As a name     we found it in the English dictionary when we were searching for a name for the 1/24^th scale radio controlled narrowboat that I built in the late 70s. The word originates from Lancashire and Yorkshire and is local dialect meaning straightforward, honest and genuine. The original Jannock has now been re-furbished and has been re-named Mini Jannock.

The boat     we started looking seriously for a narrowboat during summer 2000. I kept a close eye on most brokers using their web sites and also studied private ads in magazines and on web rings. We had decided on a pretty tight specification for our boat and soon became very disheartened with what was on offer in the price range that we had set ourselves.

An advert by Black Prince in Waterways World attracted our attention. They were selling several craft, at the end of the season, ranging in age from 10 to 4 years old. Having hired from them for many years we knew that their boats suited us. We travelled to Stoke Prior to view Anita, but she was not the boat for us. John Lucas at B.P. told us that 'Powys' (at the time working out of Festival Marina at Stoke on Trent) was the boat we should buy, however it was about £5k more than we wanted to spend and so we didn't even consider her then.

At the end of a dismal August day viewing boats around the Midlands, we travelled to Iver to view Argyle (another ex B.P. boat) The accommodation and layout suited our needs but her condition inside indicated that she had been unused for quite a while. I remembered that Powys (John’s recommendation) was the same class. I made arrangements and travelled to Stoke on Trent to view it on the following Saturday and decided that spending the extra money would be worthwhile.

Consequently, we purchased Powys and then re-named her Jannock The staff at Black Prince were very helpful. They included a new BSC and agreed to remove Powys from the water, black the hull and fit anodes for a nominal sum. Whilst she was out, they found the propeller shaft was faulty and so replaced it and the stern tube. When we collected her from Stoke on Trent she was kitted out as if we were hiring her. We just didn’t have to take her back.

Jannock was built in 1996 by J L Pinder & Sons at Stoke Prior and then fitted out by Black Prince. She is a 62ft cruiser stern fabricated to the popular 10,6,4 mm specification. A Kubota 1703 diesel and PRM 160 gearbox is fitted beneath the hinged steel floor-panels. (We originally thought that we'd bought a boat fitted with a Kubota 1402 but the events of 2001 proved otherwise.)



The tour   Starting at the bows, an open front well is fitted with a stainless steel water tank beneath the steel floor. The gas locker is located within the pointy bit and contains 4 x 13kg cylinders. A removable top bench seat contains the usual rubbish plus the water filler. I have manufactured a folding cratch to enclose this area and provide a fold down table to 'eat out' on during nice evenings.

Inside the front door is the open-plan lounge and dining area. Although it was originally furnished with two dralon armchairs and a farmhouse style pine table and chairs, these were evicted in favour of a "click-clack" sofa bed, in order to increase bed capacity, and a gateleg table with stacking chairs to increase available space. When I have three weeks and 10 MB web space free, I'll detail the grief we had obtaining said sofa-bed from Argos.

The galley area is next and is also open plan. It is "U" shaped with two units going across the boat. The sink unit is toward the bows, and has a folding tabletop fitted to the passageway end, whilst the fridge and cooker are towards the stern. The domestic director squeezes between the two and produces culinary delights that equal those generated at home. She has turned down the offer of a microwave oven because of the pressure cooker which was re-discovered on the maiden voyage. This has since been superceded by an electric slow cooker which is used to prepare tasty stews and curries whilst we are cruising.

Next along is the main bedroom. This is equipped with two large cupboard / wardrobes and a permanent double bed. The foul-water holding tank occupies all of the available space beneath the bed. Aft of the main bedroom is the bathroom. This is set to the starboard side of the vessel and contains a hip bath with shower over, a washbasin and a Tecma macerator toilet. The calorifier is housed beneath an airing cupboard alongside the Alde boiler at the aft end of the bathroom. A carbon monoxide gas detector is fitted in the bathroom in-case any problems should occur with the gas boiler.

Finally at the rear of the boat there is a twin bedded cabin. The port side single can be moved across to join the starboard one to create another double if necessary. There is also a full size wardrobe and shelf unit available. The area inside the back door has storage for wet coats, boots, mooring spikes, hammer and windlasses.

The large cruiser stern has a wooden bench seat fitted across the steel stern rail. We have fitted a shelf beneath the seat to keep guide books etc dry if it rains. There are three domestic batteries and one engine battery fitted inside the engine compartment. They are charged by separate alternators. The cabin alternator has an Ampower electronic controller fitted which has performed faultlessly since it was installed in 2001. The cabin batteries also benefit from the 60 Watt solar panel that I have installed on the roof when we are not using her. The connection to the batteries is via a 'waterproof' connector on the roof with a Solar Panel controller unit inside the boat.

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