GRP Cruisers......where have they gone (Part II)

[stort_mark]

I notice that when questions are asked about GRP cruisers, there is little response and not uch general interest. Pity.

 

How many people here own GRP cruisers (or actually anything that's not a steel narrowboat)?

 

I notice that when questions are asked about GRP cruisers, there is little response and not uch general interest. Pity.

 

How many people here own GRP cruisers (or actually anything that's not a steel narrowboat)?

 

Hmmmm. Just noticed the appalling grammar in my header. If you're gonna mess it up, then mess it up big, eh?!

[Liam]

Your grammar? Whatcha talkin' about!

 

There is still plenty of GRP boats about, but obviously not as many as there was in their "heyday"

 

Our local boatyard, which is pretty much just outta the water boat storage really consists of mainly old narrowbeam cruisers such as Dawncraft, Norman etc all in a completely knackered state... all windows smashed and full of water etc. Such a shame.

 

There are still plenty of both "seen better days" GRP boats and reasonable condition GRP's which have been and are being looked after.

[norman18grp]

I think you will find there are more of us about than you think

If anyone needs any help the NORMAN BOATS APPRECIATION SOCIETY

can answer your questions about most make of GRP

There is also the Dawncraft owners

Site which you should also find helpfull

[1066]

My beloved little Dawncraft is still alive and well .... and long may it continue!

 

There are plenty of GRP boats on the Bridgewater Canal, and our club has [guesstimate] around 30 - 40% of GRP owning members.

[BGA]

If they are all like the one I hired for my holiday this year I can easily understand their demise, compared to a narrowboat it was a total pig, no storage, inefficient heating system, stank of diesel for the whole two weeks and the condensation was dramatic.

Edited May 13, 2008 by BGA

[carlt]

How many people here own GRP cruisers (or actually anything that's not a steel narrowboat)?

Double Diagonal constructed Ex-RNLI Lifeboat, Clinker built racing dinghy, plywood runabout, canvas canoe and grp tender.

 

I'm also looking at a 22' clinker yacht going for a ridiculously low price.

 

If they are all like the one I hired for my holiday this year I can easily understand their demise, compared to a narrowboat it was a total pig, no storage, inefficient heating system, stank of diesel for the whole two weeks and the condensation was dramatic.

Let me guess, broads bathtub. The only thing less boatlike than a narrowboat.

 

I think, within the tiny world of the canals we'll see a resurgence of the small cruiser and, in the real world of leisure boating, GRP is king and steel comes a poor third.

[Derri]

Let me guess, broads bathtub. The only thing less boatlike than a narrowboat.

 

 

I own a broads bathtub.

 

Gloriously huge, loads of storage, luxuriously fitted out (well, in the process), warm, dry, modern...but oh so fabulously slow compared to all the other boats around us (Thames!).

 

Mind you, we rescued it from slowely returning to nature atop some barrels and now we've painted it, everyone seems to think it's made of metal - like a great, overweight narrowboat!

[gazza]

i have a mayland family 16, its an ace little boat, the kids had been playing with the lock/sluice gear at irthlingborough last friday and saturday - the river level had dropped by nearly 2 foot (on top of already low level due to the lovely weather) 1 narrow boat had got stuck just before the old a6 road bridge, que rescue by the fire brigade! 3 others decided not to go for it, my little mayland with the outboard on shallow drive got thru - she draws all of about 4"

 

i have it setup like this: -

 

cabin - infill section to make a big bed, by day the bed is stowed, this allows enough room for the porta loo, 12v cool box and room enough to use the tilley gas stove/grill and the small sink. there is some stoage space under the bunks - no hanging space; but seeing as we are not dedicated followers of fashion that doesnt matter too much we use this space for storring tins, loo roll, kitchen towel, a small tool box etc. we evict the bog and cool box to the cockpit at night, kept free from the elements under the superb canopy.

 

i use compression sacks from millets to store things like waterproofs and fleace jackets. bedding goes in compression sucks under the bunk. we have a nifty drawer under the stove that holds enough cooking equipment, cutlery, crockery mugs etc for two people, behind the stove in a little cubby hole i store tea, coffee, packet soup etc.

 

the cubby hole behind the sink is big enough to store maps/log torches etc, next to the sink we have a small vanity cupboard, big enough to hold my toiletries and a greatly reduced female wash kit

 

we have a 20l water can under the sink, the water is drawn by a hand operated whale tap/pump - water heated by the kettle.........!

we find household wipes (kills 99.9% if germs - the last .1% must be tough little buggers!) essential, as are baby wipes for a quick spruce up.

