D & J Narrowboats

IWA Festival & Show

2011-06-27T19:52:00.002+01:00

This year we will be taking a stand in the marquee at the IWA Festival at Burton on 30th & 31st July. If you are thinking of going to the show, we would be thrilled to meet you, so please drop by & say hello.

David & Jackie

Sissy Jupe lives!

2011-06-21T19:54:00.003+01:00

We were extra excited this launch day as we also re-launched our own little Sissy Jupe after her extended stay on land. As could have been predicted her re-fit has taken a lot longer than might be expected - this entirely due to the "busman's holiday" effect - the last thing you get around to doing for yourself is the very thing you do for others in the line of business! There are still a few last jobs to do, including the last coats of varnish & paint, but she looks so much happier back in the water.

There she goes, back to her mooring, complete with bird poop from having been under a cherry tree for the last 18 months or so - we washed it off over the weekend!! She was a bit wonky in the water as we hadn't had time to work out the effect on the trim of the changes we had made (not like the boat we launched for our customer on the same day - we had done all the calculations for that one, so it was pretty level and only required a very little re-trimming!!)

Next boat arrives

2011-06-20T19:41:00.000+01:00

As usual, as one finished boat leaves the Boatshed, another shell arrives to start the process. This time a 60ft Reeves trad. (We'll try again to remember to show the fitout on the blog this time, as it goes along)

Now you see it.....

Now you don't !

Time Flies!

2011-06-20T19:35:00.000+01:00

What happened to recording the fitout as it went along? All I can say is "time flies when you are having fun" and before we looked around the boat was finished and ready for launch:

NB Beowulf is now due to go for painting and will then be off to her owner's moorings ready for some boating.

Next shell arrives

2011-01-13T20:26:00.002Z

The shell for our next fitout has arrived at the Boatshed and work has commenced on the battening out in preparation for the sprayfoam insulation.

NB Priscilla launched

2011-01-13T20:20:00.006Z

NB Priscilla, Queen of the Canal, has now been launched. She is ready for her "sea-trials" and handover to her owners. You can see photos of the fitout on our website: www.djnarrowboats.co.uk

Update

2010-07-13T22:18:00.007+01:00

Work is progressing on our current build, NB Priscilla. As normal, we are concentrating on getting the bulkheads and furniture carcasses in place, along with major appliances and fittings, first fix electrics and plumbing before moving on later to the finer points and the finishing touches.
.

Progress on Priscilla

2010-06-23T21:40:00.003+01:00

Having completed the main work involved in the engine installation, David has been working on the carcasses for the cupboards in the aft cabins - the utility area and the galley. The Belfast sink has been put in place and the cabinet doors and worktops will follow. The utility area is just beyond the bulkhead in the photo and will house the washing machine and a fold-out ironing board to port and a "broom cupboard" to starboard.

NB Priscilla

2010-06-13T19:39:00.004+01:00

Our next fitout is a 68ft trad. on a Reeves shell, and will be called Priscilla.

Crick Show

2010-06-01T21:46:00.004+01:00

A big thank you to all who visited us on our stand in the marquee at Crick Show. It makes a great deal of difference to see so many friendly faces and we always enjoy meeting new people who want to talk about boats & boating, as well as catching up with old friends and D & J boat owners.

Another big thank you to the owners of several D & J narrowboats who offered to show their boats to interested parties. It is very much appreciated. As we build only one boat at a time, we do not always have a complete or near-complete boat in our workshop to show people. This year we launched our most recent boat about 6 weeks before the show, so the one in our workshop was at a very early stage of the process. If it wasn't for your kindness, some of our enquirers might not have been able to see an example of our work - and it is also good for people to be able to see how our boats look after several years of service. Thanks again - you know who you are!

Jackie & David

Launch of NB Vindicatrix

2010-04-16T21:21:00.005+01:00

The latest completed fitout, launched Monday 12th April

More photos on our website - click here

Progress Report

2010-02-17T20:14:00.004Z

Work is progressing on NB Vindicatrix. The woodwork is almost complete and the varnishing is coming along. Preparation for the paintwork will soon begin.

