Narrowboat Chair beds for sale

Update posted 16 March 2013  Thanks for looking but the chairs have now been sold

 

 

Its that time of year when a bit of sun between the snow and rain showers and the snow drops are starting to poke their heads above the ground, when one starts thinking about spring cruising and jobs that need to be sorted on the boat before you set sail. We have been thinking for a while that we could use the saloon space differently. We have two Elite Furnishing convertable chair beds which have been excellent for us with the added bonus of considerable extra storage in the base of the chairs as well as in the matching stool. The thing is that we do not get many overnight visitors and those that do come often decide to find local B&Bs. Therefore we would like to try and sell them. They are of a very substantial build quality and when the arms are removed easily fit through the saloon doors of a narrow boat ( they are 58cms wide without arms)

 

They can be arranged in several configurations as shown in the photographs. The back section has an additional piece that comes up for a head rest which makes the chair ideal for snoozing if required after a hard days boating, before starting the odd jobs!

 

They are in good condition and when new cost £1400.

 

They are for sale at £250.00 including all the cushions and the stool

 

 

The boat is moored at Wigrams Turn Marina near Napton and we may be able to deliver them.

 

We can be contacted on 07813  and then the next bit of the number is 901925

 

 

 

The two single chairs with the stool positioned between them. Both chairs are using the back rest

 

One of the chair's has been converted to a chair bed. The chair has extra pull out sections to increase the length with extra cushions to make up the bed base. The stool is also used to increase the length of the bed as well. 

The two chairs bolted together to form the 2 seater sofa. Two arms have been unbolted to enable this to happen. In fact we often go cruising with it like this as we can leave the spare arms in the car and it then gives us a bit more room in the saloon.

The conversion from the 2 seater sofa to the double bed. The backs are folded down flat and the stool and pull out section are used to increase the length. It takes only a few minutes to set it all up.

Cutty Sark and Metro 150 celebrations

No narrow boat news due to bad weather!. Simon managed to get hold of two tickets for a trip on a steam train from Moorgate to Earls Court last Sunday. The trip was to celebrate The Metropolitan Railway opening the worlds first underground line from Paddington to Farringdon Street on the 9th January 1863. We therefore had to brave the weather on Sunday morning. Our train was on time despite the heavy snow and we met Simon at Waterloo. What could we do in the afternoon,it had to be something to do with boats, and should be associated with the 1860's what better than to go and see The Cutty Sark a tea clipper at Greenwich which was built at Dumbarton in November 1869. If you haven't seen it yet its well worth a trip  although the building has been awarded the worst building in London 2012 by the Building Design journal. The ship is suspended in mid air as the weight  963tons could not be carried by the keel.

 

Anne stayed in our hotel at Earls Court whilst Simon and I made our way round  to Moorgate to catch the 10.351/2 train.Yes that was the time it had to leave to make sure it had a slot within the other underground services. This was the last weekend as there were trips on the 13th as well. The train formation consisted of Met Loco No 1 built in 1898 , 4 Metropolitan "Chesham coaches built 1898-1900, a milk van of 1896 and a just restored Jubilee 4 wheel 1st class coach no 353 built 1892. They are all made of  wood and look fantastic. Additional motive power was provided by Sarah Siddons a Metropolitan Railway electric locomotive no 12 built in 1923. I particularly wanted to see this as I remember them running through Harrow on the Hill in the late 1950s.  

 

 

 

My only view of Met No 1 and the milk van

 

 

 

A view looking out as we passed through Farringdon Street. The smoke made it very difficult for the photographers on the station to get good pics.

Sarah Siddons acting as pusher at Earls Court station. It was only in the station for about five minutes before it had to leave so that the next service could come into the station. I therefore didn't get a chance to photograph Met No 1.

The Cutty Sark floating in mid air with the glass building that was voted the worst building in 2012.

Looking along the keel in the restaurant area which is in the old dry dock.

Looking towards the bow at the floating ship.

Just a beautiful hull shape

 

Thames in flood-Abingdon and Days Lock

 

Happy New Year to you all. Sorry I have not posted recently but nothing boaty has been going on. Although we did manage a quick trip to the boat in early December to put on the heaters.It was just as well as it was the cold week of the 11 December and the boat was frozen in.

 

Trips for 2013 hopefully will be up north with no restrictions due to water levels this year! Talking of which the level in the marina went up 18inches in November. Now that is some volume of water. Over Christmas in a slack period Simon and I worked out that the pound the marina is on is about 18 miles in length. It stretches from Napton to Hillmorton,Braunston bottom lock and Calcutt top lock. If you then assume the canal is on average 50ft wide thats about 189 million litres or 41.6 million gallons of water! - now that is some run off from the fields- the level then dropped back after 24 hours.

 

A few general pictures covering the last few months which include two at the end of our last trip back to the marina in October

 

Another great boat name- it does make you wonder why!

Coming back from Norton junction last October there is nearly always something outside Braunston Boats ,a real working boatyard, just past the bottom lock. Nb Pacific is a lovely old Stewarts & Lloyds tug.

We managed to tick off a place from our list- 4 nights in New York, towards the end of October. In fact we got one of the last flights out on the Saturday evening before the hurricane arrived on the Sunday.This is a view of the Empire State Building from the Rockefeller Building.

