barrus. I never had any cause to rant, shout or consider any other action. Barrus listened and took on board my concerns, made attempts to remedy the problem, which unfortunately did not work, and so they then stood by their warranty and changed the engine. I only have the highest praise for Barrus as a company, Brynley East their engineer, and Peter Taylor the Service Manager. As we are out and about on Marmaduke, a suitable location, date etc was organised for the engine change, and Barrus then arranged everything, including moorings. All we had to do was turn up. Full marks then to a company that really was as good as their word. It makes a refreshing change to come across a company that really does put the cusomers interests ahead of profits. Conclusion: If you are in the market for an engine.........Barrus gets my vote! Regards, Pav.

Hi Keith & Roger, Many thanks for your replies... The sump and float switch were indeed gunged up with yuk! All now cleaned out, and seems to be working properly again. Cheers both. Have a good weekend. Regards, Pav

Hi Everyone, The gulper pump we have fitted on board used to kick into action, as far as I can recall, as soon as a sink/basin/shower was emptied. However it now seems to kick in some time after the water has been let out. Runs for so long, stops and eventually restarts. Sometimes the restarting can be 5-10 minutes after the water has been emptied from sink etc. Is this normal? Thanks in advance. Regards, Pav.

I was getting really hacked off with those boaters, passing us 'at speed' and buffetting us as we were moored up. It eventually dawned on me that perhaps I was at fault by not tieing Marmaduke up properly! Now, when needed, a bit of extra effort, by adding a second rope to both bow and stern, seems to be worth while, and causes minimum movement of Marmaduke. Regards, Pav.

Hi Everyone, Thanks for the replies given to my original question. It looks as though Barrus are coming up trumps regarding my problem as well. The engineer is meeting up with us next Friday, and I will report back thereafter. Regards, Pav.

Hi Everyone, I have some issues with the Shire 45 fitted in Marmaduke, which Barrus are aware of, and have already had an attempt at sorting out. Just looking for some feedback from anyone who has needed to put Barrus to the test regards their warranty. Many thanks, Regards, Pav.

Very sad to hear this news. As one who got 'stung' big time when our builder, Severn Valley Narrowboat Centre, went bust, it is refreshing to know that customers in this instant all got their finished boats, and none lost any deposits paid. At least the directors of Ledgard can hold their heads up high should they see any ex-customers. Regards, Pav.