Alstonite

We hired Oak from Middlewich around 1988. 10 berth boat for 5 of us (2 adults and 3 children under 10) we were rattling around inside a bit, but it was all they had available as it was a last minute booking and we got it at a reduced rate. Was a bit of a handful watching 3 kids and handling the boat but had a great time.

This was our boat built on a Teddesley hull and glass fibre top. 1973 was when we started fitting out and have always thought it was an Allens hull, it was manufactured off site at, i'm sure I was told, Oldbury (but not sure now). They would often get 2 or 3 delivered together, presumably to save crane hire costs. If anyone knows more of the history of Teddesley and if they had any other source of hulls I would love to know.

1st June 1973

This is the Dudley Canal Tunnel reopening plaque so its not that.

Another ride-on miniature http://watfordrailway.co.uk very near the canal at Cassiobury Park

I have seen this in a Sherpa van where it was to create an inlet manifold vacuum to operate the brake servo rather than control engine speed.

I know I have contributed to a similar thread. Ah yes, here

Another couple of photos of the steel lock. I must have taken them in 1971 or 1972 judging by the boat they were taken from (just enough of the bow creeping into each pic to identify it).

If you can get to someone like https://eriks.co.uk/en/about-eriks/locations/ who have branches nationally. Or there are similar independent bearing/engineering component suppliers, most have a Trade Counter where you can walk in and show them what you have and what you want. Hopefully they will have stocks of different sizes/materials and something will fit.

I remember a mate taking a worn sprocket off a machine into a machine shop and asking if they could copy it as replacements were difficult to obtain. "No Problem" they said, couple of days later back came a perfect copy. Ready worn!

Can even happen to an iPhone https://www.macworld.com/article/704216/apple-reportedly-cuts-off-major-iphone-supplier-over-screen-snafu.html

and Friendship when she was still afloat.

We hired from Holidays Afloat at Market Drayton in late 60's when I was about 13-14. The boat was a cruiser style, but with a steel hull rather than the more usual wood or GRP. Powered by a diesel engine with hydraulic drive that seemed quite noisy and a bit rough. Two of the boats in the fleet I remember the names of were Drayton Dormouse and Drayton Dabchick, but can't remember the name of the boat we hired. Must have got on alright with Harry Machin, the proprietor, as we were back a couple of years later to buy our first boat from the yard. Don't know if it was from them or if they were acting as brokers, or it was privately and the boat just happened to be there. Some history of the yard here: http://www.talbotwharf.co.uk/heritage.html

Yes, very like our hull, same squared off stern, but we had a cruiser deck. Picture of it at the end of this thread.

These roofs look identical to the one we fitted to the boat my father and I built at Teddersley on one of their hulls in the early 70's. I was drawn to the oval patch on each one on the roof above the doors as ours had the words "Teddersly Boating Centre" moulded into the fibreglass here.

Trying again with the photograph. Sure it was there when I originally posted but seems to have gone.

Another here who will miss Atkens, though I very rarely go into Newcastle now despite only living 40 miles away

Can you post to it? I can view it when logged out. If I want to post I have to log in, at which point I get the "you do not have permission" message and can no longer see it. May be it's a browser thing, I'm using Safari on a Mac.

Ok maybe this might help explain. Logged in I cannot find the thread just by looking through the forums but if I click through from MtB's post above I think I eventually after a couple of links get the "you do not have permission" message. BUT I was browsing from my work computer (yes I know, it was a quiet day) as a guest and found a section for Newbies and Guests including, I think, the missing posts. It is a section above Boating on the first page. Strangely when you are logged in it is not visible.

Is that a Plus Four Plus parked behind him? Yes, one of only 26 built. My uncle had one for a while from new, ended up part-ex'ing it for a Ford Escort as couldn't sell it. Bet he wish he still had it.

Hi Folks, A new poster here. This is a picture of the boat my father and I built at Teddesley around 1973. A Teddesley 40ft hull with GRP cabin and SR2 Lister engine. She was kept moored at Teddesley until around 1976 when the family moved from Stafford to the North East, and the boat was moved to Bumblehole on the BCN near the end of Netherton tunnel for a short time. Eventually she was moved again to the Leeds and Liverpool canal, to somewhere near Bradford, before eventually being sold. I do remember she appeared on the cover of Waterways World one issue sometime after we sold her. Would love to know if she is still around.