Jus73

Hi Ian Our hire boats have hospital silencers and sound deadening to the deck boards, as well as centaflex couplings - we get lots of comments about how quiet the boats are. Hope that's of help Kind regards Justin

Timetex To be honest we gets lots of positive feedback about the stairs - yes you do have to stoop to get up and down them, but you also have to stoop to get in the bow doors too - that's the case with most narrowboats to some extent. Just like owners stooping through Boatman's Cabins or through a Traditional Stern there are areas of compromise to be made. I put steps on our very first hire boat 10 years ago - although designed carefully with anti-slip treads and built to the correct pitch I fell down them twice, and we also had a couple of hirers fall down them too - quite easily done when folk are rushing. We also had a lots of comments that kids and pets struggled to get up them - so we changed the design on our second boat to stairs. We have found that they slow you down and make you look at what you're doing - therefore making accidents less likely, particularly important in these litigious times! Kids and pets cope with them better too - so I guess they have been the best all round solution for us. As mentioned before we often build steps on bespoke boats - but that's the owners choice (and totally different to a multi-user hire boat). We'll always offer help and advice with the decisions bespoke customer make, and even sometimes play Devils Advocate - but we want to ensure the customer has thought about all the possible compromises so their decision is an informed one. Good luck with your build. Best regards Justin.

Hi Timetex Hope you enjoyed your holiday with us. Just to point out that our hire boats are very much different to our Bespoke Boats - emphasis on the word 'Bespoke' i.e we'll build you whatever you want, tailored to suit your individual needs & requirements. Most hire boats are a compromise and are designed for multiply hire groups - families, friends, couples etc.. and therefore what suits you may not suit someone else. We sometimes get customers coming back saying that we should or shouldn't have this or that on board, the comments are all provided and taken in good spirit - but these comments are normally the total opposite of what the previous customer said! However we know we're doing something right as we operate at over 85% occupancy with lots of returning customers. Although our hire boats are very well built there certainly not the same as our bespoke boats, therefore don't take what you saw as the only thing we are capable of - far from it. Why didn't you ask us to show you on board some of the bespoke boats we've built? Check out the next issue of Waterways World - which will have an extensive review of one of our bespoke boats. Also we fitted out narrowboat Honesty (the 100th Norton Canes Shell) - this had a full Boatman's cabin, you couldn't get further away from a hire boat! ...and yes we also provide heated lockers in the galley on the bespoke boats too..check out the stacks of bespoke boat photos on our facebook page! P.s do you know how many calories are in a bacon butty! To work those locks you need to make sure you're in peak physical fitness!

Just about to suggest some we'd done on narrowboat Honesty, but you beat me to it Starman 8o) Justin

We've fitted one of these to our latest Bespoke Build (The Speedy Whippet) having been specified by the customer who has one in his motorhome. Very impressed, picture great and has a built in Satellite receiver and DVD player. Justin

One of our customers has just informed us of the news. Sorry to hear that you’ve decided to call it a day Ally – I’ve seen a number of boats around the area and they’ve all looked stunning, so it’s a sad loss to the industry. The fact that you made a success of the business through the difficult economic times, and then closed in a planned and structured way illustrates your strengths as an entrepreneur – so well done to you and your team, and here’s to new adventures and horizons Wishing you all the best Justin.

The complete Isuzu panels can still be purchased - although they are made to order, because of this they're around £495 + vat. The glow & battery lamps are £17.50 each + vat and the stop button £22.00 +vat. All plus carriage. Sometimes the Tacho's fail due to condensation issues - these can also be purchased separately but are supplied with a conversion ring as they no longer offer the same Tacho as on the original panel. Hope this is help Justin.

Photos of the same dinette layout can be found on our Facebook page and website (blog page) as this arrangement is used on all our hire boats as it's so flexible. We've also built a couple of Pullman dinettes with 6 seats (sound very similar to Keble) - these again be found our our blog on a boat called Scarborough Pair as well as on a boat called The Betty B reviewed by Waterways World. The review can be found at the bottom of our homepage. Hope this is help. Cheers Justin

Look forward to seeing you both Steven, you'll need to park in the main car park and walk over to us. There's a footpath between the road and the chandlery, just follow this round and continue past our workshop to the pedestrian gate that will be open. Tea, Coffee and cakes will be waiting for you! Hopefully the weather should be a little better than today.... Safe journey Justin & Team.

