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Kerry Lee Click here to view. Narrowboats these days are built everywhere from canalside workshops to modern industrial units but does the traditional boatyard still have the edge? Question: when is a boatbuilder not a boatbuilder? Answer: when he is a boatfitter. And if you are talking to a ‘proper’ boatbuilder, then you confuse the two at your peril. So, just in case you don’t know the difference – though I’m sure you do – a boat builder builds boats – from the raw steel upwards, while a boatfitter fits out shells that are made by someone else... |
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Nathannah Click here to view. When Bill Saner of the Navigation Narrow Boat Company called me from the company headquarters at Nantwich Canal Centre and said he had something rather special in terms of bespoke boat building to show me, I wondered what he meant by the word ‘special’? But having known Bill for many years and being well aware of the quality of design and workmanship which go into his company products, I gladly agreed to meet him at Preston Brook Marina where the boat in question, Nathannah, is currently based... |
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No Half Measures Click here to view. With so many narrowboat builders for the prospective buyer to choose from, many are seeking to distinguish their boats with ever more inventive departures from the norm. No Half Measures, from Nantwich Canal Centre, bravely takes the opposite approach – a traditional 57ft cruising narrowboat in every way, but one that aims to appeal simply through the quality of its shell and fit-out. First impressions are certainly good. Whenever prospective owners ask me for advice about... |
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Silver Kroner Click here to view. Many owners commissioning a new boat tell their builder there’s a must-have item they want incorporated. It could be anything from a traditional Buckby can they’ve owned for years, to a full-sized Victorian roll-top bath, or a piano. For Steve and Lesley Dugdale it was a three-metre-long sliding glass window. In the roof. Steve knew exactly what he wanted. His company imports windows from Sweden, including triple glazed units used in projects you might have seen on Channel 4’s Grand Designs, and retractable sliding windows... |