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"Northwich Trader"


alan_fincher

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What a crap looking boat. IMO

 

in your opinion, lets wait until it's painted up and stick it next to a hudson eh...

 

Not sure I can form a good opinion until I have seen one left tied up and blocking a Service Area!

  • Greenie 1
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What a crap looking boat. IMO

 

Darren

Absolutely Darren, imagine that curved baseplate at the fore end drawing you onto something awful, idiotic design, just done to save putting a piece of steel in imho. A deadly hull shape for urban waterways.

 

Nothing wrong with Hudsons best josher bow on the cut

Chris

 

 

 

Yes nurse I will take my medication then you can put the nice jacket back on again

 

Nothing like a Josher bow, a real Josher doesnt curve its deck down and then rise again!

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This is an XRD NTrader painted. Possibly the same shell as the one shown earlier.

 

http://www.lakelandleisureboatsales.co.uk/boat/titan

I know it is all subjective, but that rather horrible wide glass cratch and boxy looking canopy spoils any chance the boat might have had of looking attractive.

 

Somehow it also manages to make the cabin sides look far too boxy and upright too, (I assume they are not?).

 

It might have looked better with a tug decked front end, but looks decidedly odd as it has been done, (in my personal view, of course!).

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I thoroughly agree. The cratch may well enhance the living space in the boat but it does little for her looks.

If you look at the photo taken from a three-quarter rear view, the cabin sides look pretty darned upright in that view too.

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The cratch is easily dealt with, no so the swim design or the beaching ramp bottom plate, I still like the look personally - however I do like the RW Davies NTrader much more - any negatives about those?

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Are some of these so called northwich traders supposed to be "replicas" of the working boat northwich's?? As none that ive seen even the top end of the market resemble anything like a real northwich.

 

Darren

 

I don't know (and really don't care a jot) all I know is that I like the look of them (RW Davies that is). Be better if they were called RW Davies Traders or RWD Tugs.

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The cratch is easily dealt with, no so the swim design or the beaching ramp bottom plate, I still like the look personally - however I do like the RW Davies NTrader much more - any negatives about those?

 

The line of oversized 'rivets' bolt heads along the top edge of the cabin. :o

 

Tim

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  • 5 years later...

I know this is an old thread but I was searching Northwich Traders on Google and it brought me here (everything seems to come back to this forum eventually). I know there's a lot of fake rivet/bolt head prejudice about (I've heard the arguments) but I like the looks of these boats by R W Davis and have found a couple for sale. There's quite a price disparity between this one  and this one reflecting their different construction dates I assume. If you had the money and were in the market for something traddy like this, which one would you choose? Or would you choose something else entirely?

 

My thoughts are that the RN engine would be harder to maintain than the Gardner and maybe a bit noisier with less parts availability. I prefer green to red paintwork as the latter, I'm told, is prone to fading. R W Davis say on their site that their boats are always snapped up as soon as they come on the market, but not much snapping here as yet, probably, inevitably, due to price. Over a 100k for a six-year-old boat seems steep to me but, as I've said before, I'm still trying to work out the market.

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34 minutes ago, Earthwatcher said:

I know this is an old thread but I was searching Northwich Traders on Google and it brought me here (everything seems to come back to this forum eventually). I know there's a lot of fake rivet/bolt head prejudice about (I've heard the arguments) but I like the looks of these boats by R W Davis and have found a couple for sale. There's quite a price disparity between this one  and this one reflecting their different construction dates I assume. If you had the money and were in the market for something traddy like this, which one would you choose? Or would you choose something else entirely?

 

My thoughts are that the RN engine would be harder to maintain than the Gardner and maybe a bit noisier with less parts availability. I prefer green to red paintwork as the latter, I'm told, is prone to fading. R W Davis say on their site that their boats are always snapped up as soon as they come on the market, but not much snapping here as yet, probably, inevitably, due to price. Over a 100k for a six-year-old boat seems steep to me but, as I've said before, I'm still trying to work out the market.

The second boat (the cheaper one) is not what I recognise as a 'Northwich Trader', more a traditional styled boat built by R.W. Davis. Personally I would rather buy an original Northwich built boat than a reproduction loosely based on an original - but I would say that as I did.

 

I would not make a purchasing decision based upon paint colour as it can easily be changed, and will possibly need refurbishing anyway :captain:

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1 hour ago, Earthwatcher said:

I know this is an old thread but I was searching Northwich Traders on Google and it brought me here (everything seems to come back to this forum eventually). I know there's a lot of fake rivet/bolt head prejudice about (I've heard the arguments) but I like the looks of these boats by R W Davis and have found a couple for sale. There's quite a price disparity between this one  and this one reflecting their different construction dates I assume. If you had the money and were in the market for something traddy like this, which one would you choose? Or would you choose something else entirely?

 

My thoughts are that the RN engine would be harder to maintain than the Gardner and maybe a bit noisier with less parts availability. I prefer green to red paintwork as the latter, I'm told, is prone to fading. R W Davis say on their site that their boats are always snapped up as soon as they come on the market, but not much snapping here as yet, probably, inevitably, due to price. Over a 100k for a six-year-old boat seems steep to me but, as I've said before, I'm still trying to work out the market.

R.W. Davis boats have the reputation of being very sturdily built and having very handsome lines. I am not a great fan of fake rivets either, though if I were seeking such a boat they would not be a deal-breaker.

Your impressions of engines are interesting. As RN is still a working engine builder, why would you think that parts would be harder to come by? Gardner last built an engine in 1999. A rump company called Gardner Parts still exists and can supply parts for many of the engines. I don't think the RN is noisier, it is however slower: maximum revs about 1,200 against the Gardner 2LW's 1,700. I have a 2LW (of exactly the same kind, rebuilt by the same very good firm of Walsh's) but I do get envious when an RN-powered boat clunks slowly by. The three-cylinder RN is a quite rare bird, by the way.

I have looked at the specs. Go for the Gardner-engined tug if you can afford her. The other boat is nice but that one is drop-dead gorgeous AND it has a kitchen range. In fact, be quick, before either I or a certain forum colleague who collects trad-type boats gets there first.

Edited by Athy
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1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

If I was purchasing one of the two shown it would be the first. Having moored at Saul for a few years I became quite a fan of the RW Davis style with the tug deck.

So would I.

 

£105k is however an 'ambitious' price. Were I being looking to buy it, I'd be thinking of £90k tops as about right. 

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"Dora" is an RW Davis "Elver"-  a type named (by me) after the boat reviewed by Waterways World in mid-late 1998. We have a modified and deeper draught  version bought on the strength of that review .

 I would though question any assertion that parts availability for an RN DM is better than for a Gardner LW.

N

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Rw Davies only made N Traders in 62 foot and 70 foot. First boat looks like a 62 foot NTrader despite the advert stating 60 foot. The second boat is not a "N Trader"...... however if you like it.

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1 hour ago, BEngo said:

I would though question any assertion that parts availability for an RN DM is better than for a Gardner LW.

 

Me too. Has Dave Blixter ever sold a RN since buying the company six or seven years ago?

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