Waterfreight Ltd

[furnessvale]

I picked this up on uk.waterways.

 

Anyone heard anything about them?

 

http://waterfreightltd.co.uk/

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Athy]

What a wonderful dream - but unless the founders have VERY deep pockets I question whether their dreams have a chance of becoming reality. I hope that I'm proved wrong.

[Tam & Di]

I picked this up on uk.waterways.

 

Anyone heard anything about them?

 

http://waterfreightltd.co.uk/

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

I just can't imagine what he is on! A fleet of 60' craft covering the whole country, with short-sea links thrown in too, and self-loading capabilty of 1 tonne pallets which he delivers by electric vehicles to customers within 5 miles of any inland waterway.

 

It's a fantastic idea - but I use the word in the sense that it is a fantasy. It is so mind-boggling in its misalignment with reality that I can't even offer constructive thought on it.

[grahame r]

I hate to be cycical but have to agree that it appears somewhat pie in the sky. I guess that he's thinking that the advertising on the boats and water surveys, presumably for CaRT or EA, may push it into the realms of possibility. Mind you there is a fleet of 9 brand new 60 foot widebeam boats currently lying at Roydon Marina which could be pressed into a second unrealistic project. I wish him all the best of luck, but see the future of the waterways in leisure and for that reason I'm out (cruising on the River Lee).

Edited November 15, 2012 by grahame r

[furnessvale]

I just can't imagine what he is on! A fleet of 60' craft covering the whole country, with short-sea links thrown in too, and self-loading capabilty of 1 tonne pallets which he delivers by electric vehicles to customers within 5 miles of any inland waterway.

 

It's a fantastic idea - but I use the word in the sense that it is a fantasy. It is so mind-boggling in its misalignment with reality that I can't even offer constructive thought on it.

 

My thoughts entirely (before anyone runs away with the idea that, as the OP, I thought any different).

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Laurence Hogg]

I have a lot of experience of "off shore" narrowboating and can assure anyone that taking a loaded boat out to sea for a short trip may prove problematic with a conventional hull. However with a hull designed for the purpose that could be different.

But as they say, the devil is in the detail and to me this extract says a lot, "Offer a moving 60’ floating advertising board for our customers to put their name on along with offering waterways survey to support the various navigation authorities maintenance programmes."

[John Holden]

Busy as the canals are I doubt they are busy enough to justify the sort of charge that would make advertising on a boat viable.

By viable I mean to produce enough income to make a difference.

[grey wolf]

hmm the Facebook and blogger links do not seem to take you anywhere either.i would like to see his design for the working boat of the future.

[Tam & Di]

I have a lot of experience of "off shore" narrowboating and can assure anyone that taking a loaded boat out to sea for a short trip may prove problematic with a conventional hull. However with a hull designed for the purpose that could be different.

 

As he talks of nationwide coverage he has to be talking of narrow beamed craft for much of them. He also talks of 60' craft, but the payload of a 60' narrow beamed vessel is going to be quite small, especially as he also talks of self-loading gear adding to the weight of the craft and reducing the hold space. In fact the list you would get by putting a jib carrying 1 tonne out to the quay means you would have to allow a very considerable freeboard for that alone.

 

He's also talking of new craft, so someone has to come up with the funds for that and the carriage rate would have to include allowance for depreciation and all those practical matters.

 

Now I'm letting my head get involved in actually thinking about the reality of his scheme, which I know is daft. Trouble is I've been there and done all that with some modicum of success, and realities do have to creep in.

[Rebotco]

I have a lot of experience of "off shore" narrowboating and can assure anyone that taking a loaded boat out to sea for a short trip may prove problematic with a conventional hull. However with a hull designed for the purpose that could be different.

But as they say, the devil is in the detail and to me this extract says a lot, "Offer a moving 60' floating advertising board for our customers to put their name on along with offering waterways survey to support the various navigation authorities maintenance programmes."

 

There is also the small matter of stoppages, especially the winter maintenance ones, which would make any attempt at a reliable delivery service quite impossible.

