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.

Whitefield part 2

My second article about Whitefield is in the new issue of Canal Boat. This one concentrates on some of the challenges faced during the build.

Whitefield on test

September's Canal Boat magazine contains my review of Whitefield, the extraordinary Fernwood boat.

4Evermoore on test

The arrival of the new issue of Canal Boat was met with more than the usual excitement here. It contains my first fully-fledged magazine article, a boat test of 4Evermoore, one of the public's favourite boats from the Crick Show. It looks great, thanks to the excellent photographs by David Oakes, taken at the Tixall Wide.