Crick Boat Show

We've had two fantastic sunny days at the Crick Boat Show. It seemed quite busy with visitors, but there were fewer new boats on show than in previous years, and the land based area was also a bit smaller. Several of the boats I've tested over the past year were on show, including Caxton from Barnowl and Fizzical Attraction by Crown Narrowboats. It was also good to see this year's offerings from some of the other builders I've got to know, including Fernwood, Cauldon, and Reading. I also spoke to a few other builders about doing tests on their boats over the coming months.

Fizzical Attraction on test

Among the huge pile of post on the doormat when we got home last night was this month's Canal Boat, including my test of the Crown boat, Fizzical Attraction. On the day we did the test, Macclesfield was alone in virtually the whole country in having an overcast, showery day. So although we took the boat for a short cruise, the weather wasn't good enough for exterior photos. David, the photographer, had to go back and get the running shots a few weeks later (fortunately he lives a lot closer to Macclesfield than I do). That explains why I don't appear in any of the photos.

Caxton on test

The March Canal Boat is out, and includes my review of Caxton. On this occasion, I knew more or less what to expect from the boat, having followed the build via Lesley's blog. As you can see from the photos, it was a very cold day when we did the test, although the warm welcome from Lesley and Joe made up for it!

Fenchurch on test

The February Canal Boat is out, and includes my test of the Norton Canes boat, Fenchurch. It's a great boat with a classic Gardner engine, and traditional controls. I have to confess that the finished article turned out a bit long, and my efforts to shorten it failed somewhat. So I'm pleased that the editor has given the test eight pages, rather than the usual seven.

Amber Boats on test

There's a nice Christmassy feel to the front cover of the January issue of Canal Boat, which is out today. Inside is my review of Paris, the Amber Boat which won an award at the IWA. At £74,000, it's by far the cheapest boat I've tested for CB, and I was surprised by how good it was. It's not an aficionado's boat, but for anyone who just wants to get afloat cheaply it's worth a look.

Fiddlesticks Free on test

The December issue of Canal Boat is out, and contains my review of Fiddlesticks Free, by Cauldon Boat Builders based in Stoke on Trent. This was a quality boat, full of good ideas. And it was a lovely sunny day, in spite of a downpour just before we started.

Malanne and Marmaduke

A bumper issue of Canal Boat for me this month, with my boat test of the Reading Marine built Malanne, and a story about John and Cathy on Marmaduke. This was actually written months ago, but was updated with the latest news just before publication.