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Orion Narrowboats


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I’m just trying to find out a bit more about Orion 

How many boats did they build and over what period

were they all the same shell style particularly in the bow

Does anyone know anything specific about my recent boat called “Nikita” but never sign written now “Auriga” fitted by the owner a professional joiner called Ken Linley in 2003 she had a very distinct stern rail now removed 

Edited by Halsey
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1 minute ago, Halsey said:

I’m just trying to find out a bit more about Orion 

How many boats did they build and over what period

were they all the same she’ll style Particulalry in the bow

Does anyone know anything specific about my recent boat called “Nikita” but never sign written now “Auriga” fitted by the owner called Ken 

Richard Millican ran Orion but they stopped building boats more than 5 years ago. Richard went on to other things.

 

Most of their longer boats (I think they only built 11 70' boats but many more shorter ones) were similar in the bow. They have a tug type deck but  placed about a foot below the gunnel.

 

Many (including Richards own) are somewhat eccentric in various ways, mine certainly is!

 

Don't know much more detail but I'm sure there will be others along who do.

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12 minutes ago, Halsey said:

Duuuuuuh why didn’t I think to look there - thanks for that

The number of Orion boats on the list has fallen since I looked at it when buying mine 5 years ago. I kept a copy of the names of the boats exceeding 60' and there were 37 of them. I didn't bother with shorter boats as there were quite a lot of them.

 

So, for whatever reason, the current list is not complete. I doubt it is due to scraped vessels.

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Richard Ibbotson ran Orion, not Milligan, the latter is the engineer. They started building on an industrial estate in Brockmoor, just opposite the top lock of the Stourbridge 16. I wrote Megan, their first boat there. I suggested over a pint one day that they could try building something more traditional. Richard’s then partner, Tony, had worked for David Baugh of Black Country Narrowboats and the earlier Orion tugs were an improvement on his lines. They built for private customers and the trade, Mick Wilson of Aquarius Narrowboats being a regular customer. They moved to Ashwood Marina, probably in the 90s and continued until a few years ago. Much of the steel work there was by Steve Granger whose father ran Delph Marine years before. Richard’s own Narrowboat, Sirius, is one of theirs and towards the end of the tenure Steve built him a steel seagoing cruiser. Now retired, he is sometimes to be found delivering yachts around the Mediterranean or on Tenerife, though he surfaces in the Black Country from time to time.

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2 minutes ago, dave moore said:

Richard Ibbotson ran Orion, not Milligan, the latter is the engineer. They started building on an industrial estate in Brockmoor, just opposite the top lock of the Stourbridge 16. I wrote Megan, their first boat there. I suggested over a pint one day that they could try building something more traditional. Richard’s then partner, Tony, had worked for David Baugh of Black Country Narrowboats and the earlier Orion tugs were an improvement on his lines. They built for private customers and the trade, Mick Wilson of Aquarius Narrowboats being a regular customer. They moved to Ashwood Marina, probably in the 90s and continued until a few years ago. Much of the steel work there was by Steve Granger whose father ran Delph Marine years before. Richard’s own Narrowboat, Sirius, is one of theirs and towards the end of the tenure Steve built him a steel seagoing cruiser. Now retired, he is sometimes to be found delivering yachts around the Mediterranean or on Tenerife, though he surfaces in the Black Country from time to time.

I'm a bit confused, someone who knows Richard Millican saw the boat at Crick this year (knew it from its spell at Saul Junction). He told me that RM  had one very like mine and kept it on the Shropshire. Has he misremembered his Richards?

 

By the way, there is one of your invoices amongst the paperwork with mine but its too small a sum to be in respect of signwriting work, even in 2003.

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Richard Milligan, aka Blackhands, also has an Orion boat, if I recall correctly. I did some work on it years ago. Richard Ibbotson was certainly the main man at Orion throughout the company’s existence. We worked together for a good few years. By now, he may have sold Sirius, I understand that Blackhands is considering a move to bricks and mortar as well. All change....

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My orion was launched feb 95 at brockmoor.it was then sailed to ashwood for final fitout so must of been one of the last few to be built there.im the 2nd owner but the original owner gave me launch photos and full history .i brought the boat via richard brokerage and he gave a lot of time explaining the orions build design etc .

