Crick Boat Show

[steven wilkinson]

I am beginning to think I will start by going down the secondhand-and-angle-grinder-and-saw-table route!

 

or maybe boat share

 

or maybe

 

 

 

(you see the problem?)

[jonathanA]

Er - no idea. I just want to make sure no one expects me this year and judging by the number of comments RCR got I I got on the day I attended last year a good number of punters expected me to be doing my thing.

 

They reportedly said they wanted all such things in one area but as for a number or years I used to provide a seminar in the equivalent of that area I do not see that washes.

 

It may be the new sponsors felt they did not want to donate a few sq. metres of stand space.

 

A wicked thought but perhaps my other job has influenced the decision.

 

Anyway, this year the situation suits me because I retire in June (but RCR will carry the courses on) and I would hate to give customers the idea that I will be running courses next year.

 

I'm sure I won't be alone in saying that you'll be missed - as a new boat owner I attended a couple of your RCR seminars/lectures at crick and found them very helpful indeed.

 

Jon

[mrsmelly]

I'm sure I won't be alone in saying that you'll be missed - as a new boat owner I attended a couple of your RCR seminars/lectures at crick and found them very helpful indeed.

 

Jon

 

I havnt done the boat shows for years its mainly a thing for newbies and there is nowt wrong with that. The point most posters seem to have missed advising you on that is usualy very important is.....Take a brolly a waterproof coat and a good pair of Wellies !!

[Ally]

....and a small rucksack for all those leaflets! (and sandwiches!)

[notebook]

We are thinking of buying our own NB. We are therefore going to Crick this year to have a look around. We've never been before, how long do people think we should go for? One day or two?

Definately 2 days if you can,the first year we went we only made appointments with boat builders within a cetain mileage from where we lived,Wolverhampton and thought we had found our builder. In the meantime we went to Boat Builders open days when you can usually see boats at different stages. We then returned to Crick last year and went on a boat built in Liverpool as you did'nt need an appointment on the Saturday and knew definately that we had found our builder, we did nearly 2 years investigation/magazine reading/looking etc. We have had our boat since October and are thrilled to bits.

[Athy]

£160 may at first sight look like a lot of money to pay for a nearby mooring - but consider the alternative, a hotel room, plus the cost of buying meals out, and the mooring cost starts to look less steep.

I still think that BW's pricing is a bit cheeky, though.

[carlt]

£160 may at first sight look like a lot of money to pay for a nearby mooring - but consider the alternative....

...a 20 minute walk from your free mooring.

 

160 quid is an outrageous price to pay, before you even set foot in what is, compared to what other shows (not necessarily boating) have to offer, a pretty poor offering.

[LEO]

Hi,

 

So you book your boat in to visit Crick show - I'm sure there will be no water shortages on the summit during May.

 

I wonder if water shortages will occur on the mainline for the show in late June..................?

 

I gave up on the Crick Show a few years ago - the organisers priced out all the small exhibitors, infact they priced out most exhibitors, the most exciting (and expensive) thing was buying a 'hunt the meat' Pork roll - very few prizes were handed out to winners.

 

L.

[dor]

Best to go on a motor bike. Then you can cruise past the 1 - 2 mile queue of traffic waiting to get in.

[Athy]

...a 20 minute walk from your free mooring.

 

160 quid is an outrageous price to pay, before you even set foot in what is, compared to what other shows (not necessarily boating) have to offer, a pretty poor offering.

I thought that all the free moorings within striking distance would have been snapped up before the show - as happens, for example, in the Cropredy area before the festival in August.

We've been to Crick several times and have never thought of the show as "poor" - though some of the boats on display have been. I guess that, as you are a devotee of wooden craft, you don't find so much to interest you, but for many people the array of boats and equipment is quite spectacular.

[carlt]

I guess that, as you are a devotee of wooden craft, you don't find so much to interest you, but for many people the array of boats and equipment is quite spectacular.

