Any info on Hesford Marine Boats?

[Mad Harold]

"Popsie"is a 30ft narrowboat built 1978 by Hesford Marine of Lymm Cheshire.According to my recent survey,the original steel thickness was 6,5,3,and has had the uxter or counter [not sure what it's called,but the horizontal plate above the prop] overplated at some time.

I have not come across another Hesford Marine boat,and although Hesford Marine are still in business,they don't build boats anymore, and when I phoned to ask for any information about my boat, was told that the business had changed hands since 1978, and they had no records of the business that far back.

I would like to know how Hesford Marine boats were/are regarded. Quality,budget or in the middle.it seems to have withstood the years pretty well,by either being built of quality steel,or by being well looked after by previous owners.

I would be grateful for any information that anyone has on Hesford Marine boats.

Thanks in advance.

[70liveaboard]

Bernard Hesford ran the marina with his wife. The builder that was based on site, can't remember his name, but he was late middle aged chap that had a throat illness that meant he had to speak through a wind pipe adapter type device. The sound could be a little scary to young children, but he was a very nice man and built a reasonably nice boat.

Bernard had his own boat built there too, a trad.

I don't think they built that many, maybe two three per year if that. But the owners were happy with them and many moored there. It has changed a lot since Bernard had it, for one it was modernised, as it was very much a boat yard (work yard), type place when Bernard had it.

 

Can't give much more info than that. Bernard and his wife were both nice people.

 

I can add the shells were expensive at the time, higher than some of the more well known builders around then. We enquired about a 50ft trad, shell only. It only went as far as an enquiry, we went elsewhere for the shell. They weren't as good as the price they were asking, but they were o.k.

We used the slipway there, many times.

 

I'm going back to very early 80's, maybe 82', can't remember. Also, he always signed off as Bernard Hesford, but the wife seems to think on some invoices we had, the surname was different. I can't remember that being the case, its a long time ago..

Edited September 6, 2018 by 70liveaboard

[Mad Harold]

Thank you for replying.  Yours is the only answer so far,so the complete origins of my boat will remain a bit of a mystery.

[Onewheeler]

Not much help to you, but Boden was built at Hesford in 1993. 8/6/4 steel. We've been happy with her for the last 21 years. Some pitting corrosion which I hope has stopped since we moved onto the Thames and had extra anodes fitted - it certainly seemed OK at the last docking. Quite a nicely shaped boat compared with some of the "extruded" boats that one sees although the steelwork is not particularly flat. Don't know much more about the shell, the fitout was done by the first owner. The rudder top bearing seems to be a simple tube, which now rattles a bit but no more than a minor annoyance.

 

Martin/

[Neil2]

I recall looking at one many years ago, a forty footer and I would concur with the comments so far ie the boats were quite stylish in appearance though never regarded as a top marque so to speak.

 

The fact that the uxter plate has been overplated is odd - if that's the only part of the boat that has been done, normally the uxter fares much better than the baseplate in terms of resisting corrosion.  

[Mad Harold]

On 12/09/2018 at 16:49, Neil2 said:

I recall looking at one many years ago, a forty footer and I would concur with the comments so far ie the boats were quite stylish in appearance though never regarded as a top marque so to speak.

 

The fact that the uxter plate has been overplated is odd - if that's the only part of the boat that has been done, normally the uxter fares much better than the baseplate in terms of resisting corrosion.  

Thank you for the reply. Survey didn't note any other overplating.

The survey says the swim plate has been overplated.

I have heard it also called the uxter plate,and also the counter plate.

Don't know for sure which,but if it's the bottom of the stern, just above the prop,then it only looks to be submerged only 3 or 4 inches. It could be that being closer to the surface, there is more oxygen in the water to cause corrosion.

[Neil2]

14 hours ago, Furness said:

Thank you for the reply. Survey didn't note any other overplating.

The survey says the swim plate has been overplated.

I have heard it also called the uxter plate,and also the counter plate.

Don't know for sure which,but if it's the bottom of the stern, just above the prop,then it only looks to be submerged only 3 or 4 inches. It could be that being closer to the surface, there is more oxygen in the water to cause corrosion.

That's an urban myth put about by folk who want an excuse not to black the baseplate.

 

The simple reason why it's unusual to have the uxter corrode before the baseplate is that it is possible to black the uxter plate along with the hull sides even if the boat is on the floor, whereas on most boats the baseplate is left unprotected.