Boat at Mountsorrel

[RLWP]

Point of order. ApolloDuck says:

 

Location: L R Harris & Son, Syston, LE7 1NR Leicestershire UK

 

Does that mean they are selling it?

 

Richard

[alan_fincher]

Point of order. ApolloDuck says:

 

 

 

Does that mean they are selling it?

 

Richard

 

Contact Advertiser on Apollo Duck gives....

 

Advertiser: Mark Harris

Telephone: 0116 2692135 or 08456 123350

 

LR Harris Web-Site "Contact us" gives....

 

Telephone : 08456 123350 or 0116 2692135

 

So I'd say it certainly seems so.

[pete harrison]

Sorry Pete - Obviously missed that......

 

BCN origins would have been my thinking, possibly, but I really can't recall seeing anything very similar, unless quite a bit of modification has been done.

 

I'm sure there are many types of BCN boat that lack the typical large number of prominent joints, and guards that one gets used to, but with the poor detail in those photos, (and probably my crap eyesight!), it still looks to me more like a home brew boat that someone has done the minimum with to achieve a basic "narrow boat" shape.

 

But it says it's a riveted boat, so that seems unlikely. I suppose people like Harris Brothers were producing various weird and wonderful things in riveted style right into the 1960s, but this claims 80 years old.

 

The thing about iron B.C.N. day boats is that there is no standard, and hence they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes - and some from builders who few people have heard of. Clearly SCORPIO has been the subject of numerous modifications but as you say the quality of the photographs makes the detail difficult to see. I did initially think this was just another 'home brew' but the word "riveted" makes it a little more interesting. The E Bay advert does state that 80 years old is a guess and obviously it is impossible to say without further information.

[RLWP]

Contact Advertiser on Apollo Duck gives....

 

Advertiser: Mark Harris

Telephone: 0116 2692135 or 08456 123350

 

LR Harris Web-Site "Contact us" gives....

 

Telephone : 08456 123350 or 0116 2692135

 

So I'd say it certainly seems so.

 

OK, I'm convinced. Carry on...

 

Richard

[XAlan W]

The thing about iron B.C.N. day boats is that there is no standard, and hence they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes - and some from builders who few people have heard of. Clearly SCORPIO has been the subject of numerous modifications but as you say the quality of the photographs makes the detail difficult to see. I did initially think this was just another 'home brew' but the word "riveted" makes it a little more interesting. The E Bay advert does state that 80 years old is a guess and obviously it is impossible to say without further information.

 

Around about 1963 IIRC a guy started to build a riveted steel hull in a garden along side the cut just above Gallows Inn lock on the Erewash. I have no idea if he ever completed it as I didn`t pass that way for about another 12 months, & that time he was building a Ferro concrete hull, just a thought as the two locations are not to distant Again IIRC it had Joey/BCN Day boat style bows

[LRHarris]

Sorry Pete - Obviously missed that......

 

BCN origins would have been my thinking, possibly, but I really can't recall seeing anything very similar, unless quite a bit of modification has been done.

 

I'm sure there are many types of BCN boat that lack the typical large number of prominent joints, and guards that one gets used to, but with the poor detail in those photos, (and probably my crap eyesight!), it still looks to me more like a home brew boat that someone has done the minimum with to achieve a basic "narrow boat" shape.

 

But it says it's a riveted boat, so that seems unlikely. I suppose people like Harris Brothers were producing various weird and wonderful things in riveted style right into the 1960s, but this claims 80 years old.

 

 

Well they have a proper web presence, and claim a 40 year trading history as a family business.

 

http://www.lrharris.co.uk/index.html

 

Probably best not to make suggestions like that on an open forum unless you have something to back up such a claim ?

 

Sorry Pete - Obviously missed that......

 

BCN origins would have been my thinking, possibly, but I really can't recall seeing anything very similar, unless quite a bit of modification has been done.

 

I'm sure there are many types of BCN boat that lack the typical large number of prominent joints, and guards that one gets used to, but with the poor detail in those photos, (and probably my crap eyesight!), it still looks to me more like a home brew boat that someone has done the minimum with to achieve a basic "narrow boat" shape.

 

But it says it's a riveted boat, so that seems unlikely. I suppose people like Harris Brothers were producing various weird and wonderful things in riveted style right into the 1960s, but this claims 80 years old.

 

 

Well they have a proper web presence, and claim a 40 year trading history as a family business.

 

http://www.lrharris.co.uk/index.html

 

Probably best not to make suggestions like that on an open forum unless you have something to back up such a claim ?

We are indeed a business of over 40 years trading & wish to point out the vessel is being sold through brokerage( ie,on behalf of the owner),all information has been provided by the owner. Our advertisement is the Apollo Duck, the owner has since placed the vessel for sale through the eBay auction site.

The owner purchased the vessel last year with the intention of restoration as he had previously purchased & restored the vessel which lay alongside this one,which was a BCN vessel complete with plates.

[carlt]

We are indeed a business of over 40 years trading & wish to point out the vessel is being sold through brokerage( ie,on behalf of the owner),all information has been provided by the owner. Our advertisement is the Apollo Duck, the owner has since placed the vessel for sale through the eBay auction site.

The owner purchased the vessel last year with the intention of restoration as he had previously purchased & restored the vessel which lay alongside this one,which was a BCN vessel complete with plates.

