Whats the difference?

[jackskater]

hi new to the forum and hope to be living on the canals in the next couple of years. looking online at potential boat builders it has become clear that polish boat builders appear cheaper than british boat builders, why? i am preferably looking for a lined sailaway widebeam. what seperates the polish built boats from the bristish built boats? And which is better?

[carlt]

hi new to the forum and hope to be living on the canals in the next couple of years. looking online at potential boat builders it has become clear that polish boat builders appear cheaper than british boat builders, why? i am preferably looking for a lined sailaway widebeam. what seperates the polish built boats from the bristish built boats? And which is better?

The difference, I imagine, is labour costs plus EU incentives to start up businesses in our less wealthy partner countries.

 

There is a forum member who produces his boats in Poland (bargeeboy) who can probably tell you more, if you pm him.

[OldGoldy]

..... And which is better?

Looking around the 'net, many owners seem to be happy with their boats.

 

I have heard one or two tales of woe.

 

All I will say is to make sure the boat is FINISHED, and to spec. BEFORE you hand over your hard-earned cash.

Do NOT accept promises. Getting promised completion work done can take over a year. - I kid you not!

 

Finish and quality probably depends on the UK importers contract spec. with the manufacturers, the business

ethics of some leave a lot to be desired.

[sueb]

Make sure you have a mooring before getting your boat.

Sue

[jackskater]

will be CCing it but thanks for the replys

[RLWP]

will be CCing it but thanks for the replys

 

OK, time to think this through carefully. You want a widebeam sailaway to continuously cruise in. How will you go about the fitting out? Simple jobs become incredibly complicated on a boat even if you have a mooring. Our mooring has no power and I find that very limiting. How will you power powertools? Where will you cut large boards to make the partitioning?

 

Where do you plan to cruise as widebeams are more restricted in where they can go than narrowboats?

 

Richard

[jackskater]

if i did decide to do this the plan would be to keep it on hardstanding whilst fitting out on a friends land. just wanted to no what made the polish made boats cheaper but cheers for raising other areas for concern

[RLWP]

if i did decide to do this the plan would be to keep it on hardstanding whilst fitting out on a friends land. just wanted to no what made the polish made boats cheaper but cheers for raising other areas for concern

 

Good answer

 

Richard

[blackrose]

I've looked at a few Polish widebeams: the Aqualine, Amber boats and another builder who I can't remember the name of.

 

The quality of all was very good but I think Amber was the best value. I'm not sure if they build sailaways or just fully fitted boats?

[carlt]

I've looked at a few Polish widebeams: the Aqualine, Amber boats and another builder who I can't remember the name of.

 

The quality of all was very good but I think Amber was the best value. I'm not sure if they build sailaways or just fully fitted boats?

I'm fairly sure there's an Amber wide beam owner, on the forum, but I don't recall who.

[Barry]

I've spoken to Aquamarine and Amber boats and asked them the questions you are answering now.

 

They are cheaper because they have a pool of cheap skilled labour since the Polish shipyards shut down plus (at the time I asked the question a couple of years ago) their steel came from eastern european steelmills so was cheaper also.

 

The quality is excellent (at least to my untutored eye) and they do use solid wood throughout.

 

However you can only select from their range of specs (so design costs are also cheaper) - if you want bespoke it will have to be done in the UK and so will be at typical UK rates.

[carlt]

I'm fairly sure there's an Amber wide beam owner, on the forum, but I don't recall who.

 

"Bat and Frog" used Viking Narrowboats and they were very happy with their widebeam.

 

Their blog is here: Clicky

[The Anonymous Bard]

My better half worked with someone who recently took delivery of a Polish wide beam at Sawley and as was mentioned earlier the delivery date over ran by a couple of months but nowhere near as long as a year... other than that they seem very happy with it.

[OldGoldy]

My better half worked with someone who recently took delivery of a Polish wide beam at Sawley and as was mentioned earlier the delivery date over ran by a couple of months but nowhere near as long as a year... other than that they seem very happy with it.

It was 'snagging' not delayed delivery to which I referred, actual unfinished work on/in the boat.

I presume that someone had some 'bespoke' requirements which were not completed when payment

was requested and 'promised' after handover.

 

I had the info 2nd/3rd hand and cannot remember the fine detail, only the gist. (senior moments, it'll come to you all...)

The oft heard 'we've got you over a barrel' - 'lose your boat and the deposit or pay and wait' - nasty people!

[carlt]

It was 'snagging' not delayed delivery to which I referred, actual unfinished work on/in the boat.

A boat fitter, in England, I worked for generally took months to finish a snag list.

 

It got very frustrating, not being able to finish a job, once the cheque had cleared, because he wanted to concentrate on the next boat.

[ditchcrawler]

will be CCing it but thanks for the replys

You are aware how limited your cruising grounds will be with wide beam for continuous cruising, Look at the problems Big Col had just trying to get to Braunston.

