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Admiral

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Everything posted by Admiral

  1. Just a thought, if there was an original small woolwich, that had a new bottom, cabin etc, with the same fit out. Would it be worth more than a replica? My first thought was no as the new boat is completely new but then does a "real" one add value? What would that boat be worth? Whatever the answer I think that I would boat past Astraea and take a picture thinking it was an old one its that good. The fit-out is pretty amazing as well. I remember a Josher replica once (dont know who built it) that I actually had the camera ready then could not remember the name being a boat, I think it was Alligator or Crocodile or something like that. It was painted i think in FMC colours as well. Thoughts?
  2. Maybe you should lengthen it back to 70ft! :-)
  3. I have read this a few times now. As it was me that deconverted Themis I think that its time to tell the other side of the story. Firstly I am not against converted boats, in fact I am converting one right now. I bought Themis without seeing it and only saw some photos of the re-bottoming work. The roof had been fiberglassed over the top of rotten wood and with lots of filler looked fine. However when it rained every room in the boat leaked. With use and stepping on the roof over time the fiberglass had cracked and coupled with some areas which needed to be avoided when walking on the roof, tough when there were no gun-whales on the boat. The front deck leaked (the inside of the front deck was exposed to the rest of the boat with only a curtain to separate it) and there was huge leaks running down between the engine room bulkhead and behind the cabin which has rusted the bottom of the bulkhead away. All of the windows/portholes leaked except one. This and the fact that the boat was 6'3" wide and I had to run chains across the inside of the boat when boating in narrow locks to get through (still got stuck and had BW pull the boat out on more than one occasion) even with some triangular plates that had been welded in. The wood around the windows was rotten. When the boat was not chained in the cabin leaned slightly at the front end to one side, hence the repairs that had been made to the boat after clipping bridge holes even with the fact that the cabin dropped down at the front end. There were many more issues that were of a minor problem (only centre doors to get in and out, the stairs that had been used as coal bunkers were unlined and the coal had rotted the hull away at that point, mold behind all the cabinets, both solid fuel stoves were broken) and that could have been made good. So what to do? At that time I did not need a converted boat so I moved into the back cabin for nearly a year with the front cabin still on but did not use it due to the issues mentioned. So hence the deconversion. I lived on Themis for another 2 years in the back cabin, loaded it, boated it and had a lot of fun with her. Was it a unique cabin? YES Was it in a fit state? NO Was it a lovely boat? YES Is it still a lovely boat? YES If I had put a conversion back on would it have been the same? NO Can someone else put a conversion on it? YES So what is the answer? Putting a steel cabin on identical to the old one and pulling the boat in? Stripping the cabin and remaking in wood? Whatever, boats are a very personal thing and a number of boats are only around because they were converted but it comes down to the right thing to do for the boat in my opinion. I know there are a number of people that think that it should have been kept and thats great that they think that. Just saying.
  4. Don't know if this has been posted before? http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/House-boats-for-sale/walker-town-class/43876#Iu4WyDyKmQOlymXE.97 http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Canal-Narrow-Boats-for-sale/walkers-of-rickmansworth-town-class-motor/45949#TSJkuG7weUffa1pc.97
  5. FMC Malvern (the one at Harefield) has now sold, it came through Rickmansworth with the new owners.
  6. I wonder if a few people gathered together would there be a saving to be had on shipping?
  7. India was built for the owners in 1989 as a 70ft boat and was always called India. Sometime in the last few years the length of the cabin was extended by approx 6ft to add more living space.
  8. I bought "pod" off MR O'Callaghan who owned Kestrel at the time and I had it put into OWL which I had just de-converted at Aylesbury in the late 80's so the one above is the same. I lived in it for a year, it was a bit narrow as there was no space below the gunwhales so as to remove it. But it did keep my feet dry as Owl used to regularly take a lot of water on with it wooden bottom at the time! lol
  9. I have a couple of pictures of France on the day I bought it but cant really see the cabin shape..
  10. Just had a look at your flickr pictures Ian, some lovely pics there, I may ask to use one of yours of my boat if you dont mind with a copyright of course? Steve
  11. How about this on ebay for even cheaper! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Russell-Newbury-D2-RN-NOT-DM2-or-Lister-JP2-see-my-other-narrowboat-engines-/111260906595?pt=UK_BOI_FarmingEquipment_RL&hash=item19e7aab463
  12. If you want to buy a butty motorise kit!! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYDRAULIC-DRIVE-FOR-A-BUTTY-NARROW-BOAT-/281244972406?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item417b81b576 Nothing to do with me by the way..
  13. From a couple of years back at Braunston.
  14. If you send me your email I will send you the info. I don't own it by the way...
  15. The Josher Apples is for sale but I am sure that everyone knows..... good price.
  16. I did go and look at Columba a couple of months back. It was priced in the 20k's...I did take some interior pictures as well, lovely hull, very historic, not many marine PD3's about.
  17. Well I will be there with Admiral, so a Barlows boat at the Barlows pub. Looking forward to it.
  18. Pete You may well be right, for some reason the 7 at the end seemed right but I would defer to your records. Steve Thats fantatsic! Looks great, now you just need a butty!!
  19. I have the original plates from Admiral and the number was 60007. I assume this was done alphabetically? Make sure you put a picture up of the signwriting when done.. Steve
  20. I did hear that the staff at the museum were the first in line to get these vessels but I don't think that's quite true. But the state of the boats were grim when I was there a couple of years ago so I cant imagine what they are like now. Very sad.
  21. I had never looked at that before, I think I lost something to the second person on the list! I have a fair number of old windlasses and have also given a few away, think I am going to go and get them back now!
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