Baltimore Catalogue Entry

[JanetAnne]

Does anyone have access to the catalogue entry for a Moores Baltimore from about 1970 ish? 

Thanks

[Vaughan]

 

This is from Blakes catalogue of 1978.

The fleet of R. Moore and Sons was sold to Jenners in 1968, but Moore and Co was an offshoot of the new Jack Powles, then owned by Leslie Trafford.  I assume this is the one you mean?

Earlier Moores boats are difficult to find in catalogues as Ralph Moore had a bit of an "on off" relationship with Blakes.  He used to reckon his standards were higher than theirs.  Maybe he was right?

[Heron]

I would second that!

[andyg]

Vaughan, did Trafford own Aston boats at one time ?? Moores were a cracking yard. Always like these boats I particularly like the front cockpit. 

[trambo]

1967 brochure entry.

Fred

[JanetAnne]

53 minutes ago, trambo said:

1967 brochure entry.

Fred

4 hours ago, Vaughan said:

 

This is from Blakes catalogue of 1978.

The fleet of R. Moore and Sons was sold to Jenners in 1968, but Moore and Co was an offshoot of the new Jack Powles, then owned by Leslie Trafford.  I assume this is the one you mean?

Earlier Moores boats are difficult to find in catalogues as Ralph Moore had a bit of an "on off" relationship with Blakes.  He used to reckon his standards were higher than theirs.  Maybe he was right?

Thank you both. Yes this is the class we are talking about. We were particularly interested in the original layout especially the forward well. There has been speculation as to whether the well was part of the original build or a conversion when the Baltimore's were sold to Earnest Collins in the 80's. It seems they are original and a bag of Quality Street is coming my way... Yay!

Lovely boat.

[Vaughan]

9 hours ago, andyg said:

Vaughan, did Trafford own Aston boats at one time ?? Moores were a cracking yard. Always like these boats I particularly like the front cockpit. 

Sorry, I am afraid I don't know much about the history of Aston Boats.

Leslie Trafford was an entrepreneur - perhaps a Len Funnel of his day? - who was not the same family as the Trafford estate, which owns Wroxham Broad.  His daughter Sue married John Williams, who ran Jack Powles yard and did the modernising of the hire fleet with all the new designs around Rip Martins' Bourne hulls, for which Broad Ambition was one of the prototypes.  In those days a GRP mould tool was made by taking a real wooden boat as the "plug".  Moore and Co was an offshoot, run by Lesie's son Anthony in those days.

[Captain]

I believe Jim Prior the Conservative MP for Waveney/Lowestoft owned Aston Boats however not sure exactly when and for how long, I wonder if that's why they had blue hulls?

With regards to Moore's I don't wish to doubt Vaughan's history of the company however I was under the impression that the Trafford family didn't buy the company until 1974/5 My first boating holiday was in that year on Glenmore 2 R430 when the yard was still independent, the last classic Moore's boat being Craigmore introduced in that year which is now owned by a senior member of the other forum. In 1975 they joined Blakes under the new owners as Mr Moore was proudly independent he of course continued as a dinghy manufacturers up near the station for several years. In 1975 they also introduced the first new fangled all GRP boat a yellow Hampton Safari Lochmore. Glenmore and Baltimore were the first GRP hulled Moore's craft there were 3 Glenmores and 7 Baltimore's built between 1964 and 1969 using the first of the Rip Martin 35 hulls laterly Bourne 35, the original order were with Moore's and Woods who built 6 Glistening Streams for Southgates around 1964/5 to a similar appearance laterly merged with the Glistening light class

Neil

[Vaughan]

Thanks for that.

The Mr Moore you refer to would be David, son of Ralph. Funnily enough, I went to school with him, along with Peter Jeckells!

The history of yards in Wroxham is complicated and sometimes very confusing. I don't claim to be an expert!

[Captain]

Vaughan your boating/Broads knowledge is infinitely superior to mine however that particular yard I have soft spot for as it was my first taste of the Broads when I was 3. As you say the Wroxham yard histories are long and complicated something I would love to learn about whenever I get the chance.

Neil

[andyg]

I knew Jim prior owned the Aston fleet towards the end but as captain mentioned not sure how long he'd owned it. I'm sure I've heard the Trafford name mentioned before re ownership of the Aston fleet . But even more confused now lol. As far as Wroxham and its yards go, back then it always seemed to me all the yard owners were related in one way or another. I've do some research into Leslie Trafford and he definitely was a very driven man who had great vision for Wroxham and the water front. Thanks for the information guys.

[Vaughan]

4 hours ago, Captain said:

As you say the Wroxham yard histories are long and complicated something I would love to learn about whenever I get the chance.

I have been thinking about this and it may not be quite as I thought! 

I have a 1966 Blakes catalogue where my father has made notes about price changes to all the boats that were sold to Jenners and would be in their fleet the next year.  Trouble is, Moores were not in the catalogue, so I can't tell for sure! David Millbank gave me the job of delivering all these boats to Thorpe that autumn, with all my friends, at weekends.  We had some memorable times!  I could have sworn we had some Moores boats in Jenners' fleet but now I'm not so sure.  Maybe Old Wussername might remember?  There int a wholly lot many on us left, yer know . . . 

It does seem more logical that David Moore came into the business at that time (after leaving school) and ran the hire fleet for a few more years until selling it to Leslie Trafford.  He then later sold the premises on Daisy Broad and moved his racing dinghy and half decker building business up to a new shed just on the other side of the road from the station.

Hard to believe it was 55 years ago, now.

[JanetAnne]

Today is a good day 

[FairTmiddlin]

24 minutes ago, JanetAnne said:

Today is a good day 

Well the rest of it will be.

Don't look good for tomorrow though, be nothing left.

[Stationerystill]

I have a picture of my father at the helm of Baltimore in 1963. He also designed the timber superstructure on this and many other Griffin (Bourne) 35's. There were so many that I was roped in to help quite often and I almost lost my job as an architectural technician when the boss found me with a boat design on my drawing board at work.

[Wussername]

8 hours ago, Vaughan said:

I have been thinking about this and it may not be quite as I thought! 

I have a 1966 Blakes catalogue where my father has made notes about price changes to all the boats that were sold to Jenners and would be in their fleet the next year.  Trouble is, Moores were not in the catalogue, so I can't tell for sure! David Millbank gave me the job of delivering all these boats to Thorpe that autumn, with all my friends, at weekends.  We had some memorable times!  I could have sworn we had some Moores boats in Jenners' fleet but now I'm not so sure.  Maybe Old Wussername might remember?  There int a wholly lot many on us left, yer know . . . 

It does seem more logical that David Moore came into the business at that time (after leaving school) and ran the hire fleet for a few more years until selling it to Leslie Trafford.  He then later sold the premises on Daisy Broad and moved his racing dinghy and half decker building business up to a new shed just on the other side of the road from the station.

Hard to believe it was 55 years ago, now.

It was a long time ago Vaughan. I have fond memories of the Jenner boat yard. The family has many pieces of memorabilia from our grandfather's day. William Bramwell Jenner left a legacy, albeit a fragmented one amongst my cousins, myself and brothers. His son Jack Jenner, my Godfather, still lives in Thorpe St Andrew at the wonderful age of 102. 

I worked for Jenners, long after my Grandfather had left the boatyard, had sold the boatyard. I was a simple trial run driver, a boat mover. A dogs body. Some of the boat names I can remember if prompted, but not many. 

Remember taking Cliff Richards boat through the bridge.

Happy memories.

Andrew.