Boat Builder

[PaulaJ]

Its a wind-up right, 4 weeks for yours, next build slot May next year, your very first post but there's 3 recorded and I'm an amateur at sussing trolls, wait till the big guns start on this thread!

 

Charming! I've obviously made a couple of replies as people have added their comments but if you look at my member joining date you'll see it was later yesterday afternoon! And belive it or not I don't appreciate being called a Troll!!!!!

[Naughty Cal]

Assuming you are not rleated too or part of this boat building/fitting outfit, how can your boat be ready in 4 weeks but the next build slot is May 2010? And do you think a boat built and fitted in 4 weeks will be any good. The build quality must be average at the very best.

[Lady Muck]

Its a wind-up right, 4 weeks for yours, next build slot May next year, your very first post but there's 3 recorded and I'm an amateur at sussing trolls, wait till the big guns start on this thread!

 

I'd really rather the 'big guns' didn't start, TBH.

 

Lets keep our judgements to ourselves and play nicely.

 

I think we were honest with our advice. I think it's good advice. It's up to the OP whether they heed it or not. Can we leave it at that, please?

Edited September 23, 2009 by Lady Muck

[RLWP]

Can anyone answer PaulaJ's original questions about the quality of Orchard Marina/Collingwood boats or their reliability and creditability as companies?

 

Richard

[PaulaJ]

Can anyone answer PaulaJ's original questions about the quality of Orchard Marina/Collingwood boats or their reliability and creditability as companies?

 

Richard

 

 

Thank you Richard! And Lady Muck! Don't think i'll be posting anymore threads in future if this is the nightmare it causes. As for the comment about whether I work for either company, NO, i don't. I wouldn't waste anyone's time on purpose.

 

And in reply to Phylis i said the build time is four weeks but that they are very busy so the next available slot is May 2010.

[Naughty Cal]

And in reply to Phylis i said the build time is four weeks but that they are very busy so the next available slot is May 2010.

 

It didnt read like that.

 

Either way though a boat built and fitted in four weeks isnt going to be great quality. You may be better off spending the same amount on a better quality second hand boat.

[carlt]

Don't think i'll be posting anymore threads in future if this is the nightmare it causes.

To be fair, Paula, you did say:

 

Really appreciate everyones words of advice so far and will accept as much as you can throw at me!

 

Personally I'm not interested in why you asked the question as it's impossible to judge people's motives, on these boards, so I've taken your question at face value and answered it as best I can.

 

If Collingwoods, formerly (the now defunct?) Liverpool Boats are now producing high volume, low price, budget quality boats again, under the guise of Orchard Marina then I suggest you Google "Phoenix Companies", make your own mind up and decide whether you want to put your money into this venture.

[RLWP]

PaulaJ, I'm guessing that the boat that you want is a slight variation on one of those on this web page: link

 

Which is the one that has taken your fancy?

 

Richard

[Athy]

Thank you Richard! And Lady Muck! Don't think i'll be posting anymore threads in future if this is the nightmare it causes. As for the comment about whether I work for either company, NO, i don't. I wouldn't waste anyone's time on purpose.

 

And in reply to Phylis i said the build time is four weeks but that they are very busy so the next available slot is May 2010.

 

Paula, I am sorry that you find us a "nightmare", especially as you are new to the forum and came sincerely seeking advice. You will find that many boating questions evoke widely differing answers from forum members, quite a few of whom are highly experienced boat biz professionals (I don't count myself amongst that number by the way). But would it not be more worrying if every person who posted a reply expressed exactly the same point of view?

My only useful contribution is that our last boat shell was built by Liverpool Boats (the predecessors of Collingwood's). It was delivered almost (!) on time and was a straight, true shell. Only after a couple of years did we notice that the side deck on one side was an inch wider than the one on the other! So, generally satisfactory but you've got to watch 'em.

[deletedaccount]

Didn't collingwood used to be liverpool boats before it went bust or whatever? There's plenty of info on the forum about them.

 

I've looked at both companies sites from your description I guess you're going for the "brunswick" here: http://www.orchardmarina.co.uk/Fully-Fitted-Narrow-Boats/58 which is 61k according to their website.

