What boat builder to pick....!

[haggis]

We moor at park farm marina and there is a line of big square backed wide beams on the same pontoon as us. Walking past them this morning, I had to admit that the space in the stern (enclosed with a canopy) with the steering wheel to one side, leather soft seats and stacks of room for a dining table etc made me think what ideal boats they are for living on. Not so sure about cruising though with a square stern and all that boat to manoeuvre round bends in the canal.  These ones (and there are a lot of widebeams in Park Farm) don't seem to move and rely on the electric and water points at every mooring and the services of Halsall for pump outs and fuel. A new one came in a couple of weeks ago and it is painted in  lovely pink and cream ? . It brightens up the place!

 

haggis

[matty40s]

22 minutes ago, dmr said:

 Good "trad" narrowboats with portholes and proper engine rooms look to change hands for silly amounts of money

 

  https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/steve-hudson-62-traditional/514161

 

......Dave

You were doing well until you linked to another one of the last Hudsons...

[dmr]

2 minutes ago, matty40s said:

You were doing well until you linked to another one of the last Hudsons...

I am a bit out on a limb here but I like the basic shape of the Hudsons, at least from most angles. Trouble is its almost overdone so with the shiny paint and too much bling its just too much, but once the paint fades a bit and they look a bit more lived in they are a pleasing shape.

 

When we were looking for boats we did look at a Hudson, all very immaculate, but a bit cold and dark inside, a basic owner fit out of a Colecraft shell was much more to our taste.

 

...............Dave

[matty40s]

Something so desirable should not take an hour to carefully fill the twin fuel tanks without them spurting back at you.......and shouldn't need removal of the bathroom window, and hosepipe passed through, for someone to flush the holding tank during the pumpout process. 

Both faults are very common in early to late Hudsons, you would think that some design modification would have been brought in at some point during the brands life.

[dmr]

18 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Something so desirable should not take an hour to carefully fill the twin fuel tanks without them spurting back at you.......and shouldn't need removal of the bathroom window, and hosepipe passed through, for someone to flush the holding tank during the pumpout process. 

Both faults are very common in early to late Hudsons, you would think that some design modification would have been brought in at some point during the brands life.

We have both of those problems, maybe I got a Hudson without realising it ?.

 

.................Dave

[dave moore]

Hudson bows?? Tumblehome? Draught?....

[dmr]

6 minutes ago, dave moore said:

Hudson bows?? Tumblehome? Draught?....

A deep boat is an asset to the canal system, especially if owned by somebody else ?.

Never really noticed were Hudson sit on the tumblehome scheme of things, I just get stuck looking at the front. I note an increase in new narrowboats having very little tumblehome, and widebeams having no tumblehome at all, they might just as well get rid of the gunnel altogether and make a box.

 

We could make a list of the things that make a pleasing shape and then see how many of those a "eurocruiser" has ?.

 

Got back to the boat today to find it sitting on the bottom, CRT had almost drained the pound letting water down because their work boat had got stuck on the bottom in a bridge 'ole

 

..............Dave

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I think the OP might be taking the piss. 
 

 

[matty40s]

7 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I think the OP might be taking the piss. 
 

 

Well he got the answers several times in the first few posts but kept asking, then miraculously decided on the fat brick.

To be fair, no body has taken him up on his Collingwood bait yet though.

[dmr]

13 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I think the OP might be taking the piss. 
 

 

I thought that too, but a lot of people do like those big luxury upholstered squarebacks. We met one going over the Rochdale last year, they were not enjoying boating, just imagine going through Newton Heath in one of those, and a good job they can't get down to Walsall.

 

..............Dave

[Richard T]

Nobody has mentioned Simon Piper who builds some lovely dutch barge look a likes. Friends have one and it looks the part and the interior fitout is excellent.

[dmr]

25 minutes ago, Richard T said:

Nobody has mentioned Simon Piper who builds some lovely dutch barge look a likes. Friends have one and it looks the part and the interior fitout is excellent.

But will he do a squareback with a bench seat with white leather upholstery? and a steering wheel right over one side?  and a cabin that wraps right up to the bow? a sort of EuroDutch? ?

 

................Dave

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 minute ago, dmr said:

But will he do a squareback with a bench seat with white leather upholstery? and a steering wheel right over one side?  and a cabin that wraps right up to the bow? a sort of EuroDutch? ?

 

................Dave

Are they called EuroDutch because they look like some sort of porn palace?

Something only Tony Montana might have. 

 

 

[Athy]

14 hours ago, dmr said:

I am a bit out on a limb here but I like the basic shape of the Hudsons, at least from most angles. Trouble is its almost overdone so with the shiny paint and too much bling its just too much,...............Dave

That boat belonged to a fireman or  retired fireman (hence "L.F.B. - London Fire Brigade) who did indeed tart it up and maintained it with extreme diligence. he seemed to love it so much that I'm very surprised he's selling it.

[mrsmelly]

13 hours ago, Goliath said:

I think the OP might be taking the piss. 
 

 

I think thats pretty obvious by now.

[cuthound]

4 hours ago, Athy said:

That boat belonged to a fireman or  retired fireman (hence "L.F.B. - London Fire Brigade) who did indeed tart it up and maintained it with extreme diligence. he seemed to love it so much that I'm very surprised he's selling it.

 

Perhaps the ashtrays are full? ??