Iron Narrowboats

[merline]

1 hour ago, Dog said:

1850 Canal Boat Bantock - Cheshire | Boatshop24 UK

I think the whereabouts of Equus is well known on here and has been discussed in another thread, Historic narrowboats for sale online 

[Dog]

4 hours ago, merline said:

I think the whereabouts of Equus is well known on here and has been discussed in another thread, Historic narrowboats for sale online 

Ah, thank you. 

I saw the advert, fell in love with her, and did some research which ended up here...

[merline]

19 hours ago, Dog said:

Ah, thank you. 

I saw the advert, fell in love with her, and did some research which ended up here...

Are you considering viewing her? It would be interesting to know how you get on with CBS!

Meanwhile, have you seen this one on Apollo duck?

https://www.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/bantock-bros-50-traditional-for-sale/727136

[Dog]

4 hours ago, merline said:

Are you considering viewing her? It would be interesting to know how you get on with CBS!

Meanwhile, have you seen this one on Apollo duck?

https://www.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/bantock-bros-50-traditional-for-sale/727136

Yes, I was very serious about viewing her, there is absolutely nothing that I don't like about her. Pretty much my dream boat, in fact.

However, having now learnt that it is common knowledge she is where she is, and for sale, I am reluctantly changing my mind. I figure that if no one has bought her by now there must be a good reason for not doing so, and I may end up with a very expensive white elephant.

There are plenty of other boats out there, I'll find the right one soon, I'm sure.

[Derek R.]

There are no such things as boats which are 'bargains' to be snatched up (unless you build your own canoe!)

All boats are White Elephants. Look in any marina up and down the country, or along the offside moorings and you will see herds of them.

If you let your head rule your heart - you will never own a boat. They are things that make a hole in the water, into which you will pour all your money, your family and friends money and possibly the banks money, and the hole will remain the same size regardless. But keep looking, build the dream, and maybe one day your heart will defy your head. Good luck. Boat ownership is a way of life. It will change what life you have into something else completely, leaving no room for whatever went before.

 

If you have been there and done it before - then genuinely I say: Good luck. We lived afloat for 12yrs, later and for a further 13yrs, owned a great boat (not a live-aboard). But we could not afford the commitment such as it was at the time, and with the resources we had at that time. Heartbreaking times.

Edited April 22, 2023 by Derek R.

[agg221]

4 hours ago, Dog said:

Yes, I was very serious about viewing her, there is absolutely nothing that I don't like about her. Pretty much my dream boat, in fact.

However, having now learnt that it is common knowledge she is where she is, and for sale, I am reluctantly changing my mind. I figure that if no one has bought her by now there must be a good reason for not doing so, and I may end up with a very expensive white elephant.

There are plenty of other boats out there, I'll find the right one soon, I'm sure.

Can I offer an opinion here, building slightly on Derek R's point. With historic boats, particularly idiosyncratic ones, you buy them because -you- love them for their idiosyncrasies. There are not likely to be as many people who do, as they are not vanilla (or should that be London white) liveaboards. The characteristics which make Equus what it is will suit somebody but not others. There are many things which will put people off. It needs work on the interior (depending on your perspective) and may need some hull repairs. You may want to change the interior layout. All this makes the total cost and complexity per foot of boat greater than buying a 15yr old complete boat which mostly fits your needs from a middle of the road builder. You either look at the long term picture which says 'yes, but when it's done I get something I love' or you say 'you know what, I like the idea but the reality is that I want an easier life'.

 

We jumped in with both feet and bought one of the oldest surviving boats, with excessively deep draft and a tendency to roll. All of these features put a lot of buyers off but we look at them as entertaining. It would perhaps be a more entertaining experience overall if the engine consistently got us from A to B without breaking down at some point on the journey but we live in hope for that one.

 

With regard to the original topic, five of the six original iron BCN iceboats survive, built between c.1830 and 1850. Oates (c.1850) is built from Mon Moor Best wrought iron plate, from the Mon Moor iron works near Wolverhampton. I am not aware of anyone having looked for markings on the other five. The slightly later one (Empress, 1860) may also survive - interestingly as per the Elland referenced above it also ended up as a mud hopper, last seen being used by the Coventry Canal Society for the purpose in the 1970s, after which it vanished. I would guess it may still be about so if anyone runs across a converted iceboat I am always interested to know their whereabouts. 

Alec

Edited April 22, 2023 by agg221