Aqualine Narrowboats ?

[GreyLady]

-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146

[kevinl]

I've always thought they make quite nice boats but at nearly £1,100 per foot for a 7 year old boat

K

[MtB]

Does Aqualine Marina have a good reputation for Narrowboats ?

 

I really do like the look of this one.

 

 

http://www.newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boat.php?boatID=628

 

 

I am hoping to be in a position to buy in December.

 

thanks

 

 

Very well built boats, having done PDI gas inspections on loads of them. Perfect gas installations, always. Total contrast with Liverpool boats which all leaked like sieves.

[Sea Dog]

Mike's comment from experience is a valuable and unbiased viewpoint to have. I'd be surprised if you get much that's not positive from other owners owners, but the same might be said of Reliant Robins - and their owners are deluding themselves! However, I had a similar one alongside me on a hardstanding last year whilst I was blacking. As it happens, it was newly bought from the same broker. I was impressed by her build standard and condition.

 

She looks very well appointed and cared for in the photos. I don't know about the price, but the older I get the more sense the adage "buy the best and cry only once" makes. You'll know if Kevin above is right about the price if she's still for sale come December.

 

Good luck in your quest.

 

 

Edited to finish what I was saying after smartphone finger trouble prematurely posted!

Edited August 22, 2015 by Sea Dog

[Athy]

They are built in Poland, and I think fitted out there too. I have heard good reports of them.

[MtB]

The only thing wrong with them is the bow looks a bit, well, Polish!

[alan_fincher]

A chap who moors near us has a second hand Aqualine he got a particularly good deal on.

 

He says he is very satisfied with most aspects, but there is a known problem of windows leaking on boats of the age he has. The windows are the type where an insert goes into a slot in the frame to cover the screw holes. He reckon issues are common on Aqualines of that age.

 

Sorry, I can't recall exactly how old his is though, so maybe this information isn't that usefull?....

[Canalwatcher]

Zodiak is 8 years old now and is an Aqualine trad style. We have put 3000 hours on the engine and travelled over 5000 miles. I have regularly maintained the engine and boat generally. We've had no serious problems and certainly no window leaks. Standard of interior fitout is very good mostly in solid ash.

 

Pic is Zodiak at Saul Junction this July

 

 

Also one showing the bow! - Basingstoke Canal 2013

 

 

 

 

Mick

Edited August 22, 2015 by zodiak

[Lysander]

We have an almost identical Aqualine Madison of the same age and have had no serious problems with it.

I would say, though, that the one advertised is rather overpriced, considering the price we paid for ours just over three years ago.

[Top cat]

You might want to check the air draft if you intend going on the middle levels or other places with particularly low bridges. We were moored next to an Aqualine boat and noticed how much taller she was than Grace (who isn't particularly low ).

 

The one we looked round a few years ago seemed to be designed to stay in a marina hooked up to the mains. Lots of electrical gadgets and just two 110ah battieries , a 70A alternator and a mains fridge. I think their target market is novice boaters

 

 

T C

[GreyLady]

-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146

[GreyLady]

We are planning on 2 x 235w Solar Panels and hopefully a D-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146

[Canalwatcher]

You might want to check the air draft if you intend going on the middle levels or other places with particularly low bridges. We were moored next to an Aqualine boat and noticed how much taller she was than Grace (who isn't particularly low ).

 

The one we looked round a few years ago seemed to be designed to stay in a marina hooked up to the mains. Lots of electrical gadgets and just two 110ah battieries , a 70A alternator and a mains fridge. I think their target market is novice boaters

 

 

T C

Can't agree based on our Aqualine - we have cruised the Middle levels including down to Ramsey and also the Basingstoke canal which has two bridges at 5' 6" air draft.

 

Electrics will depend to an extent on what you ask for when buying there are many different options; ours originally had two 70A alternators but also a Travel Power alternator which when cruising provided plenty of charging via the Victron Multiplus combi the original batttery layout was four 110 Ah batteries plus starter battery. Later we added two solar panels to much reduce any need to run the engine if moored up for a few days.