Then you obviously know little about me. I have been boating for over 30 years and have owned boats of more shapes, sizes and construction materials than most.

 

As a joiner and former professional boat fitter you would have thought there would be something of interest there but it is the same boring stuff or gimmicky tat, year after year.

 

There is nothing there to entertain kids (are BW still dragging out that appalling model "demonstrating" how a canal works), the food stands are sterile and, unless you want to pay inflated prices for boat stuff that is available at a fraction of the price, elsewhere, there is nothing worth looking at.

 

You only have to look at the post show threads to see that the same junk is dragged out, year on year.

[Athy]

Then you obviously know little about me. out, year on year.

Well, I know a little more now. I must admit that as many of your more passionate posts are about wooden boats I thought that they were your speciality.

As for the food stands being sterile, well I hope the food is! It hasn't poisoned us yet, but it did indeed affect the health of my wallet.

[carlt]

As for the food stands being sterile, well I hope the food is! It hasn't poisoned us yet, but it did indeed affect the health of my wallet.

well I meant bland and boring, rather than clinically clean.

 

I just think that a show that charges as much as it does could lay on a bit more general entertainment than wandering round the latest clonecraft.

 

It's a few years since I last bothered going but I was amazed that a show of that size couldn't attract a few more attractions to stop the kids driving me mad.

 

Even the smallest classic car show has a few fairground rides, for when the brats are fed up with being made to look at yet another heap of old junk.

[Guest]

well I meant bland and boring, rather than clinically clean.

 

I just think that a show that charges as much as it does could lay on a bit more general entertainment than wandering round the latest clonecraft.

 

It's a few years since I last bothered going but I was amazed that a show of that size couldn't attract a few more attractions to stop the kids driving me mad.

 

Even the smallest classic car show has a few fairground rides, for when the brats are fed up with being made to look at yet another heap of old junk.

 

FWIW - I could be wrong but I seem to recall there was a small fairground thingy with a helter skelter and other stuff last times we have been - but as our brats are 24 and 29 I can't be sure TBH.

[carlt]

FWIW - I could be wrong but I seem to recall there was a small fairground thingy with a helter skelter and other stuff last times we have been - but as our brats are 24 and 29 I can't be sure TBH.

That is an improvement on the last time I went (about 5 years ago) where the main kids attraction was a tent with some bridge building wooden blocks, some paper and coloured pencils for drawing and the horrible BW canal demo thing (all leaky perspex and black rubber flaps, supposed to be locks).

[Guest]

That is an improvement on the last time I went (about 5 years ago) where the main kids attraction was a tent with some bridge building wooden blocks, some paper and coloured pencils for drawing and the horrible BW canal demo thing (all leaky perspex and black rubber flaps, supposed to be locks).

 

From the web site - pics. of kids stuff last year - more going on than I remember actually...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2012 by MJG

[Ally]

There is considerably more for kids there now, as for attracting exhibitors, they put a lot of us off the year it was closed down on the monday morning. The boats in the marina have to pay an exhorbitant price to moor a show boat for the weekend, and when it got closed, that meant a huge expense for 2/3 of the show time, as many of us were also paying accomodation etc etc. They offered no recompense for that day of lost trading, except a measly 5% 'loyalty' reduction the next year (after many emails from many exhibitors)

Whilst the weather was not their fault, not was it the traders fault who had payed so much...you can get a years mooring for what it costs to exhibit a boat for the weekend! Few, in reality, take firm orders from the show, though it does of course put your name out there, which I suppose is why you often see a good few 'new' builders there.

[steven wilkinson]

I thought I had been stung for being just TOO organised! I booked up the Holiday Inn in January - before any show deals were done apparently! This months WW preview gave a discounted rate for the accomodation I booked a few months ago! Poo!

 

However, a quick call to Holiday Inn and I too have a saving of £40 Thats the tickets paid for too!

