Boat just completed!

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

Hi There.

 

Just a quick note, have looked on this site and thought this information would help some people out who are looking for a new build.

 

We have just completed a bespoke design which is not worth missing out on viewing!

 

Please visit our website and look at page boat in build.

 

www.benharpnarrowboats.co.uk

 

 

Thanks for your time

 

Kelly Harp

[blackrose]

Hi There.

 

Just a quick note, have looked on this site and thought this information would help some people out who are looking for a new build.

 

We have just completed a bespoke design which is not worth missing out on viewing!

 

Please visit our website and look at page boat in build.

 

www.benharpnarrowboats.co.uk

Thanks for your time

 

Kelly Harp

 

Hi Kelly,

 

Although I'm sure we'll all find your website interesting viewing, I think blatant advertising contravenes forum rules unless it is in the "For sale" section, and that's probably only for private sales, not for commercial organisations such as yourselves.

 

Mike

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

Hi Kelly,

 

Although I'm sure we'll all find your website interesting viewing, I think blatant advertising contravenes forum rules unless it is in the "For sale" section, and that's probably only for private sales, not for commercial organisations such as yourselves.

 

Mike

 

 

Hi Mike,

 

I was not aware that i could not advertise. I just read a lot of pages reagrding new builds and so thought some people might find it useful. I do not really know much about using this site yet. Our customers will be adding blogs shortly so perhaps that would be the correct way to use the site.

 

Kelly

[bottle]

Hi Kelly

 

It's in the small print, rules for members.

 

Otherwise welcome to the forum, advice/knowledge is always welcome, we have members that are also in buisines but they give freely

 

just do not advertise.

[KenK]

Hi Mike,

 

I was not aware that i could not advertise. I just read a lot of pages reagrding new builds and so thought some people might find it useful. I do not really know much about using this site yet. Our customers will be adding blogs shortly so perhaps that would be the correct way to use the site.

 

Kelly

 

Hi Kelly,

 

Welcome to the forum. We've met as Bill built my boat. We already have one member on the forum who is a professional boat builder Gary Peacock. In fact he's posting a build from start to finish at the moment. He builds mostly barges so it would be interesting for all of us if Ben posted photographs of the progress of his fit outs. Gary's not too keen on ditch crawlers.

 

Give my best to Bill and Lorraine when you see them

 

 

Ken

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

Hi Kelly

 

It's in the small print, rules for members.

 

Otherwise welcome to the forum, advice/knowledge is always welcome, we have members that are also in buisines but they give freely

 

just do not advertise.

 

Hi Everyone ,

 

I do apologise for that, i will make sure i give advice to people from now on. I wanted to help people who are interested in buying a new boat and noticed our company name was not coming up very often.

 

Thanks

 

Kelly

[Scotty]

Hi kelly,

I love reading Gary's blogs of boats being built at Ledgard bridge and more of the same from Ben Harp's would be welcome from me.

 

If you enjoy a good banter then stick around, there's always a few good debates that need input!

unfortunately there seems to be a lot of new users that turn up just to advertise and then we never see them again.

 

It's in the small print, rules for members.

 

a website in your signature seem acceptable though

Edited October 11, 2007 by Scotty

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

Hi Kelly,

 

Welcome to the forum. We've met as Bill built my boat. We already have one member on the forum who is a professional boat builder Gary Peacock. In fact he's posting a build from start to finish at the moment. He builds mostly barges so it would be interesting for all of us if Ben posted photographs of the progress of his fit outs. Gary's not too keen on ditch crawlers.

 

Give my best to Bill and Lorraine when you see them

 

 

Ken

 

Hi Ken,

 

Nice to hear from you. Are you enjoying boating still? Our previous customer was looking at posting his photos on the site now his boat is completed and our next customer is in the process if collecting his photos to start a blog. I noticed a lot more boat builders are on this site and thought i would add our details so that people know who were are and can ask me any questions they may have. I will pass your message to Bill and Lorraine.

 

Kelly

[thomasthetanker]

Hi Kelly

Looks good

Sure the sides is shinier than a showroom car!

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

Hi kelly, I love reading Gary's blogs of boats being built at Ledgard bridge and more of the same from Ben Harp's would be welcome from me.If you enjoy a good banter then stick around, there's always a few good debates that need input!unfortunately there seems to be a lot of new users that turn up just to advertise and then we never see them again.a website in your signature seem acceptable though

Hi There,Thanks for the good feedback, i will be sticking around as i can be some use to people from my experience. The blogs look very useful for people looking to have a new build or even self build so i will make sure our customers add one. I can understand why people would not be happy for companies to use this site of it does not interest them but by looking myself i can see a huge amount that will find it very useful for the future.Kelly

Hi Kelly Looks goodSure the sides is shinier than a showroom car!

HiYes the paintwork is excellent, Andy Russell is very skilled at his work and i would recommend him to anyone looking for a painter. Kelly

[KenK]

Hi Ken,

 

Nice to hear from you. Are you enjoying boating still? Our previous customer was looking at posting his photos on the site now his boat is completed and our next customer is in the process if collecting his photos to start a blog. I noticed a lot more boat builders are on this site and thought i would add our details so that people know who were are and can ask me any questions they may have. I will pass your message to Bill and Lorraine.

