'Registered at' - is it important?

[Woxbrigge]

Hi. NBs seem to carry either a 'registered at' (eg. Watford) signifier, with a registration number, and this is more often than not, it seems to me, painted on the upper superstructure near the stern, and/or a 'home name' under or near the boat name, (eg. 'Rambling Rose', Watford), which could be anywhere, and in several places, too.

 

Could someone please explain the differences and the rules?

 

Woxbrigge

nb (saving hard!)

[Grace and Favour]

As far as I know the phrase (Registered at xxxx) is no longer relevant, save for historical or personal reasons, and is now oft used on modern boats as a 'traditional 'flourish'' within the signwriting

Edited March 1, 2014 by Grace & Favour

[John Williamson 1955]

On new boats built as leisure craft, it's decoration.

Old working boats were registered to show that the cabin had been checked and found suitable for human habitation under the various acts covering things like size, cleanliness and so on. The name of the plaec they were checked and registered had to be shown on the boat.

[BargeeSpud]

There are none my friend. The only rule is that you have to display the boat's registered number, usually with the registration plates given out by C&RT.

 

Those like me who display the "registered at...." format for their number, of white hand script on a black lozenge, are merely following the style adopted by the working boats from the last century, merely because it looks good & tends to fit in with the overall paint scheme.

 

The use of a place name with the number, as in registered at Watford No. 123456, is meaningless these days.

[Ray T]

On new boats built as leisure craft, it's decoration.

 

Old working boats were registered to show that the cabin had been checked and found suitable for human habitation under the various acts covering things like size, cleanliness and so on. The name of the place they were checked and registered had to be shown on the boat.

 

I stand to be corrected but I believe only certain towns / cities were allowed to register boats.

Never seen "Registered at Milton Keynes" (Yes I know Milton Keynes is a "New Town" and was built after major carrying had ceased).

 

Much of the drive for better conditions came from George Smith of Coalville, a campaigner for decent living conditions and who and at what age were allowed to sleep in a boats cabin.

 

http://www.crick.org.uk/smith.html

 

Working boats usually had the owning company's name, e.g. Fellows Morton and Clayton on a panel on the side of the boat as a sign of ownership / advertising with the town / city name below, where the head office was:

 

 

Nowadays some people choose to put the boats name above the boats home mooring or perhaps where it was built.

Edited March 1, 2014 by Ray T

[Athy]

In your photo, the boats Edward and Henry appear to have extended cabins. Were they perhaps steamers?

[dave moore]

Hi

 

Agree with what's already been said. You will often see Watford because that was where British Waterways ran the boat licence operation from until a few years ago when it moved to Leeds. The aluminium plates seem to be not terribly popular, as a long time boat signwriter I've done the " registered at Watford No 123456" countless times, though it is only an affectation these days, one which I like as a staunch traditionalist.

 

Sometimes the logo precedes the index number. I loved the original wave logo ( still see it around on old signage).... Very easy and quick to do, a few sweeps of the brush......less keen on the old bridge and bullrush one.....and not at all keen on the new swan version, to the point where I've never yet painted it....I've sometimes added Reg No 123456 or CRT No 123456. An earlier job this week simply asked me to paint the index number in the top frame at the rear of the panel, no problem.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Ray T]

In your photo, the boats Edward and Henry appear to have extended cabins. Were they perhaps steamers?

Not sure, the extended cabin is the engine room but the exhausts look too small for steam power, the two other boats are butties.

 

Edward and Henry from the Rev W Awdry stories were steamers.

[Albion]

In your photo, the boats Edward and Henry appear to have extended cabins. Were they perhaps steamers?

They're just the motors surely, and the other two the butties. Two Grand Union CC boats and two Associate Canal Carriers.

Roger

[Athy]

Aye, obviously the motors' cabins would be longer than the butties', but they look longer than usual. It could just be the angle of the photo I suppose.

[John Williamson 1955]

Not sure, the extended cabin is the engine room but the exhausts look too small for steam power, the two other boats are butties.

 

Edward and Henry from the Rev W Awdry stories were steamers.

Correct.

 

In the bad old days, having kids when you were on the boats was a curse and a blessing, as while you needed extra space for the kids you could use them as help to run the pair when they were old enough. You got a lot more money hiring out or operating a loaded pair than you could earn with a motor on its own. Then, the oldest one got married,got their own boat, and the cycle carried on...

[b0atman]

I think that, but maybe wrong you are supposed to display registration number and boat name at all times even if covered with tarpaulin it/they should still be shown.

[John Williamson 1955]

Legally, on CRT waters all you need to display on a boat are the CRT number (AKA BWB number) and a valid licence. These must be visible from the towpath at all times, so most of us have one shown on each side of the boat. You're not required to show a name or any other information.

 

The CRT number has nothing to do with the old working boats "Registered at XXXXXX No. 123456", which is an identification of where the boat was inspected for conformity, which may or may not have been either the boat's home base or the location of the company's head office. Many people do, however, paint their home mooring and CRT number and nameon the boat, for example:-

 

The Lair

Registered at Southall No 73597.

 

(Not the real number....)

[Naughty Cal]

On new boats built as leisure craft, it's decoration.

 

Old working boats were registered to show that the cabin had been checked and found suitable for human habitation under the various acts covering things like size, cleanliness and so on. The name of the plaec they were checked and registered had to be shown on the boat.