[Athy]

I thought I had been stung for being just TOO organised! I booked up the Holiday Inn in January - before any show deals were done apparently! This months WW preview gave a discounted rate for the accomodation I booked a few months ago! Poo!

 

However, a quick call to Holiday Inn and I too have a saving of £40 Thats the tickets paid for too!

What a good result, and how fair-minded of the hotel's management to give you that discount retrospectively. You will enjoy the show just that little bit more now.

The boatimags used to have competitions to win tickets (we won a pair one year) but I have not seen them doing so recently.

[steven wilkinson]

I am even more pleased - I booked my tickets online today - forgetting completely that I had booked them in February already!

Another quick phone call to WW and they cancelled todays oversight!

 

I am getting quite worried about myself!

[Ratzend]

Would I be right in thinking that Crick would be of very limited benefit to someone like me?

 

I am looking for a boat but it will be second hand, possibly historic but certainly with a vintage engine. I had seriously thought of going but the more I hear the less it would seem to be of help in my case? Especially considering costs, hotel etc.

Do private sellers take their boats to the event or is that frowned on?

 

Cheers,

[alan_fincher]

I am most definitely more of a steel (or iron) boat man than a wooden boat man, but have never in any way felt drawn to want to go to an event like Crick. I doubt I would, even if I had fully made up my mind I wanted a brand new boat.

 

In fact, observed from the publicity, it has always struck me as the kind of thing I would try very hard to avoid.

 

That is not in any way intended as a slur on those who show an enthusiasm for going back there, perhaps year after year, and maybe it has some merit if you are hell-bent on buying a new boat. My guess though is that the best boat builders and fitters steer clear of Crick too. The good ones get work by reputation and recommendation, and I doubt have little need to spend a lot of money publicly touting their wares at a show.

 

Would I be right in thinking that Crick would be of very limited benefit to someone like me?

 

I am looking for a boat but it will be second hand, possibly historic but certainly with a vintage engine. I had seriously thought of going but the more I hear the less it would seem to be of help in my case? Especially considering costs, hotel etc.

Do private sellers take their boats to the event or is that frowned on?

 

Cheers,

Martin,

 

I doubt it is appropriate to your needs. Some of the brokers of used boats may exhibit there, but as all have a strong Internet presnce, you can find out what boats they have on their books, and they certainly will not be putting a large selection of boats there for your perusal. .... Unless, I guess, they just happen to be a broker based at Crick! ..... But I would have thought a visit to a broker based at Crick would be better when the show is not on!

[Ratzend]

Thanks, pretty much what I had been thinking. I am definitely not looking for new build so may give it a miss and can take my time with the brokers online.

[Guest]

Would I be right in thinking that Crick would be of very limited benefit to someone like me?

 

I am looking for a boat but it will be second hand, possibly historic but certainly with a vintage engine. I had seriously thought of going but the more I hear the less it would seem to be of help in my case? Especially considering costs, hotel etc.

Do private sellers take their boats to the event or is that frowned on?

 

Cheers,

 

Hi Martin from another Martin - a number of brokers attend Crick show, they have display boards rather than actual boats though, and of course Crick Marina have their own brokerage, with actual boats on site.

 

ABNB are just next door and we viewed a boat being brokered by them which was moored just outside the marina during show weekend.

 

ABNB certainly broker boats with vintage engines (I don't know about Crick Marina) so it is entirely possible a boat with an engine of your choice could be close by (No connection with ABNB - BTW)

 

Crick is worth a visit at least once BTW - just so you can decide if you like it rather than be swayed by the anti-Crick mafia who seem to think it's a bit 'passe'

[NB Alnwick]

We have attended the Crick boat show every year since 2003. These days we try to moor as close as possible and take full advantage of the weekend ticket. It is an excellent event that showcases more than just new boats and equipment. If you haven't been before I would recommend giving it a try - you may be pleasantly surprised . . .