Cannes (the boat, not the place in France!)

[jami dodgers]

Hi. Wife and I are off to Napton narrowboats to have a look over Cannes on Saturday, anyone like to give me their thoughts, please?

 

http://www.abnb.co.uk/boat_pages/2323web/2323abnb.php?BoatID=2323

[carlt]

A good quality ex-hire boat from a reputable hirer.

[Gibbo]

I don't like the styling but that's nothing more than a personal choice. If the styling and so on suits you then IMHO it looks like quite a lot of boat for the money. Seems to have been well maintained.

[bottle]

It's different.

 

My first thought is that the sliding section(s) will need very good maintenance to reduce the likely hood of leaks or lack of function.

[carlt]

I don't like the styling but that's nothing more than a personal choice. If the styling and so on suits you then IMHO it looks like quite a lot of boat for the money. Seems to have been well maintained.

 

Me neither really but at least it dares to be different to the "stretched caravan" look that so many hire boats have.

[Gibbo]

My first thought is that the sliding section(s) will need very good maintenance to reduce the likely hood of leaks or lack of function.

 

I'm not so sure about that. Marque were very good at doing that sort of thing.

 

Me neither really but at least it dares to be different to the "stretched caravan" look that so many hire boats have.

 

No it wouldn't be my choice. But it does look like value for money to me.

[Athy]

I've always admired Napton's hire boats. They are handsome and distinctive looking. I have never actually been on board one, but have spoken to several hirers who were uniformly happy with their comfort and interior appointments.

I echo most of what has been said above, a lot of good quality boat for your money. Oh, and I LIKE the fenced patio at the stern!

I wonder why ABNB, and not Napton, are selling her? Perhaps she had already been sold out of service and is in private ownership. If so, it might be worth asking why the owners wish to sell her so soon.

[Guest]

Hi. Wife and I are off to Napton narrowboats to have a look over Cannes on Saturday, anyone like to give me their thoughts, please?

 

http://www.abnb.co.uk/boat_pages/2323web/2323abnb.php?BoatID=2323

 

We hired 'Helena' from Napton Narrow boats in April 2010 - a much shorter sister boat to Cannes (Didn't have the sliding canopy though). My impression was a very well built and sturdy boat which was well maintained. I believe it's also one of their 'Edwardian Elite' boats and as such were just that better specd.

 

It had the same almost semi trad stern with the 'railed' sides which we liked at the time but we realise now will be not so good in the winter when the wind whistles through. The gas bottles are also in the stern on these boats which is a much better place for them to be in my opinion.

 

 

Although a shorter boat it was very easy to handle and it's the boat that Jan cut her teeth on as a narrow boat steerer.

 

Your potential boat looks a nice boat and as others have said pretty good value (though worth a cheeky offer too of course)

 

I wonder why ABNB, and not Napton, are selling her? Perhaps she had already been sold out of service and is in private ownership. If so, it might be worth asking why the owners wish to sell her so soon.

 

From the pics. the boat is lying at Napton NB's Yard - I reckon they are using ABNB to market/sell the boat in the same way Oxfordshire Narrowboats sell their ex-hire boats through Dominic at Rugby Boats.

 

ABNB (and Dominic) often broker boats not actually lying at their sites.

Edited October 18, 2012 by The Dog House

[alan_fincher]

If the date of 1998 is correct, at 14 years old, it is a great deal older than that at which many hire boats get sold on, (some fleets sometimes do it at a third of this age!)

 

With that in mind, the price isn't exactly low, IMO!

 

These things are personal taste, but the styling of these, with "bannisters" at the back and "pulpit rails" at the front are not to my taste, and, having seen recently a couple of sold off ones repainted into new colours, it does little to disguise the boats origins from this distinctive hire fleet, (not that there is anything wrong with ex hire boats of course, but some look a lot more like a privately built boat after a full repaint).

 

The sliding roof bit certainly are not something I could live with, and as well as making traversing the gunwales harder than it should be, wouldn't particularly want me to walk along the roof either, (which would presumably be fairly hazardous if both were open at the same time!).

 

I wonder how much insulation and lining they can get on those bits ? Might make it not very well insulated in winter use, I'm not sure.

 

As you can tell, I'm not a fan!

 

I'd look at some of the ex Oxford or ex Black Prince boats if an ex-hire boat appeals, (unless you are specifically attracted by the "quirkiness" of this one, of course!).

 

EDITED TO ADD:

 

You don't mention your intended use of the boat. Holiday boat, or live on all year ? Gas fired central heating is the most expensive way you can heat a narrow boat, by quite a long way, so if you want to be on the boat a lot in winter, I'd be looking for alternatives.

 

If you have thoughts of adding a solid fuel stove, remember.....

 

1) It will not be able to go anywhere where the slidy roof panels are, nor indeed anywhere they need to slide over when open

2) If you are thinking of putting it where a double bed currently is, with 2 * pump-out toilets, it is quite likely that each of those beds currently sits over a large pump out tank - which in a 14 yea old boat may be integral to the hull, and only removed with difficulty.

