BOGOF

They're an everyday feature of supermarket shopping – 'Buy one tin of Beans Get One Free' scream the signs and the staff know them as BOGOFs – but Buy One narrowboat holiday and Get One Free? That's on a different scale entirely.

That's the offer being made, on an experimental basis, by a hire boat firm that already has a established  reputation for aggressive discounting. Norbury Wharf, based on the Shropshire Union Canal is making
the BOGOF offer on just two of it's fleet of 14 hire boats. 

Phoenix - Four berth traditional stern narrowboat.

 Anyone who hires Phantom or Phoenix, two traditional stern narrowboats, one two-berth and the other   four-berth, over a six week period taking in June and early July will get another free week's holiday in January or February next year.

Never before “As far as we know this has never been done before in the hire-boat business,” said manager
David Ray, “but we decided to test the idea as another way of rewarding our customers. 

“Although we have a handful of loyal customers who regularly hire in the winter months – one has just returned from a sixweek hire during February and March – we would like more to realise that winter boating is not only possible but can be a cosy and enjoyable experience.

“We have always tried to establish hire boating as a year-round holiday experience and this may go some  way to showing people how a winter holiday can be fun too.”

Phantom - Two berth traditional stern narrowboat.

Discount
The BOGOF scheme represents a considerable discount on the June and July hire prices and reflects  Norbury Wharf's policy of offering market-beating discounts on hire boats. The firm has slashed brochure prices by almost a third on many of its hire boats throughout April and last year fought the recession, and managed a higher occupancy rate than many of its competitors by dramatic cuts in prices for last-minute bookings. 

David Ray said: “We have established a reputation for value for money and our customers keep coming back to us. The BOGOF offer is just another example of that and, if it proves popular we may extend it to other vessels in our fleet.”

For further information about all of our current discounts and offers on our hire fleet - click here.

To seach availability and to make a booking please click here.

If you can't see what you are looking for, please email us info@norburywharfltd.co.uk.

Bow thrusters could sink your narrowboat.

That is the stark warning from boatyard experts who have just had to replace a bow thruster tube that leaked - and replace hundreds of pounds worth of fittings. 

Many modern boats are built with bow thrusters - a circular steel tube crossing the bow of the boat below the waterline with a central propeller that pushes water out on one side or the other.

The problem, according to Simon Jenkins, boss of Norbury Wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal is that the tubes are vulnerable to corrosion and difficult to maintain.

“They are often just a piece of 6mm steel tube and it can be difficult to paint them from the inside, as you  would the rest of the hull as you can’t easily access the centre of the tube where the propeller sits.

“Some of them have a mini weed hatch above the propeller for clearing weed but whole sections of the tube are essentially out of reach.”

The problem showed up at Norbury when manager David Ray noticed one of the boats on a mooring was  sitting low in the water. Closer investigation showed about six inches of water inside the boat all along its  length. It took some time to discover where it was getting in and staff had to remove woodwork and hack  away spray foam around the bow to get to the bow thruster tube.

“When we cleared the spray foam we found the leak,” said Simon, “it seems that pitting developed in the  steel tube around the propeller and at the end the spray foam must have been the only thing keeping the water out of the boat.”

He says every boat owner with a bow thruster should inspect them carefully every time the boat is out of the  water and attempt to ensure the tube is treated with the appropriate paint to prevent corrosion.

“It won’t be easy,” he said, “as most of these bow thrusters are very difficult to access but it has to be done  because they have introduced a potential weak point to the boat’s structure.”

Is there a solution? Simon is not optimistic: “The problem is in the build stage. It may be that builders need to think about heavier steel or even stainless steel for these tubes. They are probably subject to wear because  the propeller mechanism throws the grit and other solids in canal water onto the sides of the tube with some
force and this may be the reason for pitting the steel which allows rust to get in and rot the tube.
 

“We can only suggest everyone keeps a close eye on them and treats them at every opportunity.”

Good Friday

I sat down in the office this morning and suddenly realised that it is Good Friday today. The boating season is finally upon us... All through the winter Simon and I look at each other and say what we want to get done by Easter, but it doesn't seem to happen! We get the important jobs done and the work on customers boats so they can go boating, but good intention seem to dwindle off as Easter approaches.

I think we will have a busy weekend if today is anything to go by. We had a dayboat out first thing and Quartz returned from a weeks cruise. Quartz has been turned round and gone out again today along with Phoenix.

The girls have been busy cleaning and getting the boats ready for tomorrow. Mick has been busy working on a private boat. Steve is still plodding away on the trip boat and Rich is making a superb job of the boat he is painting in the dock.

Lets hope the sun shines again tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.

Best regards,

David.

Arctic or what?

