Hancock & Lane (ex Black Prince)?

[Richardcn]

Hi all

 

Spotted this boat on Apollo Duck whilst continuing 'the (eternal) search'

 

http://www.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=409958

 

I queried the Builder/ Date with the owner (having already read the excellent H & L thread on here previously) but he insists it's a 2001 H & L. He added though, that it was originally/once a Black Prince hire boat before going onto the private market. Something obviously doesn't add up here so I thought I'd see what the forum made of it.

 

Regards

Richard & Paula

 

PS. Unless someone has a hidden gem of information this boat will not be added to our list!

[GoodGurl]

As far as i am aware black prince used 2 builders, one being reeves and the other being pinder, i believe in recent years they started building their own. i'm sure someone will be along soon to add more.

i am also a ex BP owner

edited to add, it is also over priced for the age.

Edited April 15, 2015 by GoodGurl

[Ray T]

From Canal plan AC:

 

Tern Built by Black Prince/hancock - Length : 18.898 metres ( 62 feet ) - Beam : 2.083 metres ( 6 feet 10 inches ). Metal hull power of 999 BHP. Registered with Canal & River Trust number 505752 as a Motor Boat. ( Last updated on Wednesday 22nd May 2013 )

 

Might get more information here: http://www.blackprinceowners.org.uk/blackprincehistory.html

 

 

http://www.blackprinceowners.org.uk/tern.html

 

Also: http://www.blackprinceowners.org.uk/duchessstyle2.html

 

Initially, the shells were constructed almost in kit form. The roof section was manufactured separately to the cabin sides on the first models built in 1999 & 2000, much as in the blue and yellow years, though the roof join was less pleasing and indiscreet. The company soon reverted to the hulls being purchased as before from respected names including Reeves, Pinder and Pro-Build.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Ray T

[matty40s]

Tern Built by Black Prince/hancock - Length : 18.898 metres ( 62 feet ) - Beam : 2.083 metres ( 6 feet 10 inches ). Metal hull power of 999 BHP. Registered with Canal & River Trust number 505752 as a Motor Boat.

[Rose Narrowboats]

Hancock & Lane and moved out of boat building long before 2001 - the mid 1980s would be closer.

 

The ones Black Prince built "themselves" were basically laser cut pre-fabs assembled for them by a non-boaty steel fabricator who I think made agricultural implements as their main line of business. They then moved to using G&J Reeves who did all of the cutting, folding etc themselves as well as the fabrication.

 

BP subsequently used Probuild (an offshoot of G& J Reeves) up until last year. Pinders have been used at various times, sometimes concurrently with the other suppliers.

 

EDIT to add - I'd go with the 2001 build date from the style, but not the stated builder.

 

Further edited to clarify meaning.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Rose Narrowboats

[Richardcn]

Thanks for all the information guys, I never thought of trawling Hancock & Lane in the Boat Listing to try and find the boat name and thus be able to, at least, cross check the basic information. And that's a great link Ray T, I didn't know that site even existed let alone have so much information on their hire fleet.

 

I'm still left wondering, however, where Hancock & Lane fit in? How could their name possibly become associated with this particular boat? However, I do remember reading about narrowboat kits, I think. Is this possibly a H & L one that laid dormant until 2001!

 

Regards

Richard & Paula

[GoodGurl]

Thanks for all the information guys, I never thought of trawling Hancock & Lane in the Boat Listing to try and find the boat name and thus be able to, at least, cross check the basic information. And that's a great link Ray T, I didn't know that site even existed let alone have so much information on their hire fleet.

 

I'm still left wondering, however, where Hancock & Lane fit in? How could their name possibly become associated with this particular boat? However, I do remember reading about narrowboat kits, I think. Is this possibly a H & L one that laid dormant until 2001!

 

Regards

Richard & Paula

no according to rose the kits were from probuild (reeves brother).