Work in progress

2009-11-11T20:31:00.004Z

Work has been progressing - the first fix electrical cabling has been installed through the boat and the linings are now in place.

The carcasses of the galley units have been installed

and the carcasses of the bed and wardrobes have been constructed.

All the woodwork is given a first coat of waxoil to protect it from marks - this will later be sanded down by hand and finished with two further coats to give it a beautiful, natural glow.

Sprayfoam

2009-09-22T20:18:00.003+01:00

Tody was sprayfoam day!! Sprayfoam insulation has now been applied to the interior of the current build - "cutting back" will be completed over the next day or so, before the first fix cabling is installed

New shell arrives

2009-09-14T20:39:00.001+01:00

On Monday September 14th the new shell arrived for our next fitout. The shell, a semi-trad style, was built by Reeves Boatbuilders to our own specification and was delivered to The Boatshed by Tuckey's, as usual.

Watch out for more photos showing the build in progress

IWA Show

2009-08-29T20:43:00.001+01:00

D & J Narrowboats attended the IWA Show over the August Bank Holiday. This was the first time we had taken a stand at the IWA Show, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We met some lovely people and had some very interesting conversations about their ideas and plans. We also enjoyed spending time catching up with our colleagues and friends who also attended, and looking round the stalls and attractions...and we even had good weather!

Sissy Jupe

2009-07-26T15:26:00.005+01:00

At Roger's having her new cabin put on.

We are currently working on a full re-fit on our own little boat - Sissy Jupe. Due to work commitments she has been patiently waiting outside our workshop for over a year, since having her brand new steel cabin put on by Roger Farringdon at Braunston (sadly her wooden cabin was past repair when we bought her) - but, in between jobs for customers, her fit-out has finally been started.

Patiently waiting

After having sprayfoam insulation installed, she now has cabling for her electrical systems and cabin & deckhead linings in place. How much more will be done, before the shell arrives for our next full fitout, remains to be seen....

We were given some information, soon after buying Sissy Jupe, about her history, including a possible contact name for someone who might be able to tell us more. We recently made contact with that person, and were very excited to receive back a wealth of detail including some that had come from one of her first owners (she was known as Sly Eel at the time, renamed Sissy Jupe by a later owner). We later received a surprise visit at the workshop from that very person - he was pleasantly surprised to find his old boat being given a great deal of TLC, and was able to tell us some tales about her early days.

It's a small world on the cut!!

Jackie & David

NB Smooth As Silk is launched

2009-06-12T19:55:00.004+01:00

NB Smooth As Silk was launched at Braunston and cruised back to Crick for final ballast adjustments, after which the oak planked flooring was installed. She was then cruised to Debdale Wharf to be painted. You can see photos of the interior on our website.

We wish her owners every happiness as they cruise the waterways - keep in touch!!

Jackie & David

D & J Owners Club

2009-05-08T17:29:00.002+01:00

D & J Owners Club members are invited to visit us as usual during Crick Show - we look forward to seeing you and hearing about your boating exploits during the past year.

NB Smooth As Silk

2009-05-08T17:22:00.004+01:00

NB Smooth As Silk is nearing completion and her owners have kindly given us permission to show her to interested parties who come to our open days during the Crick Show this year. She will still be in our workshop at The Boatshed, Crick Wharf, and we will be inviting showgoers who visit our stand (KF09) in the Kingfisher Marquee to visit the workshop for a cup of tea and a chat about their ideas etc.

You can still keep up to date with her fitout on her photo-stream as before (see post below)

Smooth As Silk

2008-11-17T12:27:00.005Z

Monday 17th November:

NB Smooth As Silk arrived safe and sound at the Boatshed this morning, by courtesy of Tuckeys, ready for her fit-out to commence.

Don't forget that you can watch her progress on http://www.flickr.com/photos/29297528@N02/

Watch the next D & J Narrowboat build, stage by stage

2008-11-04T15:59:00.006Z

The owners of NB Smooth As Silk (the next D & J Narrowboat to be fitted out) have set up a facility whereby you can watch their boat develop, stage by stage, starting with the fabrication of the shell by Reeves Boatbuilders, which is already well on the way.

