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Dartline Frobisher

Lottie

By Lottie
in General Boating

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

The forum is often a mine of surprising information.

 

Try posting a picture or two, and telling us all you currently know about it, including any known previous names, and who knows what you might turn up.

 

Sometimes in the past queries about boats by other builders have even resulted in posts by those who actually built them.

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NickF Rising Star

NickF

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Didn't Jannel Cruisers of Burton also operate Frobishers?

 

 

All I know is that the runners for the cockpit "roof" are probably impossible to get hold of so they have to be modified in some way.

I seem to remember Jannel having Frobishers as well.

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X Alan W Rising Star

X Alan W

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Shropshire Union Cruises were the original builders of the Frobisher class of narrow boats. Steel hull, GRP superstructure, with a sliding centre section. i would assume that Dartline just carried on when they took over/bought out SUC., although it was after I left SUC so have no first hand knowledge. i understand that most if not all were originally Lister SR3 powered, I know the ones built during the time I worked at Norbury all were.

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pete harrison Veteran

pete harrison

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Called Legend, and engine is Lister ST3, air cooled. We think it's called the scimitar shape. Number on licence is 90722639, is this what you are after. Not sure how to add a photo.

The number I am referring to is of five or six figures, and I suspect a boat of LEGEND's age will have a five figure number. This number should also be displayed on the cabinside, either on a number plate supplied by B.W.B. / C.R.T. or painted on.

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OldGoldy Rising Star

OldGoldy

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I would have a chat with the Tamworth Boat Club. Several are based there and kept in very good condition.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

Yes, there were 3 based here, now only two, one of which will be on sale shortly. (There was an article in WW about El-Emo II recently) The one which has been sold on is Del-Mar III, one of the earliest produced, which has a BMC engine and, like El-Emo II has never been in hire service and had, until earlier this year, just one owner from new. Both of these are 44ft and the remaining one 'Sir Edmund Hillary' is abt 48ft.

 

More later, I have a meeting to attend!

 

Dave

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Allan(nb Albert) Veteran

Allan(nb Albert)

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Posted (edited)

Called Legend, and engine is Lister ST3, air cooled. We think it's called the scimitar shape. Number on licence is 90722639, is this what you are after. Not sure how to add a photo.

I think you mean cutlass not scimitar.

 

The article may be of some use -

 

http://www.canalscape.net/Dont%20Call%20it%20a%20Barge/Dont%20Call%20it%20a%20Barge.htm

 

About half way through the article it gives some info on SUC/Dartline/Frobisher with a couple of pictures.

Edited by Allan(nb Albert)
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Grebe Proficient

GrebeDonate to Canal World

Posted
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In 1981 we bought out first boat out of the Dartline fleet at Bunbury. She was a 40ft Frobisher with a fixed GRP top. Fleet name Geraldine BW no. 69877. She had a Lister SR2 fitted. John Dyche and John Atkins were in charge (owners) at that time.

 

Shropshire Union Cruisers used the same hulls and top moulds but some of their boats had sliding roofs. That fleet had parallelogram pattern windows fitted. I seem to recall the fleet had explorer names - our friends had ex. Christopher Columbus. Yes Jannel had some of the marque. I also recall that there was a fleet in Ireland in the 1980 with some as well.

 

We renamed her Rivendell and moved her to West Stockwith for a few years. We sold her on through NBR/Davidson's after 5 years and got almost as much for her as we had paid.

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Black Country Lee Collaborator

Black Country Lee

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Legend Built by Other - Length 16.76 metres ( 55 feet ) - Beam 2.38 metres ( 7 feet 10 inches ) - Draft 0.61 ( 2 feet ). Metal hull, power of 3 BHP. Registered with Canal & River Trust number 64308 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on Wednesday 22nd May 2013.

 

Not very helpful really?!

 

Lee.

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pete harrison Veteran

pete harrison

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Thank you so very much, all your comments are gratefully appreciated and it is so interesting. The 5 figure number is 64308

I suspected that 64308 was the relevant B.W.B. index number, and from my records I can tell you that as a hire boat its name was TEWKESBURY NAVIGATOR. I can also tell you that TEWKESBURY NAVIGATOR was still its name in 1986 and at that time it was still subject to a Hire & Reward licence.

 

And that is the data provided by CaRT

Or rather that is the data provided to CaRT by the owner, or a previous owner, and CaRT simply supply it to Jim Shead under the Freedom of Information Act captain.gif

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OldGoldy Rising Star

OldGoldy

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The hull of Sir Edmund was built by SeaSteel of Nassington, so it looks like the hulls were contract built and subsequently delivered to and fitted out at Norbury and/or Bunbury. I have, some time back, spoken to Jim Dyche and John Stothert? who were, I understand directors? of Shropshire Union Cruisers, later Dartline and worked out (from the hull number) that Sir Edmund was built early 1974. I have no meaningful history other than that and Dartline, in 1994 when I enquired, had kept no records of boats that had been sold out of the fleet.

 

This craft has the diesel tanks built into the swim (both sides, with a balance pipe) and was apparently their 'experimental' boat, whatever that means. All their boats had blue hulls completely down to the water line and were painted with 'epoxy' paint. The GRP tops were in white gelcoat. The 'parallelogram' windows were supplied by Severn Yacht (now defunct)

 

Do you have a hull number, scripted in weld, on the front of the weedhatch box?

  • Greenie 1
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OldGoldy Rising Star

OldGoldy

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The hull number is NB018

 

Sir Edmund has hull SeaSteel nb 012 and this was roughly worked out to be Jan 1974. I was told that they built (if I remember correctly) abt 3-4 boats per month? after the Boat Show 1973, so this would make yours 'Spring' 1974.

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