Life on the cut — guides, and prints made for one boat
Narrowboat Gifts Canal guides · Personalised boat prints

No. 01 · AI restyle

Send us her photograph. We paint her.

One clear photo of the boat is all it takes. Pick watercolour, ink line, oil, vintage poster or painterly, see her painted before you spend anything, then choose how she is printed — paper, canvas, metal, wood or a mug.

  • Start from a photo. Upload one clear shot of her — bow-on at the mooring, mid-lock, or out on the cut — and the painting is worked up from that. No photo of the boat? The name print needs only her name.
  • Five styles. Watercolour, ink line, oil, vintage poster or painterly. Try each on your own photo before you commit to one.
  • One of one. The painting is made for your order from your photograph, and it is never reused for anyone else. It is also made once: the file you approve is the file that prints.
  • Your approved artwork. The locked artwork is used exactly as selected, without its watermark, at an eligible print size.
  • UK delivery, 4–9 working days. Made-to-order in the UK, shipped tracked. Free UK delivery.

Which photograph to send

The painting can only work with what the photograph gives it. A boat shot bow-on at the mooring, alongside the towpath, or mid-lock all work; a photograph taken into the sun, or from so far off that the boat is a stripe of colour, does not. The name on the bow will be painted as the photograph shows it, so if you want it legible in the finished piece, send a frame where it is legible now.

Five styles are offered, and they are not interchangeable. Watercolour and painterly soften edges, which flatters a busy towpath background. Ink line keeps the boat's proportions and drops most of the colour. Oil holds detail in the paintwork. Vintage poster reduces the whole scene to flat shapes, which suits a boat with a strong livery and loses fine lettering. Try each on your own photograph before choosing: previews are free.

Sizes and prices

The painting is the same whichever way you print it. Prices are per format, and every size we sell is listed on one page.

  • Paper, unframed · £19.99 at A4 up to £54.99 at 70×100cm, all on 250gsm uncoated off-white archival stock.
  • Framed poster, solid wood, black or natural · from £74.99
  • Canvas, gallery-wrapped · from £85.00 · framed canvas from £119.99
  • Wood, printed straight onto 10mm lined plywood · from £99.99
  • Metal, printed straight onto 3mm metal · from £119.99
  • Mug £19.99 · water bottle £39.99
  • Digital file only · £14.99 — the range starts from £14.99 and runs to £119.99 framed on canvas.

Questions before you go

Do I need a photo?

Yes: the portrait is painted from a photograph you upload, so you need one clear picture of the boat. If you haven't got one, the narrowboat name print is set from her name, canal and year instead, and needs no photo at all.

How closely will it match the photo?

Closely, but it's an interpretation rather than a technical rendering: the hull colour, livery and setting in your photo read clearly, though exact proportions aren't guaranteed. Restyle up to three times per session before you lock it in.

Is the preview the final quality?

The on-screen preview is watermarked and lower-resolution. When you order, we use the clean master of the exact artwork you selected. Only sizes that meet our print-quality threshold are offered.

What makes a good photo to send?

One clear, reasonably sharp shot of the whole boat in daylight. Bow-on at the mooring, mid-lock, or out on the cut all work well. Avoid heavy shadow, a very distant shot, or a picture with the boat mostly hidden behind trees or other craft.

Returns?

Made-to-order and one of one, so no change-of-mind returns. Arrives damaged? We'll replace it: see our returns page.