FadeToScarlet Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Just as well really, or the ones everybody wants would be unattainable by most of us, and others would never find a loving owner. For what it is worth, we actually find that Flamingo, despite its cabin conversion, and the need for a great deal of work, seems to attract greater interest from Joe Public than Sickle does. Maybe it's the plain blue thing - I'm not sure? In my mind, though I love Flamingo to bits, Sickle is just as interesting, and clearly more in "working condition". The odd thing is that other people with GUCCCo boats with cabin conversions have told me they don't get a great deal of interest. We had genuinely not expected the level of interest that Flamingo often generates. You get even less with a stealth historic boat- no rivets and a full cabin conversion. More practical for full time living though. Guess we'll just have to get a nice riveted butty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jrtm Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Nar you need one that creaks as you sleep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Nar you need one that creaks as you sleep If you're asleep, how would you know if it creaked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted January 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Nar you need one that creaks as you sleep Creaks is better than leaks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jrtm Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Nar makes you wake up early every day if they leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 FMC OWL on the duck https://m.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=503179&rid=aa&z=aa Thats ajolly nice looking boat. Too much money for me, however I'll do the lottery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Kelvin K2 surrounded by narrowboat, should sell! I know that those "undercloth conversions" are fake and all, but they can look very attractive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 CASTLEFIELD for sale via Apollo Duck: http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=506537 I would be extremely interested to know how this boat has been identified as originally being SPAIN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Owen Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 I doubt it's even an educated guess, more supposition than anything. I spoke with the owner last year and he rolled a list of possible names out so how he's narrowed it down (no pun intended) I've no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archie57 Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Perhaps it's a bit wide and it's spain in the neck to go anywhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 I doubt it's even an educated guess, more supposition than anything. I spoke with the owner last year and he rolled a list of possible names out so how he's narrowed it down (no pun intended) I've no idea. Last I heard it was being linked to DURBAN, but again no evidence was provided to support this. It would perhaps provide a clue if it could be established who the Lorenz brothers acquired it from, somebody at Middlewich I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Owen Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Very good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland elsdon Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 Whilst you lot were dribbling over Alcor I was looking at the Guccc butty. I assume that's our old butty Atalanta long gone but much missed home. I assume it's her because there was only one Guccc butty at Halesowen. And the odd helm pintle. Never seen her with sign writing on stern only across hold shots. Can anyone confirm or deny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archie57 Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 There were two little Woolwich butties at S&L, the "Canis" being the other, and I seem to recall some small wooden GU butties as well? - put me out of my misery Pete! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FadeToScarlet Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 There were two little Woolwich butties at S&L, the "Canis" being the other, and I seem to recall some small wooden GU butties as well? - put me out of my misery Pete! Canis is now two motors- appropriately Canis Major and Canis Minor, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenataomm Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 Canis was made into two boats around the early 80s I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted February 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 Canis was made into two boats around the early 80s I believe. 1978, if HNBC site is correct, (which it isn't always!). That would be fairly consistent with final disposal of the Stewarts and LLoyds fleet, though, I think. (Pete will now perhaps tell us the real dates?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 There were two little Woolwich butties at S&L, the "Canis" being the other, and I seem to recall some small wooden GU butties as well? - put me out of my misery Pete! The exG.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. narrow boats that ended up transferring to Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd. at Halesowen were: Motors: ALGOL (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 51) ELECTRA (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 59) VESTA (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 61) buttys: ATALANTA (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 52) RA (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 56) ORION (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 58) MARFAK (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 60) CANIS (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 62) PHOEBE (exStanton Ironworks Company Ltd. No, 64) The Ilkeston Health Register captures all of these boats, and lists the transfer dates to Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd., Halesowen as 1947 - mostly in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 1978, if HNBC site is correct, (which it isn't always!). That would be fairly consistent with final disposal of the Stewarts and LLoyds fleet, though, I think. (Pete will now perhaps tell us the real dates?). CANIS was sold by Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. in 1976 to a CWDF occasional 'Forumite', and it was cut in two shortly before its sale in 1978 (the seller of CANIS had bought another 'historic' narrow boat). The final sale by Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. of their redundant narrow boats was 1976, and I was involved in the removal of several of these on their journey to being cleaned up in preparation for conversion to 'luxury liners' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted