Widebeam help and advice please.

[MalibuSam]

Hi All

We are soon to become owners of a widebeam boat and can't wait to start our life on water. We will no doubt have lots of questions and would welcome any advice from fellow boaters, but I just have a couple of questions initially and hope for some advice please.

 

Potentially, the boat we are buying will have a cruiser stern with a pram cover but no stern seating. Does anyone know how to go about getting the euro cruiser stern seating replicated? Any recommendations on if this can be done, by who, price etc? We really wanted a euro cruiser stern boat as we love the idea of having a comfy extra room for entertaining  etc. but they are selling like hot cakes at the moment and we keep getting pipped to the post!

 

Also, we would like a really good sized comfy L shaped sofa bed, with storage and have seen loads of smaller sofa beds or the click clack types for narrowboats but not sure where to look for larger ones for a widebeam (we are looking at 12.5ft). Has anyone bought a normal L shaped sofa bed from somewhere like made.com for a wideboat, are they easy to get on the boat etc?

 

Many thanks in advance and I look forward to learning lots from you lovely people ? 

[mrsmelly]

Popcorn anyone?

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, MalibuSam said:

Hi All

We are soon to become owners of a widebeam boat and can't wait to start our life on water. We will no doubt have lots of questions and would welcome any advice from fellow boaters, but I just have a couple of questions initially and hope for some advice please.

 

Potentially, the boat we are buying will have a cruiser stern with a pram cover but no stern seating. Does anyone know how to go about getting the euro cruiser stern seating replicated? Any recommendations on if this can be done, by who, price etc? We really wanted a euro cruiser stern boat as we love the idea of having a comfy extra room for entertaining  etc. but they are selling like hot cakes at the moment and we keep getting pipped to the post!

 

Also, we would like a really good sized comfy L shaped sofa bed, with storage and have seen loads of smaller sofa beds or the click clack types for narrowboats but not sure where to look for larger ones for a widebeam (we are looking at 12.5ft). Has anyone bought a normal L shaped sofa bed from somewhere like made.com for a wideboat, are they easy to get on the boat etc?

 

Many thanks in advance and I look forward to learning lots from you lovely people ? 

Thats quite a mod to the stern, and likely will not come cheap.

 

Someone like Martin Kedian may be able and willing to tackle it?

 

http://www.kedianengineering.co.uk/index.html

 

Or maybe the guys and gals at Langley Mill

 

https://langleymillboatyard.co.uk/

Edited August 27, 2020 by The Happy Nomad

[dmr]

2 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Popcorn anyone?

Nah, I'm drinking beer and popcorn don't go with that, I'll have some peanuts please.

 

Will the Eurocruiser be banned when we leave at the end of the year?

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Popcorn anyone?

 

2 minutes ago, dmr said:

Nah, I'm drinking beer and popcorn don't go with that, I'll have some peanuts please.

 

Will the Eurocruiser be banned when we leave at the end of the year?

What the hell has gone wrong with this place?

 

It's turning into an utter bloody joke.

 

Why not just answer the question instead of getting your richards out and waving them around.

[matty40s]

These guys are quite good for sofas, they seem to have a sale on this week...https://www.dfs.co.uk/

2 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

It's turning into an utter bloody joke.

 

Glad you agree.?

Edited August 27, 2020 by matty40s

[MalibuSam]

12 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Thats quite a mod to the stern, and likely will not come cheap.

 

Someone like Martin Kedian may be able and willing to tackle it?

 

http://www.kedianengineering.co.uk/index.html

 

Or maybe the guys and gals at Langley Mill

 

https://langleymillboatyard.co.uk/

Thank you. I will look into them.  We could be buying one with a euro cruiser stern but as we have a few weeks until our house sale completes, don't want to assume they will still be available so keeping our options open ? 

[Guest]

Just now, MalibuSam said:

Thank you. I will look into them.  We could be buying one with a euro cruiser stern but as we have a few weeks until our house sale completes, don't want to assume they will still be available so keeping our options open ? 

My suggestion would be to try and buy one as made from build. I suspect the mod then painting to match will not come cheap.

[matty40s]

There are 11 listed on ApallingDuck...one owning France though...

https://m.apolloduck.com/boats-for-sale/narrow-boats/widebeam?search=Eurocruiser&q=1&x=0&view=1&layout=1&cid=140&scid=72

[MalibuSam]

8 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

My suggestion would be to try and buy one as made from build. I suspect the mod then painting to match will not come cheap.

Thank you, we are hoping 5o, fingers crosed ?

[MalibuSam]

25 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

What the hell has gone wrong with this place?

 

It's turning into an utter bloody joke.

 

Why not just answer the question instead of getting your richards out and waving them around.