[The Anonymous Bard]

It was 'snagging' not delayed delivery to which I referred, actual unfinished work on/in the boat.

I presume that someone had some 'bespoke' requirements which were not completed when payment

was requested and 'promised' after handover.

 

I had the info 2nd/3rd hand and cannot remember the fine detail, only the gist. (senior moments, it'll come to you all...)

The oft heard 'we've got you over a barrel' - 'lose your boat and the deposit or pay and wait' - nasty people!

 

 

I'm not sure of the reasons why the boat in this instance was delayed... can't believe that some builders would take the stance at the end of your post but quite accept that it goes on and is the true reality for some unfortunate people, maybe a "Name & Shame" list somewhere else on the www could be in order?

 

Edit: Typo!

Edited January 6, 2010 by The Anonymous Bard

[OldGoldy]

I'm not sure of the reasons why the boat in this instance was delayed... can't believe that some builders would take the stance at the end of your post but quite accept that it goes on and is the true reality for some unfortunate people, maybe a "Name & Shame" list somewhere else on the www could be in order?

 

Edit: Typo!

 

Not by me, nooooo!

 

The towpath telegraph will have to do in this instance

[Steve Tall Redford]

I've looked at a few Polish widebeams: the Aqualine, Amber boats and another builder who I can't remember the name of.

 

The quality of all was very good but I think Amber was the best value. I'm not sure if they build sailaways or just fully fitted boats?

I have been trying to search for Amber Boats.. they seem to be non existent, did they go bankrupt?

[carlt]

I have been trying to search for Amber Boats.. they seem to be non existent, did they go bankrupt?

Heritage Boats now sell the Polish Amber range...

 

Clicky

[lee b]

pay a few quid more and keep your business in england....too much english money goes over seas every day sent by the tits running our country without us sending it over as well... i lived in spain for over three years and in france for over 6... you pay double to get registered to work if you cant speak the language because unlike the soft turds running our country your not supplied with a translator,you have more chance of shaking hands with jimmy hoffer than getting benefits over their and i was paying 50% tax... i'm still waiting for a tax rebate amounting to nearly £3000 from the french and something tells me i'll have a beard longer than a donkey's dick before i see a penny !!!... take it from me...the only good thing that comes out of Europe is the channel and tunnel leading back to england...thats why we are having a global invasion !!!

[alan_fincher]

Quality rant!

[carlt]

Quality rant!

Pity he ends with a dig at our biggest export market though.

 

Why slag off foreigners who choose to buy British when we don't?

 

The irony of protectionism.

 

.. you pay double to get registered to work if you cant speak the language because unlike the soft turds running our country your not supplied with a translator,you have more chance of shaking hands with jimmy hoffer than getting benefits over their and i was paying 50% tax...

What baloney.

 

It costs nothing to "get registered to work" unless you are being scammed by agencies (just like agencies scam and deceive foreign workers here).

 

If you were paying 50% tax then you perhaps should have made the effort to learn French and actually understood the forms.

 

The gross tax paid in France is tiny compared to here...if you understand the paperwork..

[lee b]

to get registered as self employed in france cost me 250 euros,i still have the bill along with my registration paperwork and i had to go on a weeks course to learn about the french tax system,not many people move abroad to france/spain etc already speak the language before hand and i know plenty of english who end up in blackpools in the sun thats lived their for years and cant even ask for a beer properly,,i actually speak fluent spanish because my ex was spanish and she couldn't speak a word of english...my french is pretty good too....i dont know what the tax system is for employed people who walk into a job in france/spain but most small business's run on a system called ''micro entrepreneurs'', most people end up on a 50-50 scheme some running into the vat bracket go 33-67 but unless buying items in france and selling them in them over seas you can end up bank rupt pretty quick, in the building trade anyway...

on top of your tax you pay a top up insurance cause your only covered 70%...mine cost nearly 40euro a month....each year you pay towards the french national debt too...because i was single my bill was more than double for someone with a partner and kids...i used to pay 749 euro's per year for that...

as for exports and imports England has become a buyer and not a great producer of goods,try to buy a english made car for instance...walk into a supermarket in the uk and you can buy goods from pretty much any country on the planet,walk into a supermarket in france/spain etc and your lucky to see a very small shelf with a few english items and pay 3-4 times more for them...i don't get scammed in this country or any other,when i got registered i went to the organ grinder not his monkey,i'm not even sure if they allow work agencies in france or spain but being self employed since i was in my teens i wouldn't know too much about agencies... one thing i will say that i miss from france and spain is the sun....count dracula has seen more of it than me since returning to england !!

ps...''top up insurance''...thats if you fall ill and end up in hospital...one of my friends never had any and ended up with a 12,000 euro hospital bill...

[Graham Davis]

You come across as a nasty bitter little man.