What attracted you to boating.

[Bernie]

Just out of curiosity what attracted you all to boating. We started many years ago when my OH fancied a boat on the canals. We looked at many and decided to buy our first one a 19' 6" GRP Fairline Cruiser for around £1000. At the time neither of us were sure whether we would really enjoy it or not so thought start small and see if we enjoy messing about in boats. We had no experience whatsoever and made many mistakes and it took me a year before I realised the boat had a reverse gear Well after that year we decided that this type of leisure activity was for us so traded that in (got the full price on trade in) and bought our first narrowboat a 36ft cruiser style built by Bridgewater Boats on a Liverpool shell.

We are now on our 4th and most likely last boat a 50foot trad style by Ledgard Bridge which we have had since 1999 and will no doubt give us many more years cruising, I hope.

[fuzzyduck]

Hmmmm I'm still on that "first boat" with my £1100 Dawncraft.

 

I've always loved boating, be it a canoe, dingy or larger cruising yacht. My parents introduced me by taking me out in their boats since before I can remember.

 

After i got married i took My wife (Nicky) sailing on the Norfolk broads a short while later she suggested we got our own boat. We did.

 

for us still being fairly young and getting all the other things in life sorted like a house, we struggle to find the time / money we require and I think we've decided on boats rather than kids. so in a few years I'll be posting here from my Dutch Barge. (I hope)

[DaveR]

We lived in Market Harborough for a while and so got used to seeing the boats on the Foxton flight.

 

One year we decided to give it a go and even though we had a boat for only a week, enjoyed it so much we promised ourselves that we would get a boat.

 

21 years later we have finaly managed it and really we should have done it sooner. There is something very therapuitic about messing about on the water. My fears about a 'bus man's holiday' have so far proved unfounded.

 

I am having fun remembering basic ship handling (I am used to bow and stern thrusters and a couple of tugs with the bigger jobs I usually drive) but I am still learning.

 

Notices to mariners will be posted when we set off on our summer jaunt.

[khaffra]

Hmmmm I'm still on that "first boat" with my £1100 Dawncraft.

 

I've always loved boating, be it a canoe, dingy or larger cruising yacht. My parents introduced me by taking me out in their boats since before I can remember.

 

Well Fuzzy duck 5years ago we were introduced to boating by a £600 derelict dawncraft 22 reposessed by the marina that my Mum&Dads boat was moored in, and haven't looked back 5yrs later, 2 more boats, 1 new family member and now we have a 60ft narrowboat so it can be done

[David Schweizer]

This is a long story which goes back to the early 1960's. At the time I was about eighteen and was Chairman of our Church Youth Club Members Committee. We were invited to become involved in a Narrowboat which the Local Youth Service had just aquired from BW for use as a Camping Boat, and two members were duly appointed to represent the Club. it was then proposed that I as chairman should also go as a matter of courtesy (those were the days !) Now I did not like boats and liked water even less, but the Committee decided that I should go and that was that. The boat turned out to be a 72ft ex GUCC Northwich Star called Pisces, which had recently been released by BW who had been operating her as a Water Bus under the name Water Sprite. She had a plywood roof and roll down canvas sides and that was the conversion !! I spent the evening on the boat and was hooked, the rest as they say is history. I became actively involved with Pisces for the next seven years, becoming a member of the permanent Voluntary Crew, until 1971 when I moved to Birmingham to take up full time education. Since then my involvement has waxed and waned but it never disapeared. Eight years ago I was made redundant and elected for early retirement, I spent most of my Redundancy pay plus a bit from savings to purchase my own boat, which occupies much of my time these days.

[viking]

Good thread Bernie,

 

In my case it started in about 1960 when my parents bought me a Woolworth's fishing kit for my birthday and took me down to the canal so I could use it. I became fascinated by the fishing, the boats, and the canals themselves. We continued fishing for many years (my dad bought his own rod so he could join me) and obviously he became interested in the canals as well as about 5 years later he hired a cabin cruiser on the GU for what became my first ever holiday afloat. He hired a few more times during the 60's and 70's though mostly our connection with the canals was through fishing. (NB at this stage I should say that I never hated boats I always loved to see them pass and would always wonder where they came from and went to)

 

In the fullness of time I eventually earned enough money to hire for myself and did so whenever I could, although before that I became active in canal societies and restoration.

 

This year I will finally realise my dream of owning my own boat. 40 years later but perhaps all the more welcome for it.

[bottle]

When we first met my wife and I (pretenious or what) we started camping in tents because like most people we were short of money, we progressed to bigger and better tents but got tired of always putting it up or down in the rain. We decided to move onto caravans, new member of family arrived, Again these got bigger with time, the caravans. As all new members always grow they decide not to go with parents so we went back to tents. Not as young as we thought and the ground was harder and it rained even more also the cost of sites was riduculus. Then did B&B touring in our MGB Roadster.

