Boat builders that build smaller narrowboats

[kne11y]

Hi I'm looking for good boat builders that built smaller narrowboats 45ft down to 30ft as Iam looking to buy a small boat but there is a lot of rubbish out there.

[Alan de Enfield]

No connection, just know of them as they are local

 

http://www.sherwoodboats.co.uk/prices.php

 

Build from 30 ft upwards

[Athy]

Aintree bEETLE. sEE REVIEW IN THE LATEST cANALBOAT MAGAZINE.

 

blasted caps lock.

[Captain Pegg]

Canal Transport Services have a reputation for building quality boats to the style the customer wants and they have a history of building smaller boats.

 

They built mine. A couple of years before I was born.

 

JP

[NB Lola]

I am not a builder nor connected to a builder. I am very interested in understanding about the rubbish. I can then be better placed to suggest what's quality.

[Arthur Brown]

A boat will meet your needs and wishes IF you can list them all clearly in the design stage, If not then late changes can simply empty your wallet. Go look at 100 boat ads and see what you need, desire, dislike and wouldn't buy. Sadly a lot of the design decisions are put down in thick steel very early in the boat's construction. Design your dream long before you cut steel.

[MtB]

Hi I'm looking for good boat builders that built smaller narrowboats 45ft down to 30ft as Iam looking to buy a small boat but there is a lot of rubbish out there.

 

 

I'm sure all the good builders will build you a short boat. BUT, as all the expensive bits are still needed whatever the length of boat (bow, stern, swims, engine, electrics, gas, bathroom, kitchen) don't expect the price to be proportionally lower.

[Ally]

I'm sure all the good builders will build you a short boat. BUT, as all the expensive bits are still needed whatever the length of boat (bow, stern, swims, engine, electrics, gas, bathroom, kitchen) don't expect the price to be proportionally lower.

Very true, and few appreciate this.

All you're saving is a bit of steel, some lineout, perhaps a couple of windows, a few slabs of ballast, and a few litres of paint. You'll still likely want everything that goes in, say, a 57ft, it should come in at a proportionately higher price.

[Guest]

Building costs aside though.

 

A shorter boat has lower on going running costs. Ie licence and mooring.

[rustydiver]

We nearly bought a new Aintree beetle boat 30ft.

Loved the boat, like you looked into all the running costs but sense prevelled when we started to look at other boats decided to go a bit larger 45ft ended up buying a 57ft. Love the size.

While yes it's cheaper now we knew that in 5 years time we would hanker after somthing bigger so the costs involved in selling, vat loss etc would be lst in the savings made by running a smaller boat. If that made sense, I sort off know what I ment.

[Paul C]

I'd imagine it takes much more skill and clever design to make a workable 30ft boat than a workable 57ft boat. Thus, many builders would shy away from too small and have a minimum length they'd build.

[Guest]

kne11y, on 27 Feb 2016 - 8:17 PM, said:

Hi I'm looking for good boat builders that built smaller narrowboats 45ft down to 30ft as Iam looking to buy a small boat but there is a lot of rubbish out there.

I remember once sharing the locks from Shardlow to Stenson Deep with a couple who had not long taken delivery of a new boat that was about 45ft from memory. It was a tidy looking but very 'modern' looking boat with a cruiser stern. They had had it built to exactly match the layout of their previous much older boat of the same length. They weren't live aboards though and used it purely for weekends and longer breaks.

 

I am fairly sure they said it was built at Shardlow (they moored it there) and though I can't be certain now I am pretty sure it must have been JD Narrowboats who built it. Looking at their web site would seem to confirm very similar looking boats. They were certainly very happy with their boat.

 

Might be worth a look.

[Athy]

I remember once sharing the locks from Shardlow to Stenson Deep with a couple who had not long taken delivery of a new boat that was about 45ft from memory. It was a tidy looking but very 'modern' looking boat with a cruiser stern. They had had it built to exactly match the layout of their previous much older boat of the same length. They weren't live aboards though and used it purely for weekends and longer breaks.

 

I am fairly sure they said it was built at Shardlow (they moored it there) and though I can't be certain now I am pretty sure it must have been JD Narrowboats who built it. Looking at their web site would seem to confirm very similar looking boats. They were certainly very happy with their boat.

 

Might be worth a look.

This reminds me that a company based at nearby Sawley Marina builds shorter boats - under the name of "Little Gem". They come in two or three lengths up to about 41 feet. Could, from memory, be MCC Boats. We had as look round one a few years ago and it seemed well fitted out.

 

But if the OP really wants a boat which makes excellent use of 30 feet of lengthy, I'd recommend looking at an old Springer.

