Hull builder

[Dalslandia]

Who is the best hull builder of NB's

custom design

[SUIGENERIS]

My hull and superstructure (shell) was built to a particular style and design of my own by Nick Thorpe Boat Builders of Hixon. He was happy to build exactly what I wanted, despite the fact that it was very different to the norm, he built it very well and to his quoted price and exactly on time. I would recommend him without any reservation.

 

Cheers. Mick

[Dalslandia]

Txs Mick

[dave moore]

Norton Canes, Simon Wain, Steve Priest, Roger Fuller, all in no particular order....Roger Farrington, CTS too..all traditional style builders, boatbuilders not fabricators......probably not what you may be looking for......

 

Dave

[ditchcrawler]

Norton Canes, Simon Wain, Steve Priest, Roger Fuller, all in no particular order....Roger Farrington, CTS too..all traditional style builders, boatbuilders not fabricators......probably not what you may be looking for......

 

Dave

Mat a chap and Roger Farrington built a boat to his design and he was very pleased with it.

[magnetman]

Not sure whether op is actually looking to get a boat built

 

Or looking for some quality discussion.

 

Its a good topic and the "custom" bit is definitely an interesting question as not all shell fabricators are flexible.

 

It depends how much customising you want to do.

[Boat&Bikes]

Not sure whether op is actually looking to get a boat built

Or looking for some quality discussion.

Its a good topic and the "custom" bit is definitely an interesting question as not all shell fabricators are flexible.

It depends how much customising you want to do.

What constitutes a custom hull?

[ditchcrawler]

What constitutes a custom hull?

To me its you turn up with your drawings and say to the man, "Please build me this" whether it works or not is all down to you, not the builder.

[bizzard]

Noah, wide beam. Mt Ararat.

Edited October 2, 2016 by bizzard

[dave moore]

Most quality builders wouldn't work from a customer's plans if they didn't like the look of the proposed job....their reputation is too important, they often have much more experience than the customer. Just saying....

 

Dave

[magnetman]

Most quality builders wouldn't work from a customer's plans if they didn't like the look of the proposed job....their reputation is too important, they often have much more experience than the customer. Just saying....

 

Dave

That's what I was getting at

What constitutes a custom hull?

Good question - op asked for "custom design" though there may be a language barrier thing as he is not English I take this to mean something built from the customers plans as Dave Moore suggested.

 

RLL in bristol did some unusual boats.

With a narrow boat it is fairly rare to stray far from standard design other than the occasional "dutch barge style".

 

There are a few very "custom" boats but usually this means lots of £££ and a not very practical boat I suspect

Edited October 1, 2016 by magnetman

[alan_fincher]

Norton Canes, Simon Wain, Steve Priest, Roger Fuller, all in no particular order....Roger Farrington, CTS too..all traditional style builders, boatbuilders not fabricators......probably not what you may be looking for......

 

Dave

 

Exactly this ^^^^^^^^^^

 

No disrespect to any listed above, (all are first class builders), but for me it is Simon Wain & Steve Priest for their excellent "remakes" of Grand Union Carrying Company design boats, which are almost indistinguishable from the "real thing", except that they are dead straight, and lack all the dents and ripples that come with a boat having had 80 years of hard use.

 

Josher enthusiasts may chose other names from the list, but nobody does GUCCCo like Simon & Steve, (and the rest of the Brinklow team working with them, of course!).

[magnetman]

If I were looking for a Josher replica I'd go for Roger Fuller and ask him to hit the hull really hard in dozens of appropriate places with a sledgehammer for the real vintage look and real rivets not welded on washers.

 

Not a fan of replicas but I do like Fuller boats as they are very genuine looking.

 

Particularly liked Leopard before the full cabin was added. I think that was a Roger Fuller boat (happy to be corrected if I got it wrong)

Edited October 1, 2016 by magnetman

[Liam]

You'll have problems, he's retired now!

[Dalslandia]

My dream would be a 20 meter dutch barge, but a NB and cruising the brittich canal, when retired is more realistic.

 

The little I understand, most builder build there own style, that's fine and logical if building boats in series, with small things to custom, like window style and placing, and the variations of trad, cruiser and semi.

 

maybe different from building from a drawing I guess.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Dalslandia

[magnetman]

My dream would be a 20 meter dutch barge, but a NB and cruising the brittich canal, when retired is more realistic.

I cruised most of the UK canal system in a 55ft traditional style narrow boat in the 90s and early 00s. Not sure if you are thinking of "customising" the external layout or internal but in my opinion a well made "trad style" narrow boat is not something which can be improved upon for UK narrow canal use. Those barge style things seem to me to be trouble but I'm sure some people do OK with them.

 

My advice would be to look for a good quality builder like Norton Canes for example and if you want to customise then do so internally. There's a very good reason why most narrow boats are similar (usually shallower and some other detail differences) to the old motor workboats and that is because the design works.

