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Bromleyxphil

By Bromleyxphil
in Boat Building & Maintenance

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Bromleyxphil Collaborator

Bromleyxphil

Posted
Posted

In most endeavours these days the labour part of any project is the most costly element.  What is your best guess as to the cost of steel in a 57 x 10 boat.  I have been talking to a retired welder who says he would love to build one so am trying to get a handle on costs.  Are detailed plans for such a project available, if so where do you buy them? 

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think you'd be struggling to get any decent 'plans', the design/build differences are the only thing that differentiates one builder from another, and the ones who 'get it right' can charge much more than those who don't. They are unlikely to sell your their 'intellectual property'..

 

There has been a history of metal fabricators trying to diversify into the NB market and I think most of them have failed. We might joke that a NB is just a 'skip with a pointy bit welded on the front' but in reality it is the subtle curves and swim shapes make a boat usable or not.

 

How would you handle 500kg sheets of steel ?

How would you get them off the truck ?

How will you bend them ?

Have you got somewhere (in doors) to build it ?

Have you got the machinery to get the finished boat back out of the shed ?

 

Yes labour may be a large percentage of the build cost, but, boat builders will be buying larger quantities of steel and will be paying much less than you will for a small one-off order.

By the time you have rented a suitable building, suitable lifting and bending equipment you would have probably paid more than buying a basic hull.

 

You can get a complete 57' x 10' sailaway* (engine, gearbox, windows, doors, water tanks etc etc, included) for £35k + VAT

You could probably buy it for £10k less without engine and some other 'bits' (But at some point you are going to have to buy and install an engine, better to get it installed correctly and get the engine bearers correctly positioned from the start)

 

A completed 57 x 10 weighs in at approximately 22 tons.

 

(Buying processed sheet steel will be more expensive than just looking at the price per tonne of steel, and you will be only buying relatively small quantities of each size 10mm, 6mm, 5mm 4mm etc.

 

* Edit to add : 

 

What’s included in our Sailaway specification

 
 
  • New steel hull of customers choice
  • Steel spec of 10-6-4
  • New marine Diesel engine fitted
  • Twin 12 volt alternators for charging
  • Engine starter battery fitted
  • Windows and/or port holes fitted
  • Rear doors & front doors
  • One set of side doors
  • Bilge pump fitted
  • Ballasted with dense concrete block
 
 
  • Floored with  quality plywood
  • Craned on to the water at our boatyard
  • Professional boat commission & handover
  • Turn the key sail away
  • Annexe IV declaration of conformity
  • Builders plate & CE marked
  • Craft identification number issued
  • Boat to comply to RCD 2013/53/EU to point supplied
  • Boat owners manual
Edited by Alan de Enfield
  • Greenie 1
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dmr Veteran II

dmr

Posted
Posted (edited)

If you are practical and have the eye for a pleasing boat, and a bit of ingenuity, then you can produce a fine boat, this can even be done outdoors in a field next to the canal.

 

There are some truly horrible homemade boats on the cut but I am aware of at least 5 boats that are really pretty good or even superb. Most are rather unusual and one or two are not totally "straight" but make up for this in character.

 

I am aware of a non welder who went to night school to learn welding, practiced a bit, then built a boat which in indistinguishable from a mainstream professionally built boat. I think he got most of the steel as a ready cut kit but I am not sure about this. His grinding/shaping of some welded corners/edges was absolutely perfect. When I asked him how he formed the front and back he said "don't believe everything you hear, it just isn't that difficult".

 

.............Dave

Edited by dmr
to bold the really important bit
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Bromleyxphil Collaborator

Bromleyxphil

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  • Author
Posted

This isn’t a serious proposition it’s just the follow on from a conversation I had over the weekend.  The conversation just set my brain mulling over, how hard it would be? How much it would be? How worthwhile etc.  Thanks for the comments guys.

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reg Experienced

regDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)

Although not narrowboat specific These have some info you may find of interest, including steel kits, plans, bespoke designs etc. 

http://www.dutch-barges.net

 

And these have narrowboat engineering plans 

http://www.acornengineer.co.uk/plans-drawings-set-of-enginering-drawings-for-narowboat-steel-shell-fabrication/engineering-drawings-for-steel-narrowboat-shell-construction

 

And this might be useful for design ideas and tips

https://www.thefitoutpontoon.co.uk/narrowboat-widebeam-plans/

Edited by reg
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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, reg said:

Although not narrowboat specific These have some info you may find of interest, including steel kits, plans, bespoke designs etc. 

http://www.dutch-barges.net

 

And these have narrowboat engineering plans 

http://www.acornengineer.co.uk/plans-drawings-set-of-enginering-drawings-for-narowboat-steel-shell-fabrication/engineering-drawings-for-steel-narrowboat-shell-construction

 

And this might be useful for design ideas and tips

https://www.thefitoutpontoon.co.uk/narrowboat-widebeam-plans/

Wasn't Biggles boat built from a kit originally

 

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Didn't he kill some bloke off the radio?

 

 

Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone to far
Oh-a-aho oh
Oh-a-aho oh
Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone too far
Pictures came and broke your heart
Put down the blame on VCR
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