All you need to do is visit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29297528@N02/
to see the latest photos.

Once the steelwork is completed, the shell will be delivered to the Boatshed and our work will begin. We plan to upload photos weekly to show the fitout in progress.

We hope you will enjoy the process as much as we do

David & Jackie

Another finished boat leaves the boatshed

2008-11-04T15:40:00.010Z

NB Mellow Daze is fitted out on a 70ft bespoke shell by Mel Davis

Monday 3rd November: Once again the owners of the latest boat watched their pride & joy leave the Boatshed. Since Mellow Daze is 70ft she is too long to be launched at Crick Wharf, so she was taken by road to Braunston and safely launched there.

Tuesday 4th November: David & Jackie arrived bright and early to cruise Mellow Daze back to Crick Wharf where the final touches will be made to her fit-out before she goes to Dave & Russell Mundy for painting

Mellow Daze leaving Braunston bottom lock

Dutch Barging in France

2008-07-02T13:46:00.006+01:00

We recently had a very enjoyable holiday in France on our friends' Dutch Barge.

We were on a very rural stretch of the Canal Nivernais which was very quiet and peaceful. All of the locks were manned (we should say mostly womanned actually) and most were very pretty with flower beds and curiosities such as the little shed below.

In our normal style we didn't travel a great distance, but had a very relaxing time. We managed to have a look around in the towns of Auxerre and Clamecy - both very lovely and very French.

Jackie's school-girl French of x*! years ago was excercised to the full with the only disaster being the look on David's face when she attempted to order "assiettes de la mer" for two and received one between two, with an empty plate being put in front of David! Luckily our friends who we were with had a little more French so we got by well enough and are now enthusiastically planning to book in for evening classes.

Well, it's back to work with us now. Don't forget to let us know about your own Summer cruising.

David & Jackie

Crick Show

2008-05-27T13:33:00.003+01:00

Two years ago there was the fire, last year there were floods, and this year we had the tempest (high winds as well as rain, which closed the show a day early) - what can we look forward to next year? A plague of locusts?

On a happier note, we had visits at the Boatshed from most DJNOC members during the show, some on Saturday afternoon and some on Sunday. Both occasions proved to be enjoyable, as well as a welcome respite from the weather and a chance to dry out coats etc.

A big thank you to all of you - see you again soon!

David & Jackie

Open Days during Crick Show

2008-04-22T09:48:00.002+01:00

We are holding Open Days at The Boatshed during Crick Show this year. We will be open from 2pm until 5pm on Sat, Sun & Mon (24th, 25th & 26th May) so that people attending the show can come across to the workshop to meet us.

We would also like to invite all members of the DJNOC (D & J Narrowboats Owner's Club) to pop over for drinks and nibbles, and, to enable as many members as possible to meet up with each other, I suggest we make Sunday afternoon the "Club Meeting". Of course, anyone who can't make it that day will be very welcome on Saturday or Monday instead.

Looking forward to seeing you

David & Jackie

L'Esprit de Liberte

2008-03-26T11:22:00.002Z

We were very excited to receive the following email from the current owners of our very first narrowboat:

"16/3/08
Dear D & J,
A friend sent us a link to your blog of the 5 June 2007, showing your original boat L'Esprit de Liberte, moored at Wheelock - which our daughter, Clare, owned and was living on at the time!
She bought the boat from Nantwich marina at the end of 2005 when she (the boat not Clare) was in a very sad state. The previous owner had lived on board and seriously neglected her, resulting in Clare 'picking up a bargain'! It was very interesting reading about the genesis of the boat and your obvious passion for detail and quality.
As I mentioned, when Clare saw the boat it was in a very sorry state, but she saw through the grime and neglect and recognised the 'quality within', something which has been remarked upon by all who have subsequently seen the boat.
We have ourselves been narrow boating, via shared ownership, for a number of years and our other daughter lives on boat on the K&A, so we also recognised a boat with clearly a lot of thought given to the fit-out and finish.
Clare has now moved 'onto the bank' and we have taken over 'Spirit' and are continuing the job of returning her to her former glory. Most of the work is cosmetic, although, as you yourself remarked in the blog, the paintwork is still in excellent condition and the lace work returning from grey to white!
We are looking forward to exploring further a field with her and may at some point even visit her ‘home port’.
It is good to see that your business is doing well and that people recognise the superior quality of your craft.
Regards
David & Sandra"

