I ordered a new boat from RS Narrowboats in September 1990, which was craned in at Sawley Marina in July 1991. The firm was owned and run by a very affable chap called Richard Evans and his wife Sharon, hence the RS of the name. They did fit outs on shells made by well known makers at that time - ours was an R&D Fabrications shell.
The work was done at an industrial estate just outside Doncaster, and he was happy to adapt his layouts to more or less whatever you wanted, if it was practical.
We owned the boat from new until selling it in 2014, and apart from the normal wear and tear it gave us very little trouble - certainly no major engine breakdowns or equipment failures.
We sold her through a broker, and despite her age she was bought within 6 weeks of listing for a fair price.
I think Richard closed the business by around 1993, and last I heard he was involved in another waterways enterprise in Yorkshire.
On thing that he did was make a signature Heart shaped cut out in the rudder blade of all his boats - so you could recognise other owners. Sadly, I never encountered any.
The "Bethany Bear" reference makes sense, as it was his daughter's name I believe.
