Working Narrow Boat Hadar is a "replica" Small Northwich narrow boat of the "Star Class" originally built for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company (GUCCCo.) by W.J. Yarwoods of Northwich. She was built by Roger Fuller Boatbuilders Ltd[1] and completed in 2007. She was painted by Tina Paramore.[2] She is owned and operated by Keith & Jo Lodge. Keith first started working on canals in 1968 at the age of 15 on an ex-working narrow boat "Pisces" now operated by the Hillingdon Narrowboats Association,[3] which is still running today as a community trip boat, which she was when Keith started on her. Hadar is a close copy of "Pisces".
Her colour scheme as seen in the photo is that which the GUCCCo. adopted in 1937 in celebration of the coronation of King George VI. Apart from the traditional boatman's cabin at the rear, and engine room, she has additional cabin space forward of the engine room, which reduces her cargo carrying capacity to 8 tonnes maximum. She was built to the newer width of 6' 10" (2.08m) rather than the original 7' ½" (2.14m) and with a draft of 2' 6" (0.76m) rather than the original 3' 6" (1.06m) and a length of 70' (21.33m) rather than 71' 6" (21.79m) to make travelling the canals today easier.
Hadar's engine is a very rare National DA2 built in 1945 by the National Gas & Oil Engine Company as part of a generator set. It is one of only two like it known to be in the UK. It is believed to be a derivative of the Russell Newbery[4] DM2 engines that the National Gas & Oil Company built under licence for the GUCCCo. These are the specifications for the engine:-
| No. of Cylinders | 2 | Cubic Capacity | 2789cc |
| Cylinder Bore | 4.25” | Stroke | 6” |
| Max Power | 30bhp@1500rpm | Cont Power | 27bhp@1500rpm |
| Engine Speed | 180-1500rpm | Weight | 1500lb 680kg 2/3tonne |
| Engine Height | 3’ 11” 119.38cm | Length | 3’ 2” 96.52cm |
The name Hadar comes from the GUCCCo. boats in the "Star Class" being named after stars or contellations. "Hadar" is more commonly known as "Beta Centauri" and is the tenth brightest star in the sky. It is in the southern hemisphere and part of the Centaurus constellation and one of the two stars that point to the Southern Cross.
Hadar carries the fleet number 48. The GUCCCo. numbered their boats in alphabetical order, and Hadar would have been numbered between "Grus" No.47 and "Henry" No.49. No.48 was originally allocated to a boat called The Hawk, which was inherited from the original Associated Canal Carriers Limited, and was sold off in 1936, so the fleet No.48 has been vacant since then. Ironically Hadar is the 48th boat that Roger Fuller has built!
Hadar can be seen on the UK canals throughout the whole year, and may be occasionally seen at canal festivals and rallies. During 2011 she attended the reopening ceremony for the Droitwich Canals, after taking 30 years to restore, having been officially abandoned in 1939. She also appeared in 2011 in a BBC4 program called "The Golden Age of Canals", which showed the hard work and dedication of the early pioneers of canal restoration, which has resulted in many lost canals being restored, and many more still under restoration, and the creation of the Inland Waterways Association.