Nurser's Hazel for sale

[hughc]

As Daniel said we raised Hazel when she was lying sunk at Mills boatyard at Trent Lock. The boat was obviously too good to leave to the dredger which was its next step. We paid the then owner £500, towed her to Langley Mill and did some caulking and blacking and sold her on for IIRC £800. The fore end had been rebuilt by John Woolley some time before and the hull was in generally good condition although the cabin leaked like a sieve. the original engine we left at the yard as it was lying in pieces on the ground and the plan was to return the boat to its original condition sans conversion and run it on the camping.We subsequently concentrated on Meteor and so Hazel was sold as a good hull and a suspect cabin which looking at the recent photograph she still appears to have. I do remember that the stern post had been cruelly hacked about to fit the stern gear and as Dan said the helm had gone walkies. £800 to £25,000 in fifteen years. Does that beat inflation? Regards, HughC.

[Josher]

£800 to £25,000 in fifteen years. Does that beat inflation? Regards, HughC.

Just a bit!

 

£800 in 1995 is worth £1,168 today!

Edited November 19, 2010 by Josher

[stagedamager]

Bargain, i'll take two!

[stagedamager]

Perusing the duck, I see the price has dropped to 20 grand, so it's heading the right way! Give it 12 months I might be able to afford her!!!!

[alan_fincher]

Perusing the duck, I see the price has dropped to 20 grand, so it's heading the right way! Give it 12 months I might be able to afford her!!!!

Says £25K here ?

 

Ducky linky

[stagedamager]

think it must have been relisted:

 

Ducky Link

 

Guess they're running two adverts, could be confusing!!!!

 

Regards

Dan

[David Schweizer]

As Daniel said we raised Hazel when she was lying sunk at Mills boatyard at Trent Lock. The boat was obviously too good to leave to the dredger which was its next step. We paid the then owner £500, towed her to Langley Mill and did some caulking and blacking and sold her on for IIRC £800. The fore end had been rebuilt by John Woolley some time before and the hull was in generally good condition although the cabin leaked like a sieve. the original engine we left at the yard as it was lying in pieces on the ground and the plan was to return the boat to its original condition sans conversion and run it on the camping.We subsequently concentrated on Meteor and so Hazel was sold as a good hull and a suspect cabin which looking at the recent photograph she still appears to have. I do remember that the stern post had been cruelly hacked about to fit the stern gear and as Dan said the helm had gone walkies. £800 to £25,000 in fifteen years. Does that beat inflation? Regards, HughC.

Thanks for that Hugh, I was just thinking that Hazel could well have been the boat that I helped work on at Iver Boatyard in 1971. If it is, then John Wooley had re-bottomed her,and as I can also remember helping to bend planks in a steam box, pressume that he re-built the front end at the same time. Whether he also fitted the stern tube, and put the superstructure frame work on I do not know, but the owner died before the job was finished.

 

I enquired about buying her as I was going to College in September of that year and fancied the idea of living on her whilst studying in Birmingham. The Estate Excecutors wanted £700 which is what I believe was owed to John for the work, that was far too much and I did not proceed. About six months later, after I had started my studies, I got a letter form the Solicitors offering me the boat for £70, which was a good deal , but I had already payed my accomodation costs and could not proceed.

 

If it was Hazel, was it John who ended owning her, finishing her and putting her into his growing fleet of hire boats? I an sure Pete Harrison will know exactly what happened, but if it was Hazel, I am glad to see that she is still around

Edited February 15, 2011 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

think it must have been relisted:

 

Ducky Link

 

Guess they're running two adverts, could be confusing!!!!

 

Regards

Dan

Don't know what happened to the post I thought I just made!.....

 

OK, accepted!.....

 

As you say, confusing.

 

Anyone with something approaching £20K in their wallet, these recent photos may help you decide if it's worth taking the trip to take a look at Hazel.......

 

 

 

Thanks for that Hugh, I was just thinking that Hazel could well have been the boat that I helped work on at Iver Boatyard in 1971. If it is, then John Wooley had re-bottopmed her, fitted the stern tube, and put the superstructure frame work on for the owner who died before the job was finished.

 

I enquired about buying her as I was going to College in September of that year and fancied the idea of living on her whilst studying in Birmingham. The Estate Excecutors wanted £700 which is what was owed to John for the work, that was far too much and I did not proceed. About six months later, after I had started my studies, I got a letter form the Solicitors offering me the boat for £70, which was a good deal , but I had already payed my accomodation costs and could not proceed.

