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I wonder what the deal is with this boat.


Wanderer Vagabond

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I'd be intrigued to know what the deal is with this boat moored at Nantwich.

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I've been overwintering in the Cheshire area since the end of October but only noticed this one moored at the beginning of December (I have been told that it has in fact been there since October, but I hadn't noticed it when I first got here). Now they have picked what is probably the prime visitor mooring in Nantwich as you can see from the second photograph the slope down to main road is alongside, which would be ideal for any boaters with disabled people on board to get to the town.It appears to be a Middlewich Narrowboat hire boat although I am not sure whether they are still trading, I have never seen anyone come to the boat or carry out any work on it.  None of the above raised much interest until speaking with another boater in the area who pointed out the the boat is unlicensed. Despite displaying no licence,I rather doubted it, but checking their claim I put the Registration Number (518199) into the CRT online checker, sure enough, it came up as unknown to their system.  So what we appear to have is an unlicensed boat dumped for over 3 months on a prime visitor mooring for the town without any hint of a patrol notice appearing on the boat. I don't normally bother but on this occasion I have used the CRT online reporting system to query the presence of the boat.

 

Now I have been making a point of moving within the required winter time limit (14 days) throughout the period we have overwintered here, ranging from Nantwich, through Middlewich and Northwich up as far as Preston Brook but since it appears from this boat to be OK to just leave the boat at the canalside for as long as you wish, I rather tend to wonder why I've bothered. I probably wouldn't have felt particularly aggrieved except for the fact it is occupying such a prime mooring. There are other boats around that may have been in their locations for a while, but they are out in the middle of nowhere so aren't really much of an issue.

Does anyone know for sure whether Middlewich Narrowboats are still trading and what deal they may have for abandoning their boats?

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22 minutes ago, Athy said:

I just had a look on the Companies House web site, which shows the company as "Dissolved" as from last February. So perhaps this boat is an asset awaiting sale.

Doesn't absolve it from the requirements for a licence and either a home mooring or movement. Nothing to stop the receiver paying things like rates on the company's premises whilst managing the dissolution, so no reason not to licence the remains boats, surely.

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2 minutes ago, BruceinSanity said:

Doesn't absolve it from the requirements for a licence and either a home mooring or movement. Nothing to stop the receiver paying things like rates on the company's premises whilst managing the dissolution, so no reason not to licence the remains boats, surely.

I quite agree, but the topic asked what the deal was and I was suggesting an answer, not saying that anyone had the right to leave it there for long periods of time.

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Perhaps a call to CRT might see the mooring freed up for bona fide use, WV?  I don't think that would be out of order after 5 months - it's clearly not just someone who's popped off to deal with an emergency.  I agree it's a prime visitor mooring having used that very spot myself.

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When Middlewich Narrowboats stopped trading in the autumn, most of their boats were very rapidly distributed around the system.  They haven't tried to disguise them, so I wouldn't have thought they were trying to hide their assets,  But I did hear a rumour that they had been selling shares in their boats so perhaps it is an attempt to prevent assets being seized.  

It's an odd situation I agree, and their is nothing to indicate that they have an agreement with CRT, although I haven't seen any patrol notices on their boats.

A very selfish action though, taking up prime mooring spots (Nantwich embankment is not the only one).

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3 minutes ago, Athy said:

WV did mention that he had already done so.

So he did, and I skipped over it without seeing it somehow. There is still one laying at Middlewich and a couple on the offside outside Aqueduct marina. There may also be another company involved Chuggalong Hire 

 

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1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

So he did, and I skipped over it without seeing it somehow. There is still one laying at Middlewich and a couple on the offside outside Aqueduct marina. There may also be another company involved Chuggalong Hire 

 

I think that is/was either the new name for Middlewhich NBs or an associate company. If you remember, when the current (?) owner took over three or four years ago, he joined CWDF using the name Chugalong, and was very prolific and gregarious for a time. He seemed like a chap who was keen to make a go of the company, and I am sorry that it does not appear to have worked out for him.

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2 hours ago, dor said:

When Middlewich Narrowboats stopped trading in the autumn, most of their boats were very rapidly distributed around the system.  They haven't tried to disguise them, so I wouldn't have thought they were trying to hide their assets,  But I did hear a rumour that they had been selling shares in their boats so perhaps it is an attempt to prevent assets being seized.  

It's an odd situation I agree, and their is nothing to indicate that they have an agreement with CRT, although I haven't seen any patrol notices on their boats.

A very selfish action though, taking up prime mooring spots (Nantwich embankment is not the only one).

Yes, I've noticed their boats dotted around the area for whatever reason, two of them are moored outside Aqueduct Marina. Seems odd to me since if you were going to liquidise your assets surely you've leave them all outside the yard at Middlewich for simplicity. On my last trip through Middlewich there was only one boat moored outside the yard.

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

It may already be subject to a section 8, put the index number into CRT web site and see if its licensed  

When I put the Registration Number into the online checker it didn't actually say the boat was unlicensed it just said the it wasn't recognised by their system and gave the option of inputting details of where the boat had been sighted (which is what I filled in).

