WB & France?

[Kiwipeter]

The DBA has recently had a Web Site and forum make over. I think if you dig around you will find lots archived or in the old format forums.

 

 

The Knowledge Base/FAQ is being updated post new website going live in Nov 12, but most parts seem to be behind the Member 'Wall'. If you search the Forum you should get answers to most things.

 

Peter

[Guest]

Is my memory on this faulty but did the DBA previously only allow access to their forum if you were a member? - is it only recently that it has been opened up to all??

 

 

ah - cross post.

Edited December 31, 2012 by The Dog House

[Biggles]

Is my memory on this faulty but did the DBA previously only allow access to their forum if you were a member? - is it only recently that it has been opened up to all??

 

 

I am a member so have full access. It would need a non member to test it.

 

ah - cross post.

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

I thought they were very helpful. As someone who is contemplating taking my widebeam to France in a few years, his balanced view to the naysayers was very comforting Halle-****-lu-yah ))

You could do as we did and go with Tam and Di Murrel http://www.bargehandling.com if they are still offering cruises and courses on the French canals. we came back with the knowledge that France is BIG, silly but at boat speed mooring places are few and far between. When you drive it takes time but in a boat it takes forever, with large commercial craft passing mooring on pins is not an option. The heat in summer is uncomfortable. We decided that we did not have the language skills, and visiting by car was a much better option for us. That trip with Tam and Di saved is a shed load of money, I had gone as far as to detail plan the move visiting boatyards in France to arrange lifts. While you can sail over your boat can make an expensive hole in the Channel.

[bargemast]

You could do as we did and go with Tam and Di Murrel http://www.bargehandling.com if they are still offering cruises and courses on the French canals. we came back with the knowledge that France is BIG, silly but at boat speed mooring places are few and far between. When you drive it takes time but in a boat it takes forever, with large commercial craft passing mooring on pins is not an option. The heat in summer is uncomfortable. We decided that we did not have the language skills, and visiting by car was a much better option for us. That trip with Tam and Di saved is a shed load of money, I had gone as far as to detail plan the move visiting boatyards in France to arrange lifts. While you can sail over your boat can make an expensive hole in the Channel.

 

 

If you say mooring places a few and far between, meaning moorings in a town or village, I have to agree with you, but if you don't really want to moor in one of these places, there are plenty of places where you could more almost everywhere.

 

You are honest saying that you did not have the language skills, as I often hear that the French are stupid, because many don't speak and understand English, as they (the UK visitors) don't think it's important to learn some basic French, but if someone French visits the UK they expect them to be able to speak and understand English.

 

But you at least had the good experience with Tam and Di, which saved you a shed load of money, so that has been money well spent.

 

Peter.

[Gatesofrome]

I have been talking to some one that lives on a wide beam and they have said "thank you for your e-mail, we are pleased you are enjoying our web site, we hope you find some useful information & stories, which will help you in your new & exciting adventure. We wish you every happiness aboard your new boat, good luck & happy cruising for 2013…

We have travelled with our wide beam in France since 2004. (In England for 3 yrs 1st). We have enjoyed every minute of our adventure,and still do, we would not swap our wide beam boat for another. Wide beam boats are made for the canal’s. Pergaps they can get a little hottor than the plastic boats, but they are much warm for winter months….you will be able to take your boat on any canal in France, some boats their draft it too big. Perhaps a wide beam will not suit the fast flowing rivers, although if you pick your rivers & times you have no problems. We had two problems one on a lake, and one on a river …..but it was more due to weather than anything else." the link is here if this would be helpful :-)

 

www.moet-chandon.co.uk

[Biggles]

I have been talking to some one that lives on a wide beam and they have said "thank you for your e-mail, we are pleased you are enjoying our web site, we hope you find some useful information & stories, which will help you in your new & exciting adventure. We wish you every happiness aboard your new boat, good luck & happy cruising for 2013…

We have travelled with our wide beam in France since 2004. (In England for 3 yrs 1st). We have enjoyed every minute of our adventure,and still do, we would not swap our wide beam boat for another. Wide beam boats are made for the canal’s. Pergaps they can get a little hottor than the plastic boats, but they are much warm for winter months….you will be able to take your boat on any canal in France, some boats their draft it too big. Perhaps a wide beam will not suit the fast flowing rivers, although if you pick your rivers & times you have no problems. We had two problems one on a lake, and one on a river …..but it was more due to weather than anything else." the link is here if this would be helpful :-)

 

www.moet-chandon.co.uk

 

I wonder if the problems were boat shape or engine power.