 

Of course I could be wrong about all that, (!), but if you are considering layout modifications, look closely at what you might need to move/remove!

Edited October 18, 2012 by alan_fincher

[Athy]

 

 

From the pics. the boat is lying at Napton NB's Yard - I reckon they are using ABNB to market/sell the boat in the same way Oxfordshire Narrowboats sell their ex-hire boats through Dominic at Rugby Boats.

 

ABNB (and Dominic) often broker boats not actually lying at their sites.

Oh yes, I know - ABNB sold our last one from her moorings at Springwood Haven. It's just that, as Napton's business is selling weeks' worth of hire on their boats, one might tthink that they were capable of selling the boat itself.

Alan, you are quite correct, some hire fleets do sell on much younger boats. On the other hand, for example how old are Union Canal Carriers' fleet? Some of them still have Sabb engines, and very nice they sound too, but I don't think they have been made since the 1980s.

Calcutt's hire boats never strike me as being in the first flush of youth either, or maybe it's just that they still build them just as ugly as they did 20 years ago.

[Guest]

If the date of 1998 is correct, at 14 years old, it is a great deal older than that at which many hire boats get sold on, (some fleets sometimes do it at a third of this age!)

 

I suspect that Cannes has probably been hung onto as it has proved popular with hirers - that sliding canopy is I reckon something that would have a lot of appeal to those used to a similar set up if they have hired on the broads before.

 

Like the stern config. not something you ever see on many if any 'private' boats of course but a little bit of quirkiness that I suspect has proved very popular.

 

Just my theory of course.

[alan_fincher]

I suspect that Cannes has probably been hung onto as it has proved popular with hirers - that sliding canopy is I reckon something that would have a lot of appeal to those used to a similar set up if they have hired on the broads before.

Yes,

 

What I don't know though, is how many of their boats have it, and how recently they last configured a boat that way.

 

I'm reminded that many years before things like Shropshire Union hire boats had completely sliding roof panels, (full width), but that those one encounters now seem to be invariably sealed up, often with layers of not very attractive fibreglass over the join.

 

I can imagine those on boats like Cannes not being without problems, and really do wonder if )(when it says insulation is Rockwool!), you can get enough insulation and lining in the available space for them not to be a potential cold spot when the weather is old.

 

But I've never tried one, so am just expressing caution - they may be the best thing since sliced bread - but then why has no other recent hire fleet thought them a good idea, (liability claims for amputated fingers possibly ?!? ).

 

Alan, you are quite correct, some hire fleets do sell on much younger boats. On the other hand, for example how old are Union Canal Carriers' fleet? Some of them still have Sabb engines, and very nice they sound too, but I don't think they have been made since the 1980s.

Calcutt's hire boats never strike me as being in the first flush of youth either, or maybe it's just that they still build them just as ugly as they did 20 years ago.

Try Wyvern Shipping, who still have several (very well presented!) wooden tops on the fleet.

 

Yes, many hire fleets operate perfectly good boats that are 20 plus years old.

 

Whether many attempt to sell on boats as old as this one for near £50K though, I very much doubt. I know Wyvern have advertised (admitedly smaller and less well specced) boats at no more than £20K, and one sees the Alvechurch ones, (another fleet that tends to hang on to them), at far less money than this.

[Athy]

Yes,

 

a potential cold spot when the weather is old.

 

But I am sure that they're lovely in new weather.

 

I remember those hire boats to which you allude; either they were called the Sentinel class, or there was one of them called Sentinel. In our early hiring days (mid-1990s) we considered hiring one, but it was booked for the week which we required. I have seen one quite recently, though I don't know whether its roof was still in slipping and sliding mode.

[sooz]

A couple of far-from-technical points from very novice boaters, here.

 

Having been on board Marseilles (same layout, I believe) for a poke around, overall we were impressed with the boat but felt it served a certain purpose, namely corporate bonding weekends for company executives.

 

Everything was very well-maintained and the chap who showed us around seemed to know every last detail about the boats (and immediately sought answers to anything he didn't know).

 

As for the boat itself, it had a certain hint of luxury about it, but felt far from inviting. It felt strictly 'business' rather than 'personal'. Taking it exactly as is, the lack of anywhere cosy to snuggle up of an evening was a big drawback. Yes, it has a grand dining area with leather sofa, but with said area being the only social area on the boat it was far from comfortable - the sofa was far too high and upright to serve any purpose other than dining. Altogether it felt just too formal.

 

The kitchen was nice-looking but lacking usable space and storage. Each cabin and bathroom had a nice amount of space, however. We loved the sliding roof but purely as a novelty and I can fully see the points regarding its upkeep. The small rails surrounding the bow deck were a bonus on this fleet as other Napton boats don't have them yet the outdoor seating at the front of all their boats is higher than one usually finds (just a few inches lower than the gunwales) leading us to be concerned for the safety of t'other half's children and our not-entirely-there dog.

 

The stern was our favourite feature of the Napton boats, so much so that we've just had our newly-bought cruiser stern modified to a similar style. Whilst not for everyone (and I know there will always be those who love their trads and those their cruisers etc) it suits us very well - extra storage and a bit of seating to make it more sociable at the back whilst avoiding the dangerous rails cruisers have. We also liked the quirkiness of having a fitting for a small desmo table at the stern, for corporate champers no doubt!

