Middlewich Narrowboats

[Midnight Rider]

Modge said similar in post No. 62... Clicky

 

I believe the problem was to do with the cooker failing to light or going out/resetting if the voltage dropped below a certain figure. Do you run a large bank of leisure batteries? The hire fleet don't.

Yes, you could be right. Our boat was built knowing what electric power would be required & has five leisure batteries.

[Richard T]

First of all congratulations on buying a very well known canal business.

Many of the boats were loeved by hirers. My first hire was some 36 years ago when we took Larch ( the old boat not the current one) to Llangollen and back. Subsequently we hired from Middlewich on numerous occasions whilst Chris Cliffe was running the business, at the time he sold it we bought a share of a boat and our hiring days came to an end.

What we have noticed over the past few years is that the boats wether old or new look tired and unloved. The livery has changed - the boats used to have good sign writing see image

which was always well maintained and touched up at turn round.

The standard of information given to hirers has also dropped - Chris always made sure that even experienced hirers were reminded of how to handle a boat - a couple of years ago we came across hirers trying to stop Larch (the Steve Hudson boat) using a rope,when questioned they had not been told about reverse!! And the mooring rope was old and knotted.

Remember that some hirers do want traditional style boats and are prepared to forego some luxury to get the style of boat they want. There is also a market for basic boats both large and small. The large boats are good for schools youth groups, scouts etc to book for trips and the kids on these trips are the hirers of the future.

We still look for ex Middlewich boats as we travel the canals - we spotted Rowan near Oxford earlier in the year.

Mention was made of Braidbars - Giffnock ealier in the topic - give me a well maintained Middlewich boat any day the design faults on Giffnock are too numerous to mention.

There is a lot to do to to put Middlewich Narrowboats back on an even keel, but don't change the name.

Good luck Richard T and family.

PS if Willow is ever going to be sold let me know - it remains the best boat of many that we have ever handled - built by Roger Faringdon at Ivybridge.

[Jim]

 

 

 

I have just bought a great name in the narrowboat hire industry

 

MIDDLEWICH NARROWBOATS....

 

 

....Have you hired from us? What can you tell me about our reputation? Would you hire again, why?

 

Any other advice gratefully received. There is a lot to do at Middlewich Narrowboats for next season to make sure that our hirers have a great time, It will be done. Thank you all for your help

 

Greg

 

Gosh, It's so long since I first hired a boat from here that I still think of "Middlewich Narrowboats" as the NEW name - it was "Willow Wren Kearns" then, and even the "Kearns" was new!

Having now got my own boat it's ten years since I last a boat hired from Middlewich ("Willow") and I'd agree with the other comments about basic boats, poorly presented.

There is definitely a market for traditional boats but the current fleet looks tatty and run down. A coat of paint all round and some trad signwriting would work wonders.

Good luck in your new venture.

Jim

 

 

 

[pinkoi]

We still look for ex Middlewich boats as we travel the canals - we spotted Rowan near Oxford earlier in the year.

 

*waves* :-)

[dor]

Richard T:

 

You might be interested to know that the boat you pictured, Oak, is still around. Rumoured to be the last wooden-topped hire boat, it was sold by MN a few years ago. It has sunk a couple of times, but has now been stripped out and being worked on. The exterior ply panels are suffering, having rotted at the bottom, but the owner is slowly repairing them. He's put a new sheet on the roof so at least it is not leaking much now!

 

It is currently moored on the Shroppie near Nantwich.

[Richard Fairhurst]

I remember hiring Sycamore in the mid-90s. We turned up at the appointed time on Saturday to find that the boat didn't have an engine in it...

[Nightwatch]

So you had a butty, until they put the engine back?

 

Martyn

[Laurie Booth]

So you had a butty, until they put the engine back?

 

Martyn

A chip butty from Booth's Lane

[Nightwatch]

Probably! And a cuppa.

[Guest]

First impressions were mentioned earlier - I remember as we passed through Middlewich last August we moored up and I walked to the shops.

 

The approach to the base needs a smarten up and a lick of paint too-

 

This is what it looke like on Street view -

 

May have improved but it looked just like this when we visited.

 

[Richard Fairhurst]

A chip butty from Booth's Lane

I think it was a pint. Or two. Or three...

[daveyboi2050]

We hired Rowan in Nov 2010. It was a last min booking for a week as i wonted to see wot it was like on the canals out of season. Now on the website it has that rowan is a luxury boat from the premier range. Personally i would say it was pretty basic.

When we arrived at the base Rowan was waiting for us. To be fair it was looking a little tired but i put it down to the fact its prob just had a hard season. THe boat was pretty clean in side. But as i said it was far from "premier". we set of doing short crusing days up onto the Llangollen. We even booked 3 extra days onboard. so we spent 10 days crusing up to Chirk and back. It was last winter right before the "big Frezze" but Rowan played faultless. starting every morning.

We even had the Central heating on flatout for 10 solid days too.

 

as people have already mentioned that stupid deseil cooker. that just turned into a nightmare, we ended up eating out most nights due to it being so hard to use.

but as ive said my actually thoughts of the trip were pretty good. and if i didnt get my own boat this year i would have hired again!

