SCL Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 So we’re finally taking the plunge after years of renting. Planning to keep a boat for quite a while so thinking new even though a bit pricey. I know there are a lot of forums on this but currently looking at Aqua and Aqualine. Does anyone have any views or thoughts as am not an expert by any means... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudds Lad Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 size and style of boat? some builders may be better at say widebeams than narrowboats or replica dutch barges than widebeams, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy D'arth Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Built in the UK or offshore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) 51 minutes ago, SCL said: So we’re finally taking the plunge after years of renting. Planning to keep a boat for quite a while so thinking new even though a bit pricey. I know there are a lot of forums on this but currently looking at Aqua and Aqualine. Does anyone have any views or thoughts as am not an expert by any means... Do you mean Aqua Narrowboats? At Foston? They build boats to a very high standard and are very well regarded. Not the cheapest by far but they build very nice boats. They would be my preference if my pockets were deep enough. (I've only had work done by them but it was done to a very high standard). Edited October 2, 2020 by The Happy Nomad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eeyore Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Welcome to the forum New or used? Aqualine are the larger producer, so easier to procure new or used. You’ll be very lucky to find anyone with ownership experience of both brands; but there should be those who have worked on both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 15 minutes ago, Eeyore said: Welcome to the forum New or used? Aqualine are the larger producer, so easier to procure new or used. You’ll be very lucky to find anyone with ownership experience of both brands; but there should be those who have worked on both. 1 hour ago, SCL said: Planning to keep a boat for quite a while so thinking new even though a bit pricey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 I don't know Aqua, but Aqualine are also very well regarded. Are they still being built in Poland? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 32 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said: size and style of boat? some builders may be better at say widebeams than narrowboats or replica dutch barges than widebeams, etc. I'm guessing as the OP is considering Aqua then it's a narrowboat. That is all they seem to build at the moment and I could be wrong but I don't believe they have ever built boats of any other type. (Happy to be corrected) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 7 minutes ago, blackrose said: I don't know Aqua, but Aqualine are also very well regarded. Are they still being built in Poland? Yes I believe they still are. Hasn't @Dr Bob just taken delivery of one?? He will know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Knight Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said: Yes I believe they still are. Hasn't @Dr Bob just taken delivery of one?? He will know for sure. Yes, Aqualine are in Poland. We spoke with their importer in September who at the time were dealing with a huge paint problem on one of their new 60ft NBs. It sounded as if Aqualine were considering a full strip down and repaint. Edited October 2, 2020 by Blue Knight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted October 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Thanks, looking for a 60 foot narrowboat. And yes Aqua at Foston. Looked at Bickerstaff too but they only do 57. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 minute ago, Blue Knight said: Yes, Aqualine are in Poland. We spoke with their importer in September who at the time were dealing with a huge paint problem on one of their new 60ft NBs. It sounded as is if Aqualine were considering a full strip down and repaint. This will certainly not be the first of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Knight Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 minute ago, matty40s said: This will certainly not be the first of those. It was really terrible by all accounts - the entire paint surface had bubbled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 4 minutes ago, matty40s said: This will certainly not be the first of those. So, good steel quality, poor paint quality, or incorrect application, or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted October 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Aqualine do seem to build a high number of boats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 10 minutes ago, SCL said: Thanks, looking for a 60 foot narrowboat. And yes Aqua at Foston. Looked at Bickerstaff too but they only do 57. Bear in mind 57ft would give more scope to cruise the whole system if that is your plan. 60 ft is a bit of a faff on some Northern waterways. If you are not plamning that then its of no matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Knight Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, SCL said: Aqualine do seem to build a high number of boats We came incredibly close to buying one last month but lots of the older ones just seem to have Alde gas heating and no secondary stove. .......and I didn't want to sell my kidneys to pay for the huge gas bill ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted October 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Yes that’s true. Thought 60 was ok compromise apart from a few unreachable stretches. And no... kidneys not on my list either! Sorry am new here haven’t worked out how to reply individually! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 11 minutes ago, SCL said: Yes that’s true. Thought 60 was ok compromise apart from a few unreachable stretches. And no... kidneys not on my list either! Sorry am new here haven’t worked out how to reply individually! There is no need to do so - but if you want, you'll see a button marked "Quote" at the lower left of a post. Press that and it'll be clear to whom you're replying. That's what I have just done here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Bob Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Blue Knight said: Yes, Aqualine are in Poland. We spoke with their importer in September who at the time were dealing with a huge paint problem on one of their new 60ft NBs. It sounded as if Aqualine were considering a full strip down and repaint. 