Oh dear.... Firstly anyone that knows either myself or any of the staff that i employ know that we've created a successful business through hardwork and honesty. We'll always do our very best for our customers and try to advise the best way forward. Unfortunately this story has lots of crucial information missing, as i'm sure a lot of you will realise after reading further posts from the op. The person in question has my contact details and the boat is moored about 100yards from where i'm currently having to reply to defend myself and my company! Unfortunately the story is a long one but i feel compelled to explain everything otherwise i'll be hauled over the coals again! We were originally asked to look at this engine about 2 years ago when it was on brokerage (after the boat had failed a survey and the engine couldn't be started). At that time it was obvious that the engine had major issues and needed replacement. The owner (the op's son) elected to have the engine reconditioned - something we didn't want to get involved with due to the extent of work needed to both the engine, and the surrounding engine bay. The owner then employed someone local to carry out some work, which wasn't successful in resolving the issues. As the boat was on the marina and the owner had difficulty getting anyone else interested i was then asked to provide a quote to decommission the engine, lift it onto a pallet for collection for reconditioning, and then subsequent lift back in and recommissioning. The engine was lifted out with a Manitou provided by a local farmer from the concrete craning pad, anyone that moors at Mercia knows that we don't have a floating pontoon! The engine was put back in by a crane that was on site craning one of our boats back into the water. Lots of people witness us craning engines in all the time. The recommissioning work was organised by the customer (the op). The engine was removed in late October and due back to us 3-4 weeks later, so we pencilled the work in our busy schedule. The engine finally arrived back in February! (so not 3-4 weeks later as described in the op). During this time as i couldn't get hold of the owner, therefore i rang and chased the company myself to ascertain when the engine was due back - i was told on numerous occasions that it would be with us the following week. Something that the OP is totally aware of. When the engine was returned it was obvious that the reconditioning work hadn't been done very well (luckily we'd taken photos before it was collected, as we needed a reference for refitting the alternators and wiring as it was in such a poor state, and we expected these to be removed when returned). The engine looked exactly the same as when it had left us - how this can be described by the op as in 'new standard' is a joke. All this was pointed out to the owner and I have copies of emails asking the owner exactly what he'd paid for, as i was appauled that this could be classed as a fully reconditioned engine. Many of the items hadn't been touched. The engine then sat with us for about two months on a pallet before we had chance to start work on it again (hence why we originally pencilled it in the diary). When we tried to recommissionand start the engine it was even more obvious that many of the items on the engine hadn't been touched - again i have emails asking the customer what he wanted us to do. The owner contacted the company on various occasions asking them to collect the components for further work. We finally received these back in August after a wait of about 10 weeks. During this time the engine had sat untouched but full of oil ready for final recommissioning. Once we started work back on the engine we discovered a major oil leak from a crack on the sump. The crack was on the shoulder of the BSP thread connection for the sump pump hose, coincidently the hose was one of the few items on the engine that the company had replaced. As i was absolutely sure that no damage occured during the craning, this damage needed to be discussed with the company that reconditioned the engine. I explained all this to the op and advised that bearing in mind the boat was for sale and once he'd resolved the issues with the reconditioning company, he may be better to sell it as was and inform potential customers of the issues - instead of throwing good money after bad. Since then i have had numerous calls from potential buyers wanting to know detailed information about the engine, under the assumption that the engine will run perfectly well once the injectors are installed. As this puts me in a difficult situation knowing how bad the reconditioning work has been carried out, i'm totally honest with everyone that calls. I've no interest in the boat whatsoever and the story that i was in collusion with someone is ridculous. A moorer on the same quay as the op's boat asked me to let the customer know he was interested, which i did and since the boat was for sale, and has been for the last 2 years, i thought that he might be interested in buying it?! Simple as. I would ask that the OP refrain from any further comments about my staff and my business. I'm sorry that the OP feels he's been hard done by but neither myself or my staff are in anyway to blame for the number issues he has experienced due the poor work carried out by another company - which i see the OP has neglected to name. I would hope that this illustrates that there is always two sides to a story and that you shouldn't judge a business from comments from one person on a forum. It's a little sad how quick we are to judge, but i can assure everyone reading this that we wouldn't have been able to build our business up to employ 11 staff during a triple dip recession if we ran such a business as decribed by the OP. I hope that you will all understand but i shall not comment any further on this matter. Many thanks Justin Hudson-Oldroyd MD Aqua Narrowboats.

Iain Jones - Very thorough guy and used him a number of times. Lives in Burton just down the road. Cheers Justin

Looks to be falling quite rapidly would suggest that if it's not open already it will be very shortly.

That's not a bad guestimate although it really depends on what you're starting with - if it's blank canvas probably closer to £8k, a little more if alterations to the existing fitout are required. We did a boatmans cabin on narrowboat Honesty (100th Norton Canes Shell), the canal boat review of it can be found via the homepage of our website (link in the last paragraph). I'm sure someone will be able to provide a hyperlink directly to the article as i can't figure it out on here! Cheers Justin Aqua Narrowboats

The small (normally clear) hose is a breather and can affect the flushing, having had the tecma loos on our hire boats we have had similar problems when blocked with crud and limescale. This may be crimped in place in which case i'd remove, clean and replace with small hose clips. It could also be the case that the pump is worn, we'd normally change the motor every two years (hire boat use). Unfortunately these aren't cheap at around £160. Hope this helps Justin

On average the batteries in our fleet last around 18 months, some slightly less. As soon as we get feedback that on the odd night the inverter alarm has gone off in the early morning (and we know that the customer has put some cruising hours in) we'll change them. Although we spend a lot of time explaining to customers about power usage on board, some still think that they're connected into the grid! All part of the learning curve for them though Justin

I've now updated the blog with photos of the finished dinette - we'll be building another for bespoke boat we're starting in March. We have step by step photos on our facebook page of how it sets up. Unfortunately i don't seem to be able to update our Wordpress blog very well - I always seem to loose a number of photos when i post an update?! Cheers Justin.

