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Are Narrowboats getting uglier?


PD1964

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Must confess I've always thought of a narrowboat as a biscuit tin with a pointy end. Some are uglier than others, but I never saw anything that would make me go "hey that's pretty". They're just an adaptation of working craft for a different purpose. Things, that's what they are, not works of art. Anything else is snobbery and an excuse to whack the price up.

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5 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

 They're just an adaptation of working craft for a different purpose. Things, that's what they are, not works of art. Anything else is snobbery and an excuse to whack the price up.

Or whack the front up and rip it off in the first tunnel....😉

Not saying this ever happened of course

 

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  • 6 months later...
6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Well its sold again 

image.png.223304098715e3677d781ae48b6d1378.png

I quite like this boat. Refreshing to see something different. Of course the paint job makes it look more streamlined than it probably is, but overall I like that. Plus it's possibly easier to build.

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10 minutes ago, syd said:

I quite like this boat. Refreshing to see something different. Of course the paint job makes it look more streamlined than it probably is, but overall I like that. Plus it's possibly easier to build.

 

Then why would it have cost over £250,000 to build ?

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44 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Then why would it have cost over £250,000 to build ?

The hull & superstructure looks easier to build.

Looking at the interior, windows, bow cabin door etc, I can see where a lot of additional cost is. However the hull shape looks to be an easy shape to build. However I haven't seen it close up, so just from the pics. Looks to me to be 'slab' (ship style).

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7 minutes ago, syd said:

The hull & superstructure looks easier to build.

Looking at the interior, windows, bow cabin door etc, I can see where a lot of additional cost is. However the hull shape looks to be an easy shape to build. However I haven't seen it close up, so just from the pics. Looks to me to be 'slab' (ship style).

 

It was also built with a rather complex joy stick steering system. I dont know if it still has this.

 

Edit re reading the ad. it still has. But can be tiller steered too. 

Edited by The Happy Nomad
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9 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

It was also built with a rather complex joy stick steering system. I dont know if it still has this.

 

Edit re reading the ad. it still has. But can be tiller steered too. 

Wow 'joy stick' not seen that before.... I'll stick to tiller.

& an electric front lifting section ??

Edited by syd
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On 20/10/2021 at 21:28, Arthur Marshall said:

Must confess I've always thought of a narrowboat as a biscuit tin with a pointy end. Some are uglier than others, but I never saw anything that would make me go "hey that's pretty". They're just an adaptation of working craft for a different purpose. Things, that's what they are, not works of art. Anything else is snobbery and an excuse to whack the price up.

I'm sure that many people think that their boats are 'better' than the rest - it's only natural.

 

But I do genuinely think my looks 'prettier' than others moored nearby. Even though the paintwork is fairly scruffy, something about the shape seems right. 

 

Other owners think the same about theirs (but they are mistaken).🙂

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21 hours ago, frahkn said:

I'm sure that many people think that their boats are 'better' than the rest - it's only natural.

 

But I do genuinely think my looks 'prettier' than others moored nearby. Even though the paintwork is fairly scruffy, something about the shape seems right. 

 

Other owners think the same about theirs (but they are mistaken).🙂

You are all mistaken.

 

There is no such thing as a pretty narrowboat.

 

The dimensions of a narrowboat are all wrong for making a pretty boat.

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2 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

You are all mistaken.

 

There is no such thing as a pretty narrowboat.

 

The dimensions of a narrowboat are all wrong for making a pretty boat.

But the some of us would say that no matter what it's other merits may be, there's no way a white fibreglass sports cruiser can actually be considered pretty.

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23 hours ago, frahkn said:

I'm sure that many people think that their boats are 'better' than the rest - it's only natural.

 

But I do genuinely think my looks 'prettier' than others moored nearby. Even though the paintwork is fairly scruffy, something about the shape seems right. 

 

Other owners think the same about theirs (but they are mistaken).🙂

Lots of people have remarked that I have a nice boat, so there must be some style.

I have to admit that one of the negative factors in boat choice was how different these are from proper yachts. I was able to overcome that drawback, but do make effort to keep mine looking smart, no clutter on roof, anyway.

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I think the problem is the use of the word 'pretty'.

 

A boat of any type can look 'good' but not necessarily 'pretty'.

 

They can have a nice shape, be well proportioned a nice paint job etc but 'pretty' is perhaps a bit of a stretch.

 

 'Good looking' or even 'handsome' might be better words to use, especially in the context of a long steel boat.

 

 

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45 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

I think the problem is the use of the word 'pretty'.

 

A boat of any type can look 'good' but not necessarily 'pretty'.

 

They can have a nice shape, be well proportioned a nice paint job etc but 'pretty' is perhaps a bit of a stretch.

 

 'Good looking' or even 'handsome' might be better words to use, especially in the context of a long steel boat.

 

 

 

Indeed, and the difference in style between a cheap boxy narrowboat shell and the curves on say a Brinklow shell is so subtle that most casual observers (not boating enthusiasts) will miss most if not all of the detail.

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10 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Compare a Doug Moore hull with Whitefield or any modern square sided box section shell, no contest.

 

Lovely boats. There used to be a small one called Strumble for hire on the L&L - a really nice looking boat that we never got chance to hire because the company sold up a while back before we got chance.

 

 

 

 

Strumble.JPG

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7 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

Lovely boats. There used to be a small one called Strumble for hire on the L&L - a really nice looking boat that we never got chance to hire because the company sold up a while back before we got chance.

 

 

 

 

Strumble.JPG

Lovely boat??  With an ill fitted Cratch cover, quite ugly and the boat would look better without.

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Just now, PD1964 said:

Lovely boat??  With an ill fitted Cratch cover, quite ugly and the boat would look better without.

 

Yes lovely boat. 

 

The comment was about the shell. I don't think Doug Moore can be held responsible for what people fit to their boats after he sold them.

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11 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

Yes lovely boat. 

 

The comment was about the shell. I don't think Doug Moore can be held responsible for what people fit to their boats after he sold them.

Disagree, just a normal looking boat, maybe a photo without an ugly Cratch cover would support your claim more.

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