10 reason's I'm a fool for considering having my boat built new...

[Marjorie]

With regard to 24v,

 

I built my boat with 24v, pretty much everything you need is available and no more expensive that the 12 v version most decent LED lights are happy to work at 24V, Whale Lee sanitation and Jabsco all do an equivalent 24v version, I had no difficulty sourcing the necesary components. The advantages are that the current flows are half so cable sizes are much smaller. Current flows to inverters are also half. For me it was an absolute no brainer when I built the boat.

 

If you look on Midland Chandlers website they stock a wide range of 24V components.

 

Andrew

 

I just had a look at Midland Chandlers. They have lots of shiny things

 

What's the solar panel on one of these for?

 

http://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductDetail/vent-solar-powered-s-st-roof-vent?productID=8c073ad8-b171-4a4c-83d5-068290ba3540&catalogueLevelItemID=96c8b969-e49e-47c5-b2df-734a41769fdb

[nickfryer]

You're welcome! Always polite to newcomers, moi

 

 

 

 

 

Yes definitely. Imagine this scenario....

 

You've pqaid say 10% to grab your build slot. You go there to see the baseplate being laid out but the guys say 'come back next week, we're a bit behind'. So you go back next week and they say, 'last customer hasn't paid, can you advance us a further £2k as the steel suppliers won't send your baseplate steel. So, thinking you've already bunged them say £8k, why not? It gets your build started.

 

They lay the baseplate. And stop. They ask for more money. You give it to them, chasing your £10k. They build up the hull and it all looks good. Well quite good anyway. You question the ripples in the cabin sides. They say they haven't finished, they'll be gone when they've finished the build. You accept what they say.

 

You go back again. No engine. They ask you for more money to get it, more than the stage payments agreed. You pay it, chasing your £20k.

 

The interior fit stops. They ask for more money. You pay it, chasing your £40k. You mention the ripples in the cabin sides again. The work so far is looking a bit unsatisfactory in so many little ways, but nothing you can do about it now. You really are fully committed.

 

Next time you visit to see your build, the place is all locked up and no answer when you phone them.

 

Now what?

 

This sort of thing happens. Quite unusual but do you want to take the risk?

 

MtB

 

 

 

When I ordered my new shall last year it was £500 up front and the balance on the day it was delivered.

 

Worked for me.o

[matty40s]

 

What's the solar panel on one of these for?

 

http://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductDetail/vent-solar-powered-s-st-roof-vent?productID=8c073ad8-b171-4a4c-83d5-068290ba3540&catalogueLevelItemID=96c8b969-e49e-47c5-b2df-734a41769fdb

Runs the extractor fan, useful above a shower room. Edited June 4, 2014 by matty40s

[Marjorie]

Coooool... Pretty sure I need one of those....

[Rufford]

Because it will cost you a fortune and within 12 months you will have a list of things that you would do differently. :-)

[Neil2]

When I ordered my new shall last year it was £500 up front and the balance on the day it was delivered.

 

Worked for me.o

There's a fair few shell builders that don't work on staged payments, but I doubt many fitters out will wait until completion for their money.

[Ally]

There's a fair few shell builders that don't work on staged payments, but I doubt many fitters out will wait until completion for their money.

Agreed, and this has been discussed before. You wouldn't expect to have a bespoke house built, decorated and furnished at the cost of the tradesmen.

We had that situation for one build, payments agreed, then their house sale fell through....3 times! We built that boat at our own cost, and as it was VERY personalised, at huge risk. Ended up on beans and lentils, but it worked out OK in the end.

[MtB]

And, I'd suggest, there is a less work/expense in building a shell than painting it and fitting it out.

 

Further, as Ally was driving at, at the shell build stage there is every chance of selling a relatively generic shell to another buyer should the original one bail out and say goodbye to their £500 deposit. Not the case once the interior has been fitted to a very personal and idiosyncratic specification.

 

MtB

[Ally]

And, I'd suggest, there is a less work/expense in building a shell than painting it and fitting it out.

 

Further, as Ally was driving at, at the shell build stage there is every chance of selling a relatively generic shell to another buyer should the original one bail out and say goodbye to their £500 deposit. Not the case once the interior has been fitted to a very personal and idiosyncratic specification.

 

MtB

Especially with lime green and cerise glass tiles!!....and an arriva bus paint choice

Nothing wrong with those choices, but very personal.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Ally

[Felshampo]

Why is stove type fundamental? I'm not being facetious, but it doesn't make a lot of difference on the type of boat I live on now - you buy the best size for the size of your space, and depending on your budget. The end. Is there more to consider on a narrowboat?

Stove type isn't fundamental but Ally had mentioned builds where no stove was on the list at all! However I still can't decide between a solid fuel or diesel stove.

The fundamental bits are at the front of my list and if you think I am going to tell you what they are you've got another thing coming.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Felshampo

[Felshampo]

Runs the extractor fan, useful above a shower room.

Doe this mean you can only have a shower when the sun shines?

[Alan de Enfield]

Doe this mean you can only have a shower when the sun shines?

 

When the Sun doesnt shine its a sauna

[fudd]

Don't you start !.

I was going to say that, then I thought no one would get it!

[John V]

I was going to say that, then I thought no one would get it!

 

Get wot?