 

Like I say, these were just our thoughts and relevant to our needs only. Also we had no interest in the boat (far too long for our intended use) and we were just indulging in a spot of nosiness! Of course if you were planning on altering the boat in any big way or are specifically looking for a classy boat for winning over potential business partners then most points are moot!

Edited October 18, 2012 by sooz

[Guest]

 

But I've never tried one, so am just expressing caution - they may be the best thing since sliced bread - but then why has no other recent hire fleet thought them a good idea, (liability claims for amputated fingers possibly ?!? ).

 

 

They are however almost universal on the broads particularly on centre cockpit boats...

 

Grande Girl from Summercraft

 

 

There was however a winding mechanism on this one and many others and some are even electric now and you didn't/don't need to risk any finger loss. I'm not sure how the one on Cannes is operated.

 

From memory I don't think they had any other boat with this feature....

 

Ed. (Scrub the last bit as it seems they had at least another two reading following posts)

Edited October 18, 2012 by The Dog House

[arbutus]

We hired calypso (or a sister boat) some years ago, for two couples in the summer time. It seemed all beds and bathrooms with very little day space and as I recall the dinette was not very comfortable for sitting on in the evening.

The boat layout was very good for what we wanted, it gave privacy to both couples at night and as we hired during the summer the boat was used for long cruising days and then we went to the pub in the late evening to eat and drink but I would not want to use it for Autumn or winter. The other couple managed to block one of the macerator toilets which resulted in a call out and the removal of the toilet onto the bank for dismantling . As I recall we were told to make sure the latches that secured the moving roof sections were unlatched while cruising so that if the sliding section hit the side of a bridge it would side back and sustain less damage. The sliding roof was very heavy.

[Athy]

we were just indulging in a spot of nosiness!

Oooh, boaters would never do that. Not no-how. Perish the thought.

In truth, having a look in OBBs (other buggers' boats) is often interesting, and there's the excuse that one is looking for bright ideas for one's own craft.

Your assessment is perceptive, more so than some boat reviews in the boatimags I have to say. But I have seen only family groups on these boats (unless there were some VERY small businesmen amongst them) and they had only good words to say about the boats when I spoke to them.

[alan_fincher]

From memory I don't think they had any other boat with this feature....

 

Ed. (Scrub the last bit as it seems they had at least another two reading following posts)

Napton Narrowboats website still lists Cannes as being one of their "Riviera" class baots with this feature. The other two listed are currently Monaco (which is 10 feet shorter) and Marseilles.

[jami dodgers]

Test

 

I'm sorry I haven't replied, keep gettting this message !?

 

 

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /forums/index.php on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

[jami dodgers]

Just a thought, is it because i wrote it in word and then C&P'd it?

 

Edit apparently maybe so?

 

Second edit. Right, I'll try re-typing the post diectly into a post.

 

Yes, I'll have to look closely at the condition of those sliding roof sections and the design, but i'm very attracted by the idea of alfresco dining.

 

That's weird, if I type it in either fast reply or full editor it sticks into my previous post as an edit. Why me lord?

 

We plan to C.C. for 6 months each year so I would have it modified by turning the front bedroom into a lounge and the rear into a workshop for the wife's watercolour painting, oh and remove the rear bath to give more storage space.

Edited October 18, 2012 by jami dodgers

[Guest]

Just a thought, is it because i wrote it in word and then C&P'd it?

 

Edit apparently maybe so?

 

Second edit. Right, I'll try re-typing the post diectly into a post.

 

Yes, I'll have to look closely at the condition of those sliding roof sections and the design, but i'm very attracted by the idea of alfresco dining.

 

That's weird, if I type it in either fast reply or full editor it sticks into my previous post as an edit. Why me lord?

 

Because if you post again very quickly after you make a post the forum software 'merges' them into one single post.

 

If you leave it a few minutes they appear as seperate posts

[jami dodgers]

Because if you post again very quickly after you make a post the forum software 'merges' them into one single post.

 

If you leave it a few minutes they appear as seperate posts

 

Martin, I'll try something different and reply to your post.

 

Well that worked.

[Guest]

Martin, I'll try something different and reply to your post.

 

See - if a post appears after yours they seperate.

 

If however you do this -

 

They merge

[jami dodgers]

If I leave it a few minutes and try I just get that same message again.

 

I've tried logging out and switching off / on and I've even tried giving myself a 2nd I.D. but it's really weird.

 

This is supposed to be a new post. Let's see where it goes.

 

Ah ok we just crossed.

 

I'm beginning to see, but why the earlier message about forbidden?

[Guest]

I'm beginning to see, but why the earlier message about forbidden?

 

Not sure but a few members have apparently experienced the same recently so it's nothing personal.....

 

You get similar messages if you try to post as a guest (ie not logged in) or if you hit 'reply' after composing a response to a post just as a mod is in the process of locking the thread.

 

 

 

..

Edited October 18, 2012 by The Dog House