Nick Thorpe Boat Building

Narrowboat Building and Fitting Services

As well as steelwork, we can prepare your boat to sail-away standard, in house, which would include:

Ballast

Flooring

High quality windows/ports

Engine to suit size of boat fully installed and commissioned with starter/battery/control panel/bilge pump

Mushroom vents

Fore and aft vents

Vented Morse Control box on cruiser type narrowboats

Anodes

Cabin details / twisted handrail

Over standard sailaway, we can also offer:

Batoned spray foam insulation
Stainless steel water tank supplied and fitted
Electrics first fix
Lining out
Also all done in house in conjunction with our preferred boat fitters, we can offer a fully fitted service - we use and recommend a company called Canalsideboatfitters.

Boat Painting

We offer a comprehensive boat painting service:
Red/grey oxide primer, 2-3 coats of undercoat, prep between coats and 2 coats of topcoat. We use only the highest quality narrowboat paint, and work to your choice of colours/design.

Engine Fitting

We work closely with Barrus and Beta Marine for our modern diesel engines. All our fitted and commissioned at our premises. If you have a personal engine preference, we can accomodate that.

Call now on 01889 270 040 to discuss your project requirements.

Nick Thorpe Boatbuilding - Narrowboats in Staffordshire

Day Boat

Purposely built for single day use for hire companies, or for people wishing to hire from their own base.

Traditional

The traditional stern was originally found on working type boats. This offers the most internal cabin space, reducing the rear deck size.

Semi-Traditional

Although keeping the lines of a traditional boat, it offers a larger rear deck space by having an open roof area over the engine.

Cruiser

The larger rear deck space on an open cruiser layout offers a more sociable aspect to narrowboating.

Tug

Shares the same stern as a traditional boat, but also offers a high level front deck to replicate the old working tug boat style.

Boat Painting

Red/grey oxide primer, 2-3 coats of undercoat, prep between coats and 2 coats of topcoat. We use only the highest quality narrowboat paint, and work to your choice of colours/design.

Engine fitting

We work closely with Barrus and Beta Marine for our modern diesel
engines. All our fitted and commissioned at our premises.
If you have a personal engine preference, we can accomodate that.

Sailaway Boats

Sailaway services includes ballast, floor rails, floor ply, windows, portholes, roof ventilation, low level ventilation, engine fitting.
Contact us for more details