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The Black Prince Owners Club...


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Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

Some good things did come out of the 70's

 

Have a search for some of his other stories, he was a very prolific a great Northern comedian.

 

I had all his stories on 8-track (what's that I hear you ask !!)

Ahhh, I know what an 8 track is.....I might never have owned one but I know of them!!! It was modern cassette players in my youth!!! And if your car automatically changed and played the other side of cassette.... woweeee ???

 

I'll definitely look out for more of his stuff though....

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Good afternoon, new member here. How are you all?

 

Also, another ex Black Prince owner - there’s a few of us around! In fact, my boat has featured on this thread already. At the start of May we became the proud new owners of Holly Blue. As you can see from the photos that were posted on the previous page, she is still in very original configuration and condition. That could all be changing soon though if I finally get around to the planned alterations and refurb. I’m still in the “thinking about it” stage at the moment!

 

Holly Blue has only had one owner since she came off fleet hire and any work that was done to her over the years was carried out by Black Prince themselves. She’s had a few extras added but is still fairly close to original internally. For now... 

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22 minutes ago, The G said:

Pictures are actually on page 4, not page 5, if anyone’s interested. Taken by previous owner when he reluctantly put her up for sale after 17 years. 

Interesting seeing the pics, my boaty still has the "gorgeous" ??? granny style plastic covered lights which I never use coz previous owner added the dinky round ceiling lights which I changed to led bulbs....it does look like someone had a ceiling light fetish in my boat ????.....there's 12 ceiling lights in the saloon and galley combined ?? but they all have their own individual switches so, thankfully I just use as I wish ...

I plan to remove the old ones......at some point ?

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5 minutes ago, The G said:

Yes, those original ceiling lights are horrendous! ? One of my first comments  at the time of viewing was “Well, they’ll have to go immediately”.

They’re all still there....?

 

My thoughts exactly when I saw them...and they still there 5yrs later Pmsl..... not on my priority for day to day living etc lol.... but their days are numbered hahahaha!!! And the one in my bathroom or rather "heads" one has a nice yellow sheen to the cover!!! 

I just use the wee round ones.....Pooh my vents look lovely and clean....only coz I decided finally I best get all the cobwebs out.... trouble is now I can actually feel the breeze and hear traffic where I'm currently moored....???

IMG_20191208_141812559.jpg

Edited by Suzi
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Sounds just like mine! ?

The last owner left me about 30 spare bulbs/tubes for the ceiling lights. I’m really hoping that the lights have gone in the skip LONG before I need to buy any more!

 

I keep staring  at the lights again now that you’ve mentioned them. I can feel my blood pressure rising by the minute. Thanks for that! ??

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20 minutes ago, Suzi said:

My thoughts exactly when I saw them...and they still there 5yrs later Pmsl..... not on my priority for day to day living etc lol.... but their days are numbered hahahaha!!! And the one in my bathroom or rather "heads" one has a nice yellow sheen to the cover!!! 

I just use the wee round ones.....Pooh my vents look lovely and clean....only coz I decided finally I best get all the cobwebs out.... trouble is now I can actually feel the breeze and hear traffic where I'm currently moored....???

IMG_20191208_141812559.jpg

A yes - the bus lights ? Still use mine since the ceiling has discoloured under them, I can't replace them unless with something a similar size and shape or larger. In other words more bus lights!  So not really worth it

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Just now, BlueStringPudding said:

A yes - the bus lights ? Still use mine since the ceiling has discoloured under them, I can't replace them unless with something a similar size and shape or larger. In other words more bus lights!  So not really worth it

That's exact same convo I had with me fella.....what do we put there instead...but....a mate on a boat gave me a white sponge called a "magic sponge" and it cleaned up my ceiling like nothing else did.....just add water and wipe....she got it cheap from somewhere nit the expensive version......so I'm hoping that might do it!! As the hole fir electric etc apparently only small compared to the bug beautiful "bus light" !

