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Shell Builders


allan tryfan

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Hi, I live in the North West and I'm planning on purchasing a 57'- 60' Trad/Semi trad sailaway next March. Could anyone recommend a good shell builder? I've been in contact with many and had some very good responses. I realise the importance of selecting the right builder, therefore I would value someones recommendations with regard to what will be for me a huge financial commitment. As anyone had any dealings with Dave Clark from Nottingham, who is on my short list along with Aintree Boats.

 

Kind Regards

 

Allan

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Almost all established shell builders will produce a decent shell with no horrible mistakes, but

1 You get what you pay for

2 Most builders will be best if producing a shell in their own style.

 

Have a look at a number of boats, decide what you want, and go to a builder that makes that style of boat.

If you want to build a basic boat then a budget shell will be fine.

If you plan on an upmarket fit-out then it would be foolish to do this on a budget shell.

 

Most builders don't have direct canal access so the shell will need to be craned onto a truck and driven to the water. Therefore you don't have to limit yourself to a local builder as the extra cost of a longer delivery will not be much.

 

and please don't take this wrong...

If you are going to fit out a boat and don't yet know what shell/shell builder you want then think about getting a second hand boat (lots of bargains right now) and spending a year or two on the cut to learn more about what sort of boat you would really like.

 

............Dave

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Hi i got my 57 ft sailaway with a josh style bow from aintree boats , it was the forth one they made after takeing over from skater boats. Its a good hull no rippels in it. And it cuts through the water nice and smooth no much of a bow wave.

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As anyone had any dealings with Dave Clark from Nottingham, who is on my short list along with Aintree Boats.

In my experience, both the builders you mention produce shells very much towards to cheaper end of he market.

 

Nothing wrong with that of course, as long as you factor it into your decision.

 

There are often considerable economies and short-cuts made on shells built to keep a price down, versus those higher up the market.

 

As an indicator look at things like how many "guards", (often called "rubbing strakes") a hull has, what they are actually protecting, (or not protecting!), and whether they are fully welded on, or only attached to the hull at intervals, (partcularly at the bottom), thereby creating a rust trap behind.

 

This isn't meant to be a post knocking the more budget boats. The boat I'm on right now isn't exactly top of the market, and a knowledgeable eye can see where some of the build cost was saved. Ours does however have longish swims, and moves through the water with a lot less wash than many so called "up market" boats.

 

There are actually many factors to consider, beyond just cost, but a fit out of a relatively budget shell, however good the fit-out, will never attract the same resale price as an equivalent fit out in a shell from a more respected builder.

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My rubbing strakes are fully welded .as someone who can weld im am happy with my shell , i went in every two days to see the shell built.this is not my first boat i had a 57ft widebeem before this . go have a look at a few builders . you are welcome to see my boat , the build quality is better than some expensive boats iv seen.

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Lymm Marina Boat Sales.

 

Pay £1000 deposit, and the rest on collection.

I order their "off the shelf" model, which keeps the process quick and simple. I'm sure it's a case of you get what you pay for, but I'm impressed so far. The boats are made by Cheshire Boat builders....you can speak to Chris at LMBS. Some people on this forum have gotten boats from them, which is why I went with them too. You can see a few boats in their yard before you order your own...

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Lymm Marina Boat Sales.

 

Pay £1000 deposit, and the rest on collection.

I order their "off the shelf" model, which keeps the process quick and simple. I'm sure it's a case of you get what you pay for, but I'm impressed so far. The boats are made by Cheshire Boat builders....you can speak to Chris at LMBS. Some people on this forum have gotten boats from them, which is why I went with them too. You can see a few boats in their yard before you order your own...

.......yeah, but..... LMBS do NOT build boats! They only fit out shells built by a number of builders; please do not confuse "boat builders" with boat fitter-outers! The real skills are in the formation of a beautiful hull, not the addition of square metres of MDF and laminate floors which preclude inspection of vital areas of the "boat", i.e. the steelwork.Everything inside can be removed or altered, but the steelwork IS the boat. p.s. Still having fun, Dean?

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Lots of good builders out there, lots of bad ones too.

XR&D My link or Mel Davies would be two good options.

There are several previous threads where many of us recommend good builders, worth a search.

 

If XR&D are still as good today as they were 8 years ago when ours was built under Ray and Sheila, then you'll get a good hull. I have heard they still employ most the same welders, so see no reason why they still aren't excellent quality, weather price is still reasonable though I couldn't comment, but definitely worth investigating.

