Trailable boat next?

[magpie patrick]

Hi folks,

 

it was phylis's thread on GRP boats that really got the old grey matter spinning, along with the pictures of Mini Mee that were posted on there.

 

Val and I have a 62 foot semi-trad narrow boat. Purchased by me when I was single for extended cruising, possible liveaboard and big enough to entertain friends (it's an eight berth). Now married, we spend less time, or certainly do less miles, and seldom have company and when we do it's another couple for two or three days. Conclusion: Ripple is probably bigger than we need (and thus costs more in moorings etc), and less time makes canal bashing more problematic because of the dead time in just moving the boat around.

 

one possible answer is to marina hop, wintering in a different marina each year and making the main trip a move from one to the next.

 

The other one is replace Ripple with a second hand trailable boat. We'd probably still moor the new boat in a marina or similar so we didn't have to trail just to have a weekend afloat, but suddenly the Leeds and Liverpool is a six hour drive away rather than a six week round trip.

 

So: Questions. We need a boat that is comfortable for two for a week, and can if need be accommodate four for the night, thoughts?

 

The Wilderness Beaver looks quite narrow boaty, but does it cope well (or at all) with more adventurous stuff, bearing in mind that once we've got this thing I don't doubt we'll suddenly get an urge for the Caledonian Canal or Windermere or something.

 

I know the maximum trailable weight is 3 tonnes, but what car do I need to pull this? Conversely what sort of boat could be pulled with an Audi A4 1.9 turbo diesel

 

The boat would need to be funded out of the sale of Ripple, so probably £30 ish K if I'm patient.

 

No immediate rush, this years cruise is planned and next years (both heading for the BCN via different routes) is in preparation

[Naughty Cal]

Ours is on the limit of being trailable and our long term plans are to trail it once we have run out of places to take it in the locality. We will of course need a bigger car and were thinking of a Nissan Navara.

 

Other options are boats like the Shetlands and Vikings but quality on those is questionable.

[Chris-B]

Ours is on the limit of being trailable and our long term plans are to trail it once we have run out of places to take it in the locality. We will of course need a bigger car and were thinking of a Nissan Navara.

 

Other options are boats like the Shetlands and Vikings but quality on those is questionable.

Go for a Discovery as a towing vehicle, best mgwt in class or the Kia Sorrento

C

[Naughty Cal]

Go for a Discovery as a towing vehicle, best mgwt in class or the Kia Sorrento

C

 

Definately dont want a Kia and not so keen on land rovers either.

 

The workhorse pickups will do for work as well. The other half has his heart set on a Range Rover, again i dont like them.

[Neil TNC]

Hi folks,

 

it was phylis's thread on GRP boats that really got the old grey matter spinning, along with the pictures of Mini Mee that were posted on there.

 

Val and I have a 62 foot semi-trad narrow boat. Purchased by me when I was single for extended cruising, possible liveaboard and big enough to entertain friends (it's an eight berth). Now married, we spend less time, or certainly do less miles, and seldom have company and when we do it's another couple for two or three days. Conclusion: Ripple is probably bigger than we need (and thus costs more in moorings etc), and less time makes canal bashing more problematic because of the dead time in just moving the boat around.

 

one possible answer is to marina hop, wintering in a different marina each year and making the main trip a move from one to the next.

 

The other one is replace Ripple with a second hand trailable boat. We'd probably still moor the new boat in a marina or similar so we didn't have to trail just to have a weekend afloat, but suddenly the Leeds and Liverpool is a six hour drive away rather than a six week round trip.

 

So: Questions. We need a boat that is comfortable for two for a week, and can if need be accommodate four for the night, thoughts?

 

The Wilderness Beaver looks quite narrow boaty, but does it cope well (or at all) with more adventurous stuff, bearing in mind that once we've got this thing I don't doubt we'll suddenly get an urge for the Caledonian Canal or Windermere or something.

 

I know the maximum trailable weight is 3 tonnes, but what car do I need to pull this? Conversely what sort of boat could be pulled with an Audi A4 1.9 turbo diesel

 

The boat would need to be funded out of the sale of Ripple, so probably £30 ish K if I'm patient.

