|
Concept for BELLE We are attracted to most of the features
and characteristics of the established traditional narrowboat designs that
have been adapted for residential use, so we will endeavour to achieve the
same with BELLE whilst also incorporating our own key requirements. Achieving a balanced solution has been
far from simple and we have had numerous debates and there have been many
iterations of the layout drawing and the specification. On the whole, we believe that we have
incorporated most, if not all of our requirements without causing any major
impact to the external appearance of BELLE and we have avoided loading the
cost and/or causing any maintenance issues and/or presenting the boat builder
with any challenges, etc. Our key requirements; the features that
are important to us - follow this link
if you want to learn some more about any of the design solutions:
We learned a few things en-route that
should be considered for all narrowboat builds:
Specification for BELLE In our experience, the average boat
builders’ specification is sparse.
If you get anything at all, then it is usually in the form of a one
page bulleted list of the main features, accompanied by a very low quality
sketch of the layout and a few photographs to give you an impression of the
standard of fit-out you can expect.
There may be a choice of colours and a few optional extras [e.g.
adding a bow thruster, roof hatch, or upgraded electrical supply, etc.). If you have seen an example of one of
their boats and it suits your requirements either directly, or with a few
slight alterations and the workmanship appears to be OK and the price and
delivery are competitive, then that is fine – go for it. However, if you have your own
requirements and your wish is to maximise your chances of getting the boat
that you want rather than an ‘off-the-peg’ design, at the
right price and with an acceptable standard of workmanship, etc., then there
is no alternative to putting in the effort and driving up a reasonably
detailed specification and scaled layout drawing for reliably conveying your
requirements to the builder.
Discussing this specification and layout drawing with several builders
and viewing their work will eventually lead to a decision on where you will
get the best deal. This specification has already been
updated on numerous occasions as a result of meetings with boat builders,
finding new information on other websites, magazine reviews, obtaining and
comparing product literature from various equipment suppliers, bursts of
inspiration, etc. The version
presented here forms the basis for the order for BELLE. However, there are a few areas that
still require definition - we have elected to finalise these particular areas
during the build in the belief that it will be easier to do so at that stage
and that the risks of it all going ‘pear-shaped’ are low. It should be noted that, whereas this
specification is quite detailed, the content is focussed on our key
requirements – dependence has been placed in the boat builders’
correct interpretation and application of the EU Recreational Craft Directive
and the Boat Safety Scheme.
Inevitably, there will be opportunities to physically check the work
during the build and to express a view and/or any concerns that some feature
or other may not be in accordance with the requirements, or for that matter,
not following accepted sound engineering practice. You can view the layout and livery
drawing that forms the basis of our construction agreement for BELLE and the
concept drawing for the removable gunwale sections at the bow here.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