Am I missing something, what is the joke?? ?

[dmr]

15 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

What the hell has gone wrong with this place?

 

It's turning into an utter bloody joke.

 

Why not just answer the question instead of getting your richards out and waving them around.

Whats a Richard?

 

So a more informative answer:..............

Have you done some "on the ground research"?  Quite a lot of canal folk regard the Eurocruiser as a rather crude and even comical thing. A caricature of a typical owner is a suntanned bloke, maybe topless, with gold medallions etc driving his boat in an inconsiderate way because he feels superior to other boaters in his expensive boat. There will most likely be bottles of wine on a table next to the white leather seats at the back of the boat. He will also be struggling to handle such a big boat.

 

On a more practical level theses things are optimised for static living in a marina and can be a bit of a liability out on the cut unless handled by a skilled owner. To buy a boat that's not a Eurocruiser and wanting it to look like a Eurocruiser is maybe a little odd. There are also a lot of almost new ones for sale which suggests that people buy them and then decide it was a bad decision.

 

 

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

[Guest]

Just now, MalibuSam said:

Am I missing something, what is the joke?? ?

There have been numerous instances of late of people (usually newbies or people with a very low post count) asking perfectly reasonable questions and long standing members being mocking or dismissive in their response.

 

Which is what the responses from mrsmelly and dmr were.

[matty40s]

3 minutes ago, dmr said:

Whats a Richard?

 

So a more informative answer:..............

Have you done some "on the ground research"?  Quite a lot of canal folk regard the Eurocruiser as a rather crude and even comical thing. A caricature of a typical owner is a suntanned bloke, maybe topless, with gold medallions etc driving his boat in an inconsiderate way because he feels superior to other boaters in his expensive boat. There will most likely be bottles of wine on a table next to the white leather seats at the back of the boat. He will also be struggling to handle such a big boat.

 

On a more practical level theses things are optimised for static living in a marina and can be a bit of a liability out on the cut unless handled by a skilled owner. To buy a boat that's not a Eurocruiser and wanting it to look like a Eurocruiser is maybe a little odd. There are also a lot of almost new ones for sale which suggests that people buy them and then decide it was a bad decision.

 

 

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

Dave, they are lovely on the Thames and other big rivers.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, dmr said:

Whats a Richard?

 

So a more informative answer:..............

Have you done some "on the ground research"?  Quite a lot of canal folk regard the Eurocruiser as a rather crude and even comical thing. A caricature of a typical owner is a suntanned bloke, maybe topless, with gold medallions etc driving his boat in an inconsiderate way because he feels superior to other boaters in his expensive boat. There will most likely be bottles of wine on a table next to the white leather seats at the back of the boat. He will also be struggling to handle such a big boat.

 

On a more practical level theses things are optimised for static living in a marina and can be a bit of a liability out on the cut unless handled by a skilled owner. To buy a boat that's not a Eurocruiser and wanting it to look like a Eurocruiser is maybe a little odd. There are also a lot of almost new ones for sale which suggests that people buy them and then decide it was a bad decision.

 

 

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

Its the unabreviated version of 'dick', but of course you knew that.

 

At least you have given a fuller answer though.

[ditchcrawler]

44 minutes ago, MalibuSam said:

Hi All

We are soon to become owners of a widebeam boat and can't wait to start our life on water. We will no doubt have lots of questions and would welcome any advice from fellow boaters, but I just have a couple of questions initially and hope for some advice please.

 

Potentially, the boat we are buying will have a cruiser stern with a pram cover but no stern seating. Does anyone know how to go about getting the euro cruiser stern seating replicated? Any recommendations on if this can be done, by who, price etc? We really wanted a euro cruiser stern boat as we love the idea of having a comfy extra room for entertaining  etc. but they are selling like hot cakes at the moment and we keep getting pipped to the post!

 

Also, we would like a really good sized comfy L shaped sofa bed, with storage and have seen loads of smaller sofa beds or the click clack types for narrowboats but not sure where to look for larger ones for a widebeam (we are looking at 12.5ft). Has anyone bought a normal L shaped sofa bed from somewhere like made.com for a wideboat, are they easy to get on the boat etc?

 

Many thanks in advance and I look forward to learning lots from you lovely people ? 

I don't know about the stern but whatever you buy for inside measure it carefully to make sure it will go in through the doors, botat doors are often shorter and narrower, this maynot be the case on a fat boat. For steel worl maybe saul Junction can do it, if you are in Gloucester you are limited where you can get it done.

[dmr]

21 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Dave, they are lovely on the Thames and other big rivers.