[Monsoon merchant]

MGM Boats in Leicester took a short boat to Crick last year. They are former winners there.

 

Looked like clever use of space. They now run as a hire boat, so is available for viewing/trial, I would imagine.

[Guest]

Athy, on 28 Feb 2016 - 08:55 AM, said:

This reminds me that a company based at nearby Sawley Marina builds shorter boats - under the name of "Little Gem". They come in two or three lengths up to about 41 feet. Could, from memory, be MCC Boats. We had as look round one a few years ago and it seemed well fitted out.

 

But if the OP really wants a boat which makes excellent use of 30 feet of lengthy, I'd recommend looking at an old Springer.

 

Gem - MCC boats are built by Stenson based at Stenson Marina not far from where we used to moor at Willington. Are you thinking of them?

 

http://www.mccboats.co.uk/index.html

 

http://www.mccboats.co.uk/gem-narrowboat.html

[Athy]

 

Gem - MCC boats are built by Stenson based at Stenson Marina not far from where we used to moor at Willington. Are you thinking of them?

 

http://www.mccboats.co.uk/index.html

 

http://www.mccboats.co.uk/gem-narrowboat.html

Yes. I remember seeing their workshops at Stenson, but Sawley Marina certainly used to be their main sales agent, don't know if they still are. That's where we looked round a brand new one.

[magictime]

Building costs aside though.

 

A shorter boat has lower on going running costs. Ie licence and mooring.

 

...and blacking, and heating, and painting when the time comes... all in all, a smaller boat is a smaller ongoing financial commitment. And having done all my boating so far in a 24-footer, I do wonder how much benefit a single person or couple can really get from having a much bigger boat (say, once you get past the 'fixed bed' point of 30-35ft) - at least if you're talking about holiday boating.

[Guest]

magictime, on 28 Feb 2016 - 10:03 AM, said:

 

 

...and blacking, and heating, and painting when the time comes... all in all, a smaller boat is a smaller ongoing financial commitment. And having done all my boating so far in a 24-footer, I do wonder how much benefit a single person or couple can really get from having a much bigger boat (say, once you get past the 'fixed bed' point of 30-35ft) - at least if you're talking about holiday boating.

Indeed - We have hired a boat of 48ft for a 2 week holiday and it was more than adequate. (2 adults - 1 dog). You could easily lose the three feet to make it 45ft by not having a cruiser stern like this boat did and not really lose any internal cabin space.

 

 

http://www.napton-marina.co.uk/boats/elite/elite_2.php

 

The bed was unusual on this boat in that it was a large king sized double (not a cross bed) but fixed lengthways. There was just enough room to squeeze past it so it didn't really obstruct. I can't say I've seen the same on any other boat (Hire or private) but if I was having a boat built I would seriously consider the same design. It was very comfy and spacious, something I used to curse the bed on our our own boat for not being.

 

Edited February 28, 2016 by MJG

[magictime]

Yep, that's a big bed!

 

I suppose it all depends on how you tend to spend your days when boating. On a typical day, we'd cruise well into the evening and only really be inside the cabin for meals and a DVD or a board game before bed - not really long enough to start feeling cooped up and frustrated with the lack of space. All we really needed was kitchen and bathroom facilities, somewhere to sit and eat, and enough under-seat storage for bedding and clothes. I suppose it would be different if you were wanting to moor up for days on end, or knock off cruising at 5 o'clock to spend your evening in a 'proper' living room.

[Ally]

Of course there is the Little Boat Co. Too, http://www.littleboatco.co.uk

[paddy r]

Of course there is the Little Boat Co. Too, http://www.littleboatco.co.uk

He does it all himself from start to finish,and i think he does inboard engines now. ( i used to supply him with fenders when we moored down that way).

[bargemast]

Of course there is the Little Boat Co. Too, http://www.littleboatco.co.uk

 

If their boats are as good as their website is, then they seem to be a very good choice for someone that wants a small boat.

 

Peter.

[MtB]

 

If their boats are as good as their website is, then they seem to be a very good choice for someone that wants a small boat.

 

Peter.

 

Seconded.

 

I wish my websites were as well designed as that!

[Guest]

I do like the 32ft with the rear (wide) double and two singles at the front.

[Athy]

I do like the 32ft with the rear (wide) double and two singles at the front.

It is rather fetching - though that bed appears to be designed for people who are broader at the shoulder than at the hip. Some of us on here would have to sleep with heads to the rear, I reckon.

 

I don't know how long the Little Boat Co. has been going (the web site mentions 30 years' experience, but some of that may have been with previous firms) but they do seem to keep plugging along while trendier companies rise and fall all around them. I wonder how many boats they have actually built.