 

There's also plenty of discussion of cassette vs pump out, walk through bathroom vs normal and reverse layout vs trad. If you do go new I'd make sure you know why you want a particular one over another before commissioning it seeing as it'll be your choice. For example I didn't much like the idea of a walkthrough when I was looking and a couple of months down the line living with a non walkthrough I know I was right. It's not a room you really want to linger in, let alone have to walk through it to make a cup of tea. Who wants to fill their boat with damp steam and poo smells? It may well suit you better though.

[Athy]

Who wants to fill their boat with damp steam and poo smells? It may well suit you better though.

I do feel that you could have put that rather better!

[deletedaccount]

I do feel that you could have put that rather better!

 

Well that seems to be the reality of my bathroom

 

I've taken to leaving the shower door open in fact. There must be a better way to clear it of damp.

 

I'[m not going to be much use to the op here though. Mines a trad layout, non-walkthrough pump out

[Naughty Cal]

I've taken to leaving the shower door open in fact. There must be a better way to clear it of damp.

 

Open the window?

[deletedaccount]

Open the window?

 

it's always open! It's a problem having the shower door always closed.

[Athy]

it's always open! It's a problem having the shower door always closed.

Mr. Account, I meant that the way you phrased it, it read as if Paula might prefer the presence of said steam and aromas, which I'm sure was not your intended meaning.

[Naughty Cal]

it's always open! It's a problem having the shower door always closed.

 

Get a quicker boat. The combination of an open bathroom window and air circualation at quicker speeds quickly eradicates any steam

[CheshireTaff]

Hi All

 

I'm new to this forum and have had the use of a boat for the last 6 months and have got the bug so have been looking at second hand boats at a few brokerages and to be honest there is a lot of rubbish out there for some ridiculous prices. If people want to sell they should at least put some effort at a decent presentation. Consequently I visited Orchard Marina with a view to having one built and was shown round a couple of finished boats with the owners aboard and also two boats in different stages of build. To me the quality was comparable to some and better than most of the second hand boats that I have inspected. From what I have observed the team is not large (about 5) and seem a very friendly bunch. I was told that the fit out takes 4 to 5 weeks and the next slot is May 2010. In fact I have visited twice in a couple of weeks and they were working on different boats on both occasions which tells me that they have a continuity of work. I also have no connection with the builder.

[deletedaccount]

Hi All

 

I'm new to this forum and have had the use of a boat for the last 6 months and have got the bug so have been looking at second hand boats at a few brokerages and to be honest there is a lot of rubbish out there for some ridiculous prices. If people want to sell they should at least put some effort at a decent presentation. Consequently I visited Orchard Marina with a view to having one built and was shown round a couple of finished boats with the owners aboard and also two boats in different stages of build. To me the quality was comparable to some and better than most of the second hand boats that I have inspected. From what I have observed the team is not large (about 5) and seem a very friendly bunch. I was told that the fit out takes 4 to 5 weeks and the next slot is May 2010. In fact I have visited twice in a couple of weeks and they were working on different boats on both occasions which tells me that they have a continuity of work. I also have no connection with the builder.

 

People do ask for silly money for their second hand boats. The bloke who owned mine put it on the market at 58k, reduced it twice and when six months later I offered him 44 and he snapped it up.

 

So when you say 'expensive' you're right in the sense that they're asking too much, but wrong about how much you have to actually pay. Which is why when you're looking at a new boat you need to be realistic about the amount of money you're going to lose on it straight away. imho.

 

Mine's a nicely fitted out, well equipped (travelpower, good inverter, big engine etc etc) 2 year old from a decent mid range builder fwiw. And there's no way I'd swap it for a worse boat that cost 15k+ more.

Edited September 23, 2009 by deletedaccount

[CheshireTaff]

In the six months that you waited that boat could have been sold and you would have had to start your search again. OK you saved some money but did you get exactly what you wanted. A new build more or less guarantees this.

[Lady Muck]

Is anyone's boat exactly what they wanted anyway? We've altered ours inside and will refit the back cabin soon as we can. We've added some things and taken away others. You have no idea of knowing if it works until you've lived on it for at least six months and threee years on, we're still planning to change things.

 

ETA: ask Mr Account in a year - I bet he'll have altered this and altered that.

