We’ve got a wide variety of boats for sale here at Boatshed Grand Union, including Dutch barges and project boats. We also have wide beams for sale and houseboats with permanent moorings. We even have a historic narrowboat for sale. However when you’re thinking about canal boats a major difference between narrowboats is the cruiser or traditional stern.

Until last year I was a girl with a cruiser stern. We loved to sit on the back deck with a glass of wine and barbequed food. But as we now have a young family we recently bought a 70 ft trad stern narrowboat with a boatman’s cabin and side hatches. That means we no longer have a back deck. I do love the roses and castles and have a rose-tinted sense of nostalgia for the old working boats. When the coal boat arrives to sell us a bottle of gas I look at their ancient hull and wonder about its working history in days gone by.

This weekend is Braunston Marina’s annual Historic Boat Rally. This is the tenth year of the UK’s largest rally of this kind. There’ll be more than 80 old working narrow boats joining a parade, many of which are on the national Historic Boat Register. The day includes live music, Morris dancing, side shows, craft displays, trade exhibitors, tunnel legging and of course a beer tent. It’s definitely my kind of day out. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain!

If you can’t get to Braunston this weekend, but like the trad style of boat have a look around our website. That’s how I ended up with my own 70ft trad!

Browse Our Pictures of Trad Stern Boats

62ft Historic Narrowboat For Sale
50ft Trad Stern Narrowboat
70ft Trad stern narrowboat with side hatches

Peggy Melmoth
www.narrowboatwife.com

You may also like:
Living on a Boat: The Boatshed Guide / I Love Historic Narrowboats! / Canal Diary 2012 / A slideshow of our boat of the moment./Blog Archive

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