Birchwood Boats

[Guest]

Birchwood don't seem to get much coverage in MBY/MBM, certainly not the same sort of references as Princess or Fairline (or even Sealine). May's MBY puts the Commando 510 down as a rival to the Fairline T52, which is probably the first time I've seen one referred to. They probably don't build many boats, as I can't recall actually ever seeing any except at the boat shows, but are those that they build actually any good? Where do they fit in the UK boat pecking order?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The amount of coverage that a manufacturer gets is in direct relation to their advertising spend in that particular organ
Birchwood is a sad case. They used to build some nice boats but went steadily downhill until they went bust sometime in the mid '90's. The company was ressurected by a local businessman (doubtless now regretting he ever got involved) and they've managed to get a toe-hold in the market again, building (I think) about 20-25 boats a year. Some of their models are re-vamps of existing designs and some are new eg Commandos but obviously the budget didnt stretch to a Coventry Poly designer because all of them look as though they fell out of the ugly tree. The boats are built somewhere in deepest darkest Nottinghamshire
At the risk of being shouted down by the legions of Birchwood fanatics, I understand that boats built by the old company shortly before its demise were of poor quality but a pre 1990 boat should have been built better and have found its own price level in the market anyway. I believe that boats built by the new company are of reasonable quality but might be more difficult to sell on simply because they're less of a known quantity than the other mainstream Brit builders offerings

 

[oldgit]

Can comment on an early model lying in a Thames Marina called a commode or something similer.All the cabin/saloon sole boards were screwed down.Should you need to check the engine/oily bits/ or anything at all you had a problem. Esp if you needed to sort something in a hurry.

Exercise is bunk.If you are healthy,you do not need it;if you are sick you should not take it.

 

[lanason]

Oi !!!!
I went to Cov Poly (or Coventy University as it is now known)
Did Engineering but I wont hear a bad word said - best place on earth !!!

Adrian

Don't call me "Ian"
Cleopatra - yellow hull called Court Jester. Have you seen her ?

 

[halcyon]

Visited Birchwood in the mid 80's, up Nottingham way, thay had just laid off most of the workforce, they had been producing around 40 boats a month for the states, market callapsed for some reason.
Making 36 /47 foot boats then, around 4 a month, better than average build and design standard then.
If I remember correctly the reason the floor is screwed down, is becaurse under the steps down to the galley area is a door into the engine room under the saloon, 4/ 5 foot headroom. Remember this because I worked on a battery charger on one at Cowes by the ferry terminal, wash caused the boat to roll like a pig. Working over the star'd prob shaft, under the floor, I felt as sick as a pig.


Brian

 

[jfm]

Calling a knuckle a spade

A sad case. AFAIK build qwality is good, many owners rave about them. But the current range is ugly, and there lies massive mistake. It's astonishing that a firm can tool up to make something as big as a boat and not get the styling right. But that's what Birchwood did. They might argue and say they look stylish and different and praps won an award or two, but one look at the pics and buyers (a savvy, intelligent bunch in the £200k boat buying category) get a gut feel that this is Reliant Robin territory, and head for the security of Fairline/Princess/Italians etc.

They wont drop the sacred cow of the hull knuckle. Been part of their look for 30 years. Madness. Once tools are made it's too late to change. Even BMW have let go the twin headlamps, yet Birchwood the blimmin knuckle. Their qwality is good, they have a useful "distinctive, not part of the Fairline crowd" selling angle, they have heritage, advertising is good (imho) and they even advertise in Boat Int'l. But the blimmin knuckle looks absolutely terrible and in the sports cruiser market it is a clear cut reason in itself not to buy a Birchwood.

Who are they building boats for? Customers or themselves?

All imho

 

[tcm]

Re: not just the knuckle

agreed rwe horid knuckle, but the problem doesn't end there. The proportions of the commando superstructure are just horrible. So, Birchwood more a decent second-hand buy for those who ask that their boat just floats and goes and has masses of space inside. Good in the med as you never see the thing side-on maybe?

Also that new BMW 7-series (another pop) is very nasty blurgh probly going for the russian nouveau-riche who like Zils.

 

[wakeup]

Re: Calling a knuckle a spade

Is a Hull Knuckle something like a Glaswegian Kiss?


Seriously though, to the uninitiated, what is a hull knuckle?

WU

yada yada..

 

[jfm]

Re: Definition of knuckle

It's that massive crease, runs horizontally, along the topsides of birchwood 1/2 way up between waterline and gunwhale. See birchwood.co.uk, they all have it

 

[jfm]

BMW Zil 750il

Agree, I just picked on the knuckle but there's other stuff too.

Agree also the new 7 is ugly, very Zil like. However, if it comes with a Zil lane then I'm buying one <G>

 

[Medskipper]

Re: Calling a knuckle a spade

That nuckle as you put it is a chine that gives the Birchwood owner a very dry ride when others around them are getting soaked!

Barry

 

[oldgit]

Re: Calling a knuckle a spade

Would not have though the waves got that high in the marina or along side the pub on the upper Thames.

Exercise is bunk.If you are healthy,you do not need it;if you are sick you should not take it.

 

[jfm]

Re: chines are lower than knuckles

Respectfully disagree, it is not a chine, it's a knuckle. I totally agree about the dry ride, I never criticised its operational efficacy. But it looks terrible, imho (and itho of the hundreds of people who don't buy Birchwoods)

 

[tcm]

Re: dry ride -who cares?

of course, in UK the blimmin waves are waving all the time. But quite a lot of new b'woods are med-targeted, esp the commando open style jobs. They should can the knuckle, and indeed shoot the designer of the superstructure, and copy fairline ...who in turn copied pershing, we hear.

 

[jfm]

Yes,Italian styling of Commando superstructure?

Agree, I think Commando superstructure styling was done by the same person who did the Fiat Multipla. (Top half of the Multipla that is, the bottom half was evidently done by different person altogether....)