Challenger Syndicates (In Liquidation)

[Keeping Up]

Perhaps you are suggesting that it will be the ex directors of Challenger who are taking legal action, but if so, against who and for what reasons ?

I was merely asking, and I repeat, that everyone should be careful how they phrase things in this thread. Nothing else.

[rallyfan]

As 8 x 12 = 96, who owns the other 4%. Now let me guess......................

Edited January 8, 2008 by rallyfan

[Lady Muck]

I think 'Challenger' was an odd choice of name, it just brings to my mind thoughts of catastrophic failure and explosions.

 

We have Crusader Cards here that ('are supposed to') work the washing machine and tumble drier. Seeing as the card readers are nearly always broken, they don't. We call them 'Jihadi cards'

[cotswoldsman]

Well, Well, Well so all those stuck up smart people that I have met at locks etc in there Challenger boats were not quite that smart and clever as they made out, and I say this having read there forum.

I doubt this is going to slow the Challenger boats down and as the syndicates own the boats it will make no difference, maybe the only saving grace is that there won't be any new Challenger boats speeding arround!!

[charles123]

not surprised the rimmers went bust I met them about 10 yrs ago when I was looking at shared ownership, was not impressed then about their ideas about expanding into plasic boats on the french canals etc. all sounded very risky, I could never see how they could make a great living from from the management fee alone however I figured they sold shares in the boats adding up to about £10k over what they paid to have a boat built so they made £10k per boat built

 

Charles

[ALFIE15]

As 8 x 12 = 96, who owns the other 4%. Now let me guess......................

 

I do, Each boat has a mini share of two weeks which is classsed as a 4 % share so I am afraid your guess would have been wrong for our boat.

[carlt]

Well, Well, Well so all those stuck up smart people that I have met at locks etc in there Challenger boats were not quite that smart and clever as they made out, and I say this having read there forum.

I doubt this is going to slow the Challenger boats down and as the syndicates own the boats it will make no difference, maybe the only saving grace is that there won't be any new Challenger boats speeding arround!!

It's such a relief that the speeding problem has now been solved. All those nasty Challenger boaters (who still own their share, btw) were the only people who ever went fast.

 

I never saw a private boater exceed 4mph, or hirers, or other shareboaters.

 

The cut is a safer place, now.

[NB Alnwick]

It's such a relief that the speeding problem has now been solved. All those nasty Challenger boaters (who still own their share, btw) were the only people who ever went fast.

 

I never saw a private boater exceed 4mph, or hirers, or other shareboaters.

 

The cut is a safer place, now.

 

I sometimes go fast!

 

With all that wind blowing and real waves on the canal this afternoon I think I may have exceeded 4 mph between Braunston and Wigrams - anybody fancy bringing their water-skis?

 

Carl - I slowed right down to pass Usk and Lucy - very sad . . .

[Dan]

I can confirm Challenger did not start as a hire business, though they did start Black Prince, built up from two to near on 150 craft and multiple bases in ten years before going into recievership in early '87.

 

I'm not sure the same happened to Evesham Marina whilst he was General Manager.

 

Rather than jumping on the bandwagon I think they accelerated & were influential in making Shared Ownership a big and apparently successful strategy. I look forward to hearing more facts on what actually led them into liquidation

 

Challenger did diversify into hire fairly recently, I wonder if this was actually one of the problem areas, which seems easier to imagine.

 

I found the style of the interiors generally a bit dated, and a bit of a set style. Whilst certainly not horrible perhaps they appealed most to the type of person which people seem to be generalising their sharers into, though personally I'm yet to find a generalisation which works very reliably for very long!

 

Like Black Prince their company name & boat names conveyed strength. Whether it has that connotation to you or whether you like it is a personal thing I guess, but like when they owned Black Prince the boat & company names certainly are memorable & notable, which was the intention I believe.

 

Dan

Edited January 8, 2008 by Dan

[Big Steve]

Given enough power, can a NB plane? Or is the hull shape completely wrong?

[fuzzyduck]

No, yes

[gaggle]

Given enough power, can a NB plane? Or is the hull shape completely wrong?

 

 

yes defo ,someone has been on this site and complained about one doing exactly that.

[NB Alnwick]

Being serious - we think it is rather sad (whatever the reason behind it) - before we bought 'Alnwick' we used to hire 'Spirit of Georgia' a magnificent heavy Steve Hudson tug with boatmans cabin and traditional engine room fitted with a slow running Russian twin pot diesel. Best hiring experiences we ever had . . .

 

I think Challenger were the only firm to offer such a beast.

[JP01]

I can confirm Challenger did not start as a hire business, though they did start Black Prince, built up from two to near on 150 craft and multiple bases in ten years before going into recievership in early '87.

 

I'm not sure the same happened to Evesham Marina whilst he was General Manager.

 

Rather than jumping on the bandwagon I think they accelerated & were influential in making Shared Ownership a big and apparently successful strategy. I look forward to hearing more facts on what actually led them into liquidation

 

Challenger did diversify into hire fairly recently, I wonder if this was actually one of the problem areas, which seems easier to imagine.

 

I found the style of the interiors generally a bit dated, and a bit of a set style. Whilst certainly not horrible perhaps they appealed most to the type of person which people seem to be generalising their sharers into, though personally I'm yet to find a generalisation which works very reliably for very long!