I have never been to the Arctic circle but have seen pictures of a recent trip that my brother did and it looked bbbbrrrrr cold, well I can assure you that it has been like that today here at Norbury, the wind chill has been in the region of -6 and the snow has remained all over the boats and made no attempt to go away, just when we all thought it was well behind us and we were all looking forward and planning our cruising for this year, BANG and its back with a vengeance, the weekend saw snow drifts on some of the country lanes as high as the hedges, some of these lanes were totally impassable, I was out and about on Friday in my Land rover and I even came across an abandoned tractor that was stuck in a snow drift, fortunately today has seen some of the drifts disappear but there are some lanes that are blocked, luckily enough for us none of them lead to Norbury so if you are planning a visit then don't worry, One good thing with this late in the season wintry weather, it might mean an extended summer!

As you can imagine it has not been a busy day at all, in fact its been dead quiet since Friday of last week, so much so that three of the girls didn't bother coming in over the weekend and we haven't been fully staffed today, nothing really to report about today so until tomorrow.

Simon

Keeping your boat afloat

One of the jobs that most boat owners recognise as an essential part of keeping their boat afloat is getting it out of the water every couple of years and renewing the coats of blacking that protect the steel below the waterline. However, many may not realise just what else needs to be checked once the boat's bottom is available for scrutiny.

When a boat is in Norbury Wharf's dry dock there is an extensive checklist of items before the blacking itself can be applied.

Manager David Ray explained: “We look at the anodes, of course, to see if they need replacing but we also check the stern tube for wear and ensure the skeg is still straight.

“Then we look at the top and bottom rudder bearings for wear and check to see the rudder itself hasn't been damaged.

“We look at the propellor for any damage and check the nut and split pins holiding it in place as well a  looking at any damages on the chines. We look at the counter band paintwork and the gunwhale sides to
see the paint there is OK and examine the weed hatch, as there can sometimes be corrosion there on older boats. We even look at the fenders.”

David says the three or four day bottom blacking slot is the ideal time to do some simple jobs which would be much more difficult or impossible in the water.

“Whilst the boat is on the dock we give the hull a full health check. We can repair and replace everything  from a new fender to a new bottom – although that may take somewhat longer!”

Norbury's dry dock is popular with boaters, especially as returning customers get a 10 per cent discount, but that's also to do with the professional job they deliver and their reasonable charges.

The dock is particularly popular with liveaboard boaters as it has a substantial walk way from dockside to boat deck rather than some rickety old plank! Electric and water is supplied free whilst the boat is on the dock or you can stay in the Wharf's own holiday cottage for a few days bed and breakfast or on one of the fleet of hire boats at a discounted rate.

Currently docking and undocking costs £120 and the cost of pressure washing and applying no fewer than three coats of blacking depends on the length of the boat and the type of material used - but all include VAT. Bitumen costs £7.95 per foot, International Intertuf 16 comes in at £8.99 per foot and Comastic at £10.50  per foot.

The dock is also available on turnaround days for surveys. Norbury can arrange and book pre-purchase surveys, insurance surveys, hull surveys and full surveys. There is an on site Boat Safety Examiner and qualified Gas Safe Engineer.

A boat painter's reputation goes before him

A boat painter with a quarter of a century of experience has joined the team at Norbury Wharf Limited and is aiming to bring his skills to a new audience after earning a reputation for excellence across the Midlands.

Rich Corbett , 45, trained as a graphic designer at art college but began working in boatyards nearly 25 years ago. He worked at Norton Canes Boatbuilders for nearly a decade on and off, building his reputation
as a painter. Rich says: “Working with some of the best craftsman on the canal enabled me to get the experience to produce the sort of quality people expect.”

Rich's current full repaint in preparation.

He has recently been filling private commissions for specialist boat painting, in a variety of boatyards across the region, but was persuaded to join Norbury Wharf full time as its resident painter.

Managing Director Simon Jenkins says: “We have always had a good reputation here at Norbury for painting and we are delighted to have attracted Rich as our resident painter. I am sure he will build our good name  even further in the years to come.”

“I moved away from graphic design because I like using a brush rather than the computers that were taking over at the time,” said Rich, “and I get a great deal of satisfaction from the traditional skills of painting with a brush.

“What I do is really, coach-painting with a brush. Boaters like to see evidence of the brush but with a good shine that makes their boat stand out and sparkle on the cut.”

And he knows something about being a boater as he has lived on a variety of craft for more than 20 years. Like most live-aboard boaters he says: “I wouldn't change it for the world, especially as it enables to do the work I love and live the lifestyle I have chosen.”

Manager David Ray says: "Our painting dock is virtually fully booked for 2013 although we do have one space available for September. We are now taking bookings from March 2014 onwards."

Don't miss out! Call Simon or David on 01785 284292 or come and visit us.

Well that was a shock when I looked out the window this morning. A thick layer of snow everywhere... I managed to get intouch with Denise, Lynn and Joyce to tell them not to risk making the journey into work. So that left Ange and I in the shop and tearoom, Simon, Mr and Mrs Handbag, Bernard and Rich in today.

The dayboaters rang up and cancelled first thing, I don't blame them at all to be honest, so they will rebook for another date.

Theres more predicted for tonight, so batten down the hatches and have a quiet evening in by the fire...

Best regards,

David