The canopy!

Gamebird has a cruiser stern and although this is very sociable as lots of people can stand there and chat as we  go along, in wet weather it is not quite so pleasant. Someone has to stand out there steering and although  we don't mind getting a bit wet there are limited facilities on board for drying lots of wet clothes - and two wet dogs. We gradually came round to the decision that we, and the deck boards,  needed some protection and although stern covers are not all that traditional, who cares about tradition when the rain is running down the back of your neck? So, a shed (as they are called on the northern canals in England) it had to be. We had already seen the canopies which Wilson's of Kinver made and were impressed but we were not so impressed with those made by manufacturers nearer at hand. Nothing we do seems to be straightforward and the canopy proved no exception. Wilson's would not travel up to Scotland nor would they make one to our measurements. Gamebird had to go south!

We had planned to take her down to the GIG and the IWA National in August and we arranged with Wilson's that they would measure us up and fit our canopy while we were down. It didn't quite work like that as there were a few wee problems when it was fitted before we came home but the canopy was taken back to the factory and adjusted and sent up to us. There were still minor problem but these were quickly sorted out and  we now have a super canopy. The big plus side is that no matter how wet and cold it is, we are warm and snug inside the canopy and as we can roll up or remove most panels it is very versatile. Perhaps next summer we will actually fold it down and boat al fresco again. We stay dry, the dogs stay dry and the boat is much warmer. In fact, it has given us extra space in the boat. The down side is that there is now much more of us above the water to catch the wind and manoeuvring can be interesting. We have had to rethink our use of ropes and we now work with two centre lines, one laid along each side of the roof. Because of the slope of the rear panel, it is no longer possible to sit on the seats and steer without bending forward. Not very comfortable! In the short term we have remedied this by placing a board (from the bunk bed base)  across the two rear seats. A more permanent modification will probably be made at some time. When Wilson's measured the canopy, it was decided to keep it as low as possible to make it in keeping with the lines of the boat but it could have done with an extra inch or two. With the material sag, Iain's head touches the roof.

Despite the small down sides we are delighted with our canopy and we think it will give us much more use of Gamebird. Here are a few photos.

Home page