[Gatesofrome]

I wonder if the problems were boat shape or engine power.

I do not know but it seems from the reply it was to do with the weather , just a guess but it is the same problem here on the rivers when the weather is bad, I will try and find out

[GUMPY]

From reading the bit about the Lot either the boat is underpowered or the hull shape is wrong and it can't go fast enough against the flow.

Edited January 1, 2013 by idleness

[bargemast]

I have been talking to some one that lives on a wide beam and they have said "thank you for your e-mail, we are pleased you are enjoying our web site, we hope you find some useful information & stories, which will help you in your new & exciting adventure. We wish you every happiness aboard your new boat, good luck & happy cruising for 2013…

We have travelled with our wide beam in France since 2004. (In England for 3 yrs 1st). We have enjoyed every minute of our adventure,and still do, we would not swap our wide beam boat for another. Wide beam boats are made for the canal’s. Pergaps they can get a little hottor than the plastic boats, but they are much warm for winter months….you will be able to take your boat on any canal in France, some boats their draft it too big. Perhaps a wide beam will not suit the fast flowing rivers, although if you pick your rivers & times you have no problems. We had two problems one on a lake, and one on a river …..but it was more due to weather than anything else." the link is here if this would be helpful :-)

 

www.moet-chandon.co.uk

 

 

This is the boat, and these are the people of which I wrote the link in answer to Biggles request on your topic "New build advise" Dec 28, post # 151

 

And again on this topic WB & France in answer to Biggles Dec 29, post # 12, but I suppose that nobody did read it then.

 

They are at least people that have done it, and are doing it, so it's clear that it's possible with a WB, and even with a NB, but as said many times before, they are far from the ideal boat for this sort of cruising.

 

People that have lots of experience with their WB or even NB will manage surely better, and can adapt better than the ones without any previous experience of handeling their boats under different circumstances.

 

As I wrote before too, that with a few changes in the position of, and a different kind, and more suitable type of bollards, it would make things a lot easier.

 

Peter.

[Guest]

This is the boat, and these are the people of which I wrote the link in answer to Biggles request on your topic "New build advise" Dec 28, post # 151

 

And again on this topic WB & France in answer to Biggles Dec 29, post # 12, but I suppose that nobody did read it then.

 

They are at least people that have done it, and are doing it, so it's clear that it's possible with a WB, and even with a NB, but as said many times before, they are far from the ideal boat for this sort of cruising.

 

People that have lots of experience with their WB or even NB will manage surely better, and can adapt better than the ones without any previous experience of handeling their boats under different circumstances.

 

As I wrote before too, that with a few changes in the position of, and a different kind, and more suitable type of bollards, it would make things a lot easier.

 

Peter.

 

Cough.....

 

I did....

[bargemast]

Cough.....

 

I did....

 

 

Hello Martin,

 

I'm sorry, I should have added :"apart from Martin", as you surely read every posting, and react if it's an answer on a question or a remark you made, which is what I do too (or at least try to), and which I probably wrongly expect more or less from others too.

 

But as people are people, they react (or don't react at all) differently.

 

Happy new year,

 

Peter.

[Biggles]

This is the boat, and these are the people of which I wrote the link in answer to Biggles request on your topic "New build advise" Dec 28, post # 151

 

And again on this topic WB & France in answer to Biggles Dec 29, post # 12, but I suppose that nobody did read it then.

 

They are at least people that have done it, and are doing it, so it's clear that it's possible with a WB, and even with a NB, but as said many times before, they are far from the ideal boat for this sort of cruising.

 

People that have lots of experience with their WB or even NB will manage surely better, and can adapt better than the ones without any previous experience of handeling their boats under different circumstances.

 

As I wrote before too, that with a few changes in the position of, and a different kind, and more suitable type of bollards, it would make things a lot easier.

 

Peter.

