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Now the steelwork is nearly finished and the really interesting phase is aboiut to start, I thought I would begin this thread. If you will bear with me, I will start with the back story. Our enthusiasm for canal boating started many years ago when we were introduced to narrowboating by some friends whose family owned a boat and invited us many times to spend weekends on the boat. When they selfishly decided to emigrate, we started hiring regularly for annual holidays (this was in the days before people needed several holidays a year for the sake of their mental health) and cruised most of the canals on the system. We looked at buying a narrowboat back in the early 80's, getting as far as drawings and again the 90's, but living on the coast and also enjoying sailing, we decided that a sailing cruiser whould make more sense so we owned a couple of those. With retirement approaching we decided that the rigours of the sea and the limited sailing season, further limited by weather and tides would be too restrictive as we got older, so the inland waterways would be our next chapter in boating. I was still working, so Jan, my wife, did all the initial research. As we had hired from Black Prince many times and liked their boats, one of their ex-hire fleet made sense. Jan started a dialogue with Leighton and all was going well until the pandemic struck and for BP the future was so uncertain, he couldn't commit to any timescale and felt unable even to take a deposit. So we decided to look at having a new narrowboat built. We started with Aintree, who seemed to be very nice people and we trekked 300 miles up one saturday morning in June 2021 for a factory visit. Although the site was a H&S hazard, the steps up to a boat we were being showed around collapsed when I stood on them and cut my shin, first aid was swiftly administered and so all was forgiven. A couple of minutes later i picked up razor sharp sliver of steel in the car park which could have easily sliced through a tyre - or a shoe. We had arrived a little early for our appointment and the salesman wasn't there yet, but Dave gave us a very good tour showing is several boats in various stages of completion. The boats were very nice and the workmanship looked great so we decided to take the next step with them, but the first indications of what was to come occurred that day. On our drive home we got a call from the sales guying saying he couldnt wait any longer for us! So the next step was a call with Jamie, the director, to discuss our requirements. He was very nice and helpful and followed up with a full spec. and a quote for a 50' boat. Jan decided she would like a little more room in the saloon, so I asked for a re-quote for 52'. This never arrived despite following up with emails and attempting to get Jamie on the 'phone, so mainly because of the communications problems and the long distance involved meaning we would have to do everything by phone, combined with a 14 month delivery estimate, we decided to look elsewhere. The next companies we looked at were Collingwood and Aqualine via New and used Boats, but Collingwood could only do reverse layout, which Jan definitely doesn't want and we had bad feedback from a couple of brokers we spoke to regarding Aqualine. We then called Colecraft and it was refreshing to deal with a boatbuilder rather than a salesperson. We sat down with Gary who sketched out the boat whilst we discussed our requirements and Sue quickly followed up with a spec. and price which after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we agreed and resigned ourselves to a 12 month wait for the build to start. It's a big thing losing a whole year's crusing especially as you get older! Then (almost) out of the blue, we got an email in October this year asking if we would like a November start, due to a cancellation (if anyone is looking for a Dutch Style Barge give Colecraft a call), which we soon agreed to. We then started to worry about finding a mooring, only to hear that one would be available in our first choice of marina on the 1st April 2022, which fits in exactly with our timescales. If the boat is a bit earlier then they can still fit us in. We visited Colecraft for the 3rd time yesterday and the steework is nearly complete; sprayfoam next week and lined out before Christmas and our next visit in early January to meet the the carpenters, painter and upholsterers. Completion is due in March.

I'm torn, my wife (Fi) wants me to get a hull survey on our first boat and I'm not convinced! My thinking is to get the boat out of the water, investigate with hammer/screwdriver looking for pitting etc and if nothing too ominious then buy boat. Am I being rash?

Hi, Looking for some advice/recommendations if anyone has had dealings with any of these builders? I'm about to take the plunge and buy my first sailaway as a liveaboard and I've narrowed it down to XR&D, Colecraft and Soar Valley Steel Boats but it would be great if anyone can share their experiences or give me any advice! I've read a lot of good things about each and all of them on here but can't seem to find a comparison anywhere. I've visited them all and each of them seem to operate quite differently but from what I know and have seen first hand they all seem to make fine, solid boats. I'm not so fussed about traditional details or excessive decoration, what I want is fairly simple, a 50ft cruiser that I can fit out myself, obviously the nicer she handles etc the better but I'm on a fairly limited budget so I'd rather just get the best shell possible for the money and one which will hold its value if ever I decide/need to upsize/sell. One other question, as Soar Valley can grit-blast but XR&D say they can't, how crucial is this before using epoxy paint or can I wait until she needs blacking again in a couple of years and get it done then, as this is what XR&D have recommended? Thanks in advance for your help! Jess