GRP Cruisers

[GRPCruiserman]

Just wondering if anyone knows what has happened to all the small GRP cruisers that used to populate the canal system.

 

I have a GRP cruiser and in some parts of the system it is now seen as almost unique!!

 

There used to be a lot of GRP cruisers that came up under the section 8 powers of BW for sale by tender. Many of these were then bought for pittance by now loving owners.

 

The system is more and more being orientated towards narrow boats, even down to the spacing of rings, marina design etc, provision of pump out in favour over showers, fewer water points, and even the lack of petrol indication in boating guides. Also the towing through Standedge tunnel on The Huddersfield Narrow Canal appears to be very steel boat orientated. Slipways are also becoming rarer.

 

At a major waterway festival, GRP boats are now excluded from the canal boating area and have to moor with the sea going craft.

 

I am sure I read somewhere that if BW 'snatch' a boat by way of section 8 and the value is decided to be less than £1000 then the boat is destroyed? Is this correct? Surely BW could sell these as 'starter' boats to encourage new users of the canal system.

 

The linear mooring situation is surely made worse by the average length of a boat getting longer?

 

Does anyone know the answers to these questions?

 

Or am I alone in this opinion?

[bottle]

 

My own thought is that the canals are not really suitable for GRP, to many hard edges.

[GRPCruiserman]

 

My own thought is that the canals are not really suitable for GRP, to many hard edges.

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The canals are fine for GRP, no problems, the only issues are with narrow boat 'steerers' (a minority, I must admit) who have scant regard for the needs of GRP cruisers and who tend to look down on us as car drivers do to motor cyclists, or 4x4 drivers do to car drivers.

 

Most narrow boaters are fine, it is just some who create the problems. Not always hirers either!! Although my second trip up the Llangollen two years ago was a bit of a nightmare with hire boaters!!

[dor]

the only issues are with narrow boat 'steerers' (a minority, I must admit) who have scant regard for the needs of GRP cruisers

 

This may of course be a perception problem as narrowboaters are used to steering a straight line quite close to other boaters, whilst GRPs seem to wander all over the place. Or it may be a reaction against the GRP owners who think it is quite unneccesary to slow down when passing moored boats.

 

That aside, there still seem to be plenty on the shroppie.

[GRPCruiserman]

This may of course be a perception problem as narrowboaters are used to steering a straight line quite close to other boaters, whilst GRPs seem to wander all over the place.  Or it may be a reaction against the GRP owners who think it is quite unneccesary to slow down when passing moored boats.

 

That aside, there still seem to be plenty on the shroppie.

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This post wasn't meant to be a cruiser v narrow boat post, I beleive there are good and bad boat drivers from both camps. I did say that the bad ones were a minority, I just seem to remember that ten years ago or so, there were many many cruisers, and although there still are in some areas, there are a lot which seem to have just disappeared, and there seems to be no explanation as to where these have gone??

 

To encourage boaters to the canals, cruisers are MUCH cheaper to buy, use, and run, and it is a shame that the opportunities do not present themselves to those of us on lower incomes.

 

Is there a GRP cruiser mountain somewhere? Like the fridge mountains??

[bottle]

Grp just fades away.

 

the maintenance yard for GRP is rare so perhaps its to do with the perception of boaters that steel is the better option.

[g0n]

There are hoards of GRP cruisers on the River Ouse. And yes, there do seem to be plenty on the Shroppie.

 

One thing I have noticed is a tendency for GRP cruisers to be 'abandoned' more than narrowboats, perhaps because of the relative costs. Venetian marina has a row of about a dozen GRP cruisers on hard standing, only one of which is ever visited and most of which appear to be derelict.

[John Orentas]

They are still in the majority on the Lancaster for historical reasons but narrowboats are catching up fast.

[GRPCruiserman]

I agree, I think it is a 'perception' thing.

 

Maintainence yards that handle GRP do ssem to be rare, these days,but I suppose GRP really lends itself to DIY. The hull usually requires little maintainence except where wooden bits are attached, and fibre glass bonding is like using any other glue!! I am not a DIY expert and am certainly no mechanic, but GRP boats are so simple, and I get my engine (outboard) serviced by taking the engine to the local outboard expert. When it wears out, I'll have to pay a few hundred pounds for anyother one.

 

I recently sold a GRP cruiser for £700 with engine, and the phone rang off the hook!! There is a huge market for them, and when you consider I neither made a profit nor a loss on the boat and had four years of cruising on it, tidal, and on various canals, including our yearly two week holiday,boating does not have to be expensive.