 

I cannot remember why we hired our first narrow boat but we did. we have hired for along time now, as time went on the boats got bigger, have I written that before.

 

After that first trip I knew that was where I wanted to be, on the cut, as time went on we decide that I would retire at 60 and we would buy a boat.

 

I am now 55 and due to cicumstances beyond my control (BBC speak) I am retiring early and about to spruce up the house and put it on the market order the boat and move in with the daughter whilst the boat is built.

 

To become a liveaboard/continuous cruiser.

[nichimyo]

When I was a kid I used to fantasise about boats having read Swallows and Amazons, I fancied the Uncle Jim lifestyle and his houseboat. Quite far from reality in the middle of suburbia in the industrial part of Lancashire! I went on to racing dinghies as a teenager but it wasn't until about 10 years ago that I finally voiced the idea of a canal holiday to my then Other Half. Well we went on the cut about 5 times in successive years until we split up a few years ago.

Then last yaer the idea just popped back into my head during a conversation with a friend. She said, "I would love it if you had enough money to buy your own place." Something quite unexpected came out of my mouth, The words:"I don't want to live in a house, I want a boat." Hmm, I thought, where did that one come from? So I let the idea settle and the more I thought , the better it seemed. So I decided that by the time I'm 50 that's where I'll be. That gives me just under 2 years.

[Webchem]

Its a funny thing boating, you either love it or hate it - thee seems to be no way of knowing until you try it.

 

My first taste of the canal was with my dad in Todmorden in what must have been about 1976, he took me for a walk along a particulary nasty and smelly bit of water. I vividly remember while he was waxing lyrical about canals I was just thinking it was all a bit snotty.

 

3 years later we hired our first boat as a family with my mum's sister and husband, Isildur from a hire company that no longer exists at the bottom of the south oxford. I just remember loving it, struggling with locks (as an 8 year old). The following year we did 3 weeks on the same boat (looking back it was really basic), starting at the same place and doing a very large ring that went through Nantwich as its most Northern point. My most vivid memory as of the grot that was Birmingham, the repeated stops while dad delved down into the weed hatch to pull out all sorts of muck - nothing changes.

 

There was then nothing for years, until we went to live near the K&A in Theale. As a teenager we used to swim in the Kennet so it came as a bit of a shock when boats started appearing on a regular basis, the best spot was where the old Ufton Nervet lock was removed. It eventually started getting too busy (and I think we grew up a bit).

 

In 2001, I suggested to my wife that we ought to have a Canal Holiday, (our eldest was 18months) she jumped at the chance provided her sister and husband could come so we hired 'Cecil' on the K&A. Had a fantastic week, my family really got the bug, and that was it, we've been every year since. I had better stop now before this really does end up as a 'What I have done on the Canals'.

 

Perhaps we ought to put brief resumes of what we have all done up? I realise in some members cases that would run to several pages (books)?!

 

As a finishing note 2 years ago on the South Oxford, I saw a very bedraggled looking 'Pippin' the sister nb to 'Isildur' hired all those years ago in 1979, just south of Thrupp. So if anyone knows the whereabouts of Isildur, I'd love to know.

[nigel carton]

My first encounter was while stationed at Raf Benson, the camp owned two cabin cruisers moored at Benson marina, this was in the early nineties, few trips down the Thames did it for me....

[viking]

You still live down that way Webchem?

 

That is our local canal so to speak. We are down there (on the towpath - no boat yet) every week just about, we often sit at Ufton lock for a while.

[John Orentas]

Hi Webchem / Viking

 

This discussion about 'local canals' and so on, the majority of members will not have a clue whether you are in Lincoln or London.

 

It would give some added interest if we all entered a bit of information in the Profiles section. Very often it is difficult to put posts into any kind of context if the areas where we live and moor our boats isn't known.

[ChrisPy]

Three holidays on Thames cruisers in late 50s (Maid Line, then Clark's of Sunbury). Loved it.

 

Family moved to Reading in 1960. Joined the kayak club, competed intensely in BCU slalom meetings on the Thames and the Welsh rivers. Kept in training by racing the Salter's steamers (surfing on the stern wave to get a breather - the skippers did not like that !)

 

Family moved to Dartmouth in 1963 and I spent my university vacations crewing on yachts, racing and cruising cross-channel.

 

Bought a speedboat in 1972 and played with water skiing.

 

Designed and built a 36ft steel fishing boat in 1975.

 

Had a family and earned money - no time for boats. Wanted a second (or first) home with river frontage. Out of my price range.

 

Now looking forward to retirement sometime in the next 5-10 years, chose a boat as a waterside second home with cruising opportunities. I always feel incomplete somehow if I am not near water.

