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Which boat for me?

Captain Cutter

By Captain Cutter
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Captain Cutter Gongoozler

Captain Cutter

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All my life I've been attracted to boats, and the inland waterways have held a strange fascination over me since school. Next year, I will be holidaying on the network for the first time, and if I feel inclined to, I plan to buy a boat to live on. Ideally, the boat would match my rather demanding criteria:

 

Needs to be big enough to live on for one or two people.

Needs to be able to get into Birmingham (6'10 beam max, I believe)

Would like it to be capable/comfortable in estuaries and river travel.

 

I was reading an old discussion about dutch barge narrowboats where a poster said they have no practical advantage over traditional narrowboats. Presumably this conclusion was reach due to their flat hull? However, DB bows are usually raised - compared with traditional narrowboats - so would that give extra protection against the boat flooding in choppy water? I like this this footage of a narrowboat on the Trent which got me thinking about this question:

 

Thanks

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Needs to be big enough to live on for one or two people.

Needs to be able to get into Birmingham (6'10 beam max, I believe)

Would like it to be capable/comfortable in river travel.

 

A narrow-boat.

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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An older design of narrowboat such as Springer or Harborough marine would be more comfortable in rougher waters as they have a higher bow, more freeboard and chined hulls which most modern n/b's don't have so should be more sea kindly.

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Pentargon Collaborator

Pentargon

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Canal boats usually don't make good sea boats so there will be limits to the size of estuary before it's not really a good idea. Crossing the Wash, The Thames seaward of Tilbury goes seriously against a boat that fits the beam and air and water draught for the narrow canals.

 

If I can add something to what Arthur Brown says, it is not a good idea to take a 'typical' narrowboat to 'sea' unless you are experienced at the ways of the sea. I'm intimately familiar with the Thames and own a suitable narrow-boat, but I will think twice before bringing it below about Erith. (I have yachtmaster and all the sea qualifications including 55yrs recreational sailing under canvas and power) Maybe you know the ways of the sea but if you did you'd be asking different questions. However, if you get a narrowboat for the inland waterways you will have an unbelievable experience.

 

The boat you NEED will be much smaller than you think. I see couples on t'cut in 23' [steel] boats and loads of space. It is not like camping, campers, caravans. A boat seems to have so much space. Pentargon is 36' for a reason and the name is googlable. Best of luck with the quest. I'm just finishing 12mts continuous cruising and intend to spend most of 2013 in t'cut where I look forward to meeting you some day with a HUGE smile on your face.

 

PS Mr Bizzard has beaten me to it so I can now admit Pentargon is in fact a Springer bought partly for the reasons he states

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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If I can add something to what Arthur Brown says, it is not a good idea to take a 'typical' narrowboat to 'sea' unless you are experienced at the ways of the sea. I'm intimately familiar with the Thames and own a suitable narrow-boat, but I will think twice before bringing it below about Erith. (I have yachtmaster and all the sea qualifications including 55yrs recreational sailing under canvas and power) Maybe you know the ways of the sea but if you did you'd be asking different questions. However, if you get a narrowboat for the inland waterways you will have an unbelievable experience.

 

The boat you NEED will be much smaller than you think. I see couples on t'cut in 23' [steel] boats and loads of space. It is not like camping, campers, caravans. A boat seems to have so much space. Pentargon is 36' for a reason and the name is googlable. Best of luck with the quest. I'm just finishing 12mts continuous cruising and intend to spend most of 2013 in t'cut where I look forward to meeting you some day with a HUGE smile on your face.

 

PS Mr Bizzard has beaten me to it so I can now admit Pentargon is in fact a Springer bought partly for the reasons he states

The only drawbacks might be ''exhaust and air cooled engine vents in the hull too low down'' and secure your ballast properly.

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Captain Cutter Gongoozler

Captain Cutter

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Thanks for the replies and recommendations, everyone.

 

Pentargon, you are right in assuming I'm not a seaman. I'm an absolute beginner with a zest for adventure. What I want to do on the estuaries are really quite practical, such as getting to Bristol or Liverpool. I'm in no hurry, though. Learning to use the boat on a canal will be difficult enough to begin with. It's just I wanted to buy a boat with the capability in mind.