Had I checked the threads here I would have seen this one from back in December  https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/94463-middlewich-narrowboats-ceased-trading/&page=2   although it still doesn't explain why the boat concerned is unlicensed and apparently abandoned on a prime mooring.

 

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Interesting situation: Can't say much about ownership or license-holder, but if you are affected by 14 days mooring limits, why not stay where you are until you get moved on. Then you will know who deals with such matters at CRT and can find out more about the boat and owner.

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Relevant CRT contact information can be found here: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/licensing-your-boat/boat-licence-customer-support-team

As for previous ludicrous suggestion to "stay where you are",  fortunately most boaters (like the OP presumably) have a conscience and won't overstay just because they might get away with it.

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Possibly not now PC correct but back in the day it would have been untied moved to a less desirable spot & retied & before any one says about not touching some one else' s boat consider if it broke free/came untied & some kind soul didn't quite tie it back in exactly the same spot  Avoids incoming

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If I've been informed correctly CART have taken back the Middlewich Narrowboat premises, not 100% sure what this means but presumably they were rented from CART. Not sure what will happen to the offside moorings (believe mooring access?)

Edited by RAB
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35 minutes ago, RAB said:

If I've been informed correctly CART have taken back the Middlewich Narrowboat premises, not 100% sure what this means but presumably they were rented from CART. Not sure what will happen to the offside moorings (believe mooring access?)

The offside moorings are now being used by Elton Moss. CRT locked up the dry dock and offices as soon as they were vacated.

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What is of particular concern to you ?

1    A boat being moored in excess of 14 days.

2    Not displaying a current license.

3    Failure of CRT to take action.

4    Concern for an incoming boater denied access.

5   The rule to limit moorings to 14 days.

6   The loss of license fee to CRT. 

7    Other ??

 

 

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11 hours ago, BruceinSanity said:

Doesn't absolve it from the requirements for a licence and either a home mooring or movement. Nothing to stop the receiver paying things like rates on the company's premises whilst managing the dissolution, so no reason not to licence the remains boats, surely.

But the receiver's obligation is to assemble the assets of the company (if any), sell them for the best price, pay themselves from the proceeds, with any remaining monies distributed to creditors. HMRC get first dibs on that, and only if there is any left will creditors see a penny. So my guess is CRT will be creditors who might (or might not) eventually get a proportion of what they are owed for licence fees, premises rent and anything else they are entitled to. In the meantime the receiver will not be paying any bills. 

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11 minutes ago, David Mack said:

But the receiver's obligation is to assemble the assets of the company (if any), sell them for the best price, pay themselves from the proceeds, with any remaining monies distributed to creditors. HMRC get first dibs on that, and only if there is any left will creditors see a penny. So my guess is CRT will be creditors who might (or might not) eventually get a proportion of what they are owed for licence fees, premises rent and anything else they are entitled to. In the meantime the receiver will not be paying any bills. 

Has anyone gone bankrupt or into receivership? It can't be Middlewich Narrowboats Ltd as they ceased to exist last year and Chuggalong is still trading

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11 hours ago, Athy said:

I just had a look on the Companies House web site, which shows the company as "Dissolved" as from last February. So perhaps this boat is an asset awaiting sale.

The company operating out of Middlewich was the Chugalong Hire Company Ltd. Look them up on Companies House, there were charges against some of the boats. The company seems simply to have stopped sending their statutory filings, hence the automatic proposal to strike off.

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3 hours ago, David Mack said:

But the receiver's obligation is to assemble the assets of the company (if any), sell them for the best price, pay themselves from the proceeds, with any remaining monies distributed to creditors. HMRC get first dibs on that, and only if there is any left will creditors see a penny. So my guess is CRT will be creditors who might (or might not) eventually get a proportion of what they are owed for licence fees, premises rent and anything else they are entitled to. In the meantime the receiver will not be paying any bills. 

Generally correct, but the rule that HMRC got first dibs ahead of other creditors was abolished some years ago, they now get the same fraction of debts paid as anyone else.

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3 hours ago, Horace42 said:

What is of particular concern to you ?

1    A boat being moored in excess of 14 days.

2    Not displaying a current license.

3    Failure of CRT to take action.

4    Concern for an incoming boater denied access.

5   The rule to limit moorings to 14 days.

6   The loss of license fee to CRT. 

7    Other ??

 

 

The highlight would be my main concern since there have been a few occasions during the winter when I've moored here and it has been full, other boats have gone past clearly looking for somewhere to moor whilst this boat has hogged a visitor mooring for nearly 5 months now. Whatever the reason for it's abandonment, there is no reason I can think of why they have had to take up a prime mooring. On the way into Nantwich from Barbridge there are a couple of boats moored on the towpath, out of anyone's way, that have also been there since I have been in the area, they are causing no-one any real bother, I don't understand why this boat hasn't been left in a similar location (if they must abandon it)  selfishly hogging a VM is an issue for everyone wanting to moor. As I put on the OP the location is the perfect site for a boater with mobility problems since it is right alongside the slope down to the town.

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