Hi
We just took delivery (6 days ago)of our 69x12 widebeam fitted out by Shaun and the lads at Pendle Narrowboats. Check out http://pendle-narrowboats.com/alchemy-dutch-barge/
We were second off the production line of the brand new hybrid design Tyler Wilson "Sheffield" hull. Tim Tyler is an amazing designer and both he and his team are incredible craftsmen.
Shaun and the team at Pendle are amazing. Really depends on your needs and what you are looking for. We specifically didn't want a traditional look and feel to the boat. We are now living full time on Alchemy as a family, myself and my wife + 2 boys under 10 years of age. We viewed a number of the long established builders, and yes they have their heritage, but in our opinion, couldn't quite convince us that they would work to a spec that we wanted. Shaun will not do traditional, its just not his thing. We ran a week over the build date, which was fine for us, as I have heard of much longer delays!
You can always criticize a boat builder, as you have a very personal interest in the project, particularly if its your home. There were a few things that didnt neccessarily make sense to me along the journey, but overall, he is an honest guy who wants to produce a new era of narrow or widebeam boats that make a statement, and to a very high build quality. Like I said at the beginning, his approach wont suit everybody, as he refuses to build what are seen as traditional boat interiors.
If you would like to speak in more detail, please contact me.
A very happy new to the boating world family.
Paul