 

No immediate rush, this years cruise is planned and next years (both heading for the BCN via different routes) is in preparation

 

If you want a Wilderness Boat, then you will be VERY lucky to get one other than through Ian Graham, the brilliant bod who created them some 30 years ago. When he has boats available on brokerage or that he has bought and refurbished, he sends out a letter on the same day to all interested parties and then the bun-fight starts. He has 5 Wilderness boats coming up in March, one is a very tidy 1990 Beaver (15 grandish) but with no trailer (sorry the last good one has just GONE hee hee!) but expect to pay around 900 quid for a good non galvanised trailer, or 1500 quid for a galvanised one.) New galvanised steel trailers are around 3500 quid. The basic Beaver layout (like the one mentioned) has 4 single berths, but the front two can be adapted to a double. Linda's Mini Me is a home fitout, with a large enough front to the cabin to get a IKEA "click clack" sofa bed in.

If you dredge through this TNC page, there are some piccies of it inside.

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/TourMM_0...7MMBristol.html

Linda was very lucky with Mini Me, it had been sold by Ian Graham 6 months before she saw it on Apollo Duck and we knew all about it and how it was just the layout we wanted.

 

There is a VERY active owners club (you have to have a Wilderness to join)

http://www.wilderness.org.uk/

To be honest it is worth waiting for a good SH one (which WILL hold its value) than spend the 35 grand on a new one.

 

To tow a Beaver you will need something the size of a Transit van, Landrover Landy/Discovery/Range Rover, Nissan Terrano, Izuzu Trooper (very popular for trailing) or even a KIA Sorento, most of which you can pick up dirt cheap at the moment. A Freelander, Nissan X-Trail etc is pushing it with a Beaver. The basic Beaver rig weighs in at around 2000+kg and being under 7m, people who passed their test a while back, will not need to pass a trailer test.

 

They certainly are OK for a couple, for a couple of weeks cruising.

Most of the Wilderness bunch are bored with the UK, so go over to mainland Europe. Another thing about a Wilderness is you can use it as a caravan!

To be honest they are not that good in rough water, the Loch Ness bit of the Caley can be as bad as the Irish Sea!

But with 7” draught you can boat anywhere and launch them in a puddle.

 

PM me if you want more info.

[haggis]

You could always think about a Sea Otter, the aluminium beasties. Bit heavier than a Wilderness, I think, but we tow gamebird a lot and we have had her in the firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth where she performed remarkably well - she has a slight V bottom. She was, we are told, the first narrow boat to cruise the Crinan canal but we have yet to tackle the Caledonain. Don't know if I feel up to doing Loch Ness where the weather can change very quicky and you can go from flat calm to BIG waves in a short space of time. Her web site is www.nbgamebird.co.uk

Mind you, when you cruise in narrow boat country in a Sea Otter you quickly realise where in the pecking order you come and it is not very high!

 

haggis.

[ditchcrawler]

Mind you, when you cruise in narrow boat country in a Sea Otter you quickly realise where in the pecking order you come and it is not very high!

 

haggis.

We always stop to speak to you.

Brian

[Justme]

Check your choise of tow car very carefully. Lots of people are getting done (mostly farmers & stock trailers) for towing trailers that they used to tow with a landy with these flash new pickups. Landys do 3500kg (4000kg if you have active linked breaks) some of these new pick ups only do 2200kg / 2600kg 2800kg & 3000kg. Also remember its the plated weight that counts so even collecting an empty 3500kg plated trailer is still a no no. Never mind going over the trailers carry capacity.

 

Justme

[churchward]

You could always think about a Sea Otter, the aluminium beasties. Bit heavier than a Wilderness, I think, but we tow gamebird a lot and we have had her in the firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth where she performed remarkably well - she has a slight V bottom. She was, we are told, the first narrow boat to cruise the Crinan canal but we have yet to tackle the Caledonain. Don't know if I feel up to doing Loch Ness where the weather can change very quicky and you can go from flat calm to BIG waves in a short space of time. Her web site is www.nbgamebird.co.uk

Mind you, when you cruise in narrow boat country in a Sea Otter you quickly realise where in the pecking order you come and it is not very high!

 

haggis.

 

Pah! ignore such hierarchical nonsense. As long as you are enjoying your boating and doing no harm to anyone what the heck! You would always get a wave from me it's the crac that's important not the boat.

