The Anonymous Bard

That really is something special. Mel comes from a farming background and showed me some pictures of her childhood holidays aboard a horse drawn cart, nothing to that standard but it did look very inviting all the same. I also came across some more basic versions near Redditch last year when a group of travellers had set up their own Christmas market beside one of the roundabouts and again nothing to that standard but still a very nice sight to see.

Absolutely right, if it was a week or so ago I would happily have given a good home a consideration but now we've gone through the worst and all three are beginning to settle down with each other I have to confess to having become attached to them. Even if they are the size of bloody panthers and knock back three full size tins of snap a day... even my neighbour came round to ask what the hell they were after witnessing them clearing his six foot fence in one! Mr Watson was himself I believe quite shocked after I had emailed him a picture of one of them earlier today. It's a shame really as they would make ideal boat cats in that if you ever needed a tow you could harness the pair up and they would drag the boat for you.

Indeed there is, and on Flickr yet again. We were sat one Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago when I proudly displayed my findings to Mel who was non too impressed and highly dubious about my claim that I was only using search terms such as narrowboat, canal etc. "Susie Nylons" if my memory serves me correctly... not a shy lady by any stretch of the imagination. Edited to add: That strictly in the name of research I have just attempted to find what I stumbled across on that occasion and failed, but I did find a completely different set taken on lock paddles and bridge holes showing someone else in similar poses. Is there something about the light around our waterways that is attracting the amateur glamour photographer?

Tried it a few times and just get fed up of people trying to roll me back into the sea

Thanks for the replies everyone... good to see that the humour was not lost. I'm still amazed that nobody has asked for the link, this has only just occurred to me as he is there again today and as proud as ever as I did my usual search. PM requests only for the link please (in total confidence ladies... or did you work it out for yourselves?).

Thanks Alan & Laurence. The first thing I noticed on Trent 5's panelling was the additional first small panel before the main panel working from the stern. I remember when Andy Watson kindly invited me to view Oslo that the back cabin was longer than the those that I had been familiar with up until that point. Is that an original detail that RWD had carried through to their designs and if so why would the working boatmen of that day had the additional luxury of this extra space?

Can anyone post images of original Northwich traders so that we can form an independent opinion? I have a few of Beatty (very nice indeed) but failed to find anything in relation to Trent 5. How many of these boats were actually built?

Very good... i'm still waiting for the one about the stern gland? no... No... NO!

Sorry, I perhaps should have posted a link to the advert description which states that the boat is unfinished due to the owner sadly passing away. http://rugbyboats.co.uk/narrowboats-for-sale.php

Funny you should say that... although I believe that the owners circumstances were very unfortunate in this case. Is this the same boat? http://rugbyboats.co.uk/boatpix/1201/index.html

We don't as such but have friends who we regularly bump in to, they had a Barry Hawkins built around seven years ago and are still delighted with it... they'be been cc'ing constantly during this time. I have to admit that from what i've seen of their boat there is very little if anything that you could knock on quality or finish and they would appear to be very robust craft.

Would I be accused of being prudish if I suggested a waistcoat to go with that? Edited because I can't spell.

I'm just trying to get my mind around what it would be like if he was a bit careless operating the paddles... that one isn't worth thinking about

I was trawling through Flickr this morning when I came across full view of meat and two veg whilst using the search tag "narrowboat". I've actually seen this guy before whilst performing similar searches and it would appear that he is a naturist boater who has no inhibition about travelling along whilst standing at the tiller in nothing other than his birthday suit. Can't say that I am really bothered one way or the other and maybe the guy has a perfect right to do it (?), I just find it a bit odd but wondered if anyone had encountered him or anything similar on their travels? I will refrain from posting the link unless expressly requested (by a proportionate number of males to females).

And a thank you Wriggly... yes I do recall a pm discussion and it was never my intention to appear rude but just factual, although after that conversation I did subsequently discover S M Hudson. For the record (once again) I think Cobbett is a lovely boat and sweet dreams... are you dreaming under the tug deck? Ps Still think it's funny he thought you and your daughter were, let's say... companions!

If you care to read back thorough my post I never used the word “convinced“, I merely expressed my preference based upon my own personal tastes and logic (unless you wish to overturn that) and that of many others, in addition to thoughts which I considered to be a balanced view. Nothing that you have posted has overturned that. For the record…. I have never visited Dave Harris or wish to do so. And… I have not edited my post, where exactly, are you coming from? I have stated my respect for builders other than that of my own choice and cannot see where your further ramblings have a relevance?

!naem uoy tahw wonk I

This has got to have been one of the most interesting threads I’ve read in that someone has actually been transparent in what they have paid for their boat (or at least the steelwork), and I have to confess to being mildly surprised. Being a relative newcomer in terms of post count I’m sure that there is more in the archives if only the search facility was up to the job, but a couple of things did crop up in my own mind. Whilst I greatly admire many other boat builders work, including Dave Harris, Norton Canes etc in addition to that of my own choice there has been mention of waiting lists for certain builders of boats. On the one hand I see this as the said builder has a list of clients queuing up for his work and has a three year waiting list which much speak volumes as to the quality and accuracy of his work, and on the other hand I see it as a builder who has possibly found his comfort zone and has decided (nearly said failed, but this would be unfair and assuming) to develop his business. If, say for example, Steve Hudson suddenly decided to make his own workforce redundant and settle back into an almost cottage industry way of living, just how long would his waiting list be given that he is knocking out around ten top end boats a year ? By default over three years by my reckoning and that’s without a backlog. I admire his boats (marmite for me please… hate the stuff in real life) and the fact that he has developed his business and given employment to many others when it must have occurred to him at some point that he could take a much cushier route than the one which he has chosen of building a very reputable business, and I applaud his ambition and his boats... they are to my and many others tastes and I would not be as shallow as to knock a builder who's product wasn't. As for the demographics of certain boat owners in relation to their choice of builder I can only say that I can’t possibly believe that such a parallel exists in terms of stereotyping, as Alan quite rightly pointed out despite his dislike of the S M Hudson bow there is no parallel (IIRC, in words of his own). So… going back to the opening sentence, am I converted? No…

Sebrof... I admire your views and like your style even if I can't be ar$ed to argue it out but... 2105? I know, it's quite clear what's happened but in the off chance i'm wrong I want to know your secret as to how you're gonna vote in ninety four years time...