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Hi,

I have seen a boat advertised that perhaps needs further investigation, I was planning to go along and have a look but have no knowledge of the builder listed as M&N Narrowboats.

Whilst it is possible to see examples of this builders shells on Apollo Duck some appear to have a very strange stem arrangement, and others do not.

I wondered if anyone was prepared to give an opinion as to where this builder used to fit into the market, perhaps a 1 out of 10 rating, 1 being Springer (no offence intended to Springer owners) 10 being Colecraft. (I know Colecraft are not the top of the market, just used the two builders as a bench mark for this question)

The shell (trad type, flat bottom 10-6-4) appears to have a reasonable shape but the photos are taken at some odd angles and miss out the stem detail and side views.

Thanks

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M&N were boat fitters rather than builders. IIRC they used hulls from one of the shell builders on the same trading estate at Ollerton in Nottinghamshire, either R&D Fabrications or Dave Clark boats. The lineage of the company descended from Hancock & Lane via R&D. Colecraft's founders were also staff at Hancock & Lane so there are many similarities in the hull designs and working practices.

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I believe the company was operated by a pair of people in the mid 1990s. They made boats in various styles depending on customer I guess.

 

My boat is an M&N boat but a trad back with a rear mounted modern engine. I also saw details when we were looking that was also a trad back but with a mid Kingfisher engine.

 

I of course like my boat and it seems well made and nicely fitted out although probably considered basic afacilities against modern boats. The survey we had done showed the hull to be in good condition with a maximum pitting of 0.3mm at one point (hull built in 1995) the surveryer commented that the quality of the base steel was very good.

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M&N were boat fitters rather than builders. IIRC they used hulls from one of the shell builders on the same trading estate at Ollerton in Nottinghamshire, either R&D Fabrications or Dave Clark boats. The lineage of the company descended from Hancock & Lane via R&D. Colecraft's founders were also staff at Hancock & Lane so there are many similarities in the hull designs and working practices.

Were some of the hulls they used from a company called Spirecraft? Not sure but I seem to recall seeing the name associated with M&N. I don't know who built my hull.

Edited by churchward
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I believe the company was operated by a pair of people in the mid 1990s. They made boats in various styles depending on customer I guess.

 

My boat is an M&N boat but a trad back with a rear mounted modern engine. I also saw details when we were looking that was also a trad back but with a mid Kingfisher engine.

 

I of course like my boat and it seems well made and nicely fitted out although probably considered basic afacilities against modern boats. The survey we had done showed the hull to be in good condition with a maximum pitting of 0.3mm at one point (hull built in 1995) the surveryer commented that the quality of the base steel was very good.

 

The boat I am interested in is from 1997 and a trad back with a beta engine, Alvechurch are currently selling one with a kingfisher mid engine.

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as promised

 

M & M narrowboats we operating in 1992 as M & N Narrowboats "builders of Spirecraft"

 

so it would appear that all 3 were the same company as all are listed at various times as operating from unit 52

 

I remember going there when I was looking for a builder for my Woolwich replica. the work looked ok but I didn't think they were good enough to take on the project and eventually used a recommended builder in Northants

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The boat I am interested in is from 1997 and a trad back with a beta engine, Alvechurch are currently selling one with a kingfisher mid engine.

The mid engined one I was thinking of was advertised at Alverchurch but that was over a year ago. It was called "Monty" and a 50 footer like ours. That was over a year ago and I recall the boat selling but I see that a google search can still find the sales .pdf on it. The Alverchurch site itself does not list it for sale now.

 

Our boat also has a Beta/Kubota engine a BV1505 (much the same a the B38 as they now call it) and is a 50 footer too. It's a conventional layout with maximised space at the front as the living area. The stem on ours is not unusual looking the fore end is relatively slender and slightly up-turned with plain cants. Although up-turned as I say it could not be described as a josher look alike in any way just a slight sweep to it.

 

I have only seen 3 M&N boats (or pictures of) including our own. One of the things these 3 had in common was the basic shape and a metal cratch with a port hole in it. The fronts were also all metal including doors (one of the things that attracted me to the boat) with again port holes each side of the central doors.

Edited by churchward
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  • 2 weeks later...
The mid engined one I was thinking of was advertised at Alverchurch but that was over a year ago. It was called "Monty" and a 50 footer like ours. That was over a year ago and I recall the boat selling but I see that a google search can still find the sales .pdf on it. The Alverchurch site itself does not list it for sale now.

 

Our boat also has a Beta/Kubota engine a BV1505 (much the same a the B38 as they now call it) and is a 50 footer too. It's a conventional layout with maximised space at the front as the living area. The stem on ours is not unusual looking the fore end is relatively slender and slightly up-turned with plain cants. Although up-turned as I say it could not be described as a josher look alike in any way just a slight sweep to it.

 

I have only seen 3 M&N boats (or pictures of) including our own. One of the things these 3 had in common was the basic shape and a metal cratch with a port hole in it. The fronts were also all metal including doors (one of the things that attracted me to the boat) with again port holes each side of the central doors.

Hi,i bought a 39' cruiser stern last november...had a rear boatmans cabin..bedhole ect..sweet inside..skumbled..beta engine.but i don,t know the steel spec...i love it.Malcolm

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