[weeble]

My first encounter was while stationed at Raf Benson, the camp owned two cabin cruisers moored at Benson marina, this was in the early nineties, few trips down the Thames did it for me.... 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Small world Nigel. I was stationed at Benson 1970-72 and used to organise the boats as a "secondary duty"...... well there were worse things to do! I think this must have been where I picked up the boating bug also.

 

I well remember 3 or 4 of us going down to the Marina every Monday Night doing the weekly maintenance/cleanup and training whoever was taking out the boats that week, usually followed by a couple pints in the Chicken in the Basket pub just opposite. If memory serves me right one boat was called TONKERS and the other ARGOSY II. I wonder if these were the same ones still going in the ninties?

 

After that period we never really got waterbourne again until 2003. A totally spur of the moment decision..... my wife and I were walking along the K&A and the passing boats took our imagination. 6 months later, without even trying so much as a day trip to see if we liked it, we bought a narrow boat from Alvecot marina -- we're both now well and truely hooked. Just a pity we live so far away (100miles) from the mooring.

 

Mike

Edited February 19, 2005 by weeble

[DHutch]

My grandad got a emily anne built in 1991 (when i was four)

 

- been hooked since i first visted its been fitted out

[nigel carton]

Hi Mike,

 

They where argosy and Andover when I was there! What a small world. Did you ever moor at the Beetle and Wedge?

 

Regards

 

Nigel

[dor]

So, now I'll tell you how I got into boating.

 

I had a friend ( well not quite - in fact it was my boss) who needed some major replastering donig in his house, so he bought a narrowboat to live on for a few months whilst the work was being done. This was 1989. We were invited out for a day with the children and had a great time. We went out with them a couple of other times over the next two years, as well as hiring a day boat from Nantwich with friends a couple of times.

 

In 1992 the boat owner became ill (ME - wish I could have been a yuppie) and the boat was idle for a while. Then, after a year or two, his wife asked us if we would like to take Zeus out for a weekend. Now it shouldn't be difficult to guess what the answer was, so we took the boat out for the weekend. The following week, discussing the trip I suggested that we thought we would go down during the week and clean it up a bit - polish the brass etc. So she said that would be nice - keep the keys and if you fancy using it again feel free.

 

So for the next three years we had almost unlimited use of a very nice 62 foot semi trad, occasionally giving the keys back for a weekend when their other friends were going out. We did basic maintenance and did a bit of painting etc.

 

Now this was to me the ideal way to have a narrowboat: we had the keys, unlimited use, paid for diesel but everything else (this is the best bit) was paid for by the owners.

 

Unfortunately after three years of this, the boat was moved, went into a boatyard for repainting, and was put up for sale. We had a couple of trips out, but eventually it sold. This was a bit of a disaster to us, but at the time we were not in a position to buy it.

 

This turned out to be an expensive event for us, as after a year or so we decided we had to get our own boat. We looked around for a year or two until we spotted our present boat in a local marina. It was pretty much the layout we wanted, the price was (very) right so we became boat owners, now being 2001. Since then we have put on 1500 hours and go out nearly every weekend, with longer trips when we can.

[weeble]

Hi Mike,

 

They where argosy and Andover when I was there! What a small world. Did you ever moor at the Beetle and Wedge?

 

Regards

 

Nigel

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hi Nigel,

Fancy Argosy making through to the ninties... shows what good maintenance they had! I don't remember the Beetle & Wedge, I think our favourite at the time was the Barley Mow up towards Abingdon..... Clifton Hamdon I think.

My son was born while I was stationed there and we used to take him on the boat from only a few weeks old because it was guarenteed to make him drop off to sleep in spite of only being a few feet away from the outboard. Happy days indeed.... in fact, looking back I'm now certain this is when I picked up the boating bug!

 

Cheers.... mike

Edited February 20, 2005 by weeble

[fuzzyduck]

My grandad got a emily anne built in 1991 (when i was four)

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Off topic, i know but ....

 

can i come see your boat I love steam engines

 

maybe I could be the first person to have a steam powered Dawncraft.

[DHutch]

Can i come see your boat I love steam engines

 

YGPM

[Jon]

What does YGPM mean?

 

I first got into boat after a spell of sailing. I got hooked on the idea of boating, but living in Warwick, going out to sea was not really an option. I got a voluntary job working at the local canal centre when I was 14 (1997) and since then have become hooked. I've helped various companies move boats and exhibit and in 2001 set up the first version of Canal World. The rest as they say is history.

 

Don't get to actually go boating very often now, which is a shame. Hopefully one day will have my own boat!

 

Jon

[roger]

The attraction? An excellent 15 page feature in the Sunday Telegraph Magazine in glorious colour (and one of the best canal features ever done by a newspaper). This was 1972 - I still have a copy of the magazine!