Steve Lockett

What kind of welding do you use? Is it just stick for the floor plate joints, then MIG for hull to floor etc or is the hull to floor also stick welded? If so it must take ages. How many runs cover hull to floor? At Crick boat show I viewed all the dry docked show boats there and some were good quality and one in particular in red oxide primer was a complete and utter disgrace. Also, what stockholder do you get your pickled 43a grade plate from in such long lengths? Thanks for taking the time to once again show us all your manufacture of your boats Gary. I've been contemplating building one for a year now and every time I view your blog I begin to get agitated!

Looks very nice mate. I especially like the Port Vale style tiling in the galley. While you're up that way you could pop into the Vale club shop and buy some matching stuff if you like Sadly I've not yet popped up to take a look, It's been finished off pretty rapidly. Good luck with it.

I went yesterday, saw Nigel Carton in the tent by the dry docked boats by the refreshment tents. Didn't say hello though as I've only been on this forum for a couple of weeks and he wouldn't know who I was!! I was very interested in those boats on display. Did anyone see the part finished one in red primer? What firm produced that? The workmanship on it was terrible! There was a gorgeous one further up with a dead modern open plan interior with black kitchen worksurfaces. Gorgeous. Good day, great to be able to browse around loads of boats in various stages of completion and differing designs.

Why is that? Is there not the money for expensive computer generated development or something? I was quite surprised when I first stumbled across this site and read through Gary's boat build. I couldn't believe they tack the straight hull sides then just pulled the bow together and tacked it to the base where it lay! If that's how thingsd are done then it's pretty much down to building one, asses it's shape and then take down any mods for the next one, and so on. It appears to be a hell of an expensive gamble to produce a one off for personal use. I'd better get cracking on some autocad and scale modelled cardboard sections then!

Is anyone willing to let me have some drawings of shell construction in AutoCAD format? I'd like to study them and apply the design to my idea of a 35 foot leisure narrowboat. Getting drawings appears to be almost as hard as finding Lord Lucan.

I'll be going on Sunday, better not tell the missus you have to pay 8 quid to get in though.

There's also a minor event at Etruria, Stoke on Trent.

Glad they've got a good reputation then, I'll have to pop down and have a sniff around. Sorry to stray off topic for a moment but are Roger Fuller boats good quality?

Great pics mate. Always been curious as to the quality of Stoke Boatbuilders. They are my local boatyard and are literally 4 streets away from my house. Might pop down and have a nosey at it one sunny weekend!

Where? Heron?

Are you a boat builder too Alan?