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Aqualine Vs Jonathan Wilson/Louis & Joshua


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Ok seen two more boats today Both 10 year old trads and the same price £57k The Aqualine is more modern interior eg granite worktops etc The JW is beautifully fitted out but a bit battered (the guy was a continous cruiser) and the kitchen/bathroom very dated.

 

Who's for which one and why?

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The johnathon wilson boat for me as well. Its made here in sheffield, and was fitted out in thorne, the aqualine was built in poland, we should be supporting our own industries not another country and a company that paid it workers peanuts and pockets the profits.

Plus I know Jonny and he builds great boats

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Louis and Joshua tended to use mostly faced MDF in their interiors, which tends to suffer water damage, this can be seen on most of the Louis and Joshua's side hatch linings, also the interiors/layout tend to be very similar on every boat. I always think that most of the second hand Louis and Joshua boats are over priced. That said I would go for a Jonathan Wilson shell over the Aqualine.

What is the Louis and Joshua's number? as most are painted on the small panel on the side of the boat.

 

I take it it's this one:

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=480892

 

Have a look at this link and you will see another Louis and Joshua, though not built with a Wilson shell it was priced more realistically:

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=466276

Edited by Northernboater
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Jonathon wilson its a no brainer. When Aqualine pulled out of Poland they went through various shell builders.they even used Liverpool Hulls at one stage which considering the price of some of their boats was I thought taking the pxxs... Find out who built the shell or alternatively just do the sensible thing and go with the quality builder!!

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Louis & Joshua interiors were not mostly oak faced mdf at all. If it was a oak fit out, that meant it would be a solid oak and oak faced ply. If the customer wanted oak lined side doors, stern doors, cratch etc, it was normally explained to them about the care of the oak to prevent water staining etc. If it was my choice it would be Jonathan Wilson/Louis & Joshua.

Edited by Joe Bourke
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Jonathon wilson its a no brainer. When Aqualine pulled out of Poland they went through various shell builders.they even used Liverpool Hulls at one stage which considering the price of some of their boats was I thought taking the pxxs... Find out who built the shell or alternatively just do the sensible thing and go with the quality builder!!

Aqualine still build in Poland don't they?
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Louis and Joshua tended to use mostly faced MDF in their interiors, which tends to suffer water damage, this can be seen on most of the Louis and Joshua's side hatch linings, also the interiors/layout tend to be very similar on every boat. I always think that most of the second hand Louis and Joshua boats are over priced. That said I would go for a Jonathan Wilson shell over the Aqualine.

What is the Louis and Joshua's number? as most are painted on the small panel on the side of the boat.

 

I take it it's this one:

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=480892

 

Have a look at this link and you will see another Louis and Joshua, though not built with a Wilson shell it was priced more realistically:

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=466276

Yes that is the one but the fit out is definately solid Oak On the other hand the Aqualine had a lot of water staining and some of the cupboard doors etc were slightly warped or would not close properly.

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I wouldn't be choosing on the basis of brand but how each boat met my purchase criteria.

High on my list is maintainability, for example how easy is it to get to the engine to change belts, filters, top up batteries, drain oil etc. A neat and logical installation counts for a lot, can you folow where pipes and wires go are the fuses grouped together and labelled. Is there a good schematic drawing for all systems? How easy is it to get to and if nessesary remove water pumps, inverters etc, can you gain acess to pipework and cable runs?

 

I would NEVER again have a boat with any MDF in the construction, its awful stuff to work with and when ( not if) you get a water leak it will explode( slowly).

 

Top Cat

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Some wise words from our superior feline friend - but, more often than not, builder with good reputation = good boat. Sure, one hears of the occasional lemon from, for example, ColeCraft, but they're the exception which proves the rule.

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I've seen glaring faults with many so called top of the range bespoke boats, not just internal fittings like ceilings falling down but steel work, banana boats-''one side a bit longer than the other''. Rudder dimensions and positioning, poorly installed and misaligned engines and transmissions, leaking hatches and side doors.

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I've seen glaring faults with many so called top of the range bespoke boats, not just internal fittings like ceilings falling down but steel work, banana boats-''one side a bit longer than the other''. Rudder dimensions and positioning, poorly installed and misaligned engines and transmissions, leaking hatches and side doors.

So have I.

 

T C

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I am not experieced to know if the installation is easily maintainable but will look again with that in mind, thanks.

 

Re: price here is another which s virtually the same exept less hours but alot more expensive http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Canal-Narrow-Boats-for-sale/louis-joshua-58-trad-stern-narrowboat/147070

 

Should I be worried that the JW has done 6500 hours?

 

I thought the engine on the aqua (Isuzu 42hp 4 cylinders) was a bit high pitched where as the the JW engine (Beta Marine 38 4 cylinder) had a deeper tone which sounded more livable with.