 

IMO

Edited October 2, 2016 by magnetman

[mark99]

 

Exactly this ^^^^^^^^^^

 

No disrespect to any listed above, (all are first class builders), but for me it is Simon Wain & Steve Priest for their excellent "remakes" of Grand Union Carrying Company design boats, which are almost indistinguishable from the "real thing", except that they are dead straight, and lack all the dents and ripples that come with a boat having had 80 years of hard use.

 

Josher enthusiasts may chose other names from the list, but nobody does GUCCCo like Simon & Steve, (and the rest of the Brinklow team working with them, of course!).

 

 

The real deal.

 

Now below is some of the UK narrowboat building as best you will ever get.

 

http://www.brinklowboatservices.com/new-builds/

[bargemast]

Noah, wide beam. Mt Ararat.

Sounds like the builder I need.

 

Do you have détails of his web-site bizzard ?

 

I would like to discuss a few things with him before I order my dream-boat.

 

Peter.

[bizzard]

Sounds like the builder I need.

 

Do you have détails of his web-site bizzard ?

 

I would like to discuss a few things with him before I order my dream-boat.

 

Peter.

Sorry I haven't but I believe he died at a young age of starvation, he was eaten out of house and Ark by his pets, you see. I believe his Grandad is still about though also a great Ark builder, no website, but try phoning Turkey 1003 BC.

He is a very thoughtful chap. He always supplies a Dove with his new builds.

Edited October 2, 2016 by bizzard

[Athy]

Sounds like the builder I need.

 

Do you have détails of his web-site bizzard ?

 

 

I think it's on Sky.

[bargemast]

Sorry I haven't but I believe he died at a young age of starvation, he was eaten out of house and Ark by his pets, you see. I believe his Grandad is still about though also a great Ark builder, no website, but try phoning Turkey 1003 BC.

He is a very thoughtful chap. He always supplies a Dove with his new builds.

 

Thanks a lot for this info bizzard, but I'm afraid you've made a mistake with the phone number that I've been trying without any luck for half an hour.

 

There's a message saying check the number you've dailed, as the number you've dailed doesn't exist.

 

Peter.

[Neil2]

I cruised most of the UK canal system in a 55ft traditional style narrow boat in the 90s and early 00s. Not sure if you are thinking of "customising" the external layout or internal but in my opinion a well made "trad style" narrow boat is not something which can be improved upon for UK narrow canal use. Those barge style things seem to me to be trouble but I'm sure some people do OK with them.

 

My advice would be to look for a good quality builder like Norton Canes for example and if you want to customise then do so internally. There's a very good reason why most narrow boats are similar (usually shallower and some other detail differences) to the old motor workboats and that is because the design works.

 

IMO

 

I do hope Dalslandia is paying attention because that is excellent advice. You see all sorts of crazy looking things on the canals, and when it comes to the wide stuff it gets even worse. There are clearly unscrupulous builders out there who are prepared to take on whatever whim and fancy the customer comes up with even if it is totally impractical.

 

We got stuck behind a narrow beam dutch barge on the Peak Forest canal a few weeks back, centre cockpit, wheel steered, he was doing about 2 mph and simply couldn't keep the thing in a straight line.

[bargemast]

I think it's on Sky.

 

Great Athy, maybe that will give me a better result, as the phonenumber bizzard gave doesn't seem to work anymore, hope they didn't have to close down.

 

So now I'll give Sky a try.

 

Peter.

[bizzard]

 

Thanks a lot for this info bizzard, but I'm afraid you've made a mistake with the phone number that I've been trying without any luck for half an hour.

 

There's a message saying check the number you've dailed, as the number you've dailed doesn't exist.

 

Peter.

Sorry Peter, my mistake, try (Summit Ararat) 2004 BC, Ararat, or (Pinnacle Ararat) 2079 BC.

[bargemast]

 

I do hope Dalslandia is paying attention because that is excellent advice. You see all sorts of crazy looking things on the canals, and when it comes to the wide stuff it gets even worse. There are clearly unscrupulous builders out there who are prepared to take on whatever whim and fancy the customer comes up with even if it is totally impractical.

 

We got stuck behind a narrow beam dutch barge on the Peak Forest canal a few weeks back, centre cockpit, wheel steered, he was doing about 2 mph and simply couldn't keep the thing in a straight line.

 

Did you talk to the steerer ?

 

Without knowing, could it be that he had a bit too much to drink before he left ?

 

It's easy to say that the stange behaviour of the boat is to blame on the boat, instead of the possibly bad helmsman.

 

Friends of mine had a narrowbeam Dutch barge, which handled beautifully and didn't have the slightest problem cruising in a straight line at all.

 

 

Peter.