A view on Christmas day of Days Lock on the River Thames near Dorchester on Thames. The lock is on the left.

Looking down from Wittenham Clumps which over looks the Thames valley and Days Lock and showing the magnitude of the flooding.

Another view from Wittenham Clumps

A close up view of Days Lock.Water level is about 10ft up.Lock entrance behind the white cruiser.

The River Thames from Abingdon Bridge on Boxing day. We moored here on the left in June 2010, again water about 10ft higher than normal. 

Norton junction

We left Foxton last Sunday and have made our way along the GU Leicester arm down the Watford flight which is near the Watford Gap Services on the M1. We are now moored above Buckby Top lock near the New Inn which is now closed. We reversed from Norton junction about 300 yards which was going OK until a Canaltime boat decided to overtake- but it all came good in the end. We are now ready to see Sam from Foxton Boat Services for an engine service tomorrow morning.

 

 

 

We purchased some coal from the working boat Callisto and were watched over by his lovely Calli-although I think she thought we had a biscuit for her.

We went through Crick tunnel which is 1528yards long and takes about 15 minutes,its very wet at is north end.The sun was a warming sight as you reached the exit.

Sunday night we were moored just before bridge 42 at Welford Junction. It was a lovely autumn evening with the sun giving a great reflection of the boat.-a magic moment-gone in a minute.



Foxton flight is a group of two- five stair case locks which are very deep as you enter them(even on sunny days its always damp and dark) going up the escarpment. This is the steerer's view as you enter. There is a lot of water been held behind that gate.

I have come into the light-Anne has opened the lock gates and I am now moving into the next lock to start the process again.

Foxton Locks to Union Wharf Market Harborough

We made our way down Foxton locks last Thursday and then went along the arm to Market Harborough. As you leave Foxton there are nice moorings between bridges 5 and 6 if the ones nearer the locks are full.

 

 

A photograph looking at the remains of the Incline Plane from the observation platform. The boats would have entered the tanks on the left and descended to the bottom which is on the right-some 75ft lower. As one tank went down the other came up, the tanks ran on rails at each end of the tanks. The bases of the tracks can still be clearly seen.

 

 

The visitor moorings as you approach Market Harborough are all under trees and can be dark and cold. You can moor in Union Wharf but they do charge £8 per night including electricity. We decided to splash out and have a bus trip on Friday to Leicester. Again we seem to have missed the rain during the day but really heavy rain overnight. 

 

The only original warehouse left in Union Wharf which is now a restaurant again.

Our mooring for tonight just after bridge 6

Foxton locks

We have managed to get out again and decided on a short trip along the Grand Union Leicester section to Market Harborough for a couple of weeks. It will also give me a chance to arrange an engine service with Sam at Foxton Boat Services. We have managed to avoid all the heavy showers either due to us having already moored up for the day or they happened overnight- that's a good result for a change.

 

As normal a few photographs of events or things we have seen on our journey.

 

Last Sunday afternoon we had moored near bridge 100 just before Braunston when I heard a lot of motor noise from over the hedge. A quick look and it was about 10 vintage tractors all in a line trundling across a field. They could have been going to a ploughing match but they just disappeared into the distance

 

 

Two of the  vintage tractors-could be Fordsons?

Later in the afternoon we heard the distinctive sound of a vintage engine coming from Braunston. Eventually motor Nuneaton and unpowered butty Brighton owned by The Narrow Boat Trust. They were fully loaded and were very low in the water.

This is what nb Nuneaton would look like without the load - very impressive and huge bow! It didn't have a name.

This is the stern of the butty Brighton with its lovely paintwork and curved wooden tiller.

Approaching Braunston bottom lock through the bridge. Its always busy and a very boaty location-one of our favourites.

Another one of my play on words-boat name.

We are moored at the top of Foxton flight but I had to walk down a have a look. Its always neat and tidy with lots of people about during the day, its now 6pm.Its a group of 2 sets of 5 staircase locks.  I am standing at the first lock of the second pair of 5 locks. The other famous thing about Foxton is the Incline Plane which operated from 1900 to 1910 when it was closed and eventually demolished- there are plans to reinstate it but need at least £10m!.

Oxford to Cambridge race above Claydon Locks

 

The weather has continued to be good with only one heavy rain shower overnight. We have been down to Banbury where we met Simon,Debs and Andy on Sunday for lunch and a short trip down through the town lock to the winding hole to turn the boat and back to Banbury to drop them off. A very pleasant time indeed.

 

We left Banbury at 8am this morning and had a glorious days boating but the wind did pick up a bit in the afternoon. We travelled 7.5 miles and did 12 locks in 6 hours. A lot of boats around but mostly coming down the flight which made our life much easier.

 

Tonight we have moored above Claydon lock flight just before bridge 143. As I was reading in the cratch a rowing eight came past and then stopped by the bridge- you don't see these on the canal at all. They were going by canal and river from Oxford to Cambridge in a week. Although some parts of the canal are to narrow or winding so they break the boat down into sections and move it by road- in particular the top section of the South Oxford from Fenny Compton to Marston Doles.

 

 

The rowing 8 getting caught in the trees

Our mooring for tonight from bridge 143

The local moorhen kept coming on board to look around

and then left as he had come on board.

The ultimate mushroom

Our mooring by Castle Quay shopping centre in Banbury from the footbridge to the carpark.