Adeline

My daughter Lisa has, as would be expected from someone who was brought up on the canals and inland waterways, long yearned for a boat of her own. She and her ex- husband Nathan regularly borrowed the boat belonging to her mother's partner which is moored at Walton where they are members of BMBC (Bridgewater Motor Boat Club). We quite often meet them whilst out cruising and we also knew that they were saving up for a boat of their own. Whilst we were on our 2016 Easter Cruise returning from Barbridge I received a phone call from Lisa telling me that they had seen a boat on eBay that Nathan was thinking of buying for her fortieth birthday and could I have a look at it with them. Arrangements were made to meet up at Middlewich where they would take me to Wincham Wharf near Northwich where the boat was located out of the water on hard standing. They told me that the boat was a Creighton Inlander 32 (built by the Creighton Caravan Company - Marine Division, Nelson, Lancashire). It was virtually a bare shell but fitted with a three cylinder Nanni (Kubota) raw water cooled diesel engine. At some point in time the boat had been sunk but they did not know the circumstances surrounding this. Consequently the boat was in need of complete renovation and refitting. My friend Paul Savage came with us to cast an eye on the boat as well and, after a thorough inspection, we came to the conclusion that it was a worthwhile project, although it would involve a lot of hard work, time and money.

We inspected the hull from one end to the other and whilst there are a couple of places in need of attention the boat was basically very sound. After scrambling up a ladder the interior was inspected. It would needed stripping out completely and refitting. The beauty of this is that they would be able to plan the boat to their own requirements from what is basically a blank canvas (or should that be GRP?). As previously mentioned the engine is a three cylinder Nanni (Kubota) with raw water cooling and looked to be in very good condition although we could not see it running.

I explained to Lisa and Nathan that there would be a lot of work involved in making the boat cruisable but they seemed to have set their hearts on it and made the owner an offer that was accepted. After half an hour the "deed was done" and they were the proud owners of Exodus II. Knowing that Lisa and Nathan are not afraid of hard work this boat should provide them with many years of cruising once completed. My parents, brother and dear departed friend Alec Levac would have been pleased that the family tradition of boating was being carried on even if they did plan to change the name to Adeline!

It did not take long before Lisa and Nathan made their plans and started stripping out the interior. All the interior woodwork was removed to reveal the bare hull and scrubbed clean. The rear cabin had a temporary floor and was to be their "workshop" for the time of being. Their Easter holiday was spent cleaning, stripping out and preparing the hull for renovation and repainting below the waterline with two-pack polyurethane paint to reinforce the integrity of the gel-coat.

During the following weeks the damage to the hull was repaired ready for the boat to be relaunched. Before that the propeller shaft bearings and stern gland would need inspection and repacking if necessary. Also the stern gland greaser was missing and the existing greasing pipe, which was basically plastic tubing, replaced with a more suitable pipe. Nathan constructed a new instrument panel that would house the basic electrical connections until the engine compartment was re-jigged.

The hull repairs were completed, the outside of the hull cleaned and the old name removed from the bow ready for being re-christened Adeline. A Thetford C200 was purchased and the electrical cupboard fitted with some of the electrical items installed.

Lisa and Nathan had joined Runcorn BMBC and when the boat was canal-worthy it was launched into the Trent and Mersey Canal at Wincham Wharf before being towed by Jusromin to be slipped at Runcorn for hull painting before being moved to their new mooring at Top Locks, adjacent to Waterloo Bridge also at Runcorn. The following day the engine received some attention and was started. It ran well although there was a problem with the Jabsco raw cooling water pump.

First cruise - passing through Anderton with Nathan at the helm whilst being towed by nb Jusromin

Out of the water, hull cleaned and sanded ready for painting with two-pack polyurethane

By Easter 2017 the boat was partially habitable and Nathan removed all the windows one by one, re-sealing them with new sealing strips purchased from Caldwell's Windows. Soon after they took part in the BMBC 2017 Opening Cruise to Watchouse Cruising Club at Stretford on the outskirts of Manchester. By the following month they were in a position to attend the annual FBCC Rally hosted by Worsley Cruising Club at Patricroft not far from Barton Swing Aqueduct.