It is wonderful to hear that she is still being cared for and appreciated by her current owners, and we were certainly very flattered by their kind comments. We have, naturally, invited David & Sandra to visit us whenever they are in the area - we would be very pleased to meet "Freebie's" new owners.

David & Jackie

All change

2008-03-17T18:19:00.007Z

Monday 17th March was an exciting day for two sets of narrowboat owners!

For one couple their newly fitted-out 70ft narrowboat, Lazy Daizy, was taken out of the workshop and taken by road to Braunston where she was launched. The photo below is Lazy Daisy (in grey primer) with Adrastea (also a D & J Narrowboats fitout) coming up Braunston locks, taken during the cruise back to Crick Wharf, where the final touches are to be made.

Lazy Daisy will later be taken by water to Debdale Wharf so that Dave & Russell Mundy can work their magic with their paintbrushes. Look out for internal photos on our website http://www.djnarrowboats.co.uk/ in the next few weeks.

For the second couple their brand new 70ft Mel Davis shell was delivered and positioned in the workshop, ready for the fit-out to commence next week.

As always all cranage and road transport was expertly handled by Barry Tuckey and his men. They always make it look so easy!

Well, enough chatter - we'd best get on - lots to do!!

David & Jackie

NB Coriolis

2007-10-11T18:26:00.000+01:00

NB Coriolis returned from the paintshop recently, resplendant in her new paint-job, and promptly set off on her maiden voyage! Last seen heading for Crick Tunnel!

We wish you a very enjoyable trip and look forward to hearing about your adventures on your return!

Jackie & David

Thank you

2007-08-22T09:02:00.000+01:00

Thank you so much for your kind remarks, John. It is a large part of our motivation that our customers are happy with their boats and proud to show them off. It is a huge bonus that we have all become friends too!!

And thanks for the photo in your post below - lovely to see that you and Cerridwen are safe after all the high water that's been about!

Jackie

Acen's progress

2007-08-19T09:53:00.000+01:00

Sunday 19th August

Having eventually got on the Thames and had a wonderful cruise, stopping at Hampton Court, Staines, Windsor, Henley, Pangbourne, Clifton Hampden and now we are at Abingdon moored by the park, and have been since Friday. With the recent rains, Osney lock has gone on to red, so we are waiting for it to change, to yellow so that we can proceed, along with a lot of other boats. At the moment the enormous flow of water down the river and the the weirs looking like mini Victoria Falls, I think it could be a long wait. However we have at least got all the facilities of the town.

Jackie if you look at the picture, above our cratch, on the other side of the river you will see Cerridwen!

David & Jackie

I can see from your postings, that you are still keeping busy and fitting boats, that are much admired.

As we cruise around, we are still getting requests for viewings and all are very complimentary of the boat and the quality of the fit out. You should be very proud of your superlative work.

New Arrival

2007-07-30T11:34:00.000+01:00

Swiftly following the launch of Coriolis on 24th July, the next shell arrived at the Boatshed on Monday 30th - a 70ft Colecraft with traditional stern. Work has already begun on the ballasting and battening in preparation for the sprayfoam insulation to be installed.

Jo & John nb Acen

2007-07-30T08:52:00.001+01:00

30th July
John & Jo N.B. Acen
Our plans this year were to cruise down the Grand Union canal, spend a few days in Paddington Basin, shopping & resting, cruise to Lime House and out on to the tidal Thames and on to Teddington, with the intention of spending five to six weeks cruising the Thames going to Oxford & back to Debdale.
However, all plans were changed with the English summer weather not delivering. We have been very fortunate in as much as we have had more than our fare share of the sun and have had less than our share of the rain. Most of the monsoon rain has been either at night or when we were stationary and inside.
By the time we had arrived at Lime House it was obvious that there was no chance of doing the Thames above Teddington or going on to Oxford etc. We decided to do the tidal bit and come in at Brentford, up to Bulls Bridge and back to Paddington where we are at the moment pulling in two stage shows, walking every where and shopping. We shall start our journey back up the Grand Union tomorrow 31st July.