 

Kelly

 

Hi Kelly,

 

Yes still enjoying it. Tell Bill she's still afloat and nothings gone wrong so far. Went to Bristol in the summer, we got the two / three good weeks in August. May get another week at the end of October weather permitting.

 

Ken

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

Hi Kelly,

 

Yes still enjoying it. Tell Bill she's still afloat and nothings gone wrong so far. Went to Bristol in the summer, we got the two / three good weeks in August. May get another week at the end of October weather permitting.

 

Ken

 

Hi Ken,

 

You did well then getting the good weather, did you enjoy your trip. I will pass the message on to Bill. You will be ok in October if the weather stays like it is now. (Thats if its nice where you live).

 

Kelly

[Gary Peacock]

Is it that obvious I don't like narrowboats?

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

Is it that obvious I don't like narrowboats?

 

 

You dont like narrowboats?

[Mick_B]

Hi Kelly,

 

Welcome to the forum. We've met as Bill built my boat. We already have one member on the forum who is a professional boat builder Gary Peacock. In fact he's posting a build from start to finish at the moment. He builds mostly barges so it would be interesting for all of us if Ben posted photographs of the progress of his fit outs. Gary's not too keen on ditch crawlers.

 

Give my best to Bill and Lorraine when you see them

 

 

Ken

 

 

You dont like narrowboats?

 

Gary's more into KY it seems..

[Gary Peacock]

I have a bit of a problem with narrowboats I can quite appreciate that they are the only thing for narrow canals but by their nature they are so restrictive they have literally been done to death, I don't ever see anthing new anymore about them. It might just be me but I look at the rave reviews in the magazines and just don't see anthing new other than a new record being broken for how much it sold for.

 

This is being contentious but I can't do with the traditional washer josher brigade either, an ex working boat restoration does have tradition but a modern washer josher to me is just a plain waste of good washers and an excuse to charge more for a modern boat in my view.

 

I do prefer bigger boats because it gives both customers and the builder so much more of a blank canvas to work with but equally if it wont fit the waterways you want to cruise then I can see that narrow is the only option available.

 

You can of course still look at other options to what you can do with a 6'10" beam but in the tradtional narrowboat market compromise is a dirty word you must conform to the tradition or be banished.

 

From a builders point of view the narrowboat market is very turbalent at the moment you have LB building good value boats at the budget end of the market some really excellent Polish built offerings in the mid market and the remaining top end bespoke market being fought over by too many builders with too little customers for them all to survive.

 

So at the moment I don't like them! But saying that you never know if we ever build another one and I like it I might be converted, Maffi's "Milly M" very nearly converted me but it wasn't really one for the traditionalists was it?

[Yoda]

So at the moment I don't like them! But saying that you never know if we ever build another one and I like it I might be converted, Maffi's "Milly M" very nearly converted me but it wasn't really one for the traditionalists was it?

 

Yes but Maffi's jumping in the cut to celebrate his new boat must have stuck in your mind and you want to see it again!!!!!

[Ben Harp Narrowboats]

I have a bit of a problem with narrowboats I can quite appreciate that they are the only thing for narrow canals but by their nature they are so restrictive they have literally been done to death, I don't ever see anthing new anymore about them. It might just be me but I look at the rave reviews in the magazines and just don't see anthing new other than a new record being broken for how much it sold for.

 

This is being contentious but I can't do with the traditional washer josher brigade either, an ex working boat restoration does have tradition but a modern washer josher to me is just a plain waste of good washers and an excuse to charge more for a modern boat in my view.

 

I do prefer bigger boats because it gives both customers and the builder so much more of a blank canvas to work with but equally if it wont fit the waterways you want to cruise then I can see that narrow is the only option available.

 

You can of course still look at other options to what you can do with a 6'10" beam but in the tradtional narrowboat market compromise is a dirty word you must conform to the tradition or be banished.

 

From a builders point of view the narrowboat market is very turbalent at the moment you have LB building good value boats at the budget end of the market some really excellent Polish built offerings in the mid market and the remaining top end bespoke market being fought over by too many builders with too little customers for them all to survive.

 

So at the moment I don't like them! But saying that you never know if we ever build another one and I like it I might be converted, Maffi's "Milly M" very nearly converted me but it wasn't really one for the traditionalists was it?

 

 

Hi Gary,

 

We mainly get requests for narrowboats rather than wide beams or dutch barges due to the area we live in. We are based on the Trent and Mersey so bigger boats are not an option. Not saying that we do not like the bigger boats though and would build one if a customer wanted us too.

 

We mainly concentrate on the quality of our boats rather than weird designs etc.. I think there is far too many budget narrowboat companies building boats at the moment and customers are only keeping them for a year so the brokerage companies end up with a big glut of them. Customers want quality boats at a reasonable price.

 

Everyone has such a different opinion though so thats why there is now such a lot of different builders about.

 

Kelly