Hi, welcome to the forum!

 

You don't have any other photos you could post, by any chance?

 

The boat is intriguing and I'd be very interested in seeing some clearer shots.

[LRHarris]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

 

You don't have any other photos you could post, by any chance?

 

The boat is intriguing and I'd be very interested in seeing some clearer shots.

i am away from the main pc at present but i may have more shots of the vessel,will post later if so.

[Josher]

The arm was empty when we went by in November. Thanks to Pickles2 for the photographs.

There was mention of a small marina to be built in Mountsorrel in the local rag a couple of weeks ago - I suspect that it is around here.

 

Planning documents Here.

 

Site plan shows boats 'removed'.

 

[maggie-y]

not only is the arm empty, it appears that the rear end of it has been filled in for car standing. We have been past a couple of times in the last couple of weeks and I am sure that it is shorter than it was before.

 

Maggie

[LRHarris]

Have uploaded some more pictures of the boat to 72' Narrowboat

Mark

[sociable_hermit]

Have uploaded some more pictures of the boat to 72' Narrowboat

Mark

Excellent - thanks.

 

Very interesting!

[RLWP]

Rivets!

 

 

Has there been planning permission to fill in that mooring? (Does there need to be?)

 

Richard

[Richard T]

Planning documents Here.

 

Site plan shows boats 'removed'.

 

 

Thanks for finding the application. The 'harbour' looks very tight for mooring the number of boas suggested. There are no pontoons shown so moorings will be end on to the bank. There are also no services shown e.g. taps power supplies etc. I wonder if this marina will get built? The application has only the minimum amount of documentation to meet the planners requirements - perhaps its time to e-mail the planners with a few comments. I'm surprised the IWA have not been more objective with their comments.

[alan_fincher]

Rivets!

 

Yes,

 

But it looks like it has been "Springer-ified", almost at the front.

 

Most mysterious - nicely butted plates, and neat almost flush rivets.

 

Not the more typical "one plate overlapping another" style that I always think of more common to BCN boats.

 

I'm still completely mystified what it started life as, but I'm sure those pictures will give far more clues to those who know a lot more about it than I could pretend to.

[sociable_hermit]

Most mysterious - nicely butted plates, and neat almost flush rivets.

Yeah, they don't look like welded-on washers at all, do they? What a swizz!

[alan_fincher]

Yeah, they don't look like welded-on washers at all, do they? What a swizz!

Although no expert, I'm already prepared to say it's not a Hudson!

 

(This will be the point that Pete Harrison pops up to say "actually a builder called Hudson did build boats in exactly that style on the BCN"...... )

[pete harrison]

Although no expert, I'm already prepared to say it's not a Hudson!

 

(This will be the point that Pete Harrison pops up to say "actually a builder called Hudson did build boats in exactly that style on the BCN"...... )

 

No, the more I see of this boat the more it puzzles me.

[alan_fincher]

No, the more I see of this boat the more it puzzles me.

If you ignore that extra raised "coaming" that has been added to the front deck, then I'd say front and back ends are near identical, pointing to a boat that probably could have operated either way.

 

There is possibly even evidence of the remnants of a removed rudder hanging on the front end, whereas the rear end appears to possibly have it intact, (or more intact) ?

 

Please excuse if that's wrong - I've not tried to blow up the images to compensate for the current state of my eyes.

 

How many Birmingham boats would have had plates butted neatly like that, do you think, Pete ? Other than that, it fit's the general "two ended" BCN boat pattern fairly well, I suppose ??

[pete harrison]

 

How many Birmingham boats would have had plates butted neatly like that, do you think, Pete ? Other than that, it fit's the general "two ended" BCN boat pattern fairly well, I suppose ??

 

I am afraid I can not place this type of boat all at present, and due to its construction I am doubting its possible B.C.N. credentials.

[LRHarris]

we are puzzled to know where the assumption has begun that this is infact a BCN vessel?

[RLWP]

we are puzzled to know where the assumption has begun that this is infact a BCN vessel?

 

Speculation somewhere around post #25

 

Also, rivetted, double ended hulls were common on the BCN, so it's a fair place to start speculating for an old hull

 

Richard

[sociable_hermit]

Ah, but what happened to the MTB link that also came up?

[David Mack]

But it says it's a riveted boat, so that seems unlikely. I suppose people like Harris Brothers were producing various weird and wonderful things in riveted style right into the 1960s, but this claims 80 years old.

 

 

Well they have a proper web presence, and claim a 40 year trading history as a family business.

 

http://www.lrharris.co.uk/index.html

 

Probably best not to make suggestions like that on an open forum unless you have something to back up such a claim ?

 

Different Harrises! The first is the boatbuilders at Bumblehole on the BCN who were building rivetted hulls until the 1960s including some built as pleasure boats, whereas the latter is a boatyard at Syston.

 

David

[carlt]

Ah, but what happened to the MTB link that also came up?

completely unrelated to your pictures , today I posted in history and heritage regarding a boat moored in mountsorrel in the 50's & 60's that I am trying to trace for the owners ( elderly ) daughter !

NB. Locksdriven owned by Charles & Rita Mason from Barrow Upon Soar . I would be gratefull for any informaton on this boat . According to the current Ms Mason the hull was made from an old torpedo boat.