 

When I tell people I have a boat on the canal, they immediately think of a narrow boat, and can't understand how I can 'afford' it. When I tell them it cost to buy less than their car and costs less to run than they spend on drink in a weekend, they are amazed.

 

A friend of mine spent nearly as much on a starter motor for their narrow boat a few weeks ago as I usually spend on a boat!!

 

As you say, it's all down to perception.

Edited August 2, 2005 by GRPCruiserman

[fuzzyduck]

there's still loads of cruisers on the G.U Leicester branch (soar)

 

I think the reason they seem to be dying out is because the majority of manufacturers of narrowbeam cruisers went bust in the 80s or 90's, and while there are new N.B's rolling off the stocks, cruisers are a different matter.

 

As you yourself have identified, you don't need GRP repair specialists for a 20 year old cruiser, you just pull it out of the water, make the repair and go. Outboards can be removed from the boat and serviced / repaired.

 

Cruisers are an ideal entry boat not least because 10K will buy you a 30 or 32 foot boat that "needs a little tarting up" and a smaller boat in the same situation will cost as low as a few hundred pounds. They can be as simple as you like, and the smallest ones can be kept in your drive, so no massive expenses to BW.

 

IT may also be that cruisers tend to be more seasonal than N.B's simply because they tend to be smaller so cruiser owners don't go on month long sojourns round the country.

 

On the downside it's not as comfortable for a family of 4 to live on.

 

I'd be extremely interested to know of the canal festival where crusiers aren't allowed to moor with the narrow boats, because i'll make a point of doing so next year. and I will also make a point of telling all the advertisers exactly why I won't be purchasing anything from them. I'll also be asking the members of Dawncraft Owners to do the same thing.

 

IT might be worthy of note that the Stafford and Worcester was kept open because of cruisers.

 

The attitude of Dor suprises me, yes my cruiser can wander a bit, but I always slow down when passing moored boats (unless there is a safety reason for not doing so) but hey maybe next time I won't.

[nbtafelberg]

There are quite a few GRP's on the River Wey Navigation.

 

Most of them look like they have not moved in about 10 years.

[DHutch]

I think anyone with any sort of canal going boat is equally great.

- Anything is better than nothing, and there a lot of people with just that.

 

Although some crusersdo got fairly fast passed moored boats, so do a lot of narrowboats (an often not hirers)

- Atleast the crusers (espcially the smaller ones) create all but no swell.

 

 

Daniel

[ChrisPy]

They are still in the majority on the Lancaster for historical reasons but narrowboats are catching up fast.

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sounds like they are considered to be 'ancient GRP monuments', or is that not what you meant, John ?

[fuzzyduck]

I think anyone with any sort of canal going boat is equally great.

- Anything is better than nothing, and there a lot of people with just that.

 

Although some crusersdo got fairly fast passed moored boats, so do a lot of narrowboats (an often not hirers)

- Atleast the crusers (espcially the smaller ones) create all but no swell.

Daniel

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I'm sure someone will correct me on this, but a cruiser has the potential to raise a bigger wake, due to the fact they are generally shorter, thus as they reach hull speed the bow tries to rise onto the plane, the stern goes down, and you get a bigger stern wave, a 70 foot NB hull has a lot faster hull speed so this doesn't occur.

 

My description of the mechanics might be rubbish, but at 4Mph i create much more of a wash than a narrowboat.

 

So its doubly important to check your speed when passing moored boats in a cruiser (especially mine).

[ChrisPy]

I'm sure someone will correct me on this, but a cruiser has the potential to raise a bigger wake, due to the fact they are generally shorter, thus as they reach hull speed the bow tries to rise onto the plane, the stern goes down, and you get a bigger stern wave, a 70 foot NB hull has a lot faster hull speed so this doesn't occur.

 

My description of the mechanics might be rubbish, but at 4Mph i create much more of a wash than a narrowboat.

 

So its doubly important to check your speed when passing moored boats in a cruiser (especially mine).

27046[/snapback]

good reason to limit all GRP boats to 2mph. You asked for it

[DHutch]

... but at 4Mph i create much more of a wash than a narrowboat.

More wash maybe, but as there only displacing 1/2tons of water, there effect on a (heavy) narrowboat is much less.

 

 

Daniel

[nbtafelberg]

you want wash

 

get on the thames especially later in the day when the plasticators are out and dying to get home.

 

It's like TSUNAMI city, some of those boats are BIG.

[GRPCruiserman]

I'm sure someone will correct me on this, but a cruiser has the potential to raise a bigger wake, due to the fact they are generally shorter, thus as they reach hull speed the bow tries to rise onto the plane, the stern goes down, and you get a bigger stern wave, a 70 foot NB hull has a lot faster hull speed so this doesn't occur.