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8 minutes ago, BlueStringPudding said:

A yes - the bus lights ? Still use mine since the ceiling has discoloured under them, I can't replace them unless with something a similar size and shape or larger. In other words more bus lights!  So not really worth it

Y can replace them with LED ones a similar shape and not toooooo much money. My motorhome had those fitted and I ahve recently replaced with led types that covered the ole or very nearly ?

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"magic sponges" ?? one used, but still more use to go and one new.....gawd it's like woman's weekly ?? but fir anyone interested (and I know I'm pushing it here ??) they are amazing and cleaned my ceiling easy.....which nothing else had....

Ok....end of cleaning..... arrrggghhhhhh and I mean my comments only about cleaning being like "women's weekly" !!coz I think cleaning is a very evil necessity ???

IMG_20191208_145139878.jpg

Edited by Suzi
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1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Y can replace them with LED ones a similar shape and not toooooo much money. My motorhome had those fitted and I ahve recently replaced with led types that covered the ole or very nearly ?

There's one larger hole for the electrics. Two holes for the screws at either end of the light fitting. And a big rectangular grey discoloration to the ?melamine ceiling under every light. I've tried various substances to clean it off and it is not on the surface - it's discoloration of the actual ceiling material after twenty-something years of daylight exposure outside of the fitting and I don't-know-what beneath the fitting. And there's ten of these lights.

It's really not worth my time, energy or money trying to replace the bus lights with other strip lights.

 

Edited by BlueStringPudding
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1 hour ago, Suzi said:

"magic sponges" ?? one used, but still more use to go and one new.....gawd it's like woman's weekly ?? but fir anyone interested (and I know I'm pushing it here ??) they are amazing and cleaned my ceiling easy.....which nothing else had....

Ok....end of cleaning..... arrrggghhhhhh and I mean my comments only about cleaning being like "women's weekly" !!coz I think cleaning is a very evil necessity ???

IMG_20191208_145139878.jpg

Do you reckon the newly cleaned ceiling now matches the colour of the ceiling under the old light fittings? Or is the ‘exposed’ area of ceiling panel permanently discoloured, like what BSP describes? Would be handy if it could be cleaned to match what’s under the fittings, but I suspect I can’t?

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19 minutes ago, The G said:

Do you reckon the newly cleaned ceiling now matches the colour of the ceiling under the old light fittings? Or is the ‘exposed’ area of ceiling panel permanently discoloured, like what BSP describes? Would be handy if it could be cleaned to match what’s under the fittings, but I suspect I can’t?

I was only writing about the "magic sponges" coz I thought my ceiling looked so clean and no way am I a clean freak at all!!  I haven't taken these old "granny" lights off yet but I did notice that the sponge cleaned all the crappy off one of em.....but.....I have no idea if an area of 20+ years weather and alsorts stained under the lights can be cleaned away......I gave the same problemo as my boats 20+ yrs old......it was just an information on what I had found amazing to clean my ceiling after all else failed

 

I guess maybe unscrew one....try to clean ...if all else fails just screw back up again .....?? I've yet to unscrew and try .....but I might just go it tnrw and seeee ??

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I'm gonna try be creative and think of a way of hiding/disguising the granny light bits with something else I can put in the ceiling....even stickers over the screw holes of some pretty sort??!!  But that's just me!! I gonna check it tnrw and fingers crossed it's doable ???......done one and yes the sponge did get rid of the marks (whoop whoop) but it wasn't that bad underneath.....irs the big hole that I'm assuming had original cables which will need most creative cover up or new use ?.....bathroom one is worst....that'll be the real test....

IMG_20191208_180722415.jpg

IMG_20191208_180947508.jpg

Edited by Suzi
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That looks pretty good actually!

Question though: Your ceiling panels look smooth in those photos. Is that just my eyes, your camera or are they really? 

Mine are more textured with a kinda crossweave pattern. Not very cleaning friendly, by the look of ‘em! Not that I’ve tried  ?