 

 

Then at the end of this August i was crusing along the middlewich branch towards Barbridge. At Wardle lock we ended up behind

Lilac throwing black smoke out. it had 2 older couples on it. and you could tell as they had only just picked it up there werent happy with the condition of the boat. As there were about to leave the lock the boat packed up. so we bow hauled it on to the moorings and the crew contacted M.N we then made our way and left them too it. Next day We retraced our Steps back along the branch towards Middlewich. When we were at the lock by Ventien Marine i saw Lilac moored up on the moorings with the couple unloading all of there stuff. while we were waiting to lock down. I went and spoke to the crew and they said the engineer got them going from Wardle lock and on there way they then broke down again by Aquaduct Marina. and then again by the lock so they had broken down 3 times within 24 hours. He said they had had enough and just wonted to go home. Not sure as to weather they were offered a refund or not.

[pinkoi]

I remember hiring Sycamore in the mid-90s. We turned up at the appointed time on Saturday to find that the boat didn't have an engine in it...

 

Sycamore lives just north of Cropredy now (the wooden top one) If I recall correctly (seen it there 2 years in a row). I had my photo taken next to it on hols this year as she is our boat's sister :-)

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

Hired Holly many many years ago to see if we wanted a Trad boat Being smoked from the noisy 3cld air cooled lister and the boatmans stove persuaded me to go full width and a multi pot water cooled. Having said that 15 years on I now have a Holly clone, A Colcraft shell with a Lister FR 2 pot. After 5 years funds say she must go unfortunately. 25 years boating with three boats sad to see go.

[Darren72]

The boat Rowan looks very nice and so do others. We are still waiting for our refund from Sarah for the cancelled trip booked for June 2012. We bought our first boat a year early end of September.

 

Good luck,hope the business goes well. Obviously you have Andersens to compete with.

[Tim Lewis]

Richard T:

 

You might be interested to know that the boat you pictured, Oak, is still around. Rumoured to be the last wooden-topped hire boat, it was sold by MN a few years ago. It has sunk a couple of times, but has now been stripped out and being worked on. The exterior ply panels are suffering, having rotted at the bottom, but the owner is slowly repairing them. He's put a new sheet on the roof so at least it is not leaking much now!

 

It is currently moored on the Shroppie near Nantwich.

 

We hired from MN a few times in the early eighties because they were one of only a few hire companies that hired out 10/12 berth boats which made for dirt cheap boating for our large groups on what were basically floating pub crawls :-). We hied Oak a number of times, I attach a picture of us at Thrulwood Lock:

 

 

Tim

 

 

Edited to add that the photo was taken in October 1985

Edited December 5, 2011 by Tim Lewis

[Guest]

Seen that monstrosity somewhere before on here- (The old lock not the boat)

[Timleech]

Seen that monstrosity somewhere before on here- (The old lock not the boat)

 

How many of the Old Farts on here have been through it with a boat?

 

Tim

[Janet S]

Chugalong Hire Company?

 

Wouldn't trust a name like that with the proverbial bargepole...I do hope you're going to find something better!

 

Janet

[Richard T]

*waves* :-)

Took pictures and kicked the side of the boat but you were not at home.

 

Richard T:

 

You might be interested to know that the boat you pictured, Oak, is still around. Rumoured to be the last wooden-topped hire boat, it was sold by MN a few years ago. It has sunk a couple of times, but has now been stripped out and being worked on. The exterior ply panels are suffering, having rotted at the bottom, but the owner is slowly repairing them. He's put a new sheet on the roof so at least it is not leaking much now!

 

It is currently moored on the Shroppie near Nantwich.

I think that you are right about being the last wooden top hire boat. It was certainly the last in the Middlewich fleet, the others having been retired in previous years> I think the other long serving ones were all 70ft long - Beech and Sycamore. Memories of taking Beech through Harecastle which was not easy as she was (stiil is?) a very tall boat. Good job they fitted 'bull bars' to the wooden tops to prevent front corner damage. I understand that some were built by Pinder and some by Hancock and Lane.

 

There are photos of other wooden tops in my gallery heres another couple

Edited December 5, 2011 by Richard T

[Timleech]

Took pictures and kicked the side of the boat but you were not at home.

 

 

I think that you are right about being the last wooden top hire boat. It was certainly the last in the Middlewich fleet, the others having been retired in previous years> I think the other long serving ones were all 70ft long - Beech and Sycamore. Memories of taking Beech through Harecastle which was not easy as she was (stiil is?) a very tall boat. Good job they fitted 'bull bars' to the wooden tops to prevent front corner damage. I understand that some were built by Pinder and some by Hancock and Lane.

 

'Loony Bars' as they were known in the trade

 

Tim

[PhilR]

How many of the Old Farts on here have been through it with a boat?

 

Tim

 

I went through the steel lock a few times in the 60's. It was usually a time consuming experience ....... apart from one occasion when the safety interlock mechanism wasn't working properly .

 

It was usually quicker to use the old lock on the towpath side, even though the top gate was leaning back at an alarming angle and a real pig to open............. happy days!!

[Rob@BSSOffice]

... there’s a good interest in cheaper boats to hire so long as they’re clean, tidy, reliable...

 

... and safe. The turn round inspections are the lynch pin in our experience.

 

You may also wish to read or re-read the MAIB report of the Breakaway V and because the boats have solid fuel stoves, the Lindy Lou report for additional assurance.

 

HTH (a very good thread BTW)

[Hairy-Neil]

... and safe. The turn round inspections are the lynch pin in our experience.

 

The last time we hired 'Maple' I found the stern gland was leaking (a trickle) on the first night, perhaps an hour after we left the base. I borrowed a spanner from another boater but found the threads were stripped on one of the studs. We were stunned that something as fundamental as this could be neglected at turnaround....

 

The change of management at Midlewich can only be a good thing.

[Athy]

I see that Chuggy has not posted here lately; perhaps he is too busy repainting his new fleet and running up new curtains for them!