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Is this a Colvic 'northerner?


Karrier

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Hi everyone

I recently bought this boat as a Colvic Northerner 26, absolutey love it but there is some confusion to what it really is,  the boat  measures from tip of bow to the transcom 31.6ft and beam is around 3 meters.  I was wondering if anyone knows about colvic, the boat data base on canalplacAC.co.uk show it as 28.8ft 1970 2.5 diesel (it has the 2.52 BMC) and not much else.

I've been told that the wooden cabin colvic northerners are the early ones as later were grp, I have no history to this boat as the man I bought it off had only had it for a year and hadn't used it much and didn' have time as he had just taken on a pub so needed it gone as he had no time for it.

Name is Hornblower and Cart number is 120066

TIA.

Greg

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Edited by Karrier
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Can't tell you anything about the boat. But we know your neightbours in Goole on Nitty Gritty very well.:cheers:

14 hours ago, Phil Ambrose said:

28.8ft may be the length at waterline.

Phil 

Could well be the case.

Our S23 is 23ft at the waterline but 25ft overall. The model was renamed S25 in 2005 although it is exactly the same boat.

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Hi peeps and thanks for replying, 28.8 at water line does sound about right, 

@Naughty Cal ah yes I have met them both a couple of times and he only bumped us once when he was mooring up lol.

I have had a good look for a hot stamped serial number but cannot find anything, I guess until it' out of the water for an antifoul and annodes etc I will find out what the hull actually looks like but I am guessing it has two side stubby fins to stop it rolling over when on sand or mud?

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Some pictures here:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=colvic+northerner&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkl5OH5f_YAhVOSsAKHcN1Df8Q_AUICigB&biw=1343&bih=782

2 minutes ago, Karrier said:

Hi peeps and thanks for replying, 28.8 at water line does sound about right, 

@Naughty Cal ah yes I have met them both a couple of times and he only bumped us once when he was mooring up lol.

I have had a good look for a hot stamped serial number but cannot find anything, I guess until it' out of the water for an antifoul and annodes etc I will find out what the hull actually looks like but I am guessing it has two side stubby fins to stop it rolling over when on sand or mud?

Given the age of the boat it most probably won't have any serial numbers stamped into it.

More modern boats have to have a hull number stamped in a couple of places on the boat. One visible from the outside and the other hidden away somewhere.

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In the 1970's I fitted out a 19' 6'' Colvic hull. Shorter but the same basic shape with raised foredeck. Fairly shallow displacement round bilge hull. I made and fitted my own bilge keels. At the time there was also a 26 footer of similar shape advertised as ''The fisherman'' large open rear deck, forward raised foredeck with cabin under, small canopy type wheelhouse. BMC 2.2 diesel.

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So maybe a northerner sealion 28 then?

It' difficult to work out what' original and what isn't, on Jones boatyard I found a picture of a colvic northerner interior which is same as mine but no one seems to have seen one with the aft cabin like mine.

I have even been looking through the old colvic website which was online between 1997 and 2000, not possible to see any images but the text is all available, ńothing about Watson's or Northerners though, I know how basic the web was back then, my first website went live just over 18 years ago and that was just basic block colours a few rubbish clipart images and some text i had no idea what i was doing back then.

  I use the wayback machine to view websites that have been removed or to see earlier versions, brilliant bit of kit.

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IIRC Colvic offered the bare hull moulding upwards on a lot of their boats. The superstructure moulding was optional. Probably no mould number in it. All the Colvic I have seen in commission have been good solid boats. I've also seen a ton of half-finished dreams that never made it off hard standing.

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6 minutes ago, Halsey said:

Looks like it to me but what is far more important is it looks like a great much loved boat - well done for finding it - enjoy!

Thank you, I came across it by accident, I went to see a colvic 26 at staniland marina in Thorne and they told me there was one similar half a mile down the canal so I went and had a peek at it, I didn' know it was for sale and no one was about.

That evening while doing a Google image search I found an image of the bow of a northerner, clicked it and it took me to an ebay listing for Hornblower, had only gone up the day before so I contacted seller he took listing down and I bought it.

Pic of Posh Totty from cabin entrance to aft section and one from outside, I was going to get this one before I came across Hornblower but I would have had to build the aft cabin myself.

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Nice boat and does look like a Colvic Northerner. The stern cabin is a bit unusual but AFAIK  Colvics were kit boats. They produced GRP mouldings. The woodwork will have been completed by a pro /boatyard or an amateur or both.


Coincidentally I recently bought a Colvic 19/20 (19ft6) and took delivery just yesterday. Its a lovely boat.


Will add picture

My new yot / toy

fcupty.jpg

 

 

Edited by magnetman
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5 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Nice boat and does look like a Colvic Northerner. The stern cabin is a bit unusual but AFAIK  Colvics were home completed - not sure if they made whole boats or not.


Coincidentally I recently bought a Colvic 19/20 (19ft6) and took delivery just yesterday. Its a lovely boat.


Will add picture

My new yot / toy

 

That is a really sweet boat you have there :-)

What confuses me is the name, is northerner the name of the hull? 