 

No I've been reading their blog for s few years. While it has some good reference info its not a technical based blog if you see what I mean. None the less its well worth a look.

[bargemast]

No I've been reading their blog for s few years. While it has some good reference info its not a technical based blog if you see what I mean. None the less its well worth a look.

 

 

I clearly see, and understand what you mean, but I would think that people like that would quite likely be able to answer your more technical questions, if you write and ask them, as they are already doing since many years, what you are planning to do yourself.

 

Peter.

[Tam & Di]

No I've been reading their blog for s few years. While it has some good reference info its not a technical based blog if you see what I mean. None the less its well worth a look.

 

Also I believe they now have a house in the south and only use the boat for cruises down there. They do touch on another aspect which tends to get overlooked - they say their boat is hotter inside than a grp cruiser. People with craft built for the UK maybe think about insulation to keep the cold out, but good insulation will equally keep the hot out in summer. We have 2" foam spray throughout in Friesland, and are noticably cooler inside than most other craft we visit in the summer. They also have a shelter for the steerer - as good for avoiding sunstroke as it is for avoiding the rain. Unlike Wandering Snail they have not made any modification to the position of bollards at the fore end, but they did get roaded down to Burgundy and spent most of their time there or on the Midi so have not often been in locks where that would have been such a significant factor. On the Garonne you do get off to work the locks, so they are not particularly different to those in the UK on that score - they just have more sunshine, good fish restaurants and wine.

[bargemast]

Also I believe they now have a house in the south and only use the boat for cruises down there. They do touch on another aspect which tends to get overlooked - they say their boat is hotter inside than a grp cruiser. People with craft built for the UK maybe think about insulation to keep the cold out, but good insulation will equally keep the hot out in summer. We have 2" foam spray throughout in Friesland, and are noticably cooler inside than most other craft we visit in the summer. They also have a shelter for the steerer - as good for avoiding sunstroke as it is for avoiding the rain. Unlike Wandering Snail they have not made any modification to the position of bollards at the fore end, but they did get roaded down to Burgundy and spent most of their time there or on the Midi so have not often been in locks where that would have been such a significant factor. On the Garonne you do get off to work the locks, so they are not particularly different to those in the UK on that score - they just have more sunshine, good fish restaurants and wine.

 

 

Yes, you are right, they arrived by road from the UK, and I saw their boat being craned in the Yonne at Migennes at the time. They first spend some time in Burgundy, I didn't read much of their blog, but presume that they didn't go down the Saône and Rhône in flood. The Rhône may even have been a relief to them, as the big locks that a lot of people worry about so much, are amongst the easiest in the country once your inside one of them, with their floating bollards, and almost free of any turbulance.

If they stay on the Canal du Midi, Lateral à la Garonne, Lot and Baïse, their boat is not much les apt for cruising there than most others.

 

Peter.

[Athy]

On the Garonne you do get off to work the locks, so they are not particularly different to those in the UK on that score - they just have more sunshine, good fish restaurants and wine.

Oh, not much of a reason to go down there, then.

You make me feel like packing a suitcase right now!

[Biggles]

I did a search of my Gmail acc. I know I had emaild them when I had my NB and was thinking about our next boat. This all wellprior to buying my part finished shell.

 

This from October 2008.

 

Hi Kevin

Thank you for your e-mail glad you find our blog useful and enjoyed reading.

 

 

We love our WB and have not found a boat we would like better - unless we won the lottery then we would have the Moet with some changes (more deck space, a bit wider, a walk around bed).

We have a 50 hp which on the whole has been ok and really good on diesel - but we will see when we want to go north again and tackle the mighty Rhone river .....normal canal's & rivers we have had little problems (if we did it's in the blog), the size of our engine we snail along though Moet loves rivers and the deeper .....We have never owned another boat - so we can't really compare. We are very happy with our WB. Our boat can do all canal's due to our 60cm draft and this is a +

The color of our boat is a problem in the summer - but white is not suitable for our boat so it's worth considering the color when you look for a boat.

Hope you find this information of use.

 

 

All the very Best

John & Irene

www.moet-chandon.co.uk

 

Edited January 1, 2013 by Biggles

[Guest]

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Edited January 2, 2013 by The Dog House