 

 

 

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.......yeah, but..... LMBS do NOT build boats! They only fit out shells built by a number of builders; please do not confuse "boat builders" with boat fitter-outers! The real skills are in the formation of a beautiful hull, not the addition of square metres of MDF and laminate floors which preclude inspection of vital areas of the "boat", i.e. the steelwork.Everything inside can be removed or altered, but the steelwork IS the boat. p.s. Still having fun, Dean?

LMBS is run by the same people as Cheshire Narrowboats. They fit out their own shells and also shells made by other builders. Mine is a Mike Christian shell that was fitted out by LMBS, and I can recommend both the shell and the fitter-outer.

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Lymm Marina Boat Sales.

 

Pay £1000 deposit, and the rest on collection.

I order their "off the shelf" model, which keeps the process quick and simple. I'm sure it's a case of you get what you pay for, but I'm impressed so far. The boats are made by Cheshire Boat builders....you can speak to Chris at LMBS. Some people on this forum have gotten boats from them, which is why I went with them too. You can see a few boats in their yard before you order your own...

 

 

I have actually had a look at Lymm Marina , but they buy their shells in from various builders. I was and still am interested in one of their Mike Christian shells, but I would prefer to see my shell being built and build up a photographic history from day one really.

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LMBS is run by the same people as Cheshire Narrowboats. They fit out their own shells and also shells made by other builders. Mine is a Mike Christian shell that was fitted out by LMBS, and I can recommend both the shell and the fitter-outer.

Sorry, Cosmic, but LMBS,aka Cheshire Narrowboats have never built a shell- however, they do, as you say, fit out other Boatbuilders shells. Was the OP not looking for a shell,or a sailaway?

Edited by STUBAG
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I used orchard marina in northwich, watched the shell being built from the start to the last weld. Being a fabricator myself I was more than happy with the build quality. I found them more than helpful and they couldn't do enough for me.I bought a sail away lined shell at an excellent price, had it just over a year and yes I have had the odd problem but found there after sales service unbeatable. I have NO connection with the company other than being a VERY satisfied customer.

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Sorry, Cosmic, but LMBS,aka Cheshire Narrowboats have never built a shell- however, they do, as you say, fit out other Boatbuilders shells. Was the OP not looking for a shell,or a sailaway?

That's interesting - they certainly sell "Cheshire Narrowboats" shells. Do you know who builds these - I'd assumed he must have another yard that builds the shells.

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Almost all established shell builders will produce a decent shell with no horrible mistakes, but

1 You get what you pay for

2 Most builders will be best if producing a shell in their own style.

 

Have a look at a number of boats, decide what you want, and go to a builder that makes that style of boat.

If you want to build a basic boat then a budget shell will be fine.

If you plan on an upmarket fit-out then it would be foolish to do this on a budget shell.

 

Most builders don't have direct canal access so the shell will need to be craned onto a truck and driven to the water. Therefore you don't have to limit yourself to a local builder as the extra cost of a longer delivery will not be much.

 

and please don't take this wrong...

If you are going to fit out a boat and don't yet know what shell/shell builder you want then think about getting a second hand boat (lots of bargains right now) and spending a year or two on the cut to learn more about what sort of boat you would really like.

 

............Dave

Hi Dave, thanks some good advice there, the fit out I am planning will be of the higher end and I dont intend on skimping on too much. My eldest brother is a semi-retired cabinet maker as is my future father in law, so I'm expecting a lot on the fit out, another of my brothers is a plumber and a good all rounder. I work in a tech college as a tutor and previously worked as a self employed builder, as most builders dream of building a house I just want and always have done dreamt of building my boat and living on the cut with like minded people.

 

I understand what you say about buying second hand but I know exactly what I want, a 57' go any where traditional narrowboat with a reverse layout, bespoke ivory cottage style kitchen, Eberspacher heating, squiral stove, four port holes, five 32" windows and a sky light in the bedroom centred above my full length bed!! She's even got a name Mallory...

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.......yeah, but..... LMBS do NOT build boats! They only fit out shells built by a number of builders; please do not confuse "boat builders" with boat fitter-outers! The real skills are in the formation of a beautiful hull, not the addition of square metres of MDF and laminate floors which preclude inspection of vital areas of the "boat", i.e. the steelwork.Everything inside can be removed or altered, but the steelwork IS the boat. p.s. Still having fun, Dean?

 

 

As far as I know, they have 2 suppliers. Liverpool...who ran into tax issues a while back and was taken over by 2 other better boat builders...(who seem to be doing a good trade)...and one other supplier for the more bespoke work. As I mentioned...if you go to their yard..you see a number of boats in various stages of fit out..and sailaways...so you can see before you buy what you get....