 

cockpit - two recovered (with vinyl) office chairs for helm and passenger, the locker seating area aft is used to stow mooring pins, mallet, billhook and hatchet, spare rope, disposable bbq etc - most importantly they are home to the beer and wine so close to hand!

 

we have a decent 12v system now, 2 x 8w strip lamps in the cabin, 55w spot up front, 5w lamp for cockpit, nav lamps, cd/radio, loads of 12v sockets so no probs with light etc.

 

it is true we do not have much in the way of mod cons, BUT; we are seasoned campers, well used to making the most of small spaces. the boat is ideal for 2 & the dog, we can cover ground well due to the outstanding handling and small size, lock work is quick and efficent and i am never ever stuck for a spot to tie up - if i cant moor up - no one can!

 

if you can make do with out hot and cold running water, sat tv, roaring stove, reduced menu options, fairly primative toilet and washroom facilites and the odd bit of condensation (i fear the only thing i cant cure.......) you will find GRP cruising mega

 

i use my boat most weekends, frequently on my own, i have started to keep a log this year - be intresting to see how many hours we clock up we are looking forward to venturing onto the canal in august, be intresting to see what the shiny boat brigade make of our small, but perfectly formed craft

Edited May 13, 2008 by gazza

[ChrisG]

Interesting topic . . . I think that one of the key points is that narrowboats are really uniquely designed to fit a very specific niche market, in an equally specific, unique, and frankly, odd, corner of the boating market.

 

Because their niche is so limited, they've spread out into other areas - you see many on the Broads, rivers like the Thames, and increasingly the French canals.

 

But they're really not ideally suited to these other environments; I've frequently read about the concern boaters with narrowboats feel when tackling somewhere like the tidal Thames, whereas I've been up and down it, and the Seine (a much more scarey river in its lower reaches), in a 23ft seagoing GRP yacht without trepidation.

 

To be honest, in conditions other than those they're specifically designed for, steel narrowboats are an anomaly tied in time to a canal system designed for a historical age which ended with the coming of the steam locomotive. I think I recall reading once that Charles Hadfield, whose historical knowledge of the canals seemed to encompass the political and economic aspects, too, said that while English canals were designed to suit the immediate need and nothing more, continental widebeam canals were at least designed with an eye on the future.

 

Me - Given enough fendering to ward off narrowboats and others, I'd take a GRP boat most places!

 

PS - added: Of course, with the renewed building of Wilderness Boats, small GRP purpose-designed and built canal boats are back again, although their new price renders them very specific to a limited market. But a 23ft boat with a 7ft beam seems to be more boat-shaped than most nbs.

Edited May 14, 2008 by ChrisG

[gazza]

how true about fendering! i will share a lock with anyone, just so long as they have some common sense.

 

3 of us from the same marina on grp boats shared 12 locks on the nene with various narrow boats on the sunday of the bank holiday weekend, when we arrived at elton we found the lock nearly full, with a narrowboat and crew getting ready to enter. que a rather excitable lad explaining that we couldnt share th lock as our boats are made of plastic i patiently explained to him we had spent all day sharing and as long as they kept hold of their ropes all would be fine - to this he replied 'but you cant, your boats are plastic' top marks for observation none for boat handling skills!

 

after a bit of delibiration with the captain of his ship (his words ) they had decided they would share and asked us to enter first elton lock has a fairly tight and short lefthand approach when coming down stream. i would have been a bit dubious about this with an experienced crew, leave alone this bunch! diplomaticly, i asked if they would mine going in first as it generaly makes life easier and safer for all concerned - reply was, no we insit you go first. needles to say i refused their kind offer! eventualy they decided to let us have the lock and kindly let us on our way

 

it amazes me how alot of folks do not realise all that is needed is a bit of common sense and everything will go fairly smoothly, a blanket no steel grp just highlights the complete lack of skill, care and thoughtfulness this bunch had, sadly this is true for a good portion of the boating community. especially the i look down on him brigade!

Edited May 14, 2008 by gazza

[Gerbil]

Hi, I too have a plastic boat, by way of an early Mk 1 Freeman undergoing a bit of 'restoration'. One day, this too will be bobbing along the canals & rivers all wrapped in cotton wool .

Regarding this issue, I have a little question - Where does the expressions Tupperware (among others) & Sewer Tubes on the inland waterways come from? I must admit to being some-what amazed by it all. Having lived by the sea for most of my early life I allways found that a boat was called a boat whether it was wood, steel & in later years GRP, Ok it may have been a yacht but still a boat. Personally to me all craft have their own 'beauty', I love the well varnished timber boats, a well turned out NB allways catches my eye and the clean smooth lines of GRP all of a sparkle makes me think of warm summer days.

