Ferro cement boats.

[Southern Star]

Here's a boat on ebay, and this is something new to me.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/37-Ft-Narrow-boat-Canal-Boat-/251470134888?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a8cc9be68

 

I recently purchased this but my circumstances have changed. Built in 1971 in Wolverhampton, this boat is a very rare ferro cement canal boat.

 

 

I'm presuming that the hull is made from reinforced concrete, is that right? I'm also presuming that this isn't a very good idea, or they wouldn't be "very rare". So can a few folk give me a brief insight into ferro cement boats?

[RLWP]

It is as you say, reinforced concrete

 

The biggest problem is that not much is known about them. The last one I had dealings with caused much puzzlement to the boatyard that craned the gearbox out. They didn't know how to fetch it out of the water as they didn't know what would happen if they supported it. They were very wary of any pressure being put on the bottom of the hull

 

So, there's probably nothing wrong with them, reinforced concrete is an excellent material. That's not to say that owning one wouldn't cause problems

 

Richard

[GUMPY]

Built by Davidsons at Shardlow IIRC they were the designers of the stern profile that R&D copied later in steel.

[FadeToScarlet]

It is as you say, reinforced concrete

 

The biggest problem is that not much is known about them. The last one I had dealings with caused much puzzlement to the boatyard that craned the gearbox out. They didn't know how to fetch it out of the water as they didn't know what would happen if they supported it. They were very wary of any pressure being put on the bottom of the hull

 

So, there's probably nothing wrong with them, reinforced concrete is an excellent material. That's not to say that owning one wouldn't cause problems

 

Richard

There's a ferro cement lighter at Ellesmere Port, and I think they have a concrete narrowboat too.

 

There's also certainly bits of towpath edging made from sunken and filled in concrete narrowboats too.

 

The lighter was fitted with substantial wooden rubbing strakes, presumably because the concrete isn't flexible in an impact, but I don't know what this one has got.

[Pete & Helen]

They have one in Ellesmere Port Museum. lack of steel during the war lead to them using concrete

Story here http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/national-waterways-museum/the-museum-collections/historic-boat-collections/concrete-barge-fcb18

[OldGoat]

There are a few surviving ferrocement barges built as a wartime cost saving / we haven't got any steel measure.

There is at least one on the Thames (near Hampton Court) BUT its proportions are quite large - implying that the thickness of the material is quite substantial and as the shape is quite rounded, I suspect there's some form of ribbing to give added strength. Concrete is quite good in compression, but rubbish in shear. I don't know whether that technology would transfer to a NB with vertical sides.

 

Many years ago I bought a load of NiCD batteries from a "mad inventor" who lived on a ferro- yacht. He said it magic etc, etc.

Sailing yachts have quite a different hull profile that a NB - hence my comments...

 

 

[carlt]

Built by Davidsons at Shardlow IIRC they were the designers of the stern profile that R&D copied later in steel.

I don't think this is a Davidson boat...They had nicer lines.

 

I must confess that I am astonished at the price this boat made the first time round (7k without reaching the reserve) and it looks like it will make good money again.

 

Then again this is it's 4th time listed so perhaps he will realise that a £13k fitout in a £1k hull doesn't make it worth £14k.

 

I like them but they are not worth any money and they do suffer from corrosion pretty badly.

[furnessvale]

They have one in Ellesmere Port Museum. lack of steel during the war lead to them using concrete

Story here http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/national-waterways-museum/the-museum-collections/historic-boat-collections/concrete-barge-fcb18

Concrete barges were also built in Preston.

 

As a child I played on the old slipways on the Ribble just outside the dock entrance. The slips still had the partially built keels of the last two unfinished barges on them. Presumably the war ended before they were completed.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[trackman]

Iirc there are a number of ferro cement hulks on the banks of the Severn alongside the Gloucester & Sharpness together with more conventional wrecks.