They are almost a very good Thames boat, the big back deck and "upmarket aspirations" are good Thames features, though some of the older generation Thames boaters do appreciate a bit of shape and tradition and its sad that the Eurocruiser is just not a little more boat shaped. There are some very nice boats on the Thames. Lockdown and other issues have resulted in us remaining oop north this year, and the Thames is the thing I miss most.

 

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

[Victor Vectis]

31 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Dave, they are lovely on the Thames and other big rivers.

Yeahbut.......

 

The bu99ers don't stay there.

 

[dmr]

33 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Its the unabreviated version of 'dick', but of course you knew that.

 

At least you have given a fuller answer though.

I was thinking of Richard the Third and getting a very strange mental image ?

[MrsM]

1 hour ago, MalibuSam said:

Am I missing something, what is the joke?? ?

Hi MalibuSam. If you have a read through some of the other "new to boating" posts you will see that quite a few people start their boating journeys thinking that a widebeam apartment-style boat is what they want. Many experienced members spend a lot of time encouraging people to think through their options carefully before committing their money. For example, there is a big difference between a luxurious widebeam that will be mostly marina-based and a boat that will allow its owner to explore the extent of the inland waterways. That is not to say that there aren't plenty of very happy widebeam owners. I'm a newbie like you and found the advice I got on the forum invaluable when I was looking for my used narrowboat. No disrespect was meant by the other responders I'm sure. In terms of sofas, loads of boat owners recommend Sofabed Barn, while many others find something suitable in places like IKEA. I guess a modular sofa is easiest for getting in and out of small doors. Welcome to the world of boating! I expect if you are happy to provide a bit more info about where you will be based and what you plan to do with your boat then the replies and feedback you get will be helpful. PS there might be some widebeam Facebook groups that could help too. 

Edited August 27, 2020 by MrsM
Trying to be balanced and not p*** people off!

[luggsy]

Have a look at sofa barn they will make what you want 

[blackrose]

I thought one of the benefits of a widebeam was that you could put any size household furniture inside - as long as you could get it through the doors. That's my experience anyway. I don't really understand why you would you need a specialist sofa manufacturer? Leave that to the narrowboaters.

 

I can't help thinking that the OP is more interested in internal and external seating arrangements than the fundamentals of the boat. Or perhaps I'm just taking this particular question out of context.

Edited August 27, 2020 by blackrose

[MalibuSam]

10 hours ago, dmr said:

Whats a Richard?

 

So a more informative answer:..............

Have you done some "on the ground research"?  Quite a lot of canal folk regard the Eurocruiser as a rather crude and even comical thing. A caricature of a typical owner is a suntanned bloke, maybe topless, with gold medallions etc driving his boat in an inconsiderate way because he feels superior to other boaters in his expensive boat. There will most likely be bottles of wine on a table next to the white leather seats at the back of the boat. He will also be struggling to handle such a big boat.

 

On a more practical level theses things are optimised for static living in a marina and can be a bit of a liability out on the cut unless handled by a skilled owner. To buy a boat that's not a Eurocruiser and wanting it to look like a Eurocruiser is maybe a little odd. There are also a lot of almost new ones for sale which suggests that people buy them and then decide it was a bad decision.

 

 

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

Hi Dave

 

Thank you for your "informative" answer.  Perhaps I should have given a bit more information before I asked such specific questions.  We have been looking to buy a boat for over 7 years and have looked at and tried hundreds of different boats over this time, both narrow and wide and finally decided that a widebeam suited our requirements for my husband's forthcoming retirement.  This was not a snap decision, we have done a lot of research regarding the actual technical sides / requirements of living / cruising on a boat.  My husband has also experience of piloting boats of different types/sizes.  The cruiser stern style has appealed to us, not because we are gold medallion wearing wine sipping millionaires (sorry to disappoint you ?), but more because we love the idea of the extra entertaining space which would also double up as a comfortable area for me to work from during the warmer months.  There are not many Euro cruisers currently available that fit all our requirements (size etc) and as we are not quite ready with the cash to go because our house sale has not completed yet, we are keeping our options open in case the ones we have seen sell in the meantime.   We will have a home mooring in a marina but will also be spending long periods out on the cut, but as this will be on the G&S there should be plenty of room for us to do this without getting in anyone's way ?

[Graham Davis]

With a widebeam you are going to find it a problem getting out "on the cut" from the Gloucester and Sharpness. 

Going North the canals off the Severn at Worcester and Stourport are both narrow, and only the Droitwich is wide for a short distance. You also have the Avon but this also only leads to a narrow canal.

Going South would mean you have to navigate the tidal Severn to Avonmouth, not a trip to be undertaken lightly, but that would allow you access to the Kennet and Avon, and eventually the Thames.

[MrsM]

Sounds like you have thought this through carefully. Good luck with the house sale and hope you are able to get the boat you want.