I could go on about this but I guess I had better not, as it could lead to me rabbiting on about canoeists, push cyclists, dogs, holiday hire boaters etc. etc.

[gazza]

give that man a coconut! i too have often wondered where the segregation bit comes from - it would appear to be more common on the cut than on the rivers and coast

[CanalWalker]

I much prefer a GRP boat (Norman being my favourite). There arent as many of these classic boats about but there are still some interesting examples among the new narrowboat clones.

It is a shame that canal magazines ignore them.

[nene offspring]

There are lots of GRP cruisers on the Nene, I think they are in the majority here. Lots of them look new and very posh!

[Naughty Cal]

95% GRP where we are and we love it. Only once had to share a lock with a narrowboat and that was at Torksey so it was big enough to keep well away.

Its fun watching them perch on the back of their tin tubes whilst tackling a big river.

 

Long live GRP. The narrowboaters will soon realise the error of their ways. Why constrict yourself to a 6'10" tube of steel.

 

The trouble with the inland waterways is that there are the people who believe that anything other than a steel boat shouldnt be there. Thing is most of them dont realise that wooden boats were there first. Just tell them this fact next time they sneer and watch the horror on their faces.

 

Just to add we are on the Fossdyke/Witham.

 

We love our little Sealine, little boat, big heart in a go (almost) anywhere package. The only strech of water we cant tackle in our area is the Chesterfield Canal above Retford. We have over 500 miles of waterways at our disposal many of which would be a not so wise choice in a narrowboat.

 

As for camping on water we have all the mod cons anyone could want. We want for nothing. Every inch of the boat is put to use with storage lockers, cupboards and shelfs for everything.

[Proper Job]

95% GRP where we are and we love it. Only once had to share a lock with a narrowboat and that was at Torksey so it was big enough to keep well away.

Its fun watching them perch on the back of their tin tubes whilst tackling a big river.

 

Long live GRP. The narrowboaters will soon realise the error of their ways. Why constrict yourself to a 6'10" tube of steel.

 

The trouble with the inland waterways is that there are the people who believe that anything other than a steel boat shouldnt be there. Thing is most of them dont realise that wooden boats were there first. Just tell them this fact next time they sneer and watch the horror on their faces.

 

Just to add we are on the Fossdyke/Witham.

 

We love our little Sealine, little boat, big heart in a go (almost) anywhere package. The only strech of water we cant tackle in our area is the Chesterfield Canal above Retford. We have over 500 miles of waterways at our disposal many of which would be a not so wise choice in a narrowboat.

 

As for camping on water we have all the mod cons anyone could want. We want for nothing. Every inch of the boat is put to use with storage lockers, cupboards and shelfs for everything.

Wooden narrowboats boats were first, but in a collision, they would have made as much mess of an airfix kit as a steel one

[Naughty Cal]

Wooden narrowboats boats were first, but in a collision, they would have made as much mess of an airfix kit as a steel one

 

Maybe so but that wasnt the point.

 

Anyhow what happens when you put steel into water. Ah yes it corrodes.

[Theo]

They have all gone to Raynsway Marina on the Soar. Fuzzyduck attracts them. There are far more GRP's than NB's there.

 

N

[twocvbloke]

Last I saw, they were all rotting away along Barrowford moorings (permanent and visitor), turning into green things that blend in with the landscape...

[Naughty Cal]

Last I saw, they were all rotting away along Barrowford moorings (permanent and visitor), turning into green things that blend in with the landscape...

 

You mean like 2CV's.

[twocvbloke]

You mean like 2CV's.

 

No, 2CVs actually work...

[Naughty Cal]

No, 2CVs actually work...

 

Not the ones ive seen. They are mostly collecting mould on peoples drives.

[Proper Job]

Not the ones ive seen. They are mostly collecting mould on peoples drives.

I've seen quite a few GRP cruisers on peoples drives collecting mould

[Naughty Cal]

I've seen quite a few GRP cruisers on peoples drives collecting mould

 

They tend to be in the water collecting mould though. Much like narrowbotas tend to be in the water colecting the metal munchers.

Edited February 5, 2009 by Phylis

[carlt]

I've seen quite a few GRP cruisers on peoples drives collecting mould

Then again, many years ago I went to look at a steel shell, for sale, in Telford, that a bloke had built in his back garden.

 

There was no possible way that it would ever come out and he was hoping somebody would come along with an imaginative idea of acquiring a cheap boat.

 

The council had firmly refused permission for a lift over the roofs, which he'd assumed would be possible so, I guess it's either still there or the gas axe was utilised.