More recently we came across a big beast from WW2 on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. The architect Corbusier apparently had an involvement in this ones construction. It is being expensively restored as a historic artefact. I've some photos somewhere.

[bastion]

I think there are some dis-used barges on the Thames down-stream of Vauxhall Bridge. Used to see them when out walking at lunch-time when I worked in London

[MtB]

When I first started boating back in the 70s there were quite a few ferro-cement boats around, often sold as houseboats. They were always stupidly cheap as they were seen as a liability compared to proper boat made of weetabix.

 

Opinion at the time as if you damage one, the hull is effectively unrepairable.

 

MtB

[Guest]

The first boat we ever hired when we were kids on the Broads was a ferro cement hulled boat .

 

Windboat 26, they called it seacrete so I'm not sure if that differed in any way. I believe some of them are still around today.

 

http://www.broads.org.uk/wiki/index.php5?title=Style_Details&style=Cncd

[Stilllearning]

Back in about 1974 a friend of mine was building a ferrocrete boat on the beach next to his caravan on the beach just south of Khor Fakkan, in the UAE, on the Indian ocean coast. Somewhere I have a non digital picture of it. I suspect he never finished it, it was next to his pigeon loft...he was from Dewsbury after all!

[Keeping Up]

One of the original hire boats from Concoform Marine was a ferro-cement 2-berth that they built for hire on the Thames.

[luctor et emergo]

There is a concrete butty being towed around the K&A, by a CCing live abord couple.

[Tim Lewis]

There is WW1 concrete narrow boat at Gloucester museum.

 

http://www.gloucesterdocks.me.uk/museum/boats/nbconcrete.htm

 

 

Also seem to remember that there is one forming part of the bank on the Stourbridge canal.

 

Tim

[David Schweizer]

There were quite a few concrerte boats being built in the 1960's . I seem to remember John Wooley building one at Iver Boatyard at the time, From memory he built it for his hire fleet, and it was something like a cross between a narrowboat and a Thames Cruiser,

[Dyertribe]

The first boat we ever hired when we were kids on the Broads was a ferro cement hulled boat .

 

Windboat 26, they called it seacrete so I'm not sure if that differed in any way. I believe some of them are still around today.

 

http://www.broads.org.uk/wiki/index.php5?title=Style_Details&style=Cncd

My parents hired a concrete boat from Iver many moons ago, they gave us a barrel of cider as they waved us off, presumably so we would forget what a dog the boat we were spending the next two weeks on was.

 

I just read the previous post, we obviously hired it! I have a picture somewhere, I'll find it and scan it.

It was called Iver Bramble.

We had to pump the bilges every morning without fail or the water would reach the floor in the cabin! It must gave been '69 or '70

Edited March 9, 2014 by Dyertribe

[Barry]

Isn't there a cement boat incorporated into the bank on the flight down to Stourbridge?

[FadeToScarlet]

There is WW1 concrete narrow boat at Gloucester museum.

http://www.gloucesterdocks.me.uk/museum/boats/nbconcrete.htm

Also seem to remember that there is one forming part of the bank on the Stourbridge canal.

Tim

I've been on it, it looks in better condition than Oak (moored alongside it)

[IanM]

Isn't there a cement boat incorporated into the bank on the flight down to Stourbridge?

 

Indeed, here it is (taken a few years ago now mind!)

 

 

 

The one in Gloucester came from immediately behind the one in the picture above. It too had a tree growing out of it when removed but was chosen because the other one had the steps built on top of it. A friend of mine showed me pictures of it being towed down to Gloucester.

Edited March 10, 2014 by IanM

[Neil2]

There is still an enthusiastic following for ferrocement yachts, it's like any building material there are pro's and con's.

 

Like GRP the building process is very labour intensive but unlike GRP the materials are dirt cheap. That's why it was very popular during WW2, it is by far the cheapest way to mass produce boats, and it has been very popular with home builders because if you don't put a price on your own time