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Mick Sivewright


Shaky Steve

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We used to own a Midway 235, which was a 23'5" boat built in the 90s with steel thicknesses of 4/4/3. I remember hearing somewhere, around the time we bought it, that these small Midway-branded boats were built on Sivewright hulls, or maybe using Sivewright shells, and I had the impression that he had a solid reputation as a builder. The boats I see most often for sale with his name attached are the "Owl" class; these were all small 90s boats too, I think.

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32 minutes ago, Athy said:

They must hold their value well. The boat is very neat and tidy, but £27,500 for a 30-footer almost 30 years old is a premium price.

In case the OP missed it, I'm pretty sure these words were intended to be suffused with extreme scepticism! Sivewright might be a respected builder, but I don't think his reputation is such that his boats attract a 50% premium over similar boats of a similar age.

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7 minutes ago, magictime said:

In case the OP missed it, I'm pretty sure these words were intended to be suffused with extreme scepticism! Sivewright might be a respected builder, but I don't think his reputation is such that his boats attract a 50% premium over similar boats of a similar age.

Well it is overplated, so as extra steel has had to be purchased and added to it, that surely increases its value? :wacko:

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51 minutes ago, magictime said:

In case the OP missed it, I'm pretty sure these words were intended to be suffused with extreme scepticism! Sivewright might be a respected builder, but I don't think his reputation is such that his boats attract a 50% premium over similar boats of a similar age.

Well, not quite scepticism - surprise, perhaps, and a suspicion that the asking price is on the optimistic side. A 30' Springer of comparable age would struggle to sell for more than £15,000. On the other hand, firstly it's not a Springer, it's from a maker with a bit of a niche following, and secondly its condition looks "mint minus", very clean indeed, so perhaps the price is not as unrealistic as I first thought.

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Mick Sivewright lengthened our 1986 Colecraft 45' boat Bullfinch to make it 57' whilst it was owned by Roger Wickson.   This was in 2000. The steelwork and welding is of an excellent standard. He installed a 1970s Sabb engine and the pipework, fitting and electrical work are all neat and well thought out. He matched the cherry woodwork in a newly formed bedroom to the Len Beauchamp original fit out in a sympathetic and sharp way. I would be confident enough of his work to give any boat of his a close inspection. 

 

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Wow! A whole thread about my boat! Well, not my boat, but one of the select class to which it belongs.  I fell in love with it 11 years ago, and bought it for £18,000.  I am writing this in its 'compact' but open plan lounge/galley/dining room/bedroom/workspace before getting down to a few jobs before the BSS tomorrow..........

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21 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Bought for £15000 and sold for £23000 after three years.

Yowsers! If their value is rising that quickly, the OP should snap up this £27,000 bargain now and expect to sell it for £40,000 before it next needs blacking.;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

This 25-footer has just appeared on Apollo Duck at £11k (which seems a bit more like it in terms of market value):

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/advert.phtml?id=508947

Very characterful IMHO, plus you can make a cup of tea (or cook your dinner for that matter) without having to get out of bed.

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25 minutes ago, magictime said:

This 25-footer has just appeared on Apollo Duck at £11k (which seems a bit more like it in terms of market value):

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/advert.phtml?id=508947

Very characterful IMHO, plus you can make a cup of tea (or cook your dinner for that matter) without having to get out of bed.

I agree, she's quite sweet.
 

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 years later...

My first boat was an Owl class Mick Sivewright boat. Bought her for £14,250 in 1997 and sold her for £22,000 in 2005. Despite being only 30ft she could sleep four people and we often were four for a week at a time. Everything was compact and everything had to have its place. The Vetus engine was only 11.5HP which was fine on the canals but we had to be careful when we moved to moor at Dewsbury not to go out on the river sections when there was increased flow. She was originally a cruiser stern but the previous, first owners had her changed to a semi-trad. Their annual cruise was from their mooring at Lower Heyford up to Micks place where the boat would get a service and other jobs done. All in all a great first boat.

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  • 4 months later...

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