Piper Boats - Dutch Barges, Wide-Beam Barges & Narrowboats

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do you promote the use of Steel for large Inland Waterways craft?
Steel is a proven material for the construction of Inland Waterways craft. A well designed steel boat will last a lifetime - there are Piper Boats cruising the canal network which are more than 35 years young. Steel also has a high abrasion resistance compared to Aluminum or Fibreglass - this is of particular significance on our shallow inland waterways. Our experience has shown that abrasion and galvanic corrosion are the primary causes of ageing of metal hulls. Piper Boats have the following design features which maximise hull life:

Heavy gauge 8mm/10mm scantlings.
Fully isolated electrical systems to minimse galvanic corrosion risk.
Dry bilge designs to minimise risk of internal corrosion.
Shallow draught to minimise risk of underwater damage.
Efficient hull designs to reduce water turbulence and reduce water borne particle corrosion.

Aluminum is a great material for boatbuilding - it is lightweight, easy to form and has a high corrosion resistance. There are risks with crevice corrosion on welded joints and the heat affected area of the weld can have a reduced strength. However, with good design and correct maintenance, Aluminum is a highly suitable material for the building of high performance, deep water boats. If we were building a semi-planing high speed boat, or a boat which needed to be trailered on a regular basis, then we would build with Aluminum. However, Aluminum is significantly less Abrasion Resistant than steel which makes it less suitable for our Inland Waterways which can be shallow and contain significant waterborne particles. Aluminum is also susceptible to stray current corrosion and whilst good design can, in theory, mitigate the risk, stray currents will be present in the marina environment.

Fiberglass is a low cost, proven material for boatbuilding. It has been used extensively for Inland Waterway craft for many years. It is not suitable for large Inland Waterways craft due to its comparatively low impact strength and poor abrasion resistance.

2. Would PiperBoats build in Aluminum or Fibreglass?
Yes, if appropriate we would build in Aluminum. However, at present we are focusing on robust Inland Waterways craft.

We have tried building with fibreglass in the late 60's and have concluded that this is not suited to our boats.

3. Don't steel boats need a great deal of maintenance?
In short, no more than a Fibreglass or Aluminum boat.

Inland waterway boating is a 'contact sport' - any damage done to paint work below the waterline must be addressed on a periodic schedule.

We recommend that our boats are dry-docked every 2 years and 2 layers of comastic paint applied. Typically this costs between £4.70 and £7.50 per foot depending on which Marina you use. That equates to a cost of approximately £150 - £200 per year for a 50ft boat to protect you investment. We also recommend that stern gear and rudder assemblies are visually inspected whilst the boat is in dry dock.

It may be necessary to replace the sacrificial anodes whilst the boat is dry-docked. It isn't possible to say how long anodes will last because there decay is primarily dependant on the environment in which you store or cruise your boat.

Painting above the waterline is mainly cosmetic - we recommend you touch up and paint damage at the end of each season and plan to have a repaint every 7 - 10 years. One of our long established Customers visited our Beale Park stand and was proud to say that his 19 year old Piper was still on the original paintwork!

4. How long will the boat last?
The lifetime of a boat depends very much on the environment in which is it used and moored. A Piper boat cruised on the English inland waterways and maintained correctly will last in excess of 38 years without the need for replating etc. We can say this with confidence - our 38 year old boats are still running strong.

There are many steel craft on our canal system which are more than 100 years old and still being used on a regular basis.

5. Do you supply boats to a part-fit level?
Yes, we offer boats from any stage of completion.

6. What about depreciation?
Piper boats have extremely good residual values, primarily due to the high quality design, workmanship and limited production - no more than 1000 boats in just under 40 years of production.

7. Is there a Owners club?
Yes, it has been established for nearly 25 years and is still going strong. Check it out at http://www.piperowners.co.uk/

Piper Boats Limited 6, Prospect Way, Victoria Business Park, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, ST8 7PL
tel +44 (0)1782 510610 fax +44 (0)1782 512332 email sales@piperboats.com