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Please help me trace my grandparent's old narrowboat


Rainey

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My grandparents owned a narrowboat, and I have recently been thinking about buying one. I have become really interested in seeing if I can trace their ole boat! Even just to see where she ended up, sentimental reasons really.

Here's the details:

Grandparent names: Cyril and Alice Cousins

Bought in 1984 from Cowroast Marina near Tring, she was called "Snoopy" at the time.

Re-named her "Cyralice"

Serial number is 79826 (there's a slim chance it's 79026 as the photo is fuzzy - attached)

She was first moored in Willowbridge Marina and then Gayton Marina in Northampton, on the Grand Union canal.

I checked on http://canalplan.org.uk/boats/ but she's not listed.

It was sold in the late 90's I think through the brokerage at Gayton Marina (part of Alvechurch group I think)

Thanks!

Rainey

cyralice big.jpg

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1 minute ago, Dave Payne said:

looks like 79026 to me

Do boats get taken off that database at any point?

OK,

I'm now convinced that it is 79026.

Numbers do indeed vanish from the Canalplan list (actually, I suspect that they are missing if they weren't active when Jim Shead first compiled the list).

They don't vanish from the CRT system though, and it is possible by circuitous means to get at that data!

79826 isn't there, but 79026 IS and it is a 11.58m boat.

Last known to CRT/BW as PHEONIX (that is how it is in the database!)

There is one possible boat by that name on a different number and 2ft longer, but showing as a David Piper, and with no current registration

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7 minutes ago, mayalld said:

OK,

I'm now convinced that it is 79026.

Numbers do indeed vanish from the Canalplan list (actually, I suspect that they are missing if they weren't active when Jim Shead first compiled the list).

They don't vanish from the CRT system though, and it is possible by circuitous means to get at that data!

79826 isn't there, but 79026 IS and it is a 11.58m boat.

Last known to CRT/BW as PHEONIX (that is how it is in the database!)

There is one possible boat by that name on a different number and 2ft longer, but showing as a David Piper, and with no current registration

Does your circuitous route show whether it's licensed, Dave?

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10 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Does your circuitous route show whether it's licensed, Dave?

No, but the licence checker doesn't recognise the number, which suggests that the boat has been gone from their waters for a while

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4 minutes ago, mayalld said:

No, but the licence checker doesn't recognise the number, which suggests that the boat has been gone from their waters for a while

When you say 'gone from their waters' does that mean a boat is licenced to whatever canal it's on (sorry for my ignorance) or does it mean it might not longer exist?

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Just now, Rainey said:

When you say 'gone from their waters' does that mean a boat is licenced to whatever canal it's on (sorry for my ignorance) or does it mean it might not longer exist?

OK, the options are;

1) Moved to non-CRT waters and now licenced there

2) Moved to non-CRT waters, and subsequently returned to CRT waters, but relicenced with a new number

3) Boat no longer exists.

 

 

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15 minutes ago, Dave Payne said:

Hmm a google bought this up, i wonder....

 

http://www.phoenixdayboat.co.uk/narrow-boat-phoenix/

 

Back end of cabin curved, window in right place.

following the link http://phoenixdayboat.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Phoenix.pdf to how they got it as a burnt out shell I would say it's not the same boat due to the missing instrument panel to the left of the rear doors, while it's not impossible that this was removed and a plate welded in I would say that it would be unusual.

also the rail around the deck is square tube with angular joints on the OP's picture where it is / was round curved tube on the day boat

 

edit...

they think Phoenix was originally called North Star and a better picture of it's stern as a burnt out boat shows the differences to the OP's boat quite well.

 

phoenix.JPG

Edited by Jess--
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Yes, good idea and good detective work, Dave, but I don't think it's the one - even though built in Market Harborough - as this Phoenix was originally 42 feet long.

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19 minutes ago, Jess-- said:

following the link http://phoenixdayboat.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Phoenix.pdf to how they got it as a burnt out shell I would say it's not the same boat due to the missing instrument panel to the left of the rear doors, while it's not impossible that this was removed and a plate welded in I would say that it would be unusual.

also the rail around the deck is square tube with angular joints on the OP's picture where it is / was round curved tube on the day boat

 

edit...

they think Phoenix was originally called North Star and a better picture of it's stern as a burnt out boat shows the differences to the OP's boat quite well.

 

phoenix.JPG

This boat is almost certainly a Harborough Marine.

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32 minutes ago, mayalld said:

OK, the options are;

1) Moved to non-CRT waters and now licenced there

2) Moved to non-CRT waters, and subsequently returned to CRT waters, but relicenced with a new number

3) Boat no longer exists.

 

 

Oh dear :( It looks like the trail might run dry. I had hoped a boat keeps it's serial (licence) number throughout it's life but it seems not. I'm grateful for everyone's help. But I'll keep looking so if anything else comes to mind...please share!

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19 minutes ago, bizzard said:

This boat is almost certainly a Harborough Marine.

Yes - as, of course, Rainey's grandparental boat could be too. But this one has its rear window too far forward I think, though of course different camera angles can give different impressions.

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1 minute ago, David Mack said:

What's the date of that record?  Might be worth contacting Nottingham Castle Marina to see if they know what happened to Pheonix.

Last updated 2005 so likely to be wrong but worth checking yes.

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