Unless it's on the SSR register of course:)

[Woxbrigge]

Many thanks all for comprehensive and interesting responses. I happen to live a stone's throw from the old Fellows, Morton and Clayton wharf in Uxbridge, so I think 'Registered at Uxbridge' would be fitting (even if it is, as you have told me, a bit of an affectation these days!)

[Guest]

Shouldn't all current boats on CRT waters be marked as

 

Registered at -

 

Fearns Wharf Leeds

 

[alan_fincher]

Aye, obviously the motors' cabins would be longer than the butties', but they look longer than usual. It could just be the angle of the photo I suppose.

Those are "Royalty" boats from the early 1930s.

 

Mike Askin, who used to post here, but seems to have lapsed, has "Victoria".

 

They were diesel powered from new - never steamers.

 

Part of the reasons the cabins may appear long could be due to the massive hold depth of a "Royalty" boat. Because the hold is several inches deeper than even a "Town", the cabin is shallower by the same amount. This means the ratio of cabin length to height is greater than on other types, so may artificially make the cabin look correspondingly longer.

 

That said, I suspect the engine room on a "Royalty" is anyway a bit longer than on later Grand Unions, (but I'm not sure!)

Shouldn't all current boats on CRT waters be marked as

 

Registered at -

 

Fearns Wharf Leeds

 

I suspect you know the answer, but it would have no more relevance that "Registered at Watford" used to do.

 

The registration was purely about health registration of the cabin for occupancy by a declared number of people, and had zilch to do with licensing the boat with any navigation authority.

 

I actually think it is a nice little touch, even on a modern boat, but as such health registration died out many years ago, it really only has proper legitimacy on a boat that ever once health registered.

 

"Sickle" (and her intended butty "Sarpedon") were health registered at Rickmansworth on 21st September 1937.

 

Legally, on CRT waters all you need to display on a boat are the CRT number (AKA BWB number) and a valid licence. These must be visible from the towpath at all times, so most of us have one shown on each side of the boat. You're not required to show a name or any other information.

 

Actually, although BW, (and now CRT), were/are quite relaxed about a name being displayed, and needing only the boat index number, strictly the above is not correct, as the relevant bye-law does require that the name is displayed. Academic, but true!

[Keeping Up]

It's completely irrelevant but as our boat was built at Longport near Stoke on Trent and was the boatyard's number 177, at our second repaint we had "Reg at Longport 177" signwritten near the licence plate and as a result we made loads of new friends who either knew Stoke on Trent or had had a boat built or repaired at Longport. In its own way it is correct because the boat is registered in their books as number 177. At our latest repaint it disappeared and it was definitely noticeable that fewer people stopped to chat so now we want to have it repainted before we set off for this year's travels.

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

 

 

 

That looks right, I am not so sure about all the Reg at Tamworth I have seen this week

[Guest]

I'm going to have..

 

'Registered at Swansea'

 

Painted on the side of our FIAT....

[Hey Ho]

 

Much of the drive for better conditions came from George Smith of Coalville, a campaigner for decent living conditions and who and at what age were allowed to sleep in a boats cabin.

 

http://www.crick.org.uk/smith.html

 

 

That was a good read. A life well lived.

[Ray T]

 

That was a good read. A life well lived.

 

A "meatier" dissertation here:

 

http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/georgesmith.html

[the grinch]

"registered at" was originally applied to all boats that had accommodation, under the canal boats act it made it clear as to how many could sleep in the cabin/s modern boats should not carry "registered at", as they are not registered under the act the last boat so registered was in the 1980's at Market Harborough modern boats should have "Licensed at" if they wish to follow the tradition as that would be correct process as modern boats are licenced to use the waterways

[Keeping Up]

... modern boats should have "Licensed at" if they wish to follow the tradition as that would be correct process as modern boats are licenced to use the waterways

 

But not if they are following my logic under which my boat may be licensed at Leeds, Milton Keynes, Watford, or wherever BW/CRT operate from, but it is registered at Longport in the sense that it is listed in the builders own register of boats that he built there.

[jelunga]

Those are "Royalty" boats from the early 1930s.

 

Mike Askin, who used to post here, but seems to have lapsed, has "Victoria".

 

They were diesel powered from new - never steamers.

 

Part of the reasons the cabins may appear long could be due to the massive hold depth of a "Royalty" boat. Because the hold is several inches deeper than even a "Town", the cabin is shallower by the same amount. This means the ratio of cabin length to height is greater than on other types, so may artificially make the cabin look correspondingly longer.

 

That said, I suspect the engine room on a "Royalty" is anyway a bit longer than on later Grand Unions, (but I'm not sure!)

 

I suspect you know the answer, but it would have no more relevance that "Registered at Watford" used to do.

 

The registration was purely about health registration of the cabin for occupancy by a declared number of people, and had zilch to do with licensing the boat with any navigation authority.

 

I actually think it is a nice little touch, even on a modern boat, but as such health registration died out many years ago, it really only has proper legitimacy on a boat that ever once health registered.

 

"Sickle" (and her intended butty "Sarpedon") were health registered at Rickmansworth on 21st September 1937.

 

 

 

Actually, although BW, (and now CRT), were/are quite relaxed about a name being displayed, and needing only the boat index number, strictly the above is not correct, as the relevant bye-law does require that the name is displayed. Academic, but true!

Quite correct Alan. Any boat being locked through the manned locks on the Trent, have their name, index no, license expiry date and destination recorded.

It is a PIA when these details are not shown. It means I have to actually speak to a boater!