1 hour ago, The Happy Nomad said: Yes I believe they still are. Hasn't @Dr Bob just taken delivery of one?? He will know for sure. Yes, Aqualine build their boats in Poland, but that is not a negative. It's actually more positive as during the build you get weekly photo updates and the communication is very easy to get your bespoke requests dealt with. We took delivery of our new Aqualine narrowboat in June (after ordering end of Feb!!!). Overall I think they are a very good boat builder and produce very good quality boats. We had a snagging list of only 4 or 5 items. All sorted without too much of a problem. The last new boat we bought in 2005 for £150K had a list of 50 things. I think it would be difficult to beat Aqualine on quality. Would I buy from them again. Yes. Excellent value and virtually no 2nd hand Aqualines on the market as they sell so fast. We were looking for 6 months for a 2nd hand one without success. They build a lot of widebeams and when we ordered in February, they had an immediate build slot as the factory is organised to build a narrowboat between the fat ones. We were on the boat in 14 weeks. That is a big thing when other manufacturers are giving delivery times of 18 months - and could go bankrupt in the meantime. Do your due dilligence well as you will be shelling out loads of dosh before you get the boat. The buying process with Aqualine minimised the risk of the supplier going bust. For SCL, if you have never had a narrowboat, be careful what you order as it really pays to know exactly what you need. They sell a lot of boats to first time buyers who dont have a clue what they need. If you decide to go Aqualine, pm me and I can brief you on how our purchase went which may give you a few ideas of what to order. On the paint issue. Most regulars on here will know I was a paint expert in a previous life. I knew about the paint issues before we ordered so for me it was not a big deal. It has happened on a limited number of boats manufactured 2-4years ago. It is not blistering. The boat parked two down from me in our marina has the issue. I cannot discuss it openly here as there are a handfull of Aqualine owners affected- but only a handfull - and they make a lot of boats. Anyone buying a new Aqualine can easily protect themselves against a similar paint issue by putting it in the agreement they sign with New & Used. The overall paint job on our Aqualine is 10/10. Very impressed. Time will tell if we suffer the same problem. Edited October 2, 2020 by Dr Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted October 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 46 minutes ago, Athy said: There is no need to do so - but if you want, you'll see a button marked "Quote" at the lower left of a post. Press that and it'll be clear to whom you're replying. That's what I have just done here. Thank you! 32 minutes ago, Dr Bob said: Yes, Aqualine build their boats in Poland, but that is not a negative. It's actually more positive as during the build you get weekly photo updates and the communication is very easy to get your bespoke requests dealt with. We took delivery of our new Aqualine narrowboat in June (after ordering end of Feb!!!). Overall I think they are a very good boat builder and produce very good quality boats. We had a snagging list of only 4 or 5 items. All sorted without too much of a problem. The last new boat we bought in 2005 for £150K had a list of 50 things. I think it would be difficult to beat Aqualine on quality. Would I buy from them again. Yes. Excellent value and virtually no 2nd hand Aqualines on the market as they sell so fast. We were looking for 6 months for a 2nd hand one without success. They build a lot of widebeams and when we ordered in February, they had an immediate build slot as the factory is organised to build a narrowboat between the fat ones. We were on the boat in 14 weeks. That is a big thing when other manufacturers are giving delivery times of 18 months - and could go bankrupt in the meantime. Do your due dilligence well as you will be shelling out loads of dosh before you get the boat. The buying process with Aqualine minimised the risk of the supplier going bust. For SCL, if you have never had a narrowboat, be careful what you order as it really pays to know exactly what you need. They sell a lot of boats to first time buyers who dont have a clue what they need. If you decide to go Aqualine, pm me and I can brief you on how our purchase went which may give you a few ideas of what to order. On the paint issue. Most regulars on here will know I was a paint expert in a previous life. I knew about the paint issues before we ordered so for me it was not a big deal. It has happened on a limited number of boats manufactured 2-4years ago. It is not blistering. The boat parked two down from me in our marina has the issue. I cannot discuss it openly here as there are a handfull of Aqualine owners affected- but only a handfull - and they make a lot of boats. Anyone buying a new Aqualine can easily protect themselves against a similar paint issue by putting it in the agreement they sign with New & Used. The overall paint job on our Aqualine is 10/10. Very impressed. Time will tell if we suffer the same problem. Thank you that is hugely helpful. I am trying to get an appointment with them so will def dm you before we go. It’s easy to think we know what we want after all these years but am sure yawning pitfalls waiting for me to step blithely into... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Bob Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 10 minutes ago, SCL said: Thank you! Thank you that is hugely helpful. I am trying to get an appointment with them so will def dm you before we go. It’s easy to think we know what we want after all these years but am sure yawning pitfalls waiting for me to step blithely into... We dealt with Noel at Hanbury Wharf. He is excellent. Give him a ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted October 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 7 minutes ago, Dr Bob said: We dealt with Noel at Hanbury Wharf. He is excellent. Give him a ring. I tried Maidenhead as closest but will do contact Noel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eeyore Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Blue Knight said: Yes, Aqualine are in Poland. We spoke with their importer in September who at the time were dealing with a huge paint problem on one of their new 60ft NBs. It sounded as if Aqualine were considering a full strip down and repaint. There was one of their wide beams in the dock at Diglis last week, came out as I was going in. The owner told me the roof had been repainted under warranty; I thought the rest of the paintwork could best be described as “disappointing for a new build”. The important thing here is that it was being dealt with under warranty. Edited October 2, 2020 by Eeyore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 2 hours ago, The Happy Nomad said: I haven't really looked at boat prices for about 15 years but I'm astonished at the prices people are paying these days! These better be top drawer narrowboats at those prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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