[Marjorie]

Stove type isn't fundamental but Ally had mentioned builds where no stove was on the list at all! However I still can't decide between a solid fuel or diesel stove.

The fundamental bits are at the front of my list and if you think I am going to tell you what they are you've got another thing coming.

 

Ahhhhh... how disappointing... There was me hoping to find out all your secrets...

 

(It wouldn't have even occurred to me not to have a stove, the boat I live on now would be like a freezer in the winter without one).

[matty40s]

Ahhhhh... how disappointing... There was me hoping to find out all your secrets...

 

(It wouldn't have even occurred to me not to have a stove, the boat I live on now would be like a freezer in the winter without one).

 

Patience was like a freezer in October, the central heating was not good.

 

Doe this mean you can only have a shower when the sun shines?

It aids general air movement in a damp environment, waiting for the sun would be a bit of a smelly time this year!!!

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

I was going to say that, then I thought no one would get it!

 

 

 

Get wot?

, yes you sort of had to be there to understand that, didn't you fudd.

It wouldn't make any sense otherwise !

Sorry John V.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[fudd]

 

Get wot?

If I haven't got it wrong, it's the 'moi' thing.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Yep,

[Robbo]

Do you know what a good vertical weld should look like? Have you seen a boat that you would like and asked about the builder? Are they still in buisness? Go and see them building. Look for things like drilling holes in the side of the cabin to screw window frames and timber supports for the lining. I was shocked to see that at one reputable builder. Another builder just butted the cabin sides together and used body filler which allowed a lovely crack to show after a few months.

Tayberg at Brighouse builds nice boats as does Davis at Saul on the G&S. What length and width do you want? if wide then 13ft.6inch is good otherwise 6ft.10inch. 58ft will do all the system but 70ft will give you more space. 45ft will enable you the turn most anywhere. If you are doing stage payments then in exchange for your money you need proof of ownership of an identified lump of steel or fabrication.

I heard the other day that Tayberg is no longer building boats unless unique, etc.

[adam1uk]

Of course if no-one had a new boat built, the supply of used boats would become a bit limited!

 

Just looked at "Patience" it reminds me of one of our more recent boats, where the customers had very exacting ideas, many of which were, to our minds, rediculous. But, they are happy with her, and at least they had a stove. It wasn't a boat I would have wanted though, and took much of the pleasure out of building bespoke, for us. We drew the line at a couple if ideas they had,one of them being proximity sensor/alarms, down the outside of the cabin sides...in case they got too close to tunnel sides!! Can you imagine what that would be like in a tunnel? Or a lock for that matter...or when someone walked too close to the moored boat, or.... Well, we refused! But it goes to show, IMO, there are times to listen to your builder!

 

Boat builders (good ones, anyway) have plenty of experience about what works and what doesn't, and many customers would be well advised to listen. But there are also builders who seem determined to build the boat they want, not the boat the customer wants. Finding the right line between those two positions is the difficult bit.

 

One of the interesting things at Crick this year was the number of builders who said they were quite happy to build a boat on spec, then sell it, rather than have to cope with the strange demands of customers. And buying a spec boat can be a really good way of getting a new boat at a good price.

[MtB]

Of course if no-one had a new boat built, the supply of used boats would become a bit limited!

 

I usede to think that too, but now I'm not so sure. Narrowboats very rarely seem to get scrapped so the number of boats on the system would remain roughly fixed, which would be no bad thing.

 

 

MtB

[adam1uk]

I usede to think that too, but now I'm not so sure. Narrowboats very rarely seem to get scrapped so the number of boats on the system would remain roughly fixed, which would be no bad thing.

 

 

MtB

But even if that's true, the range available would be increasingly old, and it would become increasingly difficult to get a newish boat. So the choice would be limited.

 

Plus there would be a lot of out of work boat builders.

[MtB]

But even if that's true, the range available would be increasingly old, and it would become increasingly difficult to get a newish boat. So the choice would be limited.

 

Plus there would be a lot of out of work boat builders.

 

Well given that your way results in an ever increasing population of boats on the cut, do you accept that at some point we will have too many? At point will you change your mind?

 

20 years ago we had 20,000 boats IIRC. Now we have 35,000. I think this should be the limit. There is already significant overcrowding in some areas. For each new boat launched I think a boat ought to be certified scrapped from now on.

 

How many boats does the board think could be launched onto the system before limits need to be imposed? 50,000? 100,000? 1,000,000? 10 million?

 

MtB

Edited June 8, 2014 by Mike the Boilerman

[John V]

 

20 years ago we had 20,000 boats IIRC. Now we have 35,000. I think this should be the limit. There is already significant overcrowding in some areas. For each new boat launched I think a boat ought to be certified scrapped from now on.

 

How many boats does the board think could be launched onto the system before limits need to be imposed? 50,000? 100,000? 1,000,000? 10 million?

 

MtB

 

On the Thames (PLA waters) you are not allowed to repair a commercial vessel by overplating.

Although it would be a problem for owners of vintage craft or very elderly ex working boats maybe something could be included in the BSS in a similar vein? (maybe with a "grandads rights" exemption for craft over a certain age).

This would possibly limit the number of low value, worn out hulls that are put back on the water after patched up repairs.

How this would effect the overall number I have no idea. (I am sure someone else will though)

 

 

 

Just once I would like to do a post without having to do a fat finger edit!!!

Edited June 8, 2014 by John V