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Boat builder recommendations needed


Missjd66

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Welcome to the forum.

The best builders have the longest waiting list, so unless you have managed to snap up a cancelled slot, be wary of some one who can build straight away. Especially at the moment. Some places just build hulls. Some fit out boats with the hulls built by others. Some do both.

Have you owned a boat before? Lived on a boat before? Holidayed on an inland boat before?

Jen

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Welcome to the forum.

You'll be sure to get plenty of suggestions and advice from our knowledgeable members on here. But at the moment, your question reads a little like "We're buying a car; what kind should we buy"? Are you looking for the floating equivalent of a Dacia, or a Vauxhall, or a Mercedes-Benz? Do you require a narrowboat or a widebeam craft?

  ColeCraft are a long-established family-run business who have a reputation for making sound, middle-of-the-road, boats. I think they do the steelwork and the fitting out. Elton Moss have a reputation of fitting out boats for liveaboard use, they have been going quite a number of years too. (It is surprising how many boatbuilding firms come and go in a short space of time, sometimes taking the customers' money when they go, so a firm's longevity is a good recommendation in itself.).

   Have you considered a second-hand boat? Their advantage is that you can move on board straight away, so if you find one whose interior suits you, you could save both time and money. Are you familiar with the Apollo Duck Narrowboats web site? Many brokers and private sellers advertise on there, so there's always a wide choice of boats to look at.

 

 

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Thank you. We are complete newbies and have done 'some' research and been to see a few boats. We are specifically after a 70ft x 12 widebeam and although would consider a pre-loved, have not seen any that fit our needs as yet. We need as spacious a build as possible with 2 bedrooms, modern style living and lots of light. We love the idea of our own bespoke design which is why the new option may suit. We are selling our home and the boat will be our new home where we intend to learn as much about canal life as is possible before actually venturing out! We retire in 5 yrs so living aboard in the marina will be our main lifestyle for a while anyway. Cannot wait to be part of such a lovely community! We have been recommended Collingwoods builders although have read some bad reviews which is why I'm looking for genuine advice from experienced people. My cousin is a very experienced builder but unfortunately retired so any plans etc will be ran by him obviously but he's on the Isle of Wight and we're in Liverpool! 

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Are you planning to sit in a marina and never move, or actually cruise the canals?

 

If the former, then you might as well look at an engineless shed-on-a-pontoon type of boat, or indeed a land-based mobile home.  If you want to cruise then get something smaller than 70x12. That is a behemoth of a boat, which might in theory fit the wide canals, but in practice won't. It will be a pain in the arse to move, you will struggle to find places to moor, you will have to book passage through tunnels, and then be allowed through only in the early morning, and you will be deeply unpopular with most of the boaters around you.

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Have you ever steered anything 70' by 12'? That's enormous, I've been a boat owner for over 20 years and I would be very chary about driving a boat as big as that. Have you looked inside anything that's, for example, the more popular 57' by 12' size? The 57' length is well thought of because it will fit into most locks.

   Not sure what you mean by "modern living": no gas mantles or mangle?

 

EDIT: Mr. Mack's post and mine crossed. He's probably far more experienced than I am, but we're saying more or less the same thing from different angles.

Edited by Athy
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I'm sorry to pile in on this one but sometimes you just have to tell it like it is.

 

It seems to me that most shell builders these days have no scruples at all building boats completely out of scale with English canals.

 

There used to be an ugly thing on the Leeds Liverpool up near Barnoldswick, it was 14 foot wide simply because the builder apparently told the owners that you could go that big and it would still fit in a lock.  But, it would not pass through bridges without hitting them and most if anyone remembers that boat it always had at least one broken window.  

 

Seventy foot by twelve is an outrageous size for a canal boat but I'll bet someone will do it thinking it's ok as it will just spend its life in a marina.  The thing is we should not be encouraging anyone to go down this road and most definitely not to sell their house to fund it.  If you want to live in a marina there's better ways to do it.

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43 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Indeed we are. But you are far too polite to use the word "arse" in a post!😃

I might have said, "Some people think it's a pain in the neck, but I have a lower opinion of it". I've said that about people in the past.

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3 hours ago, Neil2 said:

I'm sorry to pile in on this one but sometimes you just have to tell it like it is.

 

It seems to me that most shell builders these days have no scruples at all building boats completely out of scale with English canals.

 

There used to be an ugly thing on the Leeds Liverpool up near Barnoldswick, it was 14 foot wide simply because the builder apparently told the owners that you could go that big and it would still fit in a lock.  But, it would not pass through bridges without hitting them and most if anyone remembers that boat it always had at least one broken window.  

 

Seventy foot by twelve is an outrageous size for a canal boat but I'll bet someone will do it thinking it's ok as it will just spend its life in a marina.  The thing is we should not be encouraging anyone to go down this road and most definitely not to sell their house to fund it.  If you want to live in a marina there's better ways to do it.

Bear these words in mind. They are wise.

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4 hours ago, Neil2 said:

I'm sorry to pile in on this one but sometimes you just have to tell it like it is.

 

It seems to me that most shell builders these days have no scruples at all building boats completely out of scale with English canals.

 

There used to be an ugly thing on the Leeds Liverpool up near Barnoldswick, it was 14 foot wide simply because the builder apparently told the owners that you could go that big and it would still fit in a lock.  But, it would not pass through bridges without hitting them and most if anyone remembers that boat it always had at least one broken window.  

 

Seventy foot by twelve is an outrageous size for a canal boat but I'll bet someone will do it thinking it's ok as it will just spend its life in a marina.  The thing is we should not be encouraging anyone to go down this road and most definitely not to sell their house to fund it.  If you want to live in a marina there's better ways to do it.

I do appreciate your opinions but surely different things for different people? There are many wide beams on the canals which seem to make a lot of people happy and although 'original' sizes are narrow and also fulfill people's desires, the options are there. Also if we do happen to prefer 'marina' life for the time being, based on our own personal circumstances then perhaps that is suitable for us as a first step. As I said we intend to learn all we can to prepare us for our 'early' retirement and what better way than to at least be living amongst like minded people. Obviously we will consider all aspects and decide what's best for us and hopefully along with advice including yours, we will broaden our knowledge to help us make informed decisions. So thank you, I really do appreciate your honesty. As for selling our house to fund a boat, again that's a personal decision based on personal reasons and we feel at this point in time it is right for us. Hopefully you can respect that :)

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20 hours ago, Neil2 said:

I've often thought one of these plus a little narrowboat or cruiser wouldn't be a bad way to live.

A family friend who helped "show me the ropes" had that sort of arrangement. Waterside "lodge" within a marina complex, Sea Otter moored in front. Not cheap, but the benefits of living somewhere with full sized rooms, living in a marina and having a boat he could take down the river at weekends.

 

Said he was jealous of me for taking the continuous cruising route, but the lodge was a compromise his wife was happy with, and he reckoned downsizing from an normal 3 bed house in an ordinary suburb was one of the best decisions he'd made.

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34 minutes ago, enigmatic said:

A family friend who helped "show me the ropes" had that sort of arrangement. Waterside "lodge" within a marina complex, Sea Otter moored in front. Not cheap, but the benefits of living somewhere with full sized rooms, living in a marina and having a boat he could take down the river at weekends.

 

Said he was jealous of me for taking the continuous cruising route, but the lodge was a compromise his wife was happy with, and he reckoned downsizing from an normal 3 bed house in an ordinary suburb was one of the best decisions he'd made.

 

That sounds great - apart from the Sea Otter...groo...

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