[Rose Narrowboats]

Thanks for all the information guys, I never thought of trawling Hancock & Lane in the Boat Listing to try and find the boat name and thus be able to, at least, cross check the basic information. And that's a great link Ray T, I didn't know that site even existed let alone have so much information on their hire fleet.

 

I'm still left wondering, however, where Hancock & Lane fit in? How could their name possibly become associated with this particular boat? However, I do remember reading about narrowboat kits, I think. Is this possibly a H & L one that laid dormant until 2001!

 

Regards

Richard & Paula

No, it's definitely a standard BP hull design. H&L were out of boat building before anyone thought of the idea of profile/CNC cutting preformed bits of boat.

 

To clarifiy my earlier post, by "themselves" I meant Black Prince - apologies for any confusion.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Rose Narrowboats

[Richardcn]

Oh well, I guess either somebody has inherited this information with the boat (and not questioned it) or somebody is trying to add something false to it's provenance, a risky thing to try and do in the modern age of information at one's fingertips. I'll trust it's the former, in this particular case, but I won't be taking our interest any further.

 

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

Regards

Richard & Paula

 

ETA an afterthough. This is the second H & L (billed) boat we have left behind due to unsatisfactory basic details!

Edited April 16, 2015 by Richardcn

[Badger's Drift]

Hello,

 

I didn't realise there was more than one Boat builder for BP? Would that include the electrics etc? Can anyone tell me from my profile pic what boat builder mine would have been? My boat, I found out is a QE4 1990 54ft. When the black prince owners site was working I found out my boat was called 'Julie' (because of the reg number) in the hire boat days. I have no idea where her base was.

 

Many thanks for looking at this post.

[Jerra]

Hello,

 

I didn't realise there was more than one Boat builder for BP? Would that include the electrics etc? Can anyone tell me from my profile pic what boat builder mine would have been? My boat, I found out is a QE4 1990 54ft. When the black prince owners site was working I found out my boat was called 'Julie' (because of the reg number) in the hire boat days. I have no idea where her base was.

 

Many thanks for looking at this post.

Have you tried looking it up using its number on

 

http://canalplan.org.uk/boats/boats.php

[Badger's Drift]

Thank you for your response Jerra, much appreciated ... I didn't know that page existed, I can see it could be of some interest... although for me it only gives my boat's current name and how wide/long she is, not the builder etc? ... however I did see it says she's a 56 foota, whereas I know after talking to Black prince (They gave me a 1090 brochure of the fleet from that time) that she should be a 54ft. I know from when the Black prince owners website was working that the registered number said her original name was a 'Julie' and build in 1990, the year matches the paperwork I have. It would be lovely to speak to another Black prince owner from the same style of boat I have (With the big windows- I do love the bid windows at the front).

 

Many thanks. :-)

[Tony Brooks]

I note the advert has now been removed.

[pete harrison]

Thank you for your response Jerra, much appreciated ... I didn't know that page existed, I can see it could be of some interest... although for me it only gives my boat's current name and how wide/long she is, not the builder etc? ... however I did see it says she's a 56 foota, whereas I know after talking to Black prince (They gave me a 1090 brochure of the fleet from that time) that she should be a 54ft.

 

Many thanks. :-)

The information published on the website mentioned in post 11 of this thread is only based upon information provided by the boat owner at the time of license application, but of course this may not be the current owner and does not necessarily get updated upon each annual application

[Geoff Taylor]

Hi, H & L stopped production of narrowboats in 1984. Quite a few boat builders adopted the "Norseman S40" hull design and I stand corrected that Calcutt hold the original drawings and their "Clipper Class" boats are close in design to H & L.

 

I am also sure that they did do a steel kit for self build, saw an ad somewhere but cannot find it at the moment.

[pete harrison]

Hi, H & L stopped production of narrowboats in 1984.

 

I am also sure that they did do a steel kit for self build, saw an ad somewhere but cannot find it at the moment.

Yes they did sell a steel kit for self built. I knew somebody who was building one in 1981 near Hopwood.