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Good evening to all My last post told of the dreadful experience I have had dealing with Bluewater Boats Warwickshire. I had to cancel the contract with them at shell stage .David Warner wanted to sell the shell to one of two people who were keen for a Thames Launch narrow boat .Obviously so he would get the fit out job . But he wanted to charge me a brokerage fee .No way was I going to pay him anymore money after the way I had been treated . I ordered from Bluewater Boats a inspection launch based on the Leeds and Liverpool canal company's inspection launch "Water Witch".David Warner built a Themes Launch which he wanted to build .Not the bespoke boat I ordered and wanted . So now I have a shell I do not want . I have two options 1/ cut the stern off and have a new stern as I was expecting .Expensive 2/ Sell the shell on and start again I would prefer to start again This is where all the people in this forum come in Are the two couples that were interested in the Bluewater Boats Thames Launch shell they saw in his steel shed in this forum ? If not does anybody know them or anybody looking at a Themes Launch shell ? Regards to all Nimrod

Mr Staarek's post of December 12th 2013 could have saved me months of stress, anxiety and money had I seen it prior to my own experience of the people at Blue water Boats which I view worthy of a new Channel 5 program that could be called "cowboy Boat Builders" I met with Bluewater Boats and the owners of the company on 28th May 2013 ,over the next few weeks we worked through a detailed view of the very unique inspection launch that I wanted built.The launch to be somewhat based on a historical launch "The Water Witch "came with drawings and photo's to help Bluewater clearly understand the boat I was paying to have built . The early meetings went well and Bluewater indicated that they clearly understand that the boat I wanted built was a significant departure from another launch they had built and from a traditional narrow boat .The bow and stern designs were substantially different from the normal .They said they agreed they were up to the task.They indicated that they were excited to build something so different and even asked permission to display it ,when finished ,at the Crick Boat show in May 2014. The contract between us states that the finished boat would be delivered to Crick Boat show 2014 The process of contracting should have been a warning to me with their high pressure sales tactics to get me to sign although the explanation that I had to commit so they could then commit a start date in order to hit a delivery date sounded plausible. I contracted to build the boat on June 19th 2013 Bluewater committed that the build would start in November for a May delivery. They had drawings and photo's needed in the planning stage ,they had everything needed to build the boat I had specified and they had agreed to . Well as soon as I handed over the £20,000 first payment to commence building things started to go wrong and the nightmare began .My bespoke boat was about to be as bespoke as a pair of Marks And Spencer undies. What I observed from the point of contracting to build our boat was a total disregard for what ,I as the customer wanted and that they had,in the process of contracting ,agreed to .During the process we held meeting after meeting (due to the fact David Warner never took notes I had started taking somebody with me that started taking minutes on what was agreed ) where they would agree to how the boat was to be built only to go back on that in the days after each meeting . We arrived to one meeting to see a completely different bow and stern to Bluewaters contractual drawing and my drawing .The stern was a perfect circle from the rear end of the gunnels .Not spoon shaped as on David Warners drawing or my drawing .I rejected the bow and stern. The only detail that was not finalised (no additions or alterations were made by me during the whole shell build)before the contract was signed was the detail between the underside of the back deck to the water .This was eventually agreed but when I left David Warners office he threw the compromise design out .We agreed a second design but he needed a rolling machine to produce the shape .As he was short of cash to purchase this piece of equipment that he had wanted for a long time (I stressed to him and his wife that I did not want Mr Warner to purchase a piece of equipment he would not use again or put the price of it on my bill )I agreed to pay ,not due ,£20,000 up in front .When the money was in his bank he e mailed me to say he did not want build that stern detail either and he did not have the money to buy the rolling machine anyway !!! Bluewater Boats built the stern detail they wanted .I also as Mr Staarek's requested steel side doors but was told I would be having wood doors .David Warner on 1Sept e mailed to say the required 58ft worked .I required 58ft for ease of manoeuvre not price. He built the shell 60 ft and then asked where I wanted the extra 2ft It then became more than a nightmare ! Bluewater Boats had £41,000 of my money and there was little to show for it . I can truly say I have never experienced such atrocious and unprofessional behaviour in my 35 years of doing business.I have worked with small business and very large enterprise .I have also built another boat but in all my years I have never been so disgusted in my dealings with any company or person . The crowning moment in this debacle was once the shell was finished one month ago and going to another builder to finish Bluewater Boats had one last demand for money (Sent after they knew the contract was being drawn to a close ) The main part of the bill being for alterations to put the stern to the same Spoon shape-design as the contractual Bluewater drawing and my drawing and worse a demand for a letter that they could use in a case where an employee was taking action for unfair dismissal .They wanted to blame delays in the process for our decision to remove the boat possibly so they could attribute those delays to the employee as a defence in their dismissal case .Sharon Warner of Bluewater boats e mail dated Thursday 14th August they required the termination letter to read "termination the reasons were because of the lateness of the hull from the steel shed and the termination states that there will be no further legal action against our company .We require confirmation of this by7am on Friday 15th August to allow the boat to be deliverer " My shell was collected from Bluewater Boats of Warwickshire and transported at significant cost to another boat builder who I hope and trust will modify the boat that Bluewater Boats built to some resemblance to my design. I only wish I had come across Mr Staarek's post before I had spoke to Bluewater Boats and commenced my own disappointing journey with them .For those who doubt Mr Staarek's account i'd simply point to the Jimmy Saville case where once a victim came forward many others found a voice to air their experience's I would urge all who are looking to build a bespoke boat to look at the many great other craftsmen builders that are out there ! Give Bluewater Boats a wide birth !!! Marj