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NB Whitefield for sale

Paul H

By Paul H
in General Boating

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Lady Muck Veteran

Lady Muck

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Perhaps they got tired of everyone pointing and laughing when they took it out.

 

Perhaps they got tired of waiting in queues for the locks (having seen where the boat is berthed I did wonder).

 

Perhaps they are so loaded they simply got bored of it and don't care, because they have now moved onto a new project, to fit out a helicopter interior in the style of a working boat.

 

Who knows? It's the most unshocking news to do with narrowobats that I've heard all year though.

 

Everytime I read a review of a new boat in Waterways World or Canal Boat I always wonder how long this one'll last before I see it in a brokerage advert.

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Hairy-Neil Veteran

Hairy-Neil

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EDIT: Excuse this post, it's rubbish! I was looking at Whitfield on the Fernwood site and the link above the Whitfield pictures is to generic Fernwood engine rooms, not the engine room on this boat. I'd rather delete this whole post but I'm not sure how...

 

Says in the spec the engine is a Beta 50...

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Guest

Guest

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EDIT: Excuse this post, it's rubbish! I was looking at Whitfield on the Fernwood site and the link above the Whitfield pictures is to generic Fernwood engine rooms, not the engine room on this boat. I'd rather delete this whole post but I'm not sure how...

 

Only a mod can delete but if you do make a a silly mistake in a post and you want to cover it up - you can just edit back to a couple of characters like full stops.

 

You can't edit back to a blank post though -

 

I've just done this because I thought I' dropped a clanger (turns out I hadn't)

 

Of course this will only work if somebody doesn't quote you in their post - then all will be revealed....

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Albion Influencer

Albion

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I'd be interested to know where the mismatch was between their dream and the reality !!

 

A lot of people seem to have romantic notions about life on the canals and in my experience, few heed advice.

 

It seems to be a path that many are fated to tread alone.

 

I agree. Over the years I've seen so many 'innovative' designs come onto the market and guess what, after a few months, or no more than a year, they are always up for sale and usually being sold for a fraction of the price because no-one else wants them. Some may consider it boring but conventional designs will always sell. Space age stuff won't unless you give it away. If you intend to, and do, keep it forever then Ok but if you're a newcomer or just plain not sure then don't!

Roger

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bottle Veteran II

bottle

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Perhaps they got tired of everyone pointing and laughing when they took it out.

It never went out :lol:

 

Perhaps they got tired of waiting in queues for the locks (having seen where the boat is berthed I did wonder).

See above.

 

Perhaps they are so loaded they simply got bored of it and don't care, because they have now moved onto a new project, to fit out a helicopter interior in the style of a working boat.

Maybe they have, but the main reason as I understand it is, it involved too much work on their behalf and that is not what they wished to do.

 

Who knows? It's the most unshocking news to do with narrowobats that I've heard all year though.

 

Everytime I read a review of a new boat in Waterways World or Canal Boat I always wonder how long this one'll last before I see it in a brokerage advert.

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starman Experienced

starman

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Everytime I read a review of a new boat in Waterways World or Canal Boat I always wonder how long this one'll last before I see it in a brokerage advert.

 

Sorry but that sort of comment is just plain silly as well as unfair to what are, by and large, honest, hard working people putting their savings or retirement pot into living out their dream on the canals. The great majority of boats I tested over several years for Canal Boat are still in their first owners' hands, are used regularly or lived on and aren't Whitefield fantasies but pretty conventional craft (though they do include a couple of diesel-electric hybrids both of which are still enthusiastically run by the people who commissioned them).

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Cosmic Community Regular

Cosmic

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The problem with the canal mindset is that anything different immediatly gets slagged off and shot down. That's a tad boring in my opinion.

I don't think it's a "canal mindset" as such. It's just that the traditional designs are popular for one very simple reason - they work. Similarly, designs like this are unpopular because they don't.

 

The builders have clearly identified a niche market. They build "imaginative" boats, to the most ludicrous specifications, for people who have stupid amounts of money to waste and don't like to be told that they are wrong. The standard of workmanship appears to be second to none, as people like that will demand. However, in terms of fitness for purpose, a more boring traditional boat costing perhaps a third of the price would be much "better" (and would hold its value much better).

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carlt Veteran II

carlt

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I don't think it's a "canal mindset" as such. It's just that the traditional designs are popular for one very simple reason - they work. Similarly, designs like this are unpopular because they don't.

I actually quite like it, as a design exercise. It reminds me of a Wurlitzer Juke Box or Ford Thunderbird.

 

1959_Ford_Thunderbird_Convertible.jpg

 

It just doesn't work as a canal boat.

 

There is far too many fragile bits around its extrmities that are asking to be knocked off by a lock, bridge hole or party boat.

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Chris J W Influencer

Chris J W

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Well, well, well.

 

So much speculation.

 

The owners had exactly what they asked for, although many people advised them against, their concept of life on the canals was also way off the mark, again advice ignored.

 

The price when built was way above the £200,000, I believe that is now about the asking price.

 

They had a dream but that dream did not fit in with the reality of life afloat in England.

 

The reason it is for sale is just that.

 

Talk about speculation!

 

Do any of us here know exactly why they're selling up? For all we know the boat could have performed brilliantly, but other factors have influenced the move.

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tomsk Experienced

tomsk

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Talk about speculation!

 

Do any of us here know exactly why they're selling up? For all we know the boat could have performed brilliantly, but other factors have influenced the move.

 

I think general concensus is that it's bit of a dogs dinner.

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paulcatchpole Rising Star

paulcatchpole

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I think general concensus is that it's bit of a dogs dinner.

 

Awww....

 

I'm one of the few who likes it - all of the gadetry, the glass doors and even the outer shape - although I might draw a line at it not being in my choice of colours!

 

Long live diversity and progress.

 

I'm (very much personally) not much a fan of gas lamps, brass, rag rugs, funny can shaped things et al.

 

...and although I can see the (mechanical appreciative) appeal in a hulking single-cylinder monster of an engine, 'boat 3' is having a BMW M47N minus the turbo, whether CreamCheese likes it or not... :lol:

 

PC

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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I can't be bothered to search out the previous threads on this.

 

Not sure if it was mentioned on CWDF, or elsewhere, but I though I had heard that on an early attempt to actually move it all that fancy plastic and glass affair got completely trashed in one of the tunnels.

 

Or did I manage to imagine that ?

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tomsk Experienced

tomsk

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No. I don't agree that there's a general consensus.

 

 

Thats fine as well, I can't be bothered to point out that there clearly is (do you see what I did there?). Are you perchance aquainted with the vendors?

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Chris J W Influencer

Chris J W

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Posted (edited)
Thats fine as well, I can't be bothered to point out that there clearly is (do you see what I did there?). Are you perchance aquainted with the vendors?

 

No, I'm not. Just the way I read the thread I'd say it's more balanced, even if you account for 'not my cup of tea but good luck to em' type.

 

[edit to removed accidentally overly provocative bit]

Edited by Chris J W
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