Historic Boats for sale online

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, Richard T said:

There is a definite gap in the boating history - early hire boats are rarely kept in their original layout and finish.

 

 

Totally agree. There's been a horrible trend these last few years to take the cabin conversions off historic hulls and return them to 'carrying trim'. In the process the undervalued 60s and 70s historic conversions are all being lost.

 

 

[John Brightley]

13 hours ago, Richard T said:

 What should have happened is that it should have been restored to as near the condition it was in when UCC had it as a hire boat. There is a definite gap in the boating history - early hire boats are rarely kept in their original layout and finish.

As far as I can remember, Speedwell is still basically the same as it was when it was a hire boat - it was a bit unusual in the 1980's !

[Paul H]

14 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

As far as I can remember, Speedwell is still basically the same as it was when it was a hire boat - it was a bit unusual in the 1980's !

Indeed.  It was built by Rugby Boats on traditional tug lines for Robert Wilson (of canal book fame) who placed it in the UCC fleet as a “sponsored” hire boat.  UCC also had another similar “hire tug” based on the back end of Josher “Bream” mated with the bow of a railway boat.  I no longer have an old brochure but recall they featured bunk beds crammed  into the front cabins and probably an elsan in the engine room.

 

Them were the days.

 

Paul

[alan_fincher]

3 hours ago, John Brightley said:

As far as I can remember, Speedwell is still basically the same as it was when it was a hire boat - it was a bit unusual in the 1980's !

 

Just 35 feet of boat but wit a Lister HB2 in it - a strong potential for waves breaking over the towpath!

[Richard Carter]

15 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

 

Just 35 feet of boat but wit a Lister HB2 in it - a strong potential for waves breaking over the towpath!

 

Oh yes. Was tied up one evening on the puddle bank with the FBS campers, about 1985, and Jona came by with Speedwell, I think a test run after an engine repair/rebuild ... let's say it lived up to its name. Also quite tender, as I remember when he walked down the gunnel.

[junior]

I nearly bought Speedwell in early 2020. It was for sale for somewhere between £15k - 20k. It was all we could afford at the time so had decided we would buy it and take a punt on condition. We were going down to view it on the Saturday and would make the offer there and then in the interest of securing a quick deal. The front cabin was unfitted if I remember correctly, but rear cabin and engine room ready to go.

 

The seller rang me on the Friday to tell me he had sold it to someone else. I was absolutely gutted. Then COVID happened a few weeks later and we felt relieved as I don't think we'd even have been able to get the boat home or use it that summer. 

 

I've attached a photo from the Apollo Duck advert back then. I'm surprised it seems to have had the front cabin fitted out and a repaint and now appeared again for sale for £20k more!!!

[alan_fincher]

Widgeon (aka Thaxted)

 

Northwich Boat Co 72 Traditional for sale UK, Northwich Boat Co Used boat sales, Northwich Boat Co Narrow Boats For Sale Historical Work boat with existing busin - Apollo Duck

[Dav and Pen]

Gary Wards boat when with UCC. He kept it in first class order. Not much of an advert no photos apart from a poor one from the bows and wishful thinking with the price.

[zenataomm]

Roland and Sue's ex boat.  What the hell is  busin ??? 

And 87,950 must be a typo, there aren't enough numbers there for a telephone.

[Derek R.]

"What the hell is  busin ???  "

Business. Limited characters in the sub title probably.

[harrybsmith]

On 12/02/2024 at 22:02, MtB said:

 

 

Yep, I've been pointing out for a while now that lots of Springers qualify as "historic" and ought to be admitted to the Braunston Show. 

 

 

 

Currently registering my project with National Historic Ships (and might see whether HNBC are interested...) 

 

If I had a silly amount of money i'd buy Mabel and Forget Me Not (which I believe are still for sale, keeping on topic) and return them to hotel boat guise, a "Frobisher" style narrowboat with horrible sildey plastic roof and a Taylors cruiser. All historically significant and not really preserved much 

[MtB]

10 minutes ago, harrybsmith said:

(and might see whether HNBC are interested...)

 

 

The response from the HNBC will very interesting indeed....!

[spud]

20 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

The response from the HNBC will very interesting indeed....!

the hnbc response will be very predictable as unless it is a pre1960 (when the last working boats were built) commercial cargo boat or tug it will be declined. the historic ships is simpler in that it sets its mark as minimum 50 years old with a number of conditions around construction and methods of restoration etc. there are a few 50 year old narrow boats in the historic register now that were built for pleasure. the philosophy of these two organisations is quite different and their common use of the word historic is misleading and allows some people to be playful and others to be lead up the garden path

[IanM]

13 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

Widgeon (aka Thaxted)

 

Northwich Boat Co 72 Traditional for sale UK, Northwich Boat Co Used boat sales, Northwich Boat Co Narrow Boats For Sale Historical Work boat with existing busin - Apollo Duck

 

I believe that was being used as a floating travelling theatre kind of thing albeit a whole world apart from the Mikron group.  I assume that this is the business that the advert title attempts to refer to.

