Cruiser or narrowboat?

[Mataji]

I’m thinking of moving from the sea to the non-tidal Thames. I have a lot of experience of narrow boats on canals but have never based a boat on the Thames before. My wife likes narrow boats (so do I) but I’ve been very impressed by the accommodation on some cruisers I’ve seen - Viking 24 and 26 in particular.

What advice would you give?

 

[ryanroberts]

Solid fuel heating is nice, if you like boating out of season. Yellow / red board conditions in a 60' underpowered narrow steel lump can be quite an adventure though

 

[Gary Fox]

A Pedro, or similar type, Dutch steel cabin cruiser would be my choice, given the budget. Or a smallish Dutch barge type.
Or how about a 1.5x beam, or widebeam narrowboat? My neighbours have one and it manages to get around the Solent ok in nice conditions.

 

[Chris_d]

If your not planning on doing the narrow canals at all then I would say go for a cruiser, narrow boats not at their best on the river, too long, under powered and un-manouverable. Having said that its not a big deal but its much easier to find a mooring for 30ft cruiser than a 50ft narrow boat, but it will be much more comfortably fitted out than a Viking which I wouldn't recommend unless its one of the very newest ones, build is very much to a price.

 

[ProDave]

Why limit yourself to 135 miles of waterway when the right choice of narrowboat gives you access to over 2000 miles?

 

[TrueBlue]

30++ years of narrowboating shows me that NBs are not necessarily slow or awkward to steer (I'd rather have a tiller arm than a dodgem car wheel).
The Thames is not for everyone - taht's what makes the River above Oxenford great - unless you want a plethora of pubs.
There's something about arriving in Birmingham that has a certain buzz, even if it does take a week or two

 

[Mataji]

Thanks for those replies, plenty of food for thought.
I agree about the limits to cruising on the Thames as opposed to the canals, but I live in Wiltshire and would like to be as close to the boat as possible. The Kennet and Avon is lovely but a narrow boat there would be just as limited as the Thames. Somewhere between Lechlade and Abingdon would be my ideal.
So it would seem a cruiser would be the better choice. The Viking looked attractive as it did look a bit more like a boat than some of the cruisers and the layout and build (on the new one I looked at) seemed good. I’d be looking for a used one so the views given above are interesting.
Ideally I’d like a beautiful classic cruiser but that isn’t to be. Practicality dictated low maintenance.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I lived on my narrow boat for 12 years and traveled around the canals extensively. Never lived on land as an adult or owned any property, just boats. It was nice to have the option of going up the ditches but a bit narrow and I always ended up wanting to be on the River anyway.

They do work well on the River and give you a lot of scope for other cruising grounds IF you actually do it but I would not have one again myself.

Unless you are specifically interested in going on the ditches then I reckon a steel cruiser around 30ft long and 10ft wide would be better for the River but a lot of them aren't insulated and they rarely have solid fuel appliances.

Personally I would not be without a solid fuel burner in my boat but that is from someone who lives in boats.

 

[Portland Billy]

Go for a cruiser.
I believe the river has enough long steel things clogging the moorings and pumping solid fuel fumes around.

 

[ryanroberts]

They might get the Thames & Severn working sometime of course. Oxford to Lechlade is a very nice stretch even without and wild enough that you can still maybe stick a pin in without getting clamped.

 

[Scapegoat]

You might want to think about a river cruiser like this? Easy to move around, goes under Osney bridge, good accommodation,
Bounty 30 Sunbridge Used Boat for Sale 1997 | TheYachtMarket

 

[Northern Star]

I have a 35 ft dutch steel cruiser and have found it to be the perfect size for the upper Thames.

I looked at narrowboats but basically they are too narrow and if like me you are on a home base marina you pay by the length rather than the width.

I can also get my 35 feet into a lot more places and the hull gives me way more stability and control on the river and it means i get far more months out in Sept til April.

 

[Lower Limit 1909]

Unless you plan on clambering up onto the roof - transiting locks can be easier from a taller cruiser - especially ones with helm doors like many of the Dutch steel type boats.

 

[Mataji]

The Bounty 30 does look good. Its air draft is 2.28, Osney bridge clearance is quoted as 2.29. How much of a problem would that be?

 

[TrueBlue]

Cheesh - The air draft EAwise is quoted as the clearance at the centre of teh arch, whereas you your boat (whatever it is) will almost certainly be a different shape. In addition on The Day, the river may well be running higher....
Gone are the days when you could chat up the lockie and persuade him to open the sluices a bit - or run sdome water through the lock.
(There was on this forum many, many years ago when a person-well-known- on-this forum moved a DB type boat by arrangement onto quieter waters, by trimming his barge, negotiating wth the lockie and scuttled through.....

NOT today, though.

If you want more easy cruising range and warmth (etc) when it's cold - get a steel narrowboat. All the fun of navigating a lot of waterways and potentially much better comfort when it's late in the day / cold etc....

If yoy want to cruise from pub to pub (if there any left) and don't mind repeating the journey often, stay on the Thames in another type of boat.

I don't mean this unkindly - there's no style of boat that ticks all the boxes at once.

 

[Scapegoat]

The Bounty 30 does look good. Its air draft is 2.28, Osney bridge clearance is quoted as 2.29. How much of a problem would that be?

I chatted to someone who has had one of these from new - around 20 years - and he says they go up to Lechlade once a year on her

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I had a go in a Caribbean cruiser (ex broads cruiser) years ago. That was a nice comfortable boat. Lots of space and nice wide decks so a very safe platform.

They are getting a bit old now and most of them have been converted to houseboats in varying states so might be awkward to find a good one.

Another boat which is very nice but quite small is the Hampton Safari. I reckon one of these would be great for the River.