Jump to content

Aqua v Aqualine


SCL

Featured Posts

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

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 by The Happy Nomad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

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

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)

 

 

Aqua.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

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 by Blue Knight
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

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

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

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

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

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 by Dr Bob
  • Greenie 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

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

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 by Eeyore
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.