Seems to me this business plan is ill-considered and doomed. I shall not be investing - I'm out!

[ditchcrawler]

I couldn't find Waterfreight Ltd as a listed company, but I only Googled and didn't go to Companies House site to check.

[carlt]

There is also the small matter of stoppages, especially the winter maintenance ones...

That surely won't be a problem if the website's wallpaper is an example of the type of waterway he envisages using...

[Rebotco]

That surely won't be a problem if the website's wallpaper is an example of the type of waterway he envisages using...

 

But if you read his blurb, you will see he intends to use the canal network ....... My link

[carlt]

But if you read his blurb, you will see he intends to use the canal network .......

I know I was suggesting that his business proposition was as unrealistic as his portrayal of the waterways network.

[alan_fincher]

Perhaps they will be able to adapt those Water Chariots boats to use for this new venture?

[Laurie Booth]

I couldn't find Waterfreight Ltd as a listed company, but I only Googled and didn't go to Companies House site to check.

It is listed but too new to have filed any accounts. The owner is a director of another company and he was a director of two other companies that have closed down.

[Derek R.]

Faced with the competition of a one ton van, or amounts multiple of, and a road network that reaches virtually every door, he has to be playing to the green idealists. Maybe there'll be wind turbines adapted to take advantage of the forward motion of the vessels, to aid in supplying power to the propulsion unit.

[PaddingtonBear]

Might he not be the Water Chariot lunatic/con man?

[onionbargee]

I'm sure he could carry tons of stuff around 5000 miles of waterways, it's just he couldn't unload it anywhere !

[haggis]

I'm sure he could carry tons of stuff around 5000 miles of waterways, it's just he couldn't unload it anywhere !

 

But are there 5000 miles of navigable waterways?

Like the photo on the web site though!

haggis

Edited November 15, 2012 by haggis

[MtB]

But are there 5000 miles of navigable waterways?

Like the photo on the web site though!

haggis

 

My thought too. I was under the impression there was only 2000 miles of navigable waterway.

 

Not sure I'd want my stock tied up for a fortnight traveling north to south when for the same money (presumably) it could get there same day in a lorry or train. This is why the canals fell into disuse in the first place.

 

MtB

[Richard Fairhurst]

Might he not be the Water Chariot lunatic/con man?

Possibly not:

 

~: whois waterfreightltd.co.uk

   Domain name:
       waterfreightltd.co.uk

   Registrant:
       Nigel Cecil

[John Holden]

Not sure I'd want my stock tied up for a fortnight traveling north to south when for the same money (presumably) it could get there same day in a lorry or train. This is why the canals fell into disuse in the first place.

 

Depends, if you get it there the same day and then it sits there for a fortnight before it's used there's no gain is there?

[Tam & Di]

My thought too. I was under the impression there was only 2000 miles of navigable waterway.

 

Not sure I'd want my stock tied up for a fortnight traveling north to south when for the same money (presumably) it could get there same day in a lorry or train.

 

It's not completely true - there are some things that require a reliable and steady delivery, almost like a pipeline, rather than it arriving 10 minutes after it left. Not quite in that category or even in the UK, there are still occasional freights from Rotterdam and other places in northern Europe all the way down to Sête or the bottom end of the Rhône.

 

As for waterway length, as he talks of people within 5 miles of all the waterways I suppose he might be counting each side separately, which gives us 4000 miles. He throws in some coastal trips too, so that brings it up a bit more.

 

I suppose it's a bit unfair, as it was not him that drew our attention to his dreams, assuming it is not just a joke of some kind (or a scam). If he's gone as far as setting up the limited company it's got a bit elaborate for a joke though. It would be interesting hearing him justify what he proposes.

[Laurence Hogg]

Perhaphs we are overdue for a fresh thinking mind on small waterway freight cargoes. Someone coming in from the cold just might have different viewpoints and differing cargoes in mind. Too many of us are locked into the idea that FMC and GUCCCo had got it right, now there are no passed down boating families a new approach might bring dividends, lets see what he comes up with first before putting the idea and vision in the bin. We might all be suprised.