Edited September 23, 2009 by Lady Muck

[alan_fincher]

OK you saved some money but did you get exactly what you wanted. A new build more or less guarantees this.

If the builder you choose stays solvent and trading throughout the process, and the boat actually gets completed.

 

To assume there can be no other outcome is at the very least complacent, IMO!

[deletedaccount]

In the six months that you waited that boat could have been sold and you would have had to start your search again. OK you saved some money but did you get exactly what you wanted. A new build more or less guarantees this.

 

eh what?

 

Funnily enough I did get exactly what I wanted. A mid range trad layout cruiser stern with two cabins (one single), pump out, non-walkthrough, travelpower, washing machine, dining area, decent amount of batteries, cc setup etc, well consructed oak fitout and unique enough paintjob.

 

A new build like OP is proposing would not be anywhere near this. It would cost at least 4k more that their 61k list price in extras acording to the website plus major modifications to their basic layout. Not to mention I'd be stuck with the same hull as 50 other new builds this year.

 

I can see the atraction of new builds if you know ( a ) exactly what you want, ( B ) it's not available second hand and ( c ) you're really, really sure about a and b. Buying some off the peg boat that looks like all the other off the peg boats and is readily available second hand (have you searched apollo duck for liverpool boats?) makes no sense whatever. Perhaps I was really lucky to find such a specific second hand boat for my needs, but if you're after you something a few years old with one bedroom and a reverse layout you can't help but fall over them at a decent sized brokerage.

 

I know nothing about the quality of collingwood, but the fact that ( a ) they've gone bust once already and ( b ) produce run of the mill boats that are exactly the same as a multi tude of existing boats giving you nothing unique whatsoever puts me right off. That's not to say there's anything wrong with them engineering wise, as I'm not really qualified to comment, but for me the production line feel doesn't do it for me. One of the beauties of narrowboats I've discovered is the subtle variety between builders and fitters. Who wants a boat that looks just like everyone elses?

 

If I was going to buy new I'd rather look at some of the smaller, but still financially stable builders and get myself something different tbh. This is not to say I wouldn't have considered a second hand liverpool boat, just that I don't think they're worth paying extra for.

 

I'll just add that I didn't wait for the boat, but the boat was waiting for me!

 

It was on the market way beofre I even started to look

 

Is anyone's boat exactly what they wanted anyway? We've altered ours inside and will refit the back cabin soon as we can. We've added some things and taken away others. You have no idea of knowing if it works until you've lived on it for at least six months and threee years on, we're still planning to change things.

 

ETA: ask Mr Account in a year - I bet he'll have altered this and altered that.

 

Oh yes, I have plans

 

The chilli penguin stove (at least this is the most likely candidate) is going in next month and I've going to make my small double a king after that. I'm sure I'll find other things as I go along too.

 

Also I've just paid obver 500 quid to have her blacked and I expect to buy new batteris for 500+ next year as well. But that's all part of the budget

Edited September 23, 2009 by deletedaccount

[mayalld]

In the six months that you waited that boat could have been sold and you would have had to start your search again. OK you saved some money but did you get exactly what you wanted. A new build more or less guarantees this.

 

OK, something odd is going on here.

 

It may have been slightly unfair to suggest that the OP is connected with Orchard Marine, even if the enthusiasm for them is somewhat over the top, but another new poster appearing with the sole purpose of extolling the virtues of buying new starts to look very odd indeed.

[WJM]

The OP is not seeking advice, 'she' is simply countering every objection to a new build from Orchard. I agree with Myalid, this is an 'advertising' thread. I suggest the mods lock or delete it.

[david and julie]

If I was going to buy new I'd rather look at some of the smaller, but still financially stable builders and get myself something different tbh. This is not to say I wouldn't have considered a second hand liverpool boat, just that I don't think they're worth paying extra for.

I agree that newish used makes much more sense than new, especially whilst the values are on the way down.

 

We must be fair to LB an Collingwood though. I don't recall reading about anybody losing out when LB boats closed and there is no reason to assume Collingwood or Orchard aren't a viable concerns. We were never(or certainly I don't remember) told why LB closed, my guess is it was for personal reasons (which weren't neccesarily financial problems) and as such nothing whatsoever to do with us really.

 

I also think this is looking more and more like an advertisement though.

Edited September 24, 2009 by david and julie