noddyboater

With the state of some "scruffy" boats you see know I'd want a hell of a lot more than 250 quid to step through the door. Can an examiner refuse to do the test when he turns up and sees the state of the boat?

Too much balance isn't good, you lose the feedback- a bit like modern cars with overly light electric steering. Boat builders like Sarah who posted earlier have a distinct advantage with such things, they look at the hull of a nearby working boat.

I don't know what the correct position is, but I do know that when I pile the revs on (all 900 of them) and steer around a tight bend on my boat it takes a lot of muscle to keep the tiller over, or you put your back into it instead. It can be done one handed on a TT hull, whether running a large prop or not.

I think you're doing the right thing by modifying the standard design at this stage. I don't know why exactly but TT/JW rudders just don't seem to work efficiently when manoeuvring at slow speed. It might be the amount of balance designed in, you can steer with one finger quite easily, or just the basic spacing of prop/rudder blade. You certainly don't get much "thrutch" coming out where you need it.

Sounds about right. Very similar to the bow of St Tudno that I briefly owned, early Bantock with the stepped footings for a plank up the side.

Is that the bow of your boat? I'm guessing it's the "Goliath" I saw recently around Glascote, what's the history of the hull?

Is a mid 80's Springer that sells bacon sarnies and cups of tea a working boat then? Or a new boat that takes people out on helmsman courses?

A boat I've admired for it's shapely lines, but unfortunately I'd guess won't sell through a crap advert like that. "Converted from a barge" ? You'd expect a more accurate, detailed description for what is a rare and interesting boat.

Try Birmingham & Midland Marine services at Gailey Lock. They're flexible and will have something to suit your needs.

Accidents happen. I shared a broad lock breasted up once and failed to notice a family of young ducks going in with me. Not little ducklings, more like juveniles. With me on the tiller and the other skipper on the paddles we were up and out quickly, only then as I left the lock did I see the crushed, lifeless corpses of 2 young ducks spinning around in my wake. Quack Quack ooops.. They do make good fenders though.

Not down my local cemetery it isn't, and that's the only country I'm in last time I checked. But thanks for the info.

Think I prefer the interior of the Triana that hasn't come from the IKEA rejects bin.

Yes, definitely of the same design era as the Fairey. I'm going to have one if I ever have a spare 70k, even if it's only to go from Stockwith to Cromwell and back.

Apologies to all who may be offended. It reminds me of one of those graveyard memorials that stands out like a sore co#k because it's a different colour, bigger, often tasteless and usually adorned with plastic toys or empty lager cans.

Don't like the colour. Reminds me of a pikey gravestone.

Italian/US design but built in the UK I think, Triana Tropicana.

I quite like this little GRP.

Yes, I knew Mick when he was in Sheffield. In fact I helped in the early stages of your hull one sunny Sunday afternoon.

"His new boat built for himself" Go on then, who's "He" ?

I recognise that "T" stud. One of the more interesting shells to come out of that yard, probably because it wasn't a pre-fab.

I believe Joe Fuller is back in the industry now after his time spreading the good word of our Lord, but not actually building shells. Which is a shame.

The graceful vessel in MtB and my photos are a clue..

I think to some people this will always be the case, be it a boat, house or car, maybe even member of the opposite sex.. I started off not knowing a Springer from a Stowe Hill, but was interested in enough to educate myself before spending a shit load of money. As Dave Moore said, the shell is one thing that isn't easily changed, what's inside doesn't really matter. He also touched on the truth of the subject - Yes, boats are getting uglier because the really skilled builders are a dying breed. As far as I'm aware there's only one young lad carrying on when his father retires, and 90% of the people contributing on here won't have heard of him.

Exactly. Curves, from a real boatbuilder.

It's true that narrowboats were built to carry cargoes, but look at the shape of an old working boat on the dock and it's actually very shapely - quite unlike the boxy stuff turned out by fabricators today. They probably had to be a fine a shape as possible, particularly underwater, as power was limited back then.