 

Like Black Prince their company name & boat names conveyed strength. Whether it has that connotation to you or whether you like it is a personal thing I guess, but like when they owned Black Prince the boat & company names certainly are memorable & notable, which was the intention I believe.

 

Dan

 

How come I hired the first challenger boat in 1990, then?

 

Is that what you call fairly recent?

It was called Norfolk, still in their fleet only now as a shared boat

Edited January 8, 2008 by JP01

[debbifiggy]

Unfortunately it is the Management Company that is going out of Business. The boats are owned by the people you see crewing them usually 1 twelveth each. They will be looking haggered as they will have to do all the arrangeing themselves now. There may be one or more multiples of 12 that have paid for a new boat and will not be getting it.

I heard today, not sure if it's true or not that the receivers were seizing the boats. Haven't read the rest of this thread yet so maybe there is more news. Note to self, must read faster .... All very sad whatever.

D

[Dan]

Ahh yes... my apolagies, you are right, I remember now...

 

they ran Norfolk as a one boat fleet from Evesham for a few years, she was built along the lines, but better of the old Black Prince Blue Ribbon Class, which was the flagship fleet in the '80's.

 

I think they set up the timeshare operation when the Evesham job was not working out for whatever reason, or when they wanted to move on anyway.

 

They were always business people, I think they spotted timeshare (in effect) was the new growing market, so I guess you could say they jumped on the bandwagon, but I also think they added to its success, as mentioned earlier.

 

My apolagies for forgetting Norfolk was indeed "The Rolls Royce" of canal hirecraft for a few years

 

Dan

[Timleech]

Like Black Prince their company name & boat names conveyed strength. Whether it has that connotation to you or whether you like it is a personal thing I guess, but like when they owned Black Prince the boat & company names certainly are memorable & notable, which was the intention I believe.

 

Dan

 

To me, they conveyed aggression, which is rather different.

 

Tim

[Gary Peacock]

I heard today, not sure if it's true or not that the receivers were seizing the boats. Haven't read the rest of this thread yet so maybe there is more news. Note to self, must read faster .... All very sad whatever.

D

 

If their is even a remote chance of creditors or receivers trying to get their hands on the boat my advice would be first move it or if not get some one living on it quick!

 

I used to be involved in the repo game and we worked on the possession is everything rule like everyone else does in that industry snatch everything and with a bit of look by the time legal proceedings catch up you're paid and long gone.

[Dan]

Indeed, we are all different - it is one of the ways you could interpret it I agree.

 

Interesting though that with their boat names many were quite in-offensive & of pleasant connotation - Blackbird, Buccaneer etc, but these are not the ones that stick in the mind. Admittedly the big Challenger panel at the rear overshadowed the boat name, and personally I didn't like it, though always find companies that are a bit different to be interesting all the same!

 

Dan

[Hairy-Neil]

How come I hired the first challenger boat in 1990, then?Is that what you call fairly recent?It was called Norfolk, still in their fleet only now as a shared boat

 

That is about how I remember it. I will go and dig out some old Waterways World mags of that period from the archive (read loft....) and hopefully confirm the situation....

 

My apolagies for forgetting Norfolk was indeed "The Rolls Royce" of canal hirecraft for a few years

 

Dan

 

Accepted.....

Edited January 8, 2008 by Hairy-Neil

[stort_mark]

I'm quite surprised at the venom aimed at the Challenger owners in some of the replies. Seems like mass stereotyping.

 

On our most recent trip - admittedly in 2004 - we found it was impossible to predict who would be friendly and who would be ...errr.... grumpy and arrogant. It's not about the boat, it's about the person.

[rallyfan]

I do, Each boat has a mini share of two weeks which is classsed as a 4 % share so I am afraid your guess would have been wrong for our boat.

Well, silly old me!!

[Chris Pink]

clicky

 

Farmers Bridge flight

 

 

Wooooooooooow

[carlt]

I'm quite surprised at the venom aimed at the Challenger owners in some of the replies. Seems like mass stereotyping.

 

On our most recent trip - admittedly in 2004 - we found it was impossible to predict who would be friendly and who would be ...errr.... grumpy and arrogant. It's not about the boat, it's about the person.

I hope you recognised my comments as tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, not aimed at challenger boaters.

[Stroudwater Boy]

I can confirm Challenger did not start as a hire business, though they did start Black Prince, built up from two to near on 150 craft and multiple bases in ten years before going into recievership in early '87.

 

I'm not sure the same happened to Evesham Marina whilst he was General Manager.

 

Rather than jumping on the bandwagon I think they accelerated & were influential in making Shared Ownership a big and apparently successful strategy. I look forward to hearing more facts on what actually led them into liquidation

 

Challenger did diversify into hire fairly recently, I wonder if this was actually one of the problem areas, which seems easier to imagine.

 

I found the style of the interiors generally a bit dated, and a bit of a set style. Whilst certainly not horrible perhaps they appealed most to the type of person which people seem to be generalising their sharers into, though personally I'm yet to find a generalisation which works very reliably for very long!

 

Like Black Prince their company name & boat names conveyed strength. Whether it has that connotation to you or whether you like it is a personal thing I guess, but like when they owned Black Prince the boat & company names certainly are memorable & notable, which was the intention I believe.

 

Dan

 

Evesham Marina went into liqudation, two of the directors had the surname Rimmer. I can be sure of this as I had a copy of the books whilst making a bid for the assets. It was a strange setup!