 

My description of the mechanics might be rubbish, but at 4Mph i create much more of a wash than a narrowboat.

 

So its doubly important to check your speed when passing moored boats in a cruiser (especially mine).

27046[/snapback]

 

It all depends on hull shape.

 

A planing hull will generate a lot of wash as it approaches planing speed, but that is generally around 12-15 mph so this is unlikely to come in at 4mph.

 

Normans are a shallow 'V' shape which can generate a lot of wash, but can do 4mph without a canal banking breaking wash, but should still slow down when passing moored boats.

 

Dawncrafts, however, have a 'tunnel' almost cathedral/cat shaped hull which generates almost no wash even at up to 4mph.

 

Again, though, perception rears it head, because a small boat doing four mph looks like it is actually traveling much faster because it produces many small ripples at the bow, instead of fewer, larger ones. I have had a number of small boats, always fitted with GPS to give an acurate speed reading, and have regularly been accused of speeding, even though the wash generated was very small, and the GPS has said 3 or 3.5 mph. This coupled with smaller, faster running engines, gives the impression to the 'less-wise' of higher speed.

 

This situation is becoming more noticable as the number of people who come in to boating straight in to a narrow boat is increasing. If everyone had started in a cruiser then they would understand.

 

Regards The Lancaster Canal, it is still populated with many cruisers, I agree, but it is the high numbers of small 'starter ' type cruisers that seem to have disappeared.

 

I agree with dhutch, any kind of boat is better than none, look at all the converted ship's lifeboats there used to be.

 

I was only wondering where all the little boats were.

[dor]

I was only wondering where all the little

 

What about all the little narrowboats as well. At one time there were several builders making small (as little as 20ft) steel narrowboats. Now it is almost impossible to buy a new boat less than 50ft.

 

Presumably so much of the cost is the same whether the boat is 30ft or 60ft, the shorter boats just aren''t economic.

[Bullfrog]

Try looking here http://www.marine90.fsnet.co.uk/leisurespirit.htm.

[GRPCruiserman]

Try looking here http://www.marine90.fsnet.co.uk/leisurespirit.htm.

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What a cracker for the money. I still can't afford it though

[tony collins]

Just wondering if anyone knows what has happened to all the small GRP cruisers that used to populate the canal system.

 

They are out there! In our basin on the North Oxford, more than fifty percent of the boats are GRP cruisers. and in our neighbouring morrings it is a similar ratio. And they do get used. We recently enjoyed a cruise in company and again at least half, if not more were GRP boats.

As a (now) steel boat owner, having previously had a GRP boat, I realise concessions have to be made the steerers of GRP cruisers. They are generally more susceptible to cross winds for example and it is generally easier for a steel boat to hold station in mid channel than it is for a GRP boat. so on a windy day it is courteous to "let him have the bridge". However when sharing a lock, it is better for the steel boat to enter first, as the consequences of a GRP boat accidentally hitting a steel boat are likely to be less than vice versa.

 

Tony

[gorbo]

I own a GRP crusier , and yes they do seam to be indecline in certain places, i belive that there has to be a cheap entry level for boaters how many of you narrowboats owned little boats? perhaps some boat builders will see the need and start producing cheaper boats after all the more boats on the canal the less weed. I used to own a Springer 23` which was a great little boat and this is the sort of craft that needs to be built , so come on you builder, build!! perhaps BW could offer concessions

[John Orentas]

Sadly the market is entirely buyer driven, the 57ft. bland cruiser is now close to being universal with many of the canal boat traditions going by the board. I have a theory that what is driving the market is the escalating price of houses and low interest rates, people find that they can borrow very substantial sums of cash against the spiralling value of their house.

It is the weekend cottage syndrome but there are not too many cottages available anymore, but are they boaters?

[fender.]

Like many others I started off with a small GRP cruiser she was about 15' I think. The cabin was small with just enough space for a cooker and two bunks, and we were brave enoughto go through Braunston and Blisworth. Even when working narrowboats were the norm cruisers of any kind were viewed with a skeptism. The image of Eric Sykes in the Bargee always reminds me of the way that cruisers, whether wooden or GRP, have been viewed by the general waterways community, and it is a source of much concern. On some rivers there is resentment at the increase in narrowboats and the decline in the numbers of GRP cruisers. I was talking to some people on the Thames and I found that so much resentment exists over the larger number of narrowboats on it.

Edited October 10, 2005 by fender.