Ohh Thank Gawd (edited) For That

Phew, relief. Builder B is building NB Ernest (confused? read the last post!)

So who is this skillful, flexible, calm (at least when we're there) builder? Building NB Ernest is Paul Barber of Sheetstores just off the Trent on the Erewash canal.

So why did we choose Paul, well lots of reasons really but here's a few...

His Boats - 

We'd seen a couple, not many as he's not a prolific boat builder and doesn't shout out about how many he's made. A couple of years ago we were invited to the first floating market at Fenny Stratford on the GU canal. A great little event (we hope to go back next year) and the organisers there had a fairly recent PB narrowboat 'Sidney'. Now the lines weren't exactly what I'd choose but the owners were really happy. For me the bow was a bit too pinched cheeks and pouty. 

Tug Boat Sidney

His other work - 

Paul doesn't only build boats, he runs a proper canal side boat yard. A fellow trader had some work done on a butty boat there, quite a bit of cutting, stretching and welding although you'd never know it was chopped as the transition between old and new was seamless.

He also puts an awful lot of wrong boats right. New stern gear in recently built boats that aren't up to the job. Re plating worn out hulls, upgrading rotting bow thruster tubes, major repairs to historic ex working boats (most recently converting one from an old elm based one to steel, probably bigger jobs than new builds). In fact St Tudno one of the best converted butty to motor boat jobs I've ever seen was done by Paul. You've got to be respectful of the original boat when you're making so many changes and it was built by Thomas Bantock 160 years ago.

Butty Boat Echos

St Tudno before 

and after

The Price - 

Well it's got to come somewhere into the equation. Not the cheapest, but definitely not the most expensive. Not forgetting as canal side builders there's no road haulage to do so the extra budget can be spent at Pauls yard.

His Hobby - 

Paul and wife Viv are boaters. Now that may sound pretty logical but when you start looking at boat builders most aren't based near the water but at industrial units where the finished boat gets loaded on to a lorry and transported to the canal. Lots of the builders I spoke to don't own boats and never go on them. Using them has to be the best way to know how they perform and what's going to work and what's not. Especially if the client wants quite a lot of "input", we don't want to end up with a boat that swims 'like a wardrobe flappin its doors down the cut'. 

So when they're not working they're out boating on their own historic narrowboat Whitby

Paul and Viv's Threefellows Carrying Company Pair

His Knowledge - 

Paul isn't new to boating, he used to work the gravel barges on the River Trent for a living in his early days. Even now, boaters chat amongst themselves as to whether its safe to go out on the Trent, most conversations end in "ask Paul, if he says it's fine, it's fine".

He started building boats not long after and built many of the very well known S M Hudson boats for the (now closed) Hudson firm.

So what is he building for us, and why did we have a sleepless night and a rush over to his yard less than 48 hours after visiting to confirm some details?..

...Tune in next time to find out ;)

Paul's website is - here