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If XR&D are still as good today as they were 8 years ago when ours was built under Ray and Sheila, then you'll get a good hull. I have heard they still employ most the same welders, so see no reason why they still aren't excellent quality, weather price is still reasonable though I couldn't comment, but definitely worth investigating.

Yes, they still build excellent shells, very straight down the sides, well finished, and whilst they have their preferences, they are very good at building what YOU want, whilst guiding to make sure you get a good looking and effective shell. They will build anything from a basic cruiser to....well, anything you may wish for. Fancy or simple. Paperwork is all in order, and should you have any problems (unlikely) They will be there to sort it straight away.

The guys are Gary and Lee, who worked with Ray from the time they started their first ever builds, and they also have Murray, who used to work for Mel Davies. A great team.

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Hi Dave, thanks some good advice there, the fit out I am planning will be of the higher end and I dont intend on skimping on too much. My eldest brother is a semi-retired cabinet maker as is my future father in law, so I'm expecting a lot on the fit out, another of my brothers is a plumber and a good all rounder. I work in a tech college as a tutor and previously worked as a self employed builder, as most builders dream of building a house I just want and always have done dreamt of building my boat and living on the cut with like minded people.

 

I understand what you say about buying second hand but I know exactly what I want, a 57' go any where traditional narrowboat with a reverse layout, bespoke ivory cottage style kitchen, Eberspacher heating, squiral stove, four port holes, five 32" windows and a sky light in the bedroom centred above my full length bed!! She's even got a name Mallory...

If you are gping to have a high quality fit out, using expenaive woods etc, then it doesn't make sense to skimp on the shell, or the boat will never reflect the value that you've put into it.

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If you are gping to have a high quality fit out, using expenaive woods etc, then it doesn't make sense to skimp on the shell, or the boat will never reflect the value that you've put into it.

Exactly so.

 

If you choose (say) a Dave Clark shell, and give it an expensive fit-out, you must be prepared that when you come to sell it people will pay more attention to it being a budget Dave Clark shell than to it having an expensive fit-out.

 

You can always upgrade the fit-out of a boat, but you are stuck with the shell for evermore.

 

if you want to end up with a top notch boat, IMO, you need to be short-listing more up market shell builders,

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Exactly so.

 

If you choose (say) a Dave Clark shell, and give it an expensive fit-out, you must be prepared that when you come to sell it people will pay more attention to it being a budget Dave Clark shell than to it having an expensive fit-out.

 

You can always upgrade the fit-out of a boat, but you are stuck with the shell for evermore.

 

if you want to end up with a top notch boat, IMO, you need to be short-listing more up market shell builders,

 

 

I understand that when you come to sell your boat the price you get is relevant to who built the shell,but does that make it a better boat than if it was built by a budget builder?

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I understand that when you come to sell your boat the price you get is relevant to who built the shell,but does that make it a better boat than if it was built by a budget builder?

Budget boat builders can often build perfectly adeqwuate, (even if sometimes visually. unremarkable), shells. Some even swim and handle fairly well, (although not all do, and indeed some far more expensive ones don't either!....)

 

They are fine for many people, and I myself have a fairly elderly shell that was probably towards the "budget" end of its day.

 

I'm not suggesting that there is any reason why someone should not buy a budget shell, and give it a fairly luxury fit-out, if they particularly want to. That may suit some people, and there is going to be nothing wrong with the end result, per-se.

 

I do think however if you ever wanted to sell it, you could find your losses far higher than if you had taken the route of a better shell, even if that left a bit less to spend on the fit-out.

 

Of course if you either don't plan to sell it, or don't mind losing more money if you do, then the point is unimportant.

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Budget boat builders can often build perfectly adeqwuate, (even if sometimes visually. unremarkable), shells. Some even swim and handle fairly well, (although not all do, and indeed some far more expensive ones don't either!....)

 

They are fine for many people, and I myself have a fairly elderly shell that was probably towards the "budget" end of its day.

 

I'm not suggesting that there is any reason why someone should not buy a budget shell, and give it a fairly luxury fit-out, if they particularly want to. That may suit some people, and there is going to be nothing wrong with the end result, per-se.

 

I do think however if you ever wanted to sell it, you could find your losses far higher than if you had taken the route of a better shell, even if that left a bit less to spend on the fit-out.

 

Of course if you either don't plan to sell it, or don't mind losing more money if you do, then the point is unimportant.

 

 

Agreed...have a great weekend.

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