Springer Narrowboats

[bizzard]

A chap came up the Stort here a few years ago.He had a pontoon with an outboard motor on the back and he'd built like a Class 47 diesel railway loco's body on it,it was quite good.

[robdalej]

What is noticeable to me is how the values seem to have stayed, In the advert for a new Springer 30ft the new price is quoted as £9300 plus vat We have a 30 ft Springer on our mooring and the purchase price was £10 k and it will probably stay at around that price when he resells it, It is still a good way to get on the canals for a reasonable price in a boat that can still look nice with a new paint job

[J R ALSOP]

The Wensleydale Heifer owners lived in Berkhamsted, the wife came from Yorkshire!

[bizzard]

The Wensleydale Heifer owners lived in Berkhamsted, the wife came from Yorkshire!

Interesting.The boat was bought by the yard owner here,he sold it,it remained here, was neglected,bought back by the yard owner and now is awaiting a bit of a refit before going up for sale again.It needs another engine,its presant one is a badly installed knackered old hand start Petter.

You might remember me John,you turned up here on buisiness a few years ago,and whilst waiting for someone had tea and a chat on my boat,Lady Olga. Bizzard.

[benfordboy]

Canalway Cavalcade 1991:

 

 

 

Tim

 

Thanks for those Tim - I'll get them printed out for Dad, Graham kept a good record of NB Marah , We have photos of the construction ect so these just add to the history of the boat (Ok its 'only' a Springer, but has had a interesting past for such a craft)

[Starcoaster]

Scuse me if this is an obviously stupid question, but what makes Laurie's boat in those pics a tug rather than a well deck? I am thinking I have maybe misunderstood what constitutes a tug.

[Albion]

Scuse me if this is an obviously stupid question, but what makes Laurie's boat in those pics a tug rather than a well deck? I am thinking I have maybe misunderstood what constitutes a tug.

 

Take a look at Dalesman's post #17 and you can see clearly the three types SC. In this case 'Tug style' is more to do with the smaller aft deck and the extended rear cabin (compared to the cruiser style) than the other normal attribute of a real tug, the flat, open fore deck.

Roger

[Starcoaster]

Oh I see! So it's not what would generally be thought of as a tug, more a Springer take on a tug style?

[David Mack]

Scuse me if this is an obviously stupid question, but what makes Laurie's boat in those pics a tug rather than a well deck? I am thinking I have maybe misunderstood what constitutes a tug.

 

Its not a stupid question!

 

Laurie's boat would now be (loosly) described as a trad sterned boat. The bow lines are different from the standard Springer, but still pretty conventional. I guess Springers may have used the 'tug' word as part of marketing for this particular model, before the term became used more specifically for a narrowboat with a relatively short cabin and an extended front deck (and no well).

 

David

[alan_fincher]

Laurie's boat would now be (loosly) described as a trad sterned boat. The bow lines are different from the standard Springer, but still pretty conventional. I guess Springers may have used the 'tug' word as part of marketing for this particular model, before the term became used more specifically for a narrowboat with a relatively short cabin and an extended front deck (and no well).

 

If you look back at Dalesman's post 17, he reproduces an advert where they do indeed market as "tug design".

 

As you say, these days it would simply be called "trad", because "tug style" has come to take on another meaning.

[Albion]

Oh I see! So it's not what would generally be thought of as a tug, more a Springer take on a tug style?

 

Yes, if you look at the bow of the one in the advert in #17 you will see that its name is shown as 'Tug Type' and in the writing as 'Tug design' so Springers weren't claiming it was a tug in the normal sense of the word. Then there is, although not in the Springer range, the 'Semi-trad' where you have false cabin sides extending rearwards but obscuring a bigger open aft deck, like a cruiser style, but giving the side view appearance of a tug style aft end.

Roger

Edited December 14, 2011 by Albion

[Pentargon]

Much obliged I am for all the returns and thankee esp. to Laurie for the pictures of your lovely tug. I note your number is in the 40,000s. Mine is in the 60,000s was built in 1975/6 and has an [allegedly] original Lister SR2 which is as sweet as a nut. My next question is slightly more general. Can one tell the approximate age of a BW regd. narrowboat by it's number or do they draw the numbers like a lottery?

[Albion]

Much obliged I am for all the returns and thankee esp. to Laurie for the pictures of your lovely tug. I note your number is in the 40,000s. Mine is in the 60,000s was built in 1975/6 and has an [allegedly] original Lister SR2 which is as sweet as a nut. My next question is slightly more general. Can one tell the approximate age of a BW regd. narrowboat by it's number or do they draw the numbers like a lottery?

 

I believe that it is [possible to get an approximate age via the issues index number but, unfortunately, I don't know the numbering sequence. There will be those on here who do though I'm sure. It's not a complete lottery.

Roger

[Athy]

I don't think that the current system of BW boat numbers came in until about 1980, so boats built at any time before that could have been numbered haphazardly. The 60000s probably came first, followed by the 40000s (our first boat was built in 1989 and had a number beginning with 46) then the 5000000s after that.

[Laurie Booth]

I don't think that the current system of BW boat numbers came in until about 1980, so boats built at any time before that could have been numbered haphazardly. The 60000s probably came first, followed by the 40000s (our first boat was built in 1989 and had a number beginning with 46) then the 5000000s after that.

My Springer No 45635 built 1989

[Starcoaster]

Mine is 75846 and built in 1988, just to confuse matters further!

[WotEver]

Dating the BW plate.

 

Tony

[Wumpty]

Canalway Cavalcade 1991:

 

 

 

Tim

 

That's pure genius, I want one!

 

Anyone got any more photo's of it?

 

Thanks :-)

[Tim Lewis]

That's pure genius, I want one!

 

Anyone got any more photo's of it?

 

Thanks :-)

 

Only an even more out of focus one :-(

 

Tim

[alan_fincher]

Mine is 75846 and built in 1988, just to confuse matters further!

No, it doesn't confuse as the list shows 75400 to 75999 as issued in 1988, confirming your index number as matching the year you have been told the boat is.

 

(Count yourself lucky - many people's Springers tend to end up getting identified as having lost a few years off their age over time!)

[benfordboy]

That's pure genius, I want one!

 

Anyone got any more photo's of it?

 

Thanks :-)

 

We have a great poster advertising the event - too big to scan , maybe I could photo it tho!

Edited December 17, 2011 by benfordboy

[Christopher Bemrose]

how can tell what model of springer you have mine looks like the one in the black & white photo any one give me a clue

[Athy]

Welcome, Mr.Bemrose!

Your Springer will be from 1983 or earlier - the peaked roof and slightly pointed stern were features of Springers built from 1969 (when Springers started production) to 1983. After that, the stern was more curved, and the roof was too.

[Traveller]

I had a Sprnger once and had years of fun out of it. It had the peaked (pointed roof) and pointed stern but also the corners of the sides where they joined the roof were curved, something like a 4 to 6 inch radius I reckon. What age do you reckon that was?

[mango]

Mine is 75846 and built in 1988, just to confuse matters further!

Interesting. Searching for that number on CanalPlan gives names of Wendy May and Whistling Gypsy, the latter with an 999 HP engine.

 

I recently saw an application for a CRT business licence, which asked for more details than in the past and for incorrect information to be corrected. If this is being done for private boats too, then perhaps we could look forward to more accurate details and possibly more information. I have seen many boats referred to as having no draught.