New Boat Launch

2007-07-24T13:44:00.000+01:00

I'm sure her owners will be posting their own thoughts soon so I'll just report for now that the latest D & J Narrowboat, NB Coriolis, was launched at approximately 10.30am today - expertly done as always by Barry Tuckey. She will be going over to Dave Mundy for painting in the next few days - we all look forward to seeing her in her new livery once Dave has worked his magic.

Newsflash

2007-07-24T12:00:00.000+01:00

We have just received this text from John & Jo on NB. Acen:

"We have just done the Thames tidal section! We went out at 6.45am - hot sun and calm waters - past Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament etc. Probably the best 3 hours boating ever, John & Jo"

Excellent news - we used to cruise that stretch fairly often when we were based in the South - it's lovely, especially in the sunshine!!

Luckily the conditions there are much nicer than in some of the areas further up the Thames at the moment!! We have friends who have been marooned at Abingdon for several days with flood waters all round their boat:

They have now been evacuated to a hotel by the fire brigade for the next few days and are keeping an eye on their boat, watching for the waters to start receding - they'll then have to make sure that she hasn't drifted off the mooring, over the towpath, so that she doesn't catch the bank-side and tip over as the level drops.

Jackie & David

Re: Adrastea

2007-07-24T11:38:00.000+01:00

A big welcome to David & Margaret on Adrastea and congratulations on their first post to the blog. We can't wait to see Ada in her new finery - signwriting and back cabin decorative work. This is what the boating life is all about - making new friends and keeping up with old ones. All the best for your homeward cruise.

Jackie & David

Adrastea

2007-07-23T21:56:00.000+01:00

Margaret and David here from Adrastea or Ada as she is called by people who know her intimately plus Peggy and Dawn (the two Shelties). We moved on to Ada on 24 February which luckily coincided with Margaret’s retirement, David having retired two years earlier. At that time Ada was without her name or scumbling and art work in the back cabin and was booked in for Phil Speight at Stourbridge to complete this work on 11 June. So we took a slow cruise from Debdale via Crick for David P to do a few finishing touches to the fit out, Braunston, where Tony and Paul Redshaw fitted the guard over the fly wheel on the engine along the North Oxford, Coventry, Trent and Mersey to Great Haywood and then the Staffs and Worcester eventually arriving at Dadford’s Shed on the Stourbridge Canal for the art work to be carried out on the appointed date. Due to unforeseen circumstances we are still here (23 July!) though the art work should be finished in about a week’s time. Ada’s signwriting is done and I must say on first seeing this I nearly burst into tears. It was so moving to see our lovely boat finally with her name on. So Adrastea is nearly complete and we have had so many compliments paid to us on the shell, engine, fit out, paint work I would like to thank Dave and Jackie, Roger and Mike Farrington, Tony and Paul Redshaw, David and Russell Mundy, Phil Speight for helping us fulfil a dream in creating our fantastic narrowboat. We love her to bits! Also I would like to thank all our new friends here at Stourbridge, Phil and Zita, John and Sarah, Ian and Marion, Dave and Chris for being so kind and helpful and making our elongated stay here so enjoyable. So much so it will be a wrench to leave!

An Acorn introduction

2007-06-11T11:59:00.000+01:00

I thought it might be good to introduce ourselves. We bought Acorn in May 2004 and, since I retired last year, are getting in the habit of spending the summer cruising round the network. We've now just passed the 1500 hours mark on the engine (service due!).

