dave moore

I hope that this hasn’t been covered already....also bear in mind that many boats have the cabin side bordered, creating panels. Often the handrail is painted in a different colour, then, say, a 4” border and a 1” coach line. All of these will affect the available space for any signwritten work.

Depending on the builder and the style of boat, it’s by no means standard. Most are around waist height if standing on the gunwale though that’s only a very rough guide.

And me, possibly carrying a can for an historic josher.

Oh, bugger! They made great firelighters....

Hi John. You have a PM. Dave

Ahh, interesting. I agree that the item is indeed a nose bowl for horse feed, I’ve painted a good few over many years. Quite how it ended up in Norfolk I’ve no idea, it’s a long way from the canal system where it was used....but I have found painted ware in Cornwall, much further away! I’m afraid I can’t identify the painter, it’s no one whose work I’ve seen before. Looking at it, it is certainly by a competent and experienced painter, the floral work in the Braunston style, Braunston was an important canal village, producing several noted paintersoover many years. By the look of the ageing, it could well date back to working days, or perhaps painted by someone in the early days of pleasure boating some 69/70 years ago, it’s difficult to tell. Either way, a lovely piece of old canal ware that deserves preservation, possibly as part of a collection. If you are thinking of letting it go, I may be interested, I’ve lots of old stuff here at home. If you prefer to keep it, I suggest a very gentle clean with water and then a coat or two of artist’s picture varnish to enhance the colours again and preserve the existing paint. Best I can do, I’m afraid. Dave

Thanks, both. Exactly the sort of corroboration I was hoping for, you’ve made my day!👍👍👍

Many thanks for that. She was my contender but I was hoping for confirmation from an independent party. I’ll pass the information on, hopefully someone else will be of the same mind. It’s all so long ago now....thanks again!!

The ones above are a far cry from the earlier examples and equally disappointing. I believe that the original founder, Alan Picken, to no longer be with us and I’ve no idea who is now running a company with the same name. I’m only interested in finding the original artist, if possible.

No, Ray. Those are the Water Folk things I’m enquiring about.

Very much so, David. The BW transfers were designed by Frank Jones of Leighton Buzzard, a noted canal painter. My avatar is one of his cans. The Water Folk stuff was twee by comparison, to my eyes.

The transfers were discussed here some years ago in the “ Who was the painter” thread but no identification was offered. Thanks, Brian.

Hi all. This is aimed at senior forum members, mainly. A friend sent some photos of flowers and landscapes recently, asking if I could identify the painter. I recognised them immediately, they were transfers, originally produced from the mid 60s onwards, by Water Folk, a company specialising in such ware, along with canal style transfer lettering and sundry motifs in a similar vein. I well remember them adorning the boats of Birmingham and Midland from their inception around the same time. I responded, back came the thanks and a further query....did I know who the painter was from which the transfers were made? The company was run in those days by Alan and June Picken, if memory serves. Can anyone shed light on who that artist was? I’ve a vague idea, but won’t share here for fear of leading the evidence. If you are able to help, my grateful thanks. I’m happy to accept replies by PM if you prefer. Dave

The finely developed swims at both ends of old boats helped them to move efficiently through the water and, in the main, handle well. Few modern builders have the equipment to reproduce these lines today, though top end ones can do a damned good replica....at a price. To this jaded old traditionalist, a pleasing shell is paramount, it’s the one aspect of the boat that can’t be readily altered afterwards, unlike paint schemes or even fit outs. Many early builders of pleasure narrowboats based their designs along the lines of older craft and had an eye for this. As time has gone on, I think, more and more craft were built by fabricators rather than boatbuilders, perhaps to plans drawn up by those with less acquaintance of how things were. There are only a few builders today who produce shells of pleasing proportions, all of whom are at the top end still. Sadly, to my eyes, many today opt for exotic fittings on an average shell. I’ll leave it to others to compile that list.