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I remember Orion Dawn. She was built for Alan West and his wife, previously a lumpy water boater. I recall with a smile his comment about varnish.....” The best one is the one you haven’t tried yet!”.  This was at Whitchurch, where I added some final touches. The fit out could well have been by Ian Wright, aka “The Antique”....he was a restorer as well as a boat fitter. Happy days.....

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3 hours ago, frahkn said:

The number of Orion boats on the list has fallen since I looked at it when buying mine 5 years ago. I kept a copy of the names of the boats exceeding 60' and there were 37 of them. I didn't bother with shorter boats as there were quite a lot of them.

 

So, for whatever reason, the current list is not complete. I doubt it is due to scraped vessels.

The list is never going to be 100% accurate - firstly getting a complete list from C&RT seems rather hard nowadays and secondly things like builder are not mandatory and contains a lot of "bad" data

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16 minutes ago, mickp said:

Yes dave ,alan said you did the paint work .it made the front cover of a boat mag in 95 which was given to me  not sure if you did the repaint (not sure what year that would have been .

Dave did a lot of the paintwork on Auriga - BMC engine room ext detailing etc - hmmmmmmmmm might have been one of the reasons we bought her

Lovely boat but then I am biased but she does get a lot of compliments, we are also the second owners it’s a real shame the original owner never got to cruise her

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7 hours ago, dave moore said:

Richard Milligan, aka Blackhands, also has an Orion boat, if I recall correctly. I did some work on it years ago. Richard Ibbotson was certainly the main man at Orion throughout the company’s existence. We worked together for a good few years. By now, he may have sold Sirius, I understand that Blackhands is considering a move to bricks and mortar as well. All change....

Thanks Dave,

 

Clearly I misunderstood the position - too many Richards and too many boats for a simple guy like me who wasn't there at the beginning.

 

Much appreciated.

4 hours ago, StephenA said:

The list is never going to be 100% accurate - firstly getting a complete list from C&RT seems rather hard nowadays and secondly things like builder are not mandatory and contains a lot of "bad" data

 

Absolutely, quite understand.

 

No criticism of the present list was intended at all.

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1 hour ago, mark99 said:

IIRC Richard M's Orion boat has two Listers on board. One a lovely single pot genny.

 

Where is this second engine? I LIKE this idea, and I think I might just have room for one in my engine room! If not certainly under the tugdeck. 

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Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Where is this second engine? I LIKE this idea, and I think I might just have room for one in my engine room! If not certainly under the tugdeck. 

 

It's next to the main vintage Lister iirc. In engine room.

Edited by mark99
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6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Where is this second engine? I LIKE this idea, and I think I might just have room for one in my engine room! If not certainly under the tugdeck. 

Yeah, but if you add another engine, I can't see you stopping at just one extra!..............

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1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:

Yeah, but if you add another engine, I can't see you stopping at just one extra!..............

 

I've always vaguely fancied the idea of a twin screw narrowboat. Even less reason to have a bow thruster!

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2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I've always vaguely fancied the idea of a twin screw narrowboat. Even less reason to have a bow thruster!


It's been done, of course, and discussed in several previous threads on CWDF.

2tillers.JPG.8ca6d285e9fbd2e5d321e2e083d

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1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:


It's been done, of course, and discussed in several previous threads on CWDF.

2tillers.JPG.8ca6d285e9fbd2e5d321e2e083d

 

Was it ever established that this boat has twin engines and propellers though, and not just two rudders? 

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3 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Was it ever established that this boat has twin engines and propellers though, and not just two rudders? 

Yes, it was established that it is a twin engined boat.

Allan Jones (I think) actually discussed the boat with the owner.

We have shared locks with it, but it was on one engine only at the time.

 

Ah, just found relevant post.......
 

 

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14 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I've always vaguely fancied the idea of a twin screw narrowboat. Even less reason to have a bow thruster!

Ooh goodie! TWO weedhatches! :D

1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:

Yes, it was established that it is a twin engined boat.

 

Question 2. Was it ever established why? ;)

 

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