libje

After hearing about my original post I have been contacted today by Artie in an email . I have also been in touch by phone with the yard on behalf of our French friend and was told that the boat was in progress. I just think it's a shame that poor communications led to the original post and this surely cannot be helping their business. With the advent of Google Translate you do not need to be fluent in a language, just translate an email and keep the clients in the picture. Anyway, hopefully all is on track and our French friends will end up with a boat to be proud of and Northwich will have found a new market here in France!

Hi Neil2, They are building the boats in Czech republic. My friends have sent all requested plans, a box of French electrical sockets and as I say have paid £1,000 for a start date of 1st June. I don't want to go further into this , I just hope that someone knows the inside track as excuses are cheap and meaningless and my friends are rightly very worried, especially as the boat has to be delivered here before the canal shuts for the winter and the shipyard that has a suitable travel hoist is booked up for 3 months. ie If the boat is not delivered on time they are in deep trouble through no fault of their own.

Yes, sorry for that; it is indeed the Northwich Boat Company. A search of company house records says that the firm is dormant and there is a legal charge outstanding which adds further disquiet. Hopefully they are just struggling to keep up with a full order book but a failure to respond to communications makes things very difficult and to my mind inexcusable. If anyone knows better we would love to have more info. I will be phoning them tomorrow but at what point do you stop believing excuses????

when we had a new steel tank installed we went down the route suggested by our Dutch shipyard and as standard in big ships. ie just coat with a creamy consistency of cement and it's good for 3 yrs. then just add another coat. It's cheap, it works and the water is sweet to the taste.

I have this year been acting as a go between between Northwich boatbuilders and French friends for the building of a new 60' broadbeam. They have paid £1,000 to reserve a start date of 1st June for their boat build but now at 19th JULY they have still not started the build, emails are being ignored and the best they have received is 'don't worry' on the 3rd June. We have had various excuses including illness of owners wife, and a complicated previous build . Does anyone know if this firm is still in existance, trading or what? I find myself extremely embarassed by this lack of response and can only hope that they have not been let down big time. If anyone can give further info it would be more than appreciated. Many thanks.