Thanks for the responses.
I visited Crick some years ago when I was seriously looking into building one some years ago to look over them and it shocked me how poor some of them were. I remember one shell, painted in red oxide, by possibly Liverpool boats that was a disgrace to fabrication and then a couple further along was finished and welded beautifully by contrast. I don't remember the manufacturers though because my plans hit the back burner when the recession hit and my interest largely dropped to nothing more than a distant dream.
I'll be at Crick on Sunday though to once again point and laugh at some shoddy craftsmanship and appreciate the ones built by people who know how to craft steel plate.
Springers shouldn't get such a raw deal when the boats of some of their detractors are no better.
As an aside, has this forum swapped boards? I joined 8 years ago and was a regular poster, learning a hell of a loaf about narrowboats but my posts have been reset to zero?
Also, is Gary still around that was, back then, a popular member that built boats and input lots of very useful info and pics?