It passed us a few years back near rugby with which what could be best described as a shanty town built in the hold which was a shame as it was a cracking boat previously.   It also had a steel cabin extension fitted at Braunston.  The roof had just been lifted on in my picture below.

 

 

[Tonka]

11 hours ago, spud said:

the hnbc response will be very predictable as unless it is a pre1960 (when the last working boats were built) commercial cargo boat or tug it will be declined. the historic ships is simpler in that it sets its mark as minimum 50 years old with a number of conditions around construction and methods of restoration etc. there are a few 50 year old narrow boats in the historic register now that were built for pleasure. the philosophy of these two organisations is quite different and their common use of the word historic is misleading and allows some people to be playful and others to be lead up the garden path

The Boat & Butty Company at Runcorn built a working boat in 1975. She was called Adele and used to do self steer camping trips and was used as a work boat on the Bridgewater Canal and Manchester Ship Canal. We bought her in 1980 and sold her in 1986. Last time I saw her she had been converted and was moored at Wyvern Shipping. She had been renamed to the Green Amerthyst I think

[Pluto]

I worked on fitting out Adele as a hire boat, and did quote a lot of maintenance for about a year after. Shrubbie was certainly a unique character, and fun, if a little exasperating, to work for. The photo shows my boat Pluto, with my Riley 9 special on the left, and Towy. Clearing the site after Shrubbie had rented it was a bit like an industrial archeology exercise, as we found quite a lot of brickwork from the old gasworks.

[magnetman]

I've set my phone to display as black and white as it is more relaxing. 

 

That picture is great in black and white. Its probably good in colour but it really is excellent in b&w. 

 

 

[IanM]

22 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I've set my phone to display as black and white as it is more relaxing. 

 

That picture is great in black and white. Its probably good in colour but it really is excellent in b&w. 

 

 

I've set my phone to display colour and the picture still looks good in b&w  

[spud]

11 hours ago, Tonka said:

The Boat & Butty Company at Runcorn built a working boat in 1975. She was called Adele and used to do self steer camping trips and was used as a work boat on the Bridgewater Canal and Manchester Ship Canal. We bought her in 1980 and sold her in 1986. Last time I saw her she had been converted and was moored at Wyvern Shipping. She had been renamed to the Green Amerthyst I think

there have been loads of carrying boats built since the hnbc cut off date but non are applicable to join - there club there rules i spose. just like adele most have ended up with pleasure boat cabins

[Tonka]

10 hours ago, spud said:

there have been loads of carrying boats built since the hnbc cut off date but non are applicable to join - there club there rules i spose. just like adele most have ended up with pleasure boat cabins

In your previous post you stated that all working boats were built before 1960. So I pointed out this was not true and now you are agreeing with me. 

[David Mack]

On 19/02/2024 at 22:51, spud said:

the hnbc response will be very predictable as unless it is a pre1960 (when the last working boats were built) commercial cargo boat or tug it will be declined.

HNBC welcomes anyone interested in historic boats as members, whether they own an pre 1960 commercial boat, a more recent working boat, a leisure boat or no boat at all. The organisation changed its name (from Narrow Boat Owners Club) and its membership criteria many years ago, prompted in part by comments from the owner of a newly built carrying boat (that actually carried for a living, unlike most of the historic boats), whose membership application was declined on the basis of the boat's age.

The organisation was founded at a time when commercial carrying had more or less ceased and traditional carrying boats were being lost. The name chosen reflected the fact that at the time narrow boats were ex-carrying craft - canal leisure craft were almost entirely plywood or grp cruisers, old ships' lifeboats, converted ex-army pontoons and the like, and the modern concept of the all steel welded leisure narrowboat simply didn't exist. 

[spud]

13 hours ago, Tonka said:

In your previous post you stated that all working boats were built before 1960. So I pointed out this was not true and now you are agreeing with me. 

old working boats and new working boats, but i agree my grammar could have been better. anyway i was wrong as it is now the member that is the member and not the owner of any particular boat

13 hours ago, David Mack said:

HNBC welcomes anyone interested in historic boats as members, whether they own an pre 1960 commercial boat, a more recent working boat, a leisure boat or no boat at all. The organisation changed its name (from Narrow Boat Owners Club) and its membership criteria many years ago, prompted in part by comments from the owner of a newly built carrying boat (that actually carried for a living, unlike most of the historic boats), whose membership application was declined on the basis of the boat's age.

The organisation was founded at a time when commercial carrying had more or less ceased and traditional carrying boats were being lost. The name chosen reflected the fact that at the time narrow boats were ex-carrying craft - canal leisure craft were almost entirely plywood or grp cruisers, old ships' lifeboats, converted ex-army pontoons and the like, and the modern concept of the all steel welded leisure narrowboat simply didn't exist. 

good point well made. i had forgotten the membership rules had changed

[GUMPY]

Many years ago I really wanted this boat, way to late now😟

 

90

[Admiral]

EX working boat 

Water Hyacinth

 

[magnetman]

Yarwoods presumably. 

 

The back end has done it no favours !!

 

Also a little too shocking to weld a hoop on top of the stem for a fender. Some people !