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NB Phoenix


dor

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I've just been reading the review of Phoenix in Canal Boat.

 

Am I the only person to think it is one dog-ugly lump of a boat?

 

The designer/builder seems a bit put out that he can't get the £200,000+ that he wanted for it, but even allowing for the expensive yacht/cruiser-styled fitout, I suspect he has arrived from a different planet.

 

If you had this sort of money to spend you could buy just about anything you wanted in the way of a narrowboat, and it even gets you into Sunseeker territory. I can't see the yottie types being attracted to it, nor can I see the NB fraternity wanting to be seen in something so gross.

 

Please tell me this is not the future of narrowboats.

Edited by dor
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Have any of you actally been on it?

 

I have, and i have to admit, if i had the money, it would make a very nice second boat!

 

Its well built, well designed, and well spec'ed.

- Its very diffrent, its a really interesting boat to see. You can defforntaly see the yacht influence. But also that they guy has really applied himself to the task of adapting it to suit the canal.

- I would surgest that anyone thinking about fitting out a narrowboat should atleast make an effort to see it. It really does open your mind to whats possable. Very nice boat.

 

But is it worth £200,000?

- Proberbly not! But full credit for the guy for the concept, design, and implmentation.

 

 

 

Daniel

 

They also use the same paints as we use on emilyanne!

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It's hard to imagine a much more poorly designed stern for canal use, frankly !

 

I'm also thinking of all that speculation that went on about the Alweras incident, and people insisting how you should avoid getting alongside the tiller, in case it ends up pushing you in.

 

It looks like the only way you are SUPPOSED to get on and off this is by squeezing past the tiller, and on to that low platform at the very back.

 

So if the tiller does take a swing and push you as you are going through that narrow gap, you have a good chance of being tipped over those low "lumps" on either side of it.

 

I don't just think it's horrible, I'm afraid - I actually think it looks heaps more dangerous than something "conventional".

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Its a camel.............. a horse designed by a commitee, like a reinvention of the wheel for the sake of it, its totally unnecessary.

 

The narrow canals are of interest because of the 200+ years of heritage. The working narrowboat evolved over a short period to be the best design for the job. That is a compromise between maximum load carrying capacity a 70 foot x 7 lock gave and minimum living space they could get away with, basically somewhere for the crew to lay down. Modern pleasure boats developed from this being originally converted work boats and later purpose built. With those, basically the cheaper the build, the poorer the asthetics, the harder on the eye.

 

Boaters are mostly conservative in their views, anything else just doesn't fit with most people's aspirations of what a narrowboat should look like, . If its your ideal boat then of course, yes, go ahead and build it. However, if this has been built on spec with the hope of making a buck or two I think the builder/subsequent owners are likely going to find it will always be hard to move on.

Edited by Hairy-Neil
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... "There are areas where welds and edge's haven't been ground off to a tidy enough finish"

Yeah, and the paints a bit rough!

- I asked them about it, apprently it was airless sprayed a bit heavyly. He said there not really happy with it.

 

The steel work isnt quite polished to the stupid extent some modern NBs are, but its not at all bad. Very neetly welded.

 

 

Daniel

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Yeah, and the paints a bit rough!

- I asked them about it, apprently it was airless sprayed a bit heavyly. He said there not really happy with it.

 

The steel work isnt quite polished to the stupid extent some modern NBs are, but its not at all bad. Very neetly welded.

Daniel

 

 

I think I would want it a bit better than "Not at all bad".

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Building concept type boats with your own money is risky it's much better to spend the customers on such projects.

 

A number of years ago there was a very swish "concept" style narrowboat at a show for a large amount of money, about 3 years later it appeared on the market for next to nothing as a bare shell.

Apparently it proved impossible to sell and over subsequent years was cannibalised for all it's expensive goodies until eventually the builder decided to just loose the whole embarrassing thing.

 

It wasn't a bad boat but it just wasn't what the consumer wanted.

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Building concept type boats with your own money is risky it's much better to spend the customers on such projects.

 

A number of years ago there was a very swish "concept" style narrowboat at a show for a large amount of money, about 3 years later it appeared on the market for next to nothing as a bare shell.

Apparently it proved impossible to sell and over subsequent years was cannibalised for all it's expensive goodies until eventually the builder decided to just loose the whole embarrassing thing.

 

It wasn't a bad boat but it just wasn't what the consumer wanted.

 

Yeah, let's cannibalise it! That gas hob in the galley looks nice.

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As the waterways become more expensive and exclusive, people will want more exclusive craft - and £170k is still cheaper than a cottage in cornwall.

 

The current NB designs have got a lot of potential to evolve more leisure focused features - like the GRP cruisers with the slide back roofs and large windows.

 

There is no stopping progress.

 

Matt.

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Building concept type boats with your own money is risky it's much better to spend the customers on such projects.

 

A number of years ago there was a very swish "concept" style narrowboat at a show for a large amount of money, about 3 years later it appeared on the market for next to nothing as a bare shell.

Apparently it proved impossible to sell and over subsequent years was cannibalised for all it's expensive goodies until eventually the builder decided to just loose the whole embarrassing thing.

- It wasn't a bad boat but it just wasn't what the consumer wanted.

Was that Miss Conduct then?

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We had a sniff around this boat at the IWA Fest. I'm ambivalent about the very end stern 'step' since I suspect that it will be below most canal sides, however I though the seated cruiser stern arrangement very good for sociable boating - less claustrophic for seated passengers than a semi-trad imo. I also liked some aspects of the interior fit, the padded walls (oh how I miss my jacket with the really long sleeves....!), the false ceiling and in particular the large skylights with the integral blinds.

 

However, as has been pointed out previously the electrics and oily bits were all very standard fair and in no way 'state of the art' as you might have been led to believe by some of the hype. Consequently I also struggle to see how the current price tag comes about. I rather suspect that their use of a 3rd party super-yacht fitters adds significantly to the bill.

 

Whilst I think the complete package as it is falls rather awkwardly between the canal and yacht worlds, I do think there are some nice ideas and features that would work very well on a more traditionally styled narrowboat.

Edited by Callum
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  • 13 years later...

So i now own Phoenix 58 having bought her 18 months ago from the first owner in Chester. She's still fairly much as she was. We've changed the bed layout in the front to accommodate a larger mattress and installed a TV in the bedroom. Work wise we've had to put a new set of gel batteries on board, led interior lights, full service etc. She had been given a full 2 pack paint job before our ownership. 

 

90% of people we meet are complimentary about her with others preferring a more trad type boat. We love the rear seating area as we've had loads of days out with family etc and not found the tiller to be problematic. The front is very poorly designed for lock use and so i've had to design two 3 meter long rubber protectors for the front or we'd have no paint left at all. 

 

We now have her moored in Birmingham and next year intend to take her to Oxford and the Thames. 

20190804_071321.jpg

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