March of the Widebeams

[peterboat]

35 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Saw this one on eBay, wonder if the hull fabricator was off sick the day they did curves at welding university?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305081784895

 

33 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Oh dear. 

I think this is probably a humour thing. 

 

Or photoshop. 

Facebook boaters seem to like it........... I have no idea why though and said as much 

[MtB]

18 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Do Fabricators go to university

 

Not that one!

 

[Ianws]

It's odd It's on ebay at that price rather than a broker. 199.995k. It's got a pretend electric fire not a real one. And those bow non-curves are disturbing. It's currently on the Lancaster Canal, but you can collect in person from Glasgow according to ebay. Lots and lots of solar, not much walkway on the roof. I wouldn't fancy being rammed by it - big, pointy and no obvious bow fender. 

Okay, looking at the video there's more space on the roof than appears from the  photos. Unfortunately,, there is also some neglected woodwork. Not a massive problem but not expected at 200k.

[Hudds Lad]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Do Fabricators go to university

Yes, my mate who worked at Dunsley’s did.

 

Admittedly it was years later and he studied Politics i think  

[Alan de Enfield]

 

I reckon its a scam.

 

I've had this before :

You cannot go and inspect it, it is in a bonded store and it will only be delivered to you after full payment (guaranteed refund in not happy !)

 

I have contacted the seller so we'll see what he comes back with.

 

Checked on Canal Plan and no such boat name or registration is listed (but being a 2018 boat the list has probably not been updated)

[noddyboater]

It must be a scam, if not I'm really concerned for Phil Speight. 

I know he's recently gone from driving Alfas to a Mercedes.. but imagine spending hours in front of that thing.

[magnetman]

One wonders if it is 'eastern european lady' again. 

 

Some slight similarities with those awful narrow boats. 

 

Its bizarre the way there is a pipe sticking out the side of the hull. Just weird. 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, noddyboater said:

It must be a scam, if not I'm really concerned for Phil Speight. 

I know he's recently gone from driving Alfas to a Mercedes.. but imagine spending hours in front of that thing.

 

I think the boat exists, but is not for sale by this seller. The ad has been lifted from elsewhere and a random ebayers page hacked and the details inserted.

[David Mack]

Anybody ever heard of the boatbuilder Ventcroft? Nothing online I could find, and canalplan lists only one boat built by them, a 44 ft narrowboat, Black Swan, with the info updated in 2014.

So one narrowboat built pre 2014 and one wideboat in 2018. Any more?

[magnetman]

Ventcroft LTD is a manufacturer of fire rated electrical cables. 

 

 

The boat does seem to have been put together by someone without basic understanding. 

 

The wheelhouse is shockingly vulnerable. It should be significantly narrower than the cabin or its coming off in an unscheduled disassembly event. 

 

I suppose the boat doesn't go anywhere but then why have the lovely big 150hp diesel in it? 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by magnetman

[Alan de Enfield]

Well I stand corrected and offer the seller my apologies, his response is :

 

 

Hello Alan

The boat is moored at Barton Grange Marina, however entry to the marina is controlled via a security gate.

I would not mind if a surveyor gave it a look over.

It's currently on water.

Sincerely, Stephen

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

Ventcroft LTD is a manufacturer of fire rated electrical cables. 

Indeed. Not a boatbuilder.

 

So is there a connection? Why would a manufacturer of fire rated electrical cables build a couple of canal boats? The company owner might be a boatie, but even so, why put the company name on something so different to their normal line of work?

[magnetman]

Its probably someone completely different with a trading name of Ventcroft but not a Ltd company. They might have just added Ltd after the name to look better. 

 

It does seem a bit odd but this can happen. 

 

 

scrub that. 

 

 

Its this geyser. Technical director of Ventcroft Ltd. 

 

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/carl-morris-a9243222b

 

"I have also been heavily involved in the building of two canal boats, using a wide range of skills in the process including Radio installation and solar power installation."

 

 

I guess putting 'Carl Morris' as the boat fabricator would not sound as good as Ventcroft Ltd. 

 

I wonder if the narrow boat also has the terrible bow shape. 

Edited August 22, 2023 by magnetman

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I wonder if the narrow boat also has the terrible bow shape. 

 

Or even, if it is the ghastly boat that East Europe Lady was trying to sell for an insane amount of money.

 

 

[magnetman]

It is an amusing choice of words. 

 

"Heavily involved in building of two canal boats...skills...Radio installation...Solar installation"

 

 

Maybe this is why the boat is so terrible. It is slightly more important to get the actual metalwork right than be concerned about the radio and solar panels. 

[cuthound]

13 hours ago, magnetman said:

Oh dear. 

I think this is probably a humour thing. 

 

Or photoshop. 

 

Obviously the fabricator is a threepenny bit...   (cockney rhyming slang for the uninitiated).

Edited August 22, 2023 by cuthound
To remove a duplicate post.

[magnetman]

 

 

Its quite funny they only had one bowthruster sticker and put it right on the stem post. 

 

Defeats the object as the whole idea is to warn anyone in the water that there is a tube with propellers in it AND the location of said tube. Putting it on the stem is almost pointless. 

 

 

[peterboat]

Honestly I can't see what the problem is? People on Facebook were loving it

[noddyboater]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Or even, if it is the ghastly boat that East Europe Lady was trying to sell for an insane amount of money.

 

 

There's certainly more "Eastern European Lady" shaped boats appearing lately. 

Who can we blame/throw rotten eggs at for blighting the canals with such things? 

[magnetman]

Good boat for unseating lock gates. 

 

 

[noddyboater]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Good boat for unseating lock gates. 

 

 

Certainly is. And for inducing nausea. 

[magnetman]

The CRT should introduce aesthetics based licence bands. Hike the licence so high on these monstrosities that it makes it unappealing to own. 

 

I'd say 3.7x normal licence fee for that one. There could be a sliding scale and a group of sensible people to do the judging. 

 

 

[IanD]

43 minutes ago, magnetman said:

The CRT should introduce aesthetics based licence bands. Hike the licence so high on these monstrosities that it makes it unappealing to own. 

 

I'd say 3.7x normal licence fee for that one. There could be a sliding scale and a group of sensible people to do the judging. 

 

 

Ooh, this could get interesting...

 

Pram hood -- x2

Cratch cover -- x1.5

Fake rivets -- x1.5

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Edited August 22, 2023 by IanD

[noddyboater]

10 minutes ago, magnetman said:

The CRT should introduce aesthetics based licence bands. Hike the licence so high on these monstrosities that it makes it unappealing to own. 

 

I'd say 3.7x normal licence fee for that one. There could be a sliding scale and a group of sensible people to do the judging. 

 

 

Sounds like a good plan but I fear the owners may have more money than sense!

Slightly off topic.. CRT should definitely start refusing licences to owner's of boats who can't keep the roof clear of crap.

The amount of near head on collisions I've had lately is worrying.  A clear line of sight from the steering position shouldn't be an optional extra. 

[Hudds Lad]

38 minutes ago, IanD said:

Ooh, this could get interesting...

 

Pram hood -- x2

Cratch cover -- x1.5

Fake rivets -- x1.5

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"swag" fenders -- x2

Rosie & Jim dolls -- x4

no well deck -- x1.5

fake potters cabin -- x1.5

motto painted on dodger -- x3

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