[Crick - did you buy anything?]

I went purely on the basis that julia was there!

 

I'm a bit of a mountaineer / walker / climber / massive perv and julia is my perfect bird. I even named my Land Rover Defender after her!

 

I also went to take the missus to show her around a few boats as I want to build a 35 foot weekend / holiday escape for myself and to let out to friends and family so it's always good to sniff around for build tips. I can't afford to buy one but I have a family business in fabrication and it's been my ambition for the last eight years to build myself one. The show is great to see things first hand but do appreciate the criticism of the pricing of some stuff.

 

I bought nothing more than food, drink and some glorious fudge and almost aqcuired a restraining order from the fantastic Julia.

 

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed Julia's talk, taking the missus around a few boats which has really whetted her apetite to another one of my hairbrained 'projects' and most of all a fine day in the sun.

 

And I got a photo with my ideal woman. Result.

 

 

 

 

[Etruria Canals Festival BEER news!]

Great stuff. This is just down the road from me so will try to get along on the Sunday.

[Springer Boats]

Stoke boatbuilders are based at Longport Marina? About a 2 min drive from my front door.

 

Despite that, I've never been down to browse their builds.

[Springer Boats]

Valid point about the best builders maybe not needing to display their craftsmanship at the shows if they already have good reputations and healthy order books.

 

I've read good reviews of Roger Fuller boats that is a few miles from me and also Longport Marina boatbuilders that is literally down the road but I see little mention by way of advertising and don't remember seeing them at Crick.

[Springer Boats]

That's a real shame. He was a very helpful bloke. I enjoyed his boat build threads.

[Springer Boats]

Thanks for the responses.

 

I visited Crick some years ago when I was seriously looking into building one some years ago to look over them and it shocked me how poor some of them were. I remember one shell, painted in red oxide, by possibly Liverpool boats that was a disgrace to fabrication and then a couple further along was finished and welded beautifully by contrast. I don't remember the manufacturers though because my plans hit the back burner when the recession hit and my interest largely dropped to nothing more than a distant dream.

 

I'll be at Crick on Sunday though to once again point and laugh at some shoddy craftsmanship and appreciate the ones built by people who know how to craft steel plate.

 

Springers shouldn't get such a raw deal when the boats of some of their detractors are no better.

 

As an aside, has this forum swapped boards? I joined 8 years ago and was a regular poster, learning a hell of a loaf about narrowboats but my posts have been reset to zero?

 

Also, is Gary still around that was, back then, a popular member that built boats and input lots of very useful info and pics?

[Springer Boats]

Foxes built a new Springer last spring. Deem to be a rebuilt as they cut the top part of bows of the leaking old one and built a replacement using the bow section as work around the design copyright.

 

Firesprite

 

In the Wet and Windy Fens

How exactly do you avoid breaching copyright building a narrowboat?

 

I'm a fabricator welder by trade and some years ago bought some drawings with the intention of building my own 35 or so foot cruiser for weekend and holiday use.

 

What could possibly cause me concern regarding copyright?

 

I don't intend copying any boat like for like but if I build my own to my own spec, and by chance it winds up very similar to another manufacturer's design how can this be distinguished? Especially since many are bespoke anyway? A boat's a boat, surely?