A.M.Models

What about this for a bit of canal mythology? About 35/40 years ago, I was sitting in The Grand Junction Arms on the Tring summit, and as you do, we were shooting the breeze about various boats. Somebody, and I THINK it was Dave, who used to have Badsey and Barnes said, "Did you ever see the titanium knees in John Hemelryk's Josher?" After the assembled company had picked themselves up off the beer stained floor, the speaker went on to assure us that this was absolutely true. Quite why it should have been felt necessary to replace iron with this exotic stuff was a mystery, but somebody thought that this had been available, so why not?
Anyone who knew Mr Hemelryk was aware that he "hadn't been on the customer care course", and did not welcome stupid questions. In fact, he didn't welcome anything. Irascible was his middle name. Once, when he had his boat on dock at Uxbridge, I did try to make an approach about his knees, but was firmly rebuffed. In fact I think he told me to f--- off.
I think his boat was either Kangaroo or Peacock, but like so many other things, I've forgotten. It would of course be easy to disprove this myth.
Anyone else ever hear this? Total rubbish I'm sure-or is it?

If it was KANGAROO then try getting in touch with either Drew or Malcolm Burge... Drew's website is www.joshers.info.

John's boat was Peacock. I almost did a deal with him in the middle 80's. He was interested in a straight swop for my GUCCco. abomination (compared to Peacock's originality). Sadly John's interest in my boat contravened all of his hard held views and was only a passing thought.
My boat was converted into a tug profile so gave more living space and the HA2 had an electric start. John had reached the point where he was finding the Bolinder too much effort to kick.
Sadly (for me) he quickly came to his senses and he started his enquiries with The Science Museum in Birmingham. Being an outsider to the negotiations I can only relate my opinion, but he seemed to agree to the deal with them after months of thinking about it, by which time they had run out of budget. A problem he didn't seem to understand "they'd offered to buy it so why didn't they?"
If my cracked memory is holding out I think that happened more than once which is why he lost patience with them and started talking about wanting her sunk on the Thames tideway after he'd gone.

Over the years I think he renewed all of the bottoms a couple at a time and rubbed old motor oil into them on a yearly basis.
I think he was the living proof that to keep a boat looking loved and cared for you need to be on it a couple of times a week.