Who are you kidding?

[luctor et emergo]

I quite like "Bosher" or maybe "BCN Dosher".

 

 

Some might say that that would be a fitting name for a boat on the K&A...

[pete harrison]

I too was intrigued by this boat when it was last for sale. The person then advertising it was a friend of the owner so you can imagine had even less idea of its history.

 

But if it is the back end Yarwoods Josher, how many possibilities can there be? Eagle was scrapped by BW Northwich in the 1970s (they apparantly had a scandalous scheme where the staff were allowed to keep any proceeds as a perk) and Chub also disappeared around this time. Caggy Stevens had two ex-BW "gunniting boats" i.e with the bows cut off and replaced by a punt-style end and these were said to be Mullett and Skate. Because of an "LE" discernable on the hull at one time the boat presently known as Russia is assumed to be Mullett. So is the Apollo Duck boat the back end of Skate? In that it is now married to a bit of BCN day boat this seems the most likely to me.

 

Any thoughts Pete? And Mark - would Malcolm remeber anything?

 

Paul

 

I am not suggesting that this may be the back end of Yarwood built F.M.C. Ltd. motor, I am saying that it is. The owner told me that this boat was formally a maintenance boat and had a bridge collapse across its fore end, resulting in the fore end being removed. Whilst I am dubious about this story it may well be that this was one of the motors that had their fore ends cut off by B.W.B. at Northwich. On the other hand it may be a boat that was sold as scrap and then recovered for rebuild.

 

As you say the only Yarwood built F.M.C. Ltd. motor boats that are 'missing' are EAGLE, CHUB, MULLET and SKATE, all of which were operated as maintenance boats by B.W.B. at Northwich. I have heard stories about EAGLE and CHUB being being scrapped but have seen no evidence. I am also aware of boats being sold from B.W.B., Northwich to scrap dealers only to re-appear on the canals a short while later. Because of this, and because I do not wish to re-write history to fit what boats are extant, I will not speculate as to which boat became RUSSIA or AQUARIUS. Interestingly the B.W.B. index number for AQUARIUS was issued in 1993 so somebody may know something of this boats build (and the other end of the iron B.C.N. was built into a 50' boat B.W.B. indexed in 1992 !).