 

The guy who owned the JL who was there seemed a hands on decent decent guy who says he serviced the engine as per mauel every 250 hours; asked us to take our shoes off before we entered (good sign me thinks) and has travelled the whole waterway network in her.

 

Thanks for all the comments guys it is helping a nervours inexperienced buyer>

 

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I have an Isuzu 42 and after retrofitting a hospital silencer is very quiet indeed. I find the engine easy to work on but I have good access.

You might want to take into consideration the service interval on mine it's 250 hrs I have no idea what the Beta is, but engines vary a lot.

To get a feel for maintainability look in the engine compartment can you see the belts and filters? Could you reach them? Is there space around them? Neatness is a good guide to quality. A dirty engine compartment with oily water in the bilge indicates neglect.

Unlike cars boats are all one offs so you can't say "Make A model B good or bad".

 

6500hrs is no big deal for a well maintained engine, it could easily do 3x that.

 

Top Cat

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This is good advice. Only too often are engines and drive-line stuffed and crammed in as far aft as possible, huge banks of batteries and calorifiers down there all compromising maintenance and proper, sound and marine like installations, to make way for as much cabin area as possible. A proper marine engine installation should come first, cabin area second.

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I am not experieced to know if the installation is easily maintainable but will look again with that in mind, thanks.

 

Re: price here is another which s virtually the same exept less hours but alot more expensive http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Canal-Narrow-Boats-for-sale/louis-joshua-58-trad-stern-narrowboat/147070

 

Should I be worried that the JW has done 6500 hours?

 

I thought the engine on the aqua (Isuzu 42hp 4 cylinders) was a bit high pitched where as the the JW engine (Beta Marine 38 4 cylinder) had a deeper tone which sounded more livable with.

 

The guy who owned the JL who was there seemed a hands on decent decent guy who says he serviced the engine as per mauel every 250 hours; asked us to take our shoes off before we entered (good sign me thinks) and has travelled the whole waterway network in her.

 

Thanks for all the comments guys it is helping a nervours inexperienced buyer>

 

I would say both those boats are well over priced, especially with those hours. Straight away you've made the mistake of thinking the seller is a decent guy who say's he has serviced the engine every 250hrs. REMEMBER he is trying to sell you his boat and will tell you all the right things. Take your shoes off? unless they're covered in mud/oil I don't see the point on a wooden floor, yes if he had just fitted an Axeminster carpet to sell the boat. Don't get sucked in with the talk and use your head not your heart. It is a buyers market remember.

You can see by all the L&J pics they all use the trusted layout design, saloon fixed seating/dinette, galley, bathroom, bedroom. spacious and easy to live in.

Edited by Northernboater
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IMHO the Aqualine boats built in Poland were generally pretty good - the shells were built by people who built ships and the interiors fitted out well with good quality insulation and coherent electrics. Problem usually was that buyers picked low spec versions with not enough charging etc for their lifestyle.

JW shells are superb, swim well and look good. That's why many boat fitters use them. Who fits them out and to what level is the real issue.

On MDF, a lot of fitters use it for doors particularly because it's easy to router a neat finished edge (don't need a hardwood trim). Personally I see no issue with it here but it's sometimes used out of sight on bulkeads and that's bad news.

I'd agree - at 9 years old get the boat with the spec to suit you and evidence of being cared for. And on a JW shell.

Edited by starman
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good construction views, cheers

 

what would you buy if you had 50-60 to spend?clapping.gif

A newer boat with far less hours and I would be looking at boats over £60,000 to £75,000 and would be prepared to put a low offer in within your budget.

Look on Apolloduck and you will see boats in this price range tend to hang around and often end up with big reductions.

Edited by Northernboater
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For 57K I would be looking at boats about 4yrs old with a fresh Bss, and would expect less than 2000 engine hours, from a known middle of the range builder. When we were buying we downloaded a load of specs from Abnb brokers, lots of detail and we could get a feel for the market and decide what we did and didn't want in our boat. Didn't buy from them in the end but learned a lot.

 

Top Cat

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When we were looking I built a spreadsheet to record layout, features and my general feeling for each boat we looked at. Essential when the number of boats gets too high to remember them all in detail. Take photos a d make notes when viewing boats.

 

Don't even think about buying until you have looked at 20 boats or so, so that you get a feel for things. Makes it much easier to spot over-priced rubbish and bargains!

 

Put in a low offer for a boat you like (subest to survey) and be prepared to increase it if you like the boat.

 

Look for evidence of maintenence in the form of receipts, even if it for parts, paint etc for diy work.

 

If you are unsure of the layout or features you like, take a trip to Whilton where they reputedly have 300 for sale, and you can view them without a saleperson breathing down your neck. Then when you have decided what's important to you, widen your search to other brokers.

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