Last updated 29th January, 2024.
Nine down.......
Odyssey - 1978 to 1983
32' cruiser style narrowboat
Shell built for me, engineered and fitted out by me.
Mallard - 1984 to 1986
50' very traditional narrowboat (recessed panels, boatman's cabin & engine room)
Shell built for and substantially worked on by me. Long story!
Sorry photos long lost.
Flower of Gloster - 1987 to 1988
Ex-working 72' Ovaltine coal carrier with celebrity status
(having featured in the 1967 children's TV series of the same name).
1927 Wooden boat, shortened to 49' with bolted on steel bow. Minimally restored by me.
Jonshe - 1988 to 1990?
27'(?) Sailing Cruiser (kept on the Norfolk Broads)
Brief interlude away from the canals while living in Essex.
N.B. Although this information shows a long period without owning my own boat, I was a regular user of the Rose of Essex, a 65' narrowboat operated by Essex Community Education Service, and was instrumental in the founding (1989) and development of the Canal Boat Project, a charity that has been operating wide beam canal boats for people with disabilities since 1999.
Elf - 1999 to 2002
32' traditional stern narrowboat
Bought secondhand and restored/improved by me.
Scruffy Fox - 2002 to 2010 & 2014 to 2016
50' semi-traditional narrowboat
Bought secondhand, modified/improved by me and operated as shared-ownership boat.
Jackdaw - 2002 to 2013
50' very traditional narrowboat (boatman's cabin & engine room)
Bought secondhand, much modified/improved by me.
Aries - 2010 to 2024?
52' Leeds Liverpool 'Short' Boat (style) 83% full size
Shell built for me, engineered and fitted out largely by me.
Wolverley/Andante - 2017 to 2022
60' semi-traditional narrowboat
Bought secondhand, modified/improved and operated as shared-ownership boat.
... and one to go!
Ten Forward - 2024 to ?
35' tug style hybrid electric narrowboat
Being fitted to my specifications.