This summer's cruise started out from our "home" at King's Bromley Wharf marina (Trent & Mersey) on the first wet day in May (remember that nice weather we had in April? - so we started our cruise in May...), since when we've been down to Braunston for an evening with Jackie and Dave; carried on down the Oxford Canal to Thrupp, where we were holed up for a week waiting for the waters to subside (and managed a sneaky day-trip to a very muddy Crick show); off on an adventurous trip down the yellow-boarded Thames to Reading; and have now made it to Newbury on the Kennet & Avon, where we're pausing for a couple of weeks.

Hopefully we'll make it to Bath and the Cropredy festival over the next couple of months as planned.

You'll be pleased to know Acorn's still a delight, not least because of the improvements we persuaded Dave to do for us last year (especially the cratch!).

I've attached a pic of Acorn at Bosley last year for use in boat-spotting - the paint may be fading but she's still recognisable. Make yourselves known if you spot us out and about - but beware the daft dog!

Founder Members!

2007-06-08T23:53:00.000+01:00

As John says - he designed the badges for amusement on yet another rainy Crick Show weekend. After a rainy Sunday, the Monday turned out to be even worse, so we gave the show a miss in the afternoon and invited a few people to the Boatshed for drinks. Unknown to us John & Jo had given badges to Martin & Ann. All four turned up at the Boatshed in the very necessary coats & hats and proceeded to make a bit of a show of saying "it's very warm in here, must take off our coats". We had such a surprise and a good laugh as they revealed their badges, prominently displayed! During the next hour or so, while we had the said drinks & crisps, Jackie's mind was whirring away with the beginnings of the idea of creating this blog.

Jackie & David

John Stanton 8th June

2007-06-08T21:45:00.000+01:00

So that you can all see the badge and pennant that Jackie mentions in her email. These were only meant as a bit of a laugh to cheer up a rainy day at Crick and are only printed at the moment on my Epsom inkjet printer. The top image is the badge and the bottom image the pennant

If any of you have any suggestions as to what ought to be done with these ideas, please post it on this blog.

As for this great idea of a D & J Narrowboat Owners Club we both feel it’s a good idea. We shall do our best to keep up with postings of news on our cruising etc.

L'Esprit de Liberte

2007-06-05T12:35:00.000+01:00

We recently had an impromptu boating holiday, brought about by the purchase of a cute little narrowboat which we needed to bring back from it's previous home at Runcorn.

Shortly after setting off we were excited to spot our original narrowboat "L'Esprit de Liberte" (see www.djnarrowboats.co.uk/about_us.htm ) moored on an end-of-garden mooring at Sandbach. Her engine was purring quietly, just as we remembered it, and, remarkably, she was still sporting the paint-job David did on her 10 years ago, almost to the day. We know it was the same paint-job since the lettering was still exactly the same, including the name of her original mooring. Although the gloss had gone a bit flat on her cabin sides, there was no evidence of peeling or rust - a good testiment to Mason's paints! Jackie smugly noted that she also still had at her windows the curtains and cabin crochet that she made.

Jackie & David

Introduction

2007-06-05T09:32:00.000+01:00

Due to popular demand (as the saying goes) an Owner's Club has been set up for all those who own a narrowboat produced by D & J Narrowboats of Crick Wharf, Northants. Membership is free and automatic, and extends to all of "our owners" past, present and future.

This blog has been set up to allow the club's members to record their boating experiences, stories and photos. We're sure that all members will enjoy posting their own news and reading each other's stories.

We would like to start the ball rolling with a quick introduction:

D & J Narrowboats (www.djnarrowboats.co.uk) have been trading since Autumn 2003 and have, to date, completed 5 narrowboats, with the 6th due to be complete in July 2007. Although we started out intending to work to our own specifications, we soon began to make modifications to suit individual owners and find that we are now building fully bespoke boats by default. Because we are a small family business we personally carry out all of the work ourselves, which means that we have a great deal of contact with the boats' owners during both the planning and the building stages. We have found, to our pleasure, that this has resulted in our becoming firm friends with all of our owners, and that the owners of each of the boats have become friends with each other! A happy outcome indeed!

No 1: Acorn

No 2: Weatherwax

No 3: Danceaway

No 4: Acen

No 5: Adrastea

Happy boating and happy posting to all!

Jackie & David

D & J Narrowboats