Edited by The G
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11 hours ago, The G said:

That looks pretty good actually!

Question though: Your ceiling panels look smooth in those photos. Is that just my eyes, your camera or are they really? 

Mine are more textured with a kinda crossweave pattern. Not very cleaning friendly, by the look of ‘em! Not that I’ve tried  ?

Yeah I wasn't sure if it would clean it, the bathroom ceiling looks a bit like 20 rollies a day (maybe not that bad ?) so that'll be the test.....but honestly thus sponge thing has made my ceiling white again, after trying every other product or trick.....so I think it's worth a go as not expensive and one does massive area, just need water, no residue or rinse....it's weird!! Probably kryptonite ??....and I don't work fir em honest ??

 

My ceiling's flat yes ? so maybe give it a go on a patch and see?  Is yours wood then?  Could repaint maybe? If the mood takes you.....or just don't look at the ceiling easiest.....I still gotta find "things" to fill 6 if i take em down.........I'll await inspiration ? pmsl

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  • 2 months later...

Decided to rip the old ceiling down and start again with new panels and LED fittings. Hopefully easier than messing around with cleaning and covering holes etc. Could be an opportunity to get some better insulation up there too. I’ve got a pallet of Celotex/Kingspan boards which I’ll see if I can use. Depends on whether I can get them to fit the curve of the roof or not. Already stripped out 2nd bathroom and knocked through from one bedroom. Big bedroom now! ?

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  • 4 months later...

It was sad to find that the original Black Prince Owners' Club web site is no more and that the wayback archive version is incomplete. I had contributed some photos of the original Black Prince  livery (black and red) taken in 1977 which did not make it. As I have been unable to find any other photos of the original livery on the web, I thought it might be of interest to post them here. I was in fact a member of a party of 14 who, in 1976, hired the entire original fleet of two boats (Nelson and Rodney) from the original Cosgrove base. Because my still camera was broken, I only recorded that trip (to Fenny Compton) in 8mm cine. Due to the closure of Blisworth tunnel, the 1977 trip (to north of Leicester) was from a temporary base at Braunston. In 1977 he had expanded to four boats, so that year we only hired half the fleet!   I don't recall the name of the second boat, but it wasn't Rodney.

 

For the 1976 trip, the owner suggested that we might like to try lashing both boats together side by side when locking through the 14' locks. We only did so at the Braunston locks (with only one boat under power), and it certainly speeded up lock entry and departure. Conditions of hire prohibit such an activity these days. 

1977 Nelson at Braunston.jpg

1977 Nnlson at Foxton.jpg

1977 GU Near Welford arm.jpg

Edited by Ronaldo47
Typo
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  • 1 year later...

New to this site, as was googling BP. I worked part time at Whixall in the early / mid 80s at the weekends when I was at school and then a couple of summers when home from Uni. Back then a guy called Arthur Rudland ran the base, other names I recall were Adam ?, Pauline Stokes. My parents used to help move the boats from the moorings to the turnaround moorings for pump out, diesel, gas etc etc. I did a few boat moves too as "free holidays" as Arthur used to call them. Some boat names that I recall included Calder, Harpoon (that was a new boat the year I started working there, my parents had it on hire for a weeks holiday), Red Star, Wellington, Nelson, Baldiwn, Walpole, Gladstone, Hamilton Saracen, Trident, and Tempest. Latter lived up to its name as I recall, it was over-propped and was a bit of a handful. My Dad managed to crash it into the front landing one Saturday morning as it was so quick. Some of those boats were absolute sheds, and I felt sorry for some of the hirers. I'm presuming that BP have different owners, back then it was owned by an American guy called Ed, who remember had a black TransAm, I remember having a ride in it once. I've just spent a week doing the 4 counties with my wife who is a total novice, so she's pleased and I'm impressed how well she coped, there is a reason why Heartbreak Hill is named just that. Back to BP, I'd be interested if any other members are familiar with the company from that era, the boats were painted a very garish blue and yellow!

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