Twinram was the name chosen for their hire company by Bill Andrews and Mike Adkins.  The name referred to their zodiac signs . Bill, a marine biologist and Mike, an accountant, started with two Springer built boats  (Weasel and Wedger) in 1975.  They approached David Piper, who agreed that they might operate from his Red Bull moorings under licence from British Waterways, on condition that they would buy new boats/shells from Pipers.  This was agreed, and a reception hut was erected near to David Piper’s workshop.  Guests’ cars were to be parked beside the hedge, adjacent to the railway.

The names chosen for the boats which they offered for hire were christened very much with a tongue in the cheek, but these remain a private joke!

In 1978, the following boats were available for hire:

Twinram claimed We offer a personal service, taking all our own bookings, and boats of an exceptional standard.  The high proportion of repeat bookings we receive, indicate that we have many satisfied customers.  The boats feature full central heating, showers and abundant hot water, headroom of 6’4” throughout, pump-out flushing toilets and quiet four cylinder engines.

The boats were fitted out with careful thought to their flexibility.  Each cabin could provide a double or a single berth and also had direct access to toilet facilities.  Instead of the almost universal Ascot type gas water heater of the time, hot water was provided by means of the engine, backed up by a gas central heating unit.  The larger boats had an engine room where wellington boots and wet rainwear could be stored - an unusual feature in hire-boats of the time.

Branston lock with Chums Waltz

Notice the old T & M lock mechanism?  The windlass had

to be placed on the spindle at the end of the gate beam

The livery chosen was green, with brown side-panels, lined with yellow.  This gave the boats a smart appearance, looking more like a privately-owned boat than a hirecraft.

In 1980 the company moved to Longport Wharf, where the hirefleet continued to operate alongside a new boatbuilding venture, which was to become the well-known Stoke on Trent Boatbuilding Co.

In 1983, Twinram combined with Waterways Holidays who were based at Weedon on the Grand Union Canal.  In this year, eighteen boats were offered for hire: nine at Stoke and nine at Weedon.  The brochure lists the following available for hire at Longport Wharf:
 

A limited number of one-way cruises could be offered between Weedon and Stoke on Trent, for hirers who booked a fortnight’s holiday.

	Chums Waltz The Colonel at Middlewich

As a family which booked four holidays with Twinram Canal Hireboats between 1978 and 1980, what did we especially like about these boats?

 • The quiet BMC 1.5 water-cooled engine, rather than the noisy (but reliable) Lister engine normally found on hire-boats of the time. 

 • The swim and manoeuvrability of the Piper-built hull - a feature which we remembered years later when we chose to buy a Piper boat.

 • The flexibility of the sleeping arrangements.

 • The side-hatch - not normally provided on hire-boats of the time. 

 • The arrangements for domestic water heating from the engine.  
 • The engine room - useful space for storage of boat tackle and wet
  Weather gear

 • The geographical location of the base from which the following one week cruises were possible for us:

  The Cheshire ring and Whaley Bridge
  The Llangollen Canal to Trevor and return 
  The Trent & Mersey to Shardlow and return
  The Caldon Canal to Cheddleton plus the T & M to Tixall and return.

 • The external appearance of the boats: superior to comparable hirefleets.