 

If it was Hazel, I guess that John ended owning her, finishing her and putting her into his growing fleet of hire boats. I an sure Pete Harrison will know exactly what happened, but if it was hazel, I am glad to see that she is still around

David,

 

In 1971 this particular hazel was in good condition, but part of the Wyvern hire fleet, and owned by Major Griffin.

 

If you are right about the year, it can't be this boat.

 

Here's the Wyvern brochure page from about that date.....

 

 

EDITED TO ADD:

 

First time I've put 1970s picture against 2010 picture.

 

It hasn't now really got the Nurser bow it had back then, has it ?

Edited February 15, 2011 by alan_fincher

[stagedamager]

You could say that but it is however a nice bow (shape)!!! I'd lose the cabin straight away and probably deconvert her back to being a butty. I know that she has been like that for longer but I like the idea of a Nursers butty, and she'd tow beautifully!!!

[David Schweizer]

Alan, Definitely 1971, which is the year I started my Studies in Birmingham. So it was not Hazel that I helped work on then, but someone out there might know.

[sociable_hermit]

There is a "Hazel" in Manchester, a Salt Union boat. That's not the one you're thinking of, is it?

Edited February 16, 2011 by sociable_hermit

[David Schweizer]

There is a "Hazel" in Manchester, a Salt Union boat. That's not the one you're thinking of, is it?

No. It is the other way round, it was definitely a Nurser butty, but I am not certein of the name. I thought it was Hazel but it must have been something else.

[Derek R.]

You'd know the other HAZEL, a Runcorn woodenheader. Five planker I believe. Similarly converted and owned by a couple around the early mid eighties who were based in West London. Always looked smart back then. Been looking for a picture from then, but can only find a distant shot.

[Speedwheel]

You'd know the other HAZEL, a Runcorn woodenheader. Five planker I believe. Similarly converted and owned by a couple around the early mid eighties who were based in West London. Always looked smart back then. Been looking for a picture from then, but can only find a distant shot.

 

This is the best one I could find. There are some better ones but I need to go rummaging through the slides.

[carlt]

Pictures of Hazel (the wooden header) can be found on the WCBS site:

WCBS

Edited February 16, 2011 by carlt

[Paul H]

No. It is the other way round, it was definitely a Nurser butty, but I am not certein of the name. I thought it was Hazel but it must have been something else.

 

Hi David,

 

Could it have been Mary or Grace both of which were around Uxbridge/Iver at the time?

 

Paul

[David Schweizer]

Hi David,

 

Could it have been Mary or Grace both of which were around Uxbridge/Iver at the time?

 

Paul

If one of those was owned by Mike Day, then it was probably the other one that I worked on. Mike bought an ex Barlows butty in 1971. I drove to Braunston to look at it with him, it took us about an hour to find it amongst the dozens of half sunken boats just lying there.

 

The butty was towed back to Uxbridge during that winter by by Mike, Dennis Papworth and John Wooley using Pisces. I cannot remember the butty's name, but Grace seems familiar.

[Lady Muck]

Just came past Tooleys in Banbury today - Hazel is in the drydock there, hull chalked up and they are starting work on her.

 

Will be interesting to see what the new owner does with her.

[Laurence Hogg]

She was in Gas St in the 1970's but I saw her previously rubbed down on the GU when we were Hotel boating I think in 1972/3

 

[MtB]

Just came past Tooleys in Banbury today - Hazel is in the drydock there, hull chalked up and they are starting work on her.

 

Will be interesting to see what the new owner does with her.

 

 

And I saw Hazel today travelling south on the Oxford near Enslow Wharf...

 

Hull looked quite smart having been freshly blacked, but I suspect not a lot more than blacking was done at Tooleys as a large metal patch was still clearly tacked onto the starboard side of the hull just below gunnel level, perhaps 4ft long x 10" high under the new blacking. Cabin looked generally the same as the pics alreay posted.

 

Mike

[stagedamager]

Ice plating?

[Maffi]

Just came past Tooleys in Banbury today - Hazel is in the drydock there, hull chalked up and they are starting work on her.

 

Will be interesting to see what the new owner does with her.

 

I can answer that she was last seen doing speed trials yesterday morning past my boat. F***ing hooligan!

Edited July 22, 2011 by Maffi

[MtB]

Ice plating?

 

24" above the waterline? Don't think so!

[stagedamager]

fair enough, see your point, and didn't read your post properly!!!!!!

Any photos?

Dan

[MtB]

fair enough, see your point, and didn't read your post properly!!!!!!

Any photos?

Dan

 

Sorry no photos. They were going too fast.