Anyone want a top box?

[Doodlebug]

As most of you know, I am fast running out of money, and so for my summer before I go back to Uni I am making custom made top boxes - since a number of people said they would like one (not that i've sold any yet!).

 

The website is now finished so please have a look, and any comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

http://www.narrowboattopbox.co.uk

 

Also do like it on facebook if you can

 

http://www.facebook.com/narrowboattopbox

 

Thanks!

 

Doodlebug

 

P.s. sorry for pushing the boundaries of the forum rules - i'm desperate!

[Tigerr]

Nice looking boxes judging by the photos. Similar to the ones I have built for my own boat.

I found that 'waterproof' birch ply is not as weatherproof as I had hoped - some delaminating rot creeps in at the lower edge which has been a nuisance. I am currently thinking of rebuilding using hexboard ply for a really weatherproof self-finish - means no paint or varnish. Of course it increases material cost but reduces time and process in the build.

The solar panel lid is a good idea.

I hope you get lots of orders.

[RLWP]

When your website opens in Chrome, there is one large image that covers over the two surrounding images and words

 

Richard

[OldGoldy]

 

The website is now finished so please have a look, and any comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

http://www.narrowboattopbox.co.uk

 

 

 

Please forgive, but:in the FAQ :-

 

What Happens If I Get To A Low Bridge?

............

These screws are the type usually found in flat pack furniture, such as Ikea, and will ??? cause any damage to the boxes upon disassembly......................

[Doodlebug]

You need to click on the images and they all rotate around. Maybe I need to point that out.

 

Although sold as being waterproof, ply generally cant cope with rain etc, what they really mean is that when in changes of humidity it wont warp or split.

 

The ones i'm making are covered in the waterproof canvas so that solves that problem.

 

Thanks:)

[RLWP]

Ahh, that's why you are using bloody Flash then

 

Personally, I hate waiting for web pages to load so 'clever' things can happen

 

This bit:

 

 

This summer I was going to get a temporary job to see me through to my next year studying, but this was easier said than done. Having had a number of people say they loved the design and the quality of the boxes I had built, I decided maybe I could spend the summer building customisable top boxes for narrowboats. This is not a business; it is simply an attempt to get a small income, whilst being able to give something back to the narrowboat community.

I admire you honesty, however it could put buyers off. It doesn't look like a serious business venture

 

Richard

[Doodlebug]

Thank you, both those errors are now fixed. Me and my proof reading

I don't think its flash, it should work on pretty much every browser. But I do see your point.

 

Ok, I figured i'd rather give my money to someone who's trying than some big business but I do see your point. I may take that off.

[Dave_P]

You have a margin issue on the FAQ page when viewing with Internet Explorer 7. The right hand margin of the main text is cropped off, the worst being the phrase "The weight of the boxes and the shape means that even in very high winds they will not blow off your roof" where the word 'even' reads 'ev'.

 

Also the purchase page has no way to submit or place orders, just some boxes to fill in. Also there seems to be no price list.

 

I might be interested in buying except for these issues and the fact that your boxes aren't water-tight. Maybe a small redesign? I currently have a halford's car top box which is ugly but completely dry.

Just noticed, the measuring your roof bit has a similar margin issue.

[Doodlebug]

Thats weird, the page should be appearing correctly and I can't find anything to cause an issue, have you got a different browser to look at it with? Whilst I fox the problem.

 

The purchase page does have prices and a submit button, but its obviously cut off. Unless you can scroll down.

 

Having thought about it I could add some more waterproof canvas across the join making it totally waterproof. so that would be ok to do.

 

In the mean time this purchase page, which is embedded into the page you can't see may be easier to fill in.

 

https://secure.jotform.co/form/31692629187869

 

Thanks

[Dave_P]

HTML coding is the darkest of dark arts, and Internet Explorer always caused me the most headaches, especially earlier versions. I'm kind of glad I don't have a job requiring it any more. I'll have a look at it on Firefox and Safari later. Yes the purchase page is cut off, a big problem for you. Does anyone else have this problem?

[Tesla]

HTML coding is the darkest of dark arts, and Internet Explorer always caused me the most headaches, especially earlier versions. I'm kind of glad I don't have a job requiring it any more. I'll have a look at it on Firefox and Safari later. Yes the purchase page is cut off, a big problem for you. Does anyone else have this problem?

It all seems ok under safari (on iPad). I think it is a great effort all round doodlebug, in terms of product and website. I wish you luck and will probably put in an order if you are still doing this next year.

 

If you get a lot of interest, you may want to think about bringing in a partner who could continue to build them when you return to Uni, rather than stopping production? It could grown into a nice little business?

[BlueStringPudding]

Website looks good, Doodlebug - congrats!

 

I'd still like to see some photos of the inside of the box with lids open please, to see the construction - especially on the solar panel ones as it says there is no plywood lid under the panel. The back of solar panels can be a bit delicate so I'm curious how that works, especially when being closed down onto the contents of the box which may stick up or shift in transit and press up against the underside of the solar panels. Perhaps consider mounting the solar panels onto ply lids for extra safety?

[Peter Reed]

I hope you don't mind constructive spelling,and I wish you well with your venture.

 

If you decide to buy your top box with the solar panel option, you will be getting a total of 200w of power. This comes from 2 x 100w monocrystalline panels which are built to charge 12v batteries. You will need a solar regulator to fit panels if you do not have one.

Monocrystalline panels are the best type of panels in terms of getting the most enargy from the smallest area. This makes them perfect for boats. They are more expencive than other types of panels, but take up half the area, and you will not find panels cheaper elsewhere.

energy and expensive.

