Nick Davis

Thank you! At last a well informed intelligent perspective on wood in narrowboat construction. "Vegetable bottoms'.....honestly!

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I'm very glad to learn that his legacy is being archived and scrutinised by those who understand its importance. I'm sure many of us would love to see the best bits and the photos, must be a book in it...'the dairy files' He came for a trip on Hood with my Dad and I across the Tring summit we dropped him off at the train station after a fifty point turn at Cowroast. I took photos of us all with his camera which unfortunately he left it on the train so I never got copies but I can see his beaming face now he was great company.

I'll look forward to Chris M Jones's insight as it seems I'm easily caught out Honestly fleet number changes....of course forgot that.

Thanks for clarifying this Pete what an epic knowledge you have. I am really grateful for all the information. Nick

Thanks Chris, So this record refers not to my boat but the other earlier Hood built by Nursers in 1936. Interesting that it may also have been fitted with a Parsons maranised Armstrong. Why refitted from spares? Had they broken it already? What are your records Chris?

Pre war cars and motorcycles are still a good investment going up and up Maybe theres simply a lot more restored narrowboats around FMC joshers 10 a penny.

I think you could be right I had read that article before but it was good to read it again and make all the connections. Thanks for the oak picture. I'm learning loads on this forum don't know why I didn't go on it years ago you people have do much knowledge.

I was kidding about 'cheap' it must be the bolinder? I thought 45k for Ibex was quite reasonable....no? They look very finished. Wasn't Owl 80k or was that just a rumour? She had a very basic conversion lovely though. Has anyone mentioned wooden BCN tug Progress? on Ebay 30k that would be a fun boat. So many working boats for sale amazing!

Weren't boats like this 80k 18 months ago or am I missing something? it feels like joshers are going cheap all over the place.

Great link thanks for filling that gap in my knowledge

Thanks Nick I'll try and get myself in there. Cheers

What's the history of Oak? I don't know this boat doesn't look like a normal working boat?

Thanks Nick for even more detail amazing!

My word that is fascinating! is it in the back cabin? I can't make out a forward/reverse either. Can anyone go to the warehouse? Thanks for posting it

Ha ha thanks for outting me re kelvin K3 Probably going straight to Hell for that one.

Those note books would be quite valuable data now, the last time I saw Alan I had to write my numbers down for him....I wish I'd paid more attention. He had a wicked sense of humour he once told me that "if one more person tells me Hood was built by Nurser's they'll need nursing" hysterical ?

Interesting stuff thanks

I sold the Merganser to a man who said he had just bought Clee not sure if it was 2007 or 2008 but I think it eventually found it's way into josher Kestrel don't know if it still is. I didn't take a record of the numbers although a well known boat spotter called Alan Brown often jumped into the engine room and took the numbers I wonder what happened to his note books? I liked Alan

I love this picture

I never knew him but heard a lot about his work....what a legacy he left.

Thanks again for your help with this Pete I've looked at a picture from canal and river trust of Hood apparently from 1958 Visible on the roof is a tall skinny exhaust stack in the right place for an AS2 which I think were made from 53/54ish so perhaps Samuel Barlow fitted the Armstrong then. I'll have a look at earlier pictures and see if the exhaust size and position offers any clues to what the earlier engine was. Seems I may have been misled re jp2 and 70s Armstrong fitting Thanks

Thanks Pete I can't be certain of anything but I am certain the engine bearers owe their huge dimensions to the installation of a large engine. Thanks for the info about the jp2 in the other Hood maybe the AS2 had been fitted much earlier. Anything else I can find out would be much appreciated I try to keep an achieve but its difficult to piece its history together as peoples memories fade and 2 Barows Hoods makes it even harder to decipher. I have also been told that Sheila Stewart had made voice recordings of Ada Littlemore talking about her life including working Hood but I had no luck in tracking them down I have been told that her daughter Jenny may have them but I haven't felt confident to ask. Most of the information I have is from the Alan Faulkner book I don't know how accurate the information is.

Hi Pete I've heard or read from a few sources that she had petter engines including a conversation I had with Jenny Glynn the daughter of Ada Littlemore who worked the boat with her husband Dick Littlemore, there's even a mention of Hoods petter in the Book Ramlin Rose.(Ada was the main contributor) Hood was buy all accounts fitted with an 18/21 but this was replaced only a few years later (quite sensibly) with a 12/14 If I remember/find my written source for this I'll let you know. She still retains the original engine bearers which are very wide apart and have an enormous cut out for a flywheel 2ft 6 across they've been altered later to accommodate a narrower engine. According to David Blagrove the petter was replaced with a Jp2 in the late 50s but I have no evidence for this. When j acquired the boat she was fitted with an Armstrong siddely which I was told had need there since the 1970s The engine bearers are amongst the thickest and longest ive seen and sat on two extra kelsons the ran alongside the normal central kelson for two thirds of her length....definitely a hotbulb arrangement.

So I take it he's got one in the Dorset? Great I'll check out Oak and Finch. I've seen the one at the museum. Cheers