I've found pictures online of similar boats from the 70's with the same style wooden wheelhouse on boats classed as northerners and also sea lions though all are that little bit different.

It's a bit like the LGV dodge 50 series I specialise in, there were 15000 permutations when every special equipment option is taken into consideration and that only covered vans and chassis cabs as all other body types were fitted out by specialists so pinning down a 50 series and it' build spec can be really quite hard making parts sourcing a bit of a nightmare.

I'e spent the last 20 years nerding the 50 series to the point where my website has over 26000 pages, images, downloads....... I wonder if this is going to happen with colvic for me?

5 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Everyone

apologies for joining the party late, just bought this little lady, quite a lot of work to do inside and on the wheelhouse, (which is leaking like a sieve), bur have always loved the lines of the colvic...its just taken us 8 years to get back to boating. maybe the 3 of us could start a colvic owners club...lol

s-l1000.jpg

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1 hour ago, dizzyknits said:

Hi Everyone

apologies for joining the party late, just bought this little lady, quite a lot of work to do inside and on the wheelhouse, (which is leaking like a sieve), bur have always loved the lines of the colvic...its just taken us 8 years to get back to boating. maybe the 3 of us could start a colvic owners club...lol

s-l1000.jpg

Welcome and you are a nearish neighbour of mine, your boat is at eastwood on Waddingtons moorings and I am at tullys, we have one of your boats on our moorings as well, it has a huge engine and is impractical really whereas if I remember is a smallish BMC?

I thought the previous owner had done some work on it recently? or thats what he told me, anyway enjoy the boat as she is a lovely thing looks just right

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2 hours ago, peterboat said:

Welcome and you are a nearish neighbour of mine, your boat is at eastwood on Waddingtons moorings and I am at tullys, we have one of your boats on our moorings as well, it has a huge engine and is impractical really whereas if I remember is a smallish BMC?

I thought the previous owner had done some work on it recently? or thats what he told me, anyway enjoy the boat as she is a lovely thing looks just right

Hello Peterboat

yes it has a BMC 1.5, same as was on our narrowboat only this one is watercooled. We are the Waddingtons moorings, everyone seems really friendly. There has been work done, but still loads to do, we did buy it as a project...lol. Be interested to see other colvic at your moorings, as there is so little information online. We just need to try and keep water out of her asap, and it hasnt much stopped raining since we bought her!!

Hope to see about at some point...Im Liz and OH is Paul

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2 minutes ago, dizzyknits said:

Hello Peterboat

yes it has a BMC 1.5, same as was on our narrowboat only this one is watercooled. We are the Waddingtons moorings, everyone seems really friendly. There has been work done, but still loads to do, we did buy it as a project...lol. Be interested to see other colvic at your moorings, as there is so little information online. We just need to try and keep water out of her asap, and it hasnt much stopped raining since we bought her!!

Hope to see about at some point...Im Liz and OH is Paul

Hi Liz yes when we walk the dog we often go past there so if I see you I will say hello, You can see the Colvic at our moorings through the fence I think but I can let you in for a gander ?

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5 minutes ago, Mad Harold said:

Love the look of Colvic boats.Had to write them off my list of boats to view because they are too wide and deep for narrow canals.

I guess being in huddersfield Harold you'd have to take account of that, we liked the look of the Huddersfield narrow....but avoided because of the number of locks...lol, now we wont be able

1 minute ago, peterboat said:

Hi Liz yes when we walk the dog we often go past there so if I see you I will say hello, You can see the Colvic at our moorings through the fence I think but I can let you in for a gander ?

That would be great, what dog have you got, we have 3 but are leaving them at home for time being, the 2 oldies started with us on the narrowboat, but Im not sure how the youngsterwill react

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1 hour ago, dizzyknits said:

I guess being in huddersfield Harold you'd have to take account of that, we liked the look of the Huddersfield narrow....but avoided because of the number of locks...lol, now we wont be able

That would be great, what dog have you got, we have 3 but are leaving them at home for time being, the 2 oldies started with us on the narrowboat, but Im not sure how the youngsterwill react

Biggest Border collie in the world! You will enjoy boating on our waters, locks are big and easy to use, going to Sheffield makes you work, and is worth the effort for a pint at the Dorothy pax in the basin ?

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  • 2 months later...

You have a Colvic 26'6", it is unfortunately not a Northerner! The Northerner Sealion was built on an Ardleigh Laminated plastics  'Colvic' 26'6" hull at West Stockwith basin, Misterton, Nottinghamshire by Northerner Boats, mainly in the early to late 70s. the company was owner by a guy called John Morgan and as well as the Northerner they built the Atlanta 32 motorsailer based on the Colvic 31 motorsailer hull. John also built a fleet of 40' canal boats which ere hired out via Hoseasons. Northerners were very highly appointed and the craftsmanship and materials that went into the genuine items was exceptional thus making them a sought after vessel by anyone who knew, it also lead to people calling their vessels Northerners even though they don't have the provenance!

Yours looks like a well built boat but too many details are wrong, cabin windows, strakes, stempost, wheel house layout..... We had a 1972 Northerner until around 1990 so remember it fondly!!

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