Marjorie

Are they any good? They seem like a bit of a genius idea to me... Anyone got them? http://www.narrowboatwindows.co.uk/interactive-demo.html

Do I seem confused? I suppose my general approach to life is not to assume that I already know the best answer, and to make the most of the experience and skills of others to check my understanding, or help develop ideas. I don't have a lot of experience - or it doesn't feel like it. I don't really know what counts as 'a lot' - boats are definitely a steep learning curve! If you'd asked me 6/7 years ago what a stern was I would have looked at you completely blankly... now the idea of building a boat doesn't massively phase me, but I still don't want to be complacent and make mistakes that would be easily avoided if I'd listened to those who might know better.

These forums are a godsend, really.

We're not doing it in quite the same way as you might a narrowboat, from what I am gathering. We employ a number of the craftsfolk from the marina we live on to come and do the bits they are best at, usually at an hourly rate (sometimes a whole job rate, depending on the type of work and their preference), and are buying all the materials ourselves (so lots of reclaiming - we found the most wonderful parquet flooring for almost free). No one's getting paid a pittance by any means, but neither are there any business overheads to cover, so I accept it's not a 'like for like' example. I might be wrong, but I'm getting the impression that the usual narrowboat new build involves a lot of bespoke hardwood cabinetry, and expensive veneered panelling, which is why a lot of the boats at Crick - as beautifully crafted as they were - looked and felt a bit samey to me. If I can find myself a builder who is willing to work slightly differently to this, then I may well pursue the new boat option. Or, we did think about bringing a sailaway down here and managing the fitout in the same way as we are The Monster Boat (she's called Engelina). Or, I will find something second hand that works for me. Plenty of food for thought, that's for sure. I am considering small children as one option for the fitout. I don't have any of my own, but I'm sure I could find some along the towpath...? Does anyone have any experience of this?

HAHA! You made me snort my tea.

Good lord, would you stop showing off.

This is Engelina. She's rather further along now, but I like this photo the best Oh, so pretty! Got any of inside?

On second reading, it's possible I got a bit upset about nothing very much at all....

Hijack away (I think narrowboat building consultant is a great idea!) I'm sorry that my asking questions and wanting to explore all the possibilities open to me have led some to believe I'm completely clueless - I'm really not, I just don't believe in there only being one way to skin a cat. Actually, the sending emails to ask for quotes was suggested to me by a narrowboater of almost two decades experience, it just sounded counterintuitive to me, so I thought I'd see what you all thought. As far as not understanding narrowboats goes, or how boat builders operate, I will admit to not seeing what is so different about having a narrowboat built vs. any other type of boat. If I'm left uncertain about anything, it's that. Thanks for your advice - for the most part all very sensible, of course.

Braidbair are fairly top end, am I right? If you can get a 58' Jonathan Wilson hull for £28k, how can it possibly cost a further £80k to fit it out? Clearly, there is something I am not getting here

I went to Crick - most of the boats I saw had been fitted out internally to within an inch of their lives with all sorts of bells and whistles that were fun to play with, but I don't really want (it *is* a show, after all - you're going to take your coolest boat to show off, aren't you), and only one builder took my questions about engine size/ electrics/ water set up remotely seriously. Perhaps the thing to do is to just pick a handful of builders (for hulls, I guess I would go with Tyler Wilson; XR&D; Elton Moss; R.W. Davis; Colecraft, and for fit out maybe Straight & Narrow; ABC; Boating Leisure Services (who built the Crick 'best boat' winner this year). Sound about right as a start? I have no idea if these are top/ middle of the range set ups (I don't want a fancy boat, just one that works in a way I can understand and rely on, and that looks like my home as opposed to someone else's). And then I come back to you folk when they all tell me conflicting things? I'm not set on having a boat built by any means, but I don't want to dismiss it out of hand without understanding what I'm dismissing either.

Yeah, I take the point - that was what I was asking really, whether it's a sensible way to go about things or not. I suppose I was hoping to get some sort of broad ballpark before I start knocking on doors (because if what I am thinking of is going to cost me closer to £150k than £50k, then I'm not even going to bother going down the new build route - my gut tells me I'm looking around the £70 - 80k mark, based on the builder's sites I've looked at, but I have no idea if my gut is speaking sense, or if my spec is over-engineered - I don't think I'm in much danger of under-engineering). Also, narrowing down the gazillion boat builders to decide who to visit feels difficult, and I'm not sure how best to approach it.

Is he smiling?

I'm not going to argue with that (and probably never will). Same construction as my lighter, just scaled down, so obviously a shallower bilge. You're never to young to have a senior moment, clearly. Edited: Also, I've seen inside an engine room, so unless the cabin bilge was a tardis (which would be a waste of perfectly good science), of course it can't be deeper than you say. Thanks for waiting patiently while I caught up.

These are true things. I am frustrated that my attempts to alter the space/time continuum in such a way that I can simultaneously have a 'frontways' and a reverse layout and enjoy the best of all worlds have so far resulted in failure. I've put a call in to Schrodinger's cat, but I'm not 100% sure if he's still alive... Kitten pictures please. Thanks in advance.

I thought it would be more than that (I'm not sure why, now I think about it - it's hardly more than that in a lighter). Great minds - exactly why I was asking in the first place.

Wait. You could go right down to the baseplate? And ballast around it? I don't know what about that is surprising, it just is.

Somewhere between 54 and 58 I think (I'm not sure what exactly I need to make me commit to a length. Maybe a price!). How is a reverse layout less space efficient? I like it mostly because it makes sense in my tiny brain to have all the 'working' bits up one end, and we always used the back (kitchen) door when I was a kid - I realise these are not particularly good reasons.

Please just make me a boat. PLEASE. Just one. Little. Boat.

It's worth a shot isn't it, if some don't reply, then they don't.

Are you calling me a dreamy tyrekicker? I'm flattered Oh yeah. You're right.

It's not particularly extraordinary - I think I probably want a 'standard' reverse layout, with less fit out than usual (based on the narrowboats I have seen), if that makes some semblance of sense. Pretty sure it's a semi-trad with: bedroom (built in bed and wardrobe - I'd like to find some reclaimed doors, or make them myself) but I'll modify a short corner cabinet and some shelves I already have for the rest of the storage) bathroom (I don't know, just a bathroom. Quite like the idea of having it fully tiled, if I get to choose, but might be cost prohibitive. Full size quad shower, pump out loo, sink (obviously)) saloon ('open plan', with a freestanding gateleg table tucked under a gunwale and sofabed of some description - I want to modify an armoire and a shallow cabinet I already have to make the 'built in storage') galley (not that interesting either, except I'd like to use my existing lpg cooker and a slightly modified sideboard as the cabinets down one side) Of course I could do all of this to a second hand boat too, but it seems prudent to at least cost out a new build vs. the cost of modifying something existing.

There's plenty of people who find plenty of things wrong with it and the way it is run, but I think it's great here - I've learnt loads about things I didn't even know existed before, loads about myself and what I am capable of if I don't freak out about it, and I've made some excellent friends. Can't ask fairer than that!

He's pretty fab. And funny, so he gets my vote. We're here: http://www.hoomarina.com/index.htm