For some reason this season we've got through a huge amount of side fenders. Like the Ashby Boat co we'll also be removing the side fenders from a couple of our boats to see if this makes any difference to the normal wear and tear during the season. I suspect that the removal of the fenders wont make a huge difference - however we'll still supply hanging fenders for mooring to ensure a quiets night sleep more than everything else! Justin

Sorry to hear of this, but unless you let us know that you've experienced a problem then were unable to investigate the issues that may have caused it. We have had customers in the dock that have experienced problems with hull blacking from various other yards but i always suggest that they contact the yard to discuss it with them, certainly before posting a comment on a public forum. On our system we've got the blacking being completed in Sept 2009? Unfortunately there are lots of variable factors that can affect hull blacking from moisture when being applied, physical abrasion, weed growth, indequate drying time etc. But we will always do our best to look into any concerns that a customer may have. Justin

We're well on the way with the fitout of Graham's 100th shell. I'm trying to keep the blog updated regularly as lots of people have been keen to see the work progress, particularly with the Boatman's Cabin. To follow the fitout just click the Blog link below. Cheers Justin.

As mentioned before on some macerators there's an air valve that can become blocked. We've had this problem on one of the hire boats - the valve had become blocked with limescale, the pump operated normally but wouldn't push the waste through as the air in the macerator couldn't escape. Another issue could be the failure of the non return valve. Justin.

Hi Sarah We are lucky enough to have been asked to fitout this 100th boat for the owners and can't wait to get started. We look forward to seeing the shell and meeting you and the team when we pop down a week tomorrow with Jan & John. I always know when they've been down to look at the boat as they come back with a wide grin on their faces! See you soon. Justin.

I would have thought that most modern hire boats have twin calorifiers heated through either the engine or diesel/gas boiler. We've always fitted these to our hire boats with the option of running the webasto's. The only time we suggest to hirers to run the engine to heat water is in the summer, when turning the heating on would result in a very hot boat! Most hirers tend to do a bit of both depending on their cruising times and the time of year. Justin.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here, and which is a huge selling point of the marina, is the proximity to the village of Willington itself. This is only a 10 minute walk away - Two pubs (used to be 3 but one has closed recently), Doctor's Surgery, Chemist, Co-op, florist, Post Office, Vets, Hairdresses, Hardware shop, Train Station, Bus routes to Derby or Burton and a not forgetting the Takeaway - plus a traditional sweet shop often frequented by my kids! We've loved living in the village for the last 10 years and will miss it when we move further afield. A lot of moorers have told me how much the local facilities played a key role in their decision to move to Mercia, and of course the villagers have warmly welcomed the additional custom that the Marina has generated too. Justin.

As the owner of the business that has let Sociable Hermit down, and as a long time member of the forum, I would like to apologise for the inconvenience that this has caused to him. I have held my hands up and explained to him that as a newly expanded business we are quickly learning that we need to be more realistic with timescales and cannot also meet customers demands for requiring the work to be done yesterday! Unfortunatley for sociable hermit he has been the first customer that we have disappointed and not provided the customer service we have built our businesses on. For this we are sorry. I did spend a considerable amout of time trying to source Rytex locally. I spoke to the technical department at Rylards who explained that a minimum £150 order would be required to place an order, as we have very little requests for the product i didn't want a stack of the product on the shelf. Therefore i asked them for the local stockists; Stone Boat Building, Beeston Marina, Miller Marine and SBS all of which i called and none of whom had Rytex on the shelf. We had at this point put Premium on as the first coat. Having spoke to Rylards again to ask if they would reconsider the £150 minimum order, the technical chap quickly pointed out that he wouldn't recommend putting Premium on first as a base coat followed by Rytex, he recommended that it should be the other way round. Therefore we took the decision to put on two coats of premium. My mistake was indeed not to call Sociable Hermit to make sure this was ok. My other mistake was not to prioritise the repair work to the Alde. We have booked the boat in again for blacking for five days as opposed to four and will provide a third coat and extra day in the dock at no extra charge. We have also reduced the price of blacking for the hassle caused. So by the time the blacking is complete the boat will have had 4 coats of premium and one coat of Rytex. We hope that this will rectify the errors that we have made. Best regards Justin Aqua Narrowboats & Aqua Narrowboat Hire

On our hire boats we use the shower panels available from B & Q. The sheets are around £50 each and can be stuck in place with a good quality sealant. i managed to put them up on my own, but ideally you need two people as there fairly flimsy and quite tricky to get in place without covering yourself in adhesive! The sheets are mounted on Aquapanel and i always use Coram shower trays that have upstands as our showers get a fair amount of use. Check out the blog which has a section on installing the shower unit. Justin.