 

If the boat I need is smaller than I think, would boats like the Viking 32 or Sea Otter Cruiser be suitable:

 

http://www.waterlineleisure.co.uk/vthirtytwo.html

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/28644201/SEA-OTTER-BOAT-BUILDERS-CRUISERS

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Pentargon Collaborator

Pentargon

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WOW! Frederick ii http://www.fettlerswharfmarina.co.uk/frederick_ii.pdf Maybe if I won the lottery...

 

Wow! If you win the lottery tell me AT ONCE and I'll be your skipper, navigator, cook, teacher whatever it takes. For FREE.

 

Meanwhile back at reality, stay away from plastic boats (affectionately known as "Tupperware") and aluminium. Listen to Mr. Bizzard and look at Springers. Make sure you look ONLY at ones with no air-intakes on the outside of the hull and preferably with an air-cooled engine.

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Iain_S Influencer

Iain_S

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(snip)Meanwhile back at reality, stay away from plastic boats (affectionately known as "Tupperware") and aluminium. Listen to Mr. Bizzard and look at Springers. Make sure you look ONLY at ones with no air-intakes on the outside of the hull and preferably with an air-cooled engine.

 

Nowt wrong with aluminium, (apart from the price!! :unsure: ) and the Sea Otter does have a shallow "V" hull. Our Sea Otter, Gamebird 26', has been out in "envelope edge" conditions, and coped better than a standard narrowboat would have done, and better than a broad beam did, but wasn't as good as the fibreglass members of the fleet.

 

I'd have thought these were mutually exclusive!! :cheers:

 

Iain

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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Wow! If you win the lottery tell me AT ONCE and I'll be your skipper, navigator, cook, teacher whatever it takes. For FREE.

 

Meanwhile back at reality, stay away from plastic boats (affectionately known as "Tupperware") and aluminium. Listen to Mr. Bizzard and look at Springers. Make sure you look ONLY at ones with no air-intakes on the outside of the hull and preferably with an air-cooled engine.

Er, please Sir, if it has an air-cooled engine but no external ventilation, how does the air get to the engine in order to cool it?

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Captain Cutter Gongoozler

Captain Cutter

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Meanwhile back at reality, stay away from plastic boats (affectionately known as "Tupperware") and aluminium. Listen to Mr. Bizzard and look at Springers. Make sure you look ONLY at ones with no air-intakes on the outside of the hull and preferably with an air-cooled engine.

 

Cheers for the tips. I know have a lot of research to do before I buy a boat - but it's all good. I suppose the plastic boats don't last, and essentially a bad investment. I need to go inside on a narrowboat to get a greater insight into the size I'll need. One requirement I already know I want is a permanent double bed. I also much prefer the reverse layout - which to me seems so right.

 

A question about engine sizes: I was looking at this 32' Springer with an 130hp engine, which to this novice appears very overpowered for a small narrowboat? I'm sure the more power you have, the better, on rivers though. What is the minimum power a boat would need to go safely on rivers and estuaries?

 

Thanks to all my repliers

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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I was looking at this 32' Springer with an 130hp engine,

Oh no you weren't. You were more likely looking at a misprint. Many Springers of around that size have a Lister SR2 which is 13 h.p.- maybe the advert meant to say "13.0" though in fact I believe they are 13.5.

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Chalky Experienced

Chalky

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If its a springer get a THOROUGH survey. I know someone who bought one and relied upon a 4 year old survey that the previous owner had done when he bought it. Early this summer he found a damp patch in the bilge... The story as he told it is "amusing" however it cost him an emergency lift out(on a bank holiday, so nice and cheap) and then about £5K for a full replate. There are good springers out there however there are also some money pits and as said before on here a full survey is vital.

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Captain Cutter Gongoozler

Captain Cutter

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Oh no you weren't. You were more likely looking at a misprint. Many Springers of around that size have a Lister SR2 which is 13 h.p.- maybe the advert meant to say "13.0" though in fact I believe they are 13.5.

 

Okay, it was a 30' Springer with 135hp! :blink:http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=279501

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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Okay, it was a 30' Springer with 135hp! :blink:http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=279501

Its not unknown, though of course not original. We had a couple here years ago on a short Springer that had a 6cyl Bedford engine in it. He kept challenging everyone to tugs of war.

The usual engines in the shorter Springers were as someone mentioned Lister SR2, also small Bukh, also BMC 1500 occasionally ect.

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