[Spesh]

Good website, for what it's worth I like that bit about it not being a business as I'd rather put my money towards someone who is small scale and independent. Perhaps worth just adding an FAQ about being around in the event of any problems though, you don't want people thinking you are going to do it for a couple of months and then bugger off to Uni and not be contactable should there be any construction issues need sorting out etc. Not that I'm questioning your workmanship, but for £130 people will probably want assurance that if there are any problems you'll be contactable to sort it out or provide a replacement.

 

Not sure if this was one of the typos which you said had been fixed, but the "not" was still missing from the low bridge FAQ when I just had a look. To be ultra picky, the start of the second sentence of the weatherproof FAQ is also lower case, you never know, that might put a member of the grammar police off making an order!

[DHutch]

 

What Happens If I Get To A Low Bridge?

 

I would just lift them off, put the boat through the bridge, and put them back? Disassembly sounds a poor solution to a low bridge to me, although it remains a selling feature is it is that easy.

 

 

 

I admire you honesty, however it could put buyers off. It doesn't look like a serious business venture

 

As said via PM I agree with Richard on this, there is a fine line between playing to the 'home industry' card, and just looking down right unprofessional, and with that remark your well into the second one.

 

 

Daniel

[Doodlebug]

I'm not going anywhere, I will add that into the FAQ so I can see that if something went wrong I could have disappeared The payments is by paypal though so the whole thing is insured.

 

Spesh - thank you thats a good idea, i will deffo do that.

 

Bluestringpudding - Photos will follow as soon as I can get some photos for the step by step section, then there will be plenty of photos of how it fits together.

 

Tesla - good idea, although I don't know who! i'll have a think.

 

Just a note to say its been drawn to my attention that I am effectively advertising now, and so, (to the moderators) please close the thread if you need to. I'm 20 so this is all very new to me.

 

Sorry if its causing anyone a problem, I don't wan't anyone being annoyed by me, I rely on this forum for boaty issues too much!

[RLWP]

Looks like you'll be OK. Dhutch, who posted just above you, is the site owner

 

Richard

Edited June 27, 2013 by RLWP

[Tinhare]

"The base of the box has no bottom; this is so that the objects stored in the boxes sit directly on the roof, preventing dampness from being trapped between a wooden base and the narrowboat roof"

"The curve, which has been cut, is exaggerated by approximately 2cm, to leave an air gap for ventilation."

 

Would this not allow water to enter under the front and rear of the box, thinking wind blown rain, which would then make its way under whatever is being stored in the box causing dampness to be trapped between, for example, a bag of coal and the roof.

Would it not be better to fit them to the exact curvature of the roof and run a bead of silicon sealant along the edge of the box before fitment.

Yes, I did see the other thread on measuring the curvature of a roof. I assume this is why they are cut with an exaggerated curve.

 

Having said that, love the product and if still available next year we'd be likely to order a couple with solar panels but cut to exact measurement of roof.

 

Cheers,

Alan.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Tinhare

[Doodlebug]

If you're able to give me measurements which are exact enough then yes of course I can cut it out to fit perfectly, and can then have silicone put around the base. I was just talking to Ian who wants a strip of waterproof canvas over the top as well to make them totally watertight, so yes I can be flexible.

 

Personally though from experience it is really not needed. I have never had an issue with ours, and although I wouldn't use it for sensitive things like clothes and books, I am quite happy storing logs, coal and tools. Its no different to a garden shed really.

 

I'm happy to continue making them as long as there is demand

Edited June 27, 2013 by Doodlebug

[Tinhare]

If you're able to give me measurements which are exact enough then yes of course I can cut it out to fit perfectly, and can then have silicone put around the base. I was just talking to Ian who wants a strip of waterproof canvas over the top as well to make them totally watertight, so yes I can be flexible.

 

Personally though from experience it is really not needed. I have never had an issue with ours, and although I wouldn't use it for sensitive things like clothes and books, I am quite happy storing logs, coal and tools. Its no different to a garden shed really.

 

I'm happy to continue making them as long as there is demand

 

Sounds great. It is a really good looking product and you have obviously put some thought into the design. Good luck with the venture.

 

Cheers,

Alan.

[Solifuga]

hi i saw the web site and we are interested for having one. we need to store a spare casette aswel and you have mentioned on the web site a casette as one of the things it can store. but i look at the figures and 25cm does not seem high enough to fit in a casette and close up, have you tried this and dos it actually fit? and i take that the shape of the box inside is not flat but curved for the roof, so is it 25cm deep at the highest point and less at rest?

[Doodlebug]

Hi, yes it very much depends on the size but one of the smaller cassettes should fit easily. However I am very happy to make adjustments to size and shape as people might need. So if you say you would like room to store the cassette and can give me the size I can check that you wont have any problems and make it bigger if needed.

 

25cm is the average height from the roof all the way across the roof, being a tiny bit higher in the middle. Let me know the size and I will sort something out for you

 

Anything is possible!

[mark99]

I tell you what would be good to supply - a removable seat/cushion to fit on the top side of a trad boat perhaps with a small back rest - there was a chap in here who made one - it looked useful. I wish i could find it - perhaps this chap should receive a royalty!

Edited July 3, 2013 by mark99

[Tigerr]

Re comments above on rain etc - I have a similar style of box that just sits on the roof. Rain entry is negligible, not an issue. By putting some cheap rubber mat inside on the roof it makes it good for slinging stuff like folding bikes in too.

[Doodlebug]

I tell you what would be good to supply - a removable seat/cushion to fit on the top side of a trad boat perhaps with a small back rest - there was a chap in here who made one - it looked useful. I wish i could find it - perhaps this chap should receive a royalty!

 

A photo would be good if you have one?

 

Tigerrs comment is very much seconded!