The steering wheel was removed, sanded down and re-varnished. It was then refitted when the new electrical cupboard/steering console was completed and fitted. The next job would be fitting the kitchen units and installing the worktop, cooker and refrigerator purchased from Paul Savage when he was refitting the kitchen in his narrowboat Adreva.

In 2018 Lisa and Nathan separated but thankfully, Lisa kept Adeline and continued the work to renovate and improve it. Even though it was "cruisable" there were still many jobs to be completed such as the electrical wiring, installing the galley, toilet bulkheads, gas installation and lining the cabin sides and roof to minimise condensation forming. The bulkheads were all completed by June 2020 and the kitchen partially installed at the same time.

Major Milestones in the life of Adeline (previously Exodus II)
1975+/-	Approximate build date
31/03/2016	Purchased by Lisa and Nathan Hancock
11/04/2016	Commenced stripping out interior
16/04/2016	Fore and aft cabins completely stripped out to bare GRP and cleaned
19/04/2016	Hull damage repaired with resin & glass matting
22/04/2016	New name decided on - Adeline
30/04/016	Repairs to damaged hull completed
07/05/2016	Old name removed & hull cleaned
08/05/2016	Electrical cupboard fitted
01/06/2016	Launched & towed from Wincham Wharf to Runcorn by nb Jusromin
02/06/2016	Engine started & running well but faulty Jabsco raw water circulation pump identified
11/06/2016	Fore cabin floor supports & floorboards fitted
18/06/2016	Aft cabin floor supports fitted
20/07/2016	Forward & aft cabin bulkheads completed
27/07/2016	Beam gauged & set
07/08/2016	Gunwales repaired & re-glassed
14/08/2016	Engine compartment & aft cabin floor completed
15/08/2016	Windscreen & side screens removed, sanded down, re-varnished & refitted
28/08/2016	Slipped @ Runcorn for hull cleaning & repainting with two pack polyurethane below waterline
11/09/2016	Stern-gear painted with Hammerite & propeller repaired
14/09/2016	Rubbing strakes & hand rails removed, sanded down & re-varnished
18/09/2016	Relaunched after hull repainting & work to stern-gear and propeller
01/10/2016	First cruise to Walton & suffered with contaminated fuel on return to Runcorn
08/04/2017	Front cabin windows removed & re-sealed
22/04/2017	Attended the BMBC Opening Cruise to Watchouse Cruising Club @ Stretford
27/05/2017	Attended the FBCC Rally @ Patricroft
08/07/2017	Fitted new doors to fore & aft cabin bulkheads
15/07/2017	Constructed and fitted new electrical cupboard & sanded down steering wheel prior to re-varnishing
24/05/2019	Attended the FBCC Rally @ Lymm
31/07/2019	Slipped @ Runcorn for hull cleaning & repainting with two pack polyurethane below waterline
23/02/2020	Mains & cabin lighting wiring installed
16/05/2020	Kitchen partially fitted
17/05/2020	Bathroom bulkhead completed
03/04/2021	Slipped @ Runcorn for hull cleaning & repainting with two pack polyurethane below waterline
01/05/2021	Second solar panel & regulator fitted
27/05/2021	Summer cruise to Brockholes (Beeston Castle) on the Shropshire Union Canal

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Forward
So You Want To Go Canal Cruising?
		Introduction
		Book 1 - 1960 to 1982
		Book 2 - 1983 to 1999
		Book 3 - 2000 to 2005
		Book 4 - 2006 to 2007
		Book 5 - 2008 to 2009
		Book 6 - 2010
		Book 7 - 2011
		Book 8 - 2012
		Book 9 - 2013
		Book 10 - 2014
		Book 11 - 2015
		Book 12 - 2016
		Book 13 - 2017
		Book 14 - 2018
		Book 15 - 2019
		Book 16 - 2020
		Book 17 - 2021