[Neil TNC]

You could always think about a Sea Otter, the aluminium beasties. Bit heavier than a Wilderness, I think, but we tow gamebird a lot and we have had her in the firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth where she performed remarkably well - she has a slight V bottom. She was, we are told, the first narrow boat to cruise the Crinan canal but we have yet to tackle the Caledonain. Don't know if I feel up to doing Loch Ness where the weather can change very quicky and you can go from flat calm to BIG waves in a short space of time. Her web site is www.nbgamebird.co.uk

Mind you, when you cruise in narrow boat country in a Sea Otter you quickly realise where in the pecking order you come and it is not very high!

 

haggis.

 

...and to top it all, the plastic boaters still think you are a narrowboat?

[carlt]

Carl mumbles something about there being some beautiful mahogany carvel cruisers, out there, that are very trailable, then goes back to sipping his tea and perusing his "Seacraft 25" plans.

[magpie patrick]

Carl mumbles something about there being some beautiful mahogany carvel cruisers, out there, that are very trailable, then goes back to sipping his tea and perusing his "Seacraft 25" plans.

 

Patrick hears an incoherent mumbling, at first assumes it's a heckler at the coal canal meetings, but reckons no heckler would use the words "mahogany carvel" and pricks his ears up

 

Being based on the G&S, that's not out of the question Carl. I'd prefer something that would fit in a narrow lock but as most of our objectives (L&L, GU, Fens) are not narrow, and I wouldn't chance a plastic on some of the more dubious bits of the BCN anyway, do tell.

 

Not being a coastal boater, where do I look, how much maintenance, and how many beer tokens would I need to part with?

[Naughty Cal]

Check your choise of tow car very carefully. Lots of people are getting done (mostly farmers & stock trailers) for towing trailers that they used to tow with a landy with these flash new pickups. Landys do 3500kg (4000kg if you have active linked breaks) some of these new pick ups only do 2200kg / 2600kg 2800kg & 3000kg. Also remember its the plated weight that counts so even collecting an empty 3500kg plated trailer is still a no no. Never mind going over the trailers carry capacity.

 

Justme

 

Farmers are classed as commercial traffic and will get prosecuted for breaking their towing limits.

 

Private users will rarely get checked. We regulaly tow over the Sierras capacity but the Sealine is a step too far, even for her grunty V6.

[Gretzky]

I had a disco, that thing was amazing! I would love a another, in fact its very tempting. I once needed to remove a small tree from my garden, tried the traditonal method, dig round the roots etc, got fed up, grabbed a rope, tied one end to the tree one end to the disco, dropped it into low, and 1st, drove off. went back to see the tree up and half the garden path too! Took me longer to rebuild the path than it would have to dig the tree up! hey ho! As for general towing your gonna struggle to beat it, not so sure about the new series III mine was a II and a little more mechcanial than the electronic stuffed III (more to go wrong). Even the automatic air susspension, overload the triler nose and it just pumps up the rear of the car, or course load you trailer correctly and its not a problem. Would often find my son sat on the roof too, he used to climb all over it but it was built like the proverbial brick outhouse, down side.... well lets Just say as we all know the aint the cheapest car in the world to run and dealer services cost a fortune (thats what made me get rid).

[Grasshopper]

Mind you, when you cruise in narrow boat country in a Sea Otter you quickly realise where in the pecking order you come and it is not very high

 

The Dwarf cruises all the time in narrowboat country and I can't say that I've ever noticed that. The only downside (if you can call it that) is the amount of time spent answering questions about her..........How much do they cost? What does it weigh? etc etc. Not that I mind really.

[bastonjock]

I have a MacGregor 26x trailerable powersailor,it is a go anywhere boat,ive had it on the rivers and canals,out to sea up to a force 7,i trailer it witha Mitsubishi Pajero 2.8 td.the mac is advertised as a 6 berth boat but in all honesty 4 is the max.It has reasonable accomodation and can be modifyed to suit your own tastes.

 

there are piccys of mine on the board,i can trailer my boat down to the river Nene,go through whittlesea lock and down river to Sutton bridge,as it has a folding mast i can duck under anything heading out to the Wash,then its round to Wells Norfolk and last year i sailed it as far as the river Orwell,on my way back i nipped into the Yar just to check that i could reach the broads,even at yarmouth town bridge where the flow was a bit strong,i just gunned the 50 Hp yamaha and through i went,its minimum draught is 10 inches,max is around 5ft

 

people have taken these boats down the coast either by sailing or trailer,hopped the channel and entered the french canal system.

 

The mac is so flexible that one day i hope to sail it up the East Coast,down the Calledonian and cross over by way of the canals and rivers back to the Nene