About Us | Braidbar Boats

About

About Braidbar Boats

Braidbar boats have been building narrowboats for the discerning boater at the historic Lord Vernon’s Wharf since 1983. A Braidbar boat owner's choice of narrowboat, epitomises the elegance of the Tim Tyler hulls with the top notch design and fit out produced by the professionals from the dedicated team at Lord Vernon’s Wharf.

Every year at Braidbar is a busy one. Typically Braidbar builds a number of luxury custom narrowboats each year. The order book continues to grow, particularly with the interest in hybrid narrowboats.

The Braidbar Open Day usually September at the boatyard creates lots of interest and is well worth attending if you are seriously thinking about owning a Braidbar narrowboat. It is a great opportunity to see and meet other Braidbar owners and their boats. The event is attended and supported by the outstanding Braidbar Owners Group.

Hybrid Propulsion System Narrowboats

Not only has Braidbar "...long been known as one of the top boat builders on the cut" (Source Narrowboat Magazine Oct 2020), Braidbar successfully combines this tradition with the latest hybrid propulsion systems.

We are proud to work closely with Hybrid Marine along with our long association with Beta Marine we are now are the UK's number one boat builder and supplier of narrowboats incorporating their diesel electric hybrid system.

A hybrid system is one that can achieve propulsion using either a diesel Beta Marine engine or electric hybrid motor. The hybrid system provides a powerful generation capability from the diesel propulsion engine. Generated energy, whilst cruising on the diesel engine, is returned back to the large battery bank.

Benefits of hybrid drive include near silent cruising, less pollution, more cost efficient cruising and the ability for all electric cooking, which eliminates gas on board.

All of our hybrid narrowboats are now covered with an extended warrantee. This provides nationwide cover via River Canal Rescue (RCR) "On Water Cover" which is free of charge for 18 months after the launch of your hybrid propulsion system narrowboat.

Find out more about Hybrid Marine and how they work.

Over the last two years, 90% of our orders have been for narrowboats with hybrid drive... with many more on the order book. We welcome you to contact us if you would like to discuss a hybrid propulsion narrowboat.

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Next Available Build Slots

Early booking is essential, please contact us to check availability.

Awards

Braidbar Boats Reginald Awarded Best Narrow Boat Crick 2023

Reginald No. 200 was awarded the prestigious award of the most admired narrow boat at the Crick Boat Show 2023 of a poll organised at the show of visitors to the show by boat insurance company Haven Knox-Johnston.

Braidbar Boats has an enviable track record of awards from the annual Crick Boat Show, including our 2019 runner up, in second place narrowboat Jolly Good and Elizabeth Anne winner of the 2018 Favourite Narrowboat award.

Crick Boat Show awards in recent years include second place favourite boat in show for Mei Long (2017), Integrity (2015), Eleventh Heaven (2012) and Sanity Again (2010); as well as, third place favourite boat in show for Once Bittern (2016) and Bunnies Warren (2011).

Previously, both Braidbar 100 (2007) and Rhiannon (2000) were award Crick Boat Show favourite boat in show awards.

To see more details of some of these award winning narrowboats and others visit the Our Boats page.

Reginald favourite narrow boat boat in show 2023

Braidbar Owners Group

The Braidbar Owners Group was set up in 2005 by Bruce and Sheila Napier after they took delivery of their first Braidbar Boat, Sanity. The Braidbar Owners Group is for owners and prospective owners of Braidbar boats to exchange ideas, share tips about using Braidbar boats and to arrange informal social contacts.

The group has grown steadily over the years, with many Braidbar customers opting to join before even ordering a boat. From the handful who attended a first informal meeting at Crick it has grown over the years to over 100 members. With many of the owners continuing to show their support by helping to man the stand and show people around the show boat and sometimes also their own boats.

The Braidbar Open Day and Owners Weekend each September sees many owners join in a combined sales and social event. Potential customers are invited and are welcome during the day on Saturday.

Members of the Group act as informal ambassadors for their builder as they cruise their beautiful boats about the inland waterways of Britain.

The Owners Group is entirely independent of Braidbar Boats Ltd and receives no subsidy from the company or its proprietors. To find out more about the Braidbar Owners Group or how to join visit www.braidbarowners.org.uk.

Magazine Braidbar Boat Tests

Est Tempus No. 207 is featured on the front cover of Waterways World Magazine June 2024 with accompanying article Braidbar's Crick Boat. The WW Verdict is, "Once again, an utterly brilliant boat."

Braidbar narrowboat Curiosity No. 201 is featured in May 2023's Waterways World magazine. The WW Verdict is, "Curiosity is yet another superb boat from Braidbar."

The Braidbar Crick Show Boat 2023 Reginald No. 200 is featured on the FRONT PAGE of Canal Boat June 2023 with the headline, "A Real Head Turner - Reginald the 200th boat built by Braidbar Boats." Read the full Canal Boat magazine article.

Desiderata No. 196 with article headline of "New Boat Review - Bespoke Liveaboard" is featured in a six page boat review in the April 2022 Waterways World magazine. Desiderata was the Braidbar show boat at the Crick Boat Show 2022 and was voted Best Narrrowboat Runner Up at the show.

Featuring for the boat test in Canal Boat December 2021 is Braidbar No. 194 Salodin. The headline of the article is, "Taking the tiller to single hand a 52 footer."

Starring in Canal Boat magazine October 2020 is full hybrid Braidbar Boat No. 185 Flutterby, where "Clever design maintains traditional look." Adam Porter's Verdict in the magazine said, "This boat is something special. The quality of workmanship on show in this boat, both in terms of giving the owners what they want and then actually building it, shows the firm is at the top of its game."

About Braidbar hybrid No. 183 EH UP! Mark Langley in his boat review in Waterways World May 2020 said, "Braidbar is well known for the quality of boats it produces but I would go as far to say that is one of, if not, the best craft the company has made to date."

Electric hybrid Braidbar Boat No. 170 Elizabeth Anne scoops the 2018 Favourite Boat in Show at Crick 2018, as described by Adam Porter in Canal Boat.

Featured in Canal Boat & Tillergraph magazine is Braidbar Boat No. 150 Mirabilis.

Adam Porter reports on Braidbar Boat No. 153 Integrity in Canal Boat Magazine.

Mark Langley reviews Braidbar's Santiago and Inception narrowboats in Waterways World Magazine.

Braidbar Boat's No. 133 Eleventh Heaven is reviewed by Adam Porter in Canal Boat.

Reviewed in Waterways World Magazine by Mark Langley is Braidbar Boat No. 123 Janet Grant .

Kevin Blick reports on Braidbar's first diesel electric hybrid Felonious Mongoose in Canal Boat Magazine.

Braidbar No.100 Crick Best Boat in Show from way back reviewed in this Waterways World article.

Company History

Lord Vernon's Wharf has been a boat building site for many years, started initially in the 1950's through Constellation Cruises Limited (see original photos), developing in the 1980's to the primary site for the building of narrowboats under the banner of Braidbar Boats Limited.

Braidbar's intimate understanding of the exacting requirements of today's narrowboat owner comes from many years of experience of working with narrowboats and their now new owners. It has been the love of boats together with a lament at the passing of many of the traditional skills and techniques of canal boating's golden era which inspired the birth of the Braidbar name.

Constantly pursuing excellence, we remain true to our original principles to this day, sharing with our customers the view that with a Braidbar Boat, it's always better to travel than arrive.