 

As stated above we have had ours for 8 years and cruised over 5000miles around the system so are certainly are'nt novices and we did have good experience of boating before Zodiak

Mick

Edited August 22, 2015 by zodiak

[GreyLady]

-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146

[MtB]

Can i be cheeky, i never even gave vessel water depth and above water line height a second thought when purchasing a Narrowboat.

 

I can see some Narrowboats sink lower than others but i never even gave it a thought that some Narrowboats may not fit under well trompt narrowboat bridges and route's?

 

Now this has confused me ?

 

 

Seriously ?

 

 

Breasted up to a boat at Cropredy last week, the roofline of my boat was a good foot lower than theirs.

[GreyLady]

-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146

[Top cat]

Places where headroom just might be an issue if your boat is much taller than average. Best measure it and check your route

 

T&M at Stoke and Harecastle tunnel. Caldon canal at Hanley , most boats won't fit through Froghall tunnel.

Middle levels at Upwell and Outwell plus the loch at Salters loade

The Nene has some low bridges but I can't remember which ones as does the Avon.

On the Ashby bridges 15 & 17 are the pinch points but most people are OK.

 

I'm sure there are others and no doubt people will point them out.

 

Top Cat

[MtB]

ISTR headroom being seriously tight under the turntable at sheepwash channel too, even for my low cabin boat.

[adam1uk]

They are built in Poland, and I think fitted out there too. I have heard good reports of them.

They were, but production was brought back to the UK two or three years ago.

[Boat&Bikes]

I thought they are still built in Poland? Good boats wherever they are produced .

[GreyLady]

-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146

[alan_fincher]

Places where headroom just might be an issue if your boat is much taller than average. Best measure it and check your route

 

T&M at Stoke and Harecastle tunnel. Caldon canal at Hanley , most boats won't fit through Froghall tunnel.

Middle levels at Upwell and Outwell plus the loch at Salters loade

The Nene has some low bridges but I can't remember which ones as does the Avon.

On the Ashby bridges 15 & 17 are the pinch points but most people are OK.

 

I'm sure there are others and no doubt people will point them out.

 

Top Cat

 

Several of the very low railway bridges on the Lee & Stort, depending on levels on the day

(Sometimes, depending very much on levels) the bridge below the staircase at Brades on the BCN.

If you are wide across the roof then Ashtead tunnel (BCN) can result in paint being lost of grab rails.

 

I can't imagine many modern boats have serious issues in Harecastle though, other points on the T&M are far lower.

 

Surprisingly Froghall is a bit exaggerated, both in people's recollections, and on the gauges to let you know if you will pass it.

 

Our old boat "Chalice" had a much taller cabin than many, and was very "front end high", but we still made it, albeit with some loss of paint. Details here.

Bloody helll the Aqualine's do look huge online compared to a real life Braidbar Boat i viewed in Poynton for 80k

 

I have never noted Aqualines as being excessively tall.

 

"Tallness" is not the only factor - if the cabin sides do not have enough "tumble-home", (i.e don't lean in heavily to make the roof a lot narrower than the boat), then the corners may be the problem in arched structures like tunnels, rather than overall height. The Chines built "East west" boats are particularly bad in this respect, and "barge style" narrowboats may also be similar.

[GreyLady]

-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146

[alan_fincher]

Stating the obvious, but Braidbar are only boat fitters. They may choose whose steel shells to offer, but they don't actually build them.

 

Unless you measure up all aspects of a boat, just (for example) comparing cabin heights is pretty meaningless. Some boats have shallow hulls, and hence need taller cabins, those with deeper hulls can provide dsame headroom but cabin top is shallower. assuming similar ballasting, both may well have similar "air draughts", but each may look very different.

 

I would not have thought any of the well recognised shell builders of any quality particularly likely to build something too tall or wide. Mostly a modern shell, similarly ballasted, will fit under similar arches to those from competing builders. Only when the boat differs wildly from a norm will it normally become that significant, I would say.

[GreyLady]

-

Edited August 23, 2015 by grumpy146