February 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 The final sale by Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. of their redundant narrow boats was 1976, and I was involved in the removal of several of these on their journey to being cleaned up in preparation for conversion to 'luxury liners' I recall writing to the British Steel Corportaion in about 1972 or 1973 to enquire about disposal of remaining boats at Halesowen. At the time I was told that there were currently no plans to do this, but they would add me to a list of interested parties, and contact me if the sitaution changed. As is so normal with that kind of thing, I never got any further communication. Probably just as well, as I had neither the funds nor the skills to really know what to do with them. Tim and Andy Collier at Leighton Buzzard eventually purchased something like (I think) 4 of the S&L dayboats. I'm not my brother's Mike and Pete were involved in trips to fetch them - probably just as well, as I think one got very stuck in a lock, (at Lapworth possibly), and a trip had to be aborted - but they did actually take at least one to load, in a 3 boat train with Mike's motor Bilster leading and a proper butty at the back. I think all but one of those were wooden, so presumably have not survived. Perhaps the (I think) single iron one has? Anybody know of a day-boat once owned by the Colliers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 I recall writing to the British Steel Corportaion in about 1972 or 1973 to enquire about disposal of remaining boats at Halesowen. At the time I was told that there were currently no plans to do this, but they would add me to a list of interested parties, and contact me if the sitaution changed. Tim and Andy Collier at Leighton Buzzard eventually purchased something like (I think) 4 of the S&L dayboats. I'm not my brother's Mike and Pete were involved in trips to fetch them - probably just as well, as I think one got very stuck in a lock, (at Lapworth possibly), and a trip had to be aborted - but they did actually take at least one to load, in a 3 boat train with Mike's motor Bilster leading and a proper butty at the back. I think all but one of those were wooden, so presumably have not survived. Perhaps the (I think) single iron one has? Anybody know of a day-boat once owned by the Colliers? My scraps of paper suggest that the Collier brothers purchased three redundant day boats from Stewarts and Llloyds, Ltd in 1976 - two wooden (No. 32 and No. 41) and one iron (No. 116). No. 41 was sold shortly after purchase and in 1980 was converted to become motor (Coventry Victor 1 cylinder diesel) houseboat BACCHUS. No.116 was again sold shortly after purchase, becoming open motor (Ruston and Hornsby 1YWA but replaced soon after) TOUCHWOOD 116. I hope this helps to answer your questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted February 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 (edited) My scraps of paper suggest that the Collier brothers purchased three redundant day boats from Stewarts and Llloyds, Ltd in 1976 - two wooden (No. 32 and No. 41) and one iron (No. 116). No. 41 was sold shortly after purchase and in 1980 was converted to become motor (Coventry Victor 1 cylinder diesel) houseboat BACCHUS. No.116 was again sold shortly after purchase, becoming open motor (Ruston and Hornsby 1YWA but replaced soon after) TOUCHWOOD 116. I hope this helps to answer your questions Thanks Pete, Having now dug out Tim and Andy Colliers book "An Affair with the Cut", the version in there does not completely align with your notes, but I believe other things in their memoirs may be wrong, and hence your records could be more correct than the book. They suggest they initially purchased 33 (not 32), 41 and 119 (not 116 at that time) in 1976. It suggests 116 was a later purchase, making 4 in all, and it was 116 that wedged at Lapworth when attempts were made to fetch it down. If the description and captioning of pictures are correct it was 41 that was actually taken North from Leighton to Gayton with Bilster along with Lyra to load, so if 41 was sold soon after purchase it had a brief career as a carrying boat in the meantime. By some strange quirk of fate, (as there were many boats there then) it seems I managed to photograpph No 41 at Coombeswood several years earlier. Andy Collier has passed a year or two back now, but Tim still shows a great interest in the history of canals and canal carrying, and I see him from time to time. Edited February 19, 2017 by alan_fincher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 Thanks Pete, Having now dug out Tim and Andy Colliers book "An Affair with the Cut", the version in there does not completely align with your notes, but I believe other things in their memoirs may be wrong, and hence your records could be more correct than the book. They suggest they initially purchased 33 (not 32), 41 and 119 (not 116 at that time) in 1976. It suggests 116 was a later purchase, making 4 in all, and it was 116 that wedged at Lapworth when attempts were made to fetch it down. I have no Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd. disposal details for No. 33 or No. 119, and my notes come from multiple sources. Presumably the Collier's book was compiled from their business records and so my well be more accurate than mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted February 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 I have no Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd. disposal details for No. 33 or No. 119, and my notes come from multiple sources. Presumably the Collier's book was compiled from their business records and so my well be more accurate than mine No, as I suspected you are correct on at least one of these points. I have a photo by my brother that shows no 32 at Linslade, so I doubt that the no 33 claimed in the book is correct! No 33 is lettered as Stewarts & LLoyds,. Another photo clearly shows it is 41 that was used as a carrying boat - this one was lettered as British Steel Corporation. I can find no useful photos of the iron boat(s), however many of them there actually were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mack Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 No.116 was again sold shortly after purchase, becoming open motor (Ruston and Hornsby 1YWA but replaced soon after) TOUCHWOOD 116. I went to look at Touchwood for sale at Cassio Bridge in late 1980/early 1981. At that time it was an open hull powered by a Dorman 2DS. This was an ex-industrial engine mounted on a frame, still with a radiator and fan. It wasn't fixed down and was connected to the sternshaft by a lorry propshaft with two universal joints. I can't remember what gearbox was fitted or how the controls worked. I didn't buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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