Disgraceful, Ben Harp Narrowboats and we are through Staines
Runnymede to Dumsey Meadow, River Thames, 8.5 miles 3 locks
Ben Harp Narrowboats of Great Haywood…
We are a small company who pride ourselves on quality. By keeping our production to a maximum of four a year and Ben being hands on at all times our standards remain high to achieve outstanding results.
Oh yeah??!!.. 
This is what they did to one of their customers’ narrowboat.. an absolute disgrace!
Of course there is a story to go with this. Jan and Tom..
This blog describes the construction of NB Waiouru [why-ooh-roo] which is NZ Maori for ‘the meeting of the waters’. We also hope to describe our subsequent journey on as many of the navagable canals and rivers in England and Wales that we can manage in the early years of our retirement.
Put on hold at the moment as they tell the world what has happened to their dream boat.. It is ongoing, but please take a read of what a disgraceful company Ben Harp Narrowboats is.. Link here.
For us a quieter time as we cruised slowly through Staines..
Lots of moorings on the downstream side of Staines Bridge with the Swan Hotel on one bank and the Slug and Lettuce on the other there are plenty of places to have a meal.. Heh, Slug and Lettuce, who ever thought of that name.. puts me off a bit that does! 
We had planned to go through Shepperton Lock today, but just as we got to the lock cut I noticed a very inviting pub on the bank.. full reverse! Beer was good there and so was lunch!..
So Shepperton was aborted for today and we went back upstream to moor close to Dumsey Meadow, an SSSI site being the last of the undeveloped water meadows on the Thames.
Lucy has grazed one of her pads, and I thought the meadow would be much better to walk on than the hard walking areas around Shepperton.. having said that she was very much better on the foot tonight.. I suppose I could put a boot on her.. we’ll see..
Update: I am so disgusted with Ben Harp Narrowboats, and within 40 minutes of this blog being published it went to number four on a google search for the company, with Waiouru just below. The only three above are of them themselves. Boatbuilders should beware.. bloggers are bad news if they get it wrong!
Sue
Updated 24th April 2012
July 27th, 2011 at 12:28 am
That must be criminal damage now they have got their boat back. They are finished as a company. Maybe they knew that so threw all their remaining paint.
July 27th, 2011 at 6:48 am
Hi Sue & Vic
We have been following your blog for some years and enjoy it immensely. You are of course welcome to use the photo’s of our boat showing Ben Harp’s infantile act of malicious damage. There is more to the story and we will be blogging about it over the coming week. Also, many more photo’s of the damage.
There are always a very small minority who have the potential to ruin the reputation of the majority. We cannot allow them to succeed. Waiouru will be rebuilt – we are determined she will be on the cut and look forward to meeting you one day.
July 27th, 2011 at 7:50 am
Hi Sue and Vic,
I think I can see a bankruptcy coming. All you bloggers will need to keep a check to watch for a new company being formed by these two pirates!!
Tom and Jan,
Apologies from England, we are not all b——ds!
I hope you are able to put this behind you, get the boat finished and enjoy your retirement on the cut.
With fellow boaters such as Sue And Vic you will be in good company.
All the best.
Mark
July 27th, 2011 at 8:08 am
Hi Sue,
I too share your disgust of this so called company… I just hope that all the bloggers who read about this horrific bunch of crooks will also post about it on their own blogs. You are spot on, the more blogging the more will appear in a google search. The power of the people is in their blog voices, this company needs sinking without trace, they are a disgrace!
Kevin (the other one)
July 27th, 2011 at 7:19 pm
On a lighter note, “Good old Staines”, born, bred & married there! 37years today. Shame Ben Harp doesn’t get the same!!
July 27th, 2011 at 11:52 pm
Harry,
Yes you are right, they should serve some time for what they have done
Tom and Jan,
As I commented on your blog, you have both been so strong and forthwright, and you deserve a rosie future. I hope that bloggers will report this on their blogs so that Google is stuffed with how disgusting this company is. Not all new people to the canal wanting new boats read boaters blogs, but I am sure as they check their boatbuilder choices we will save them from this company at least.
I am sure you will soon be travelling on our lovely waterways and put all this behind you.. keep going you will get there, and I look forward to shaking your hand one day..
Mark and Kevin,
Bloggers are strong on Google.. it doesn’t take long to get into the top ten with the right title!
John,
Glad you enjoyed the quick blog on your birthplace John!
July 28th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Hi Sue
I just read that this morning through another blog feed.
Its discracefull. I don’t normally get upset about other peoples problems, but this made my heart sink. I will be putting this on my blog just so the message gets a tiny bit more coverage.
I think this is a good warning to all business that offer poor service not just boat builders. The blogophere is a big place and reaches far and wide.
They are IMO clearly con artists, but I have to say WT* were they doing sending more money even though they had suspisions. I would not have bothered with a serveyor I would have sent in a private dective posing as a customer.
And the to vandalise the boat like that. That if nothing else must count as criminal damage?
Kevin
August 1st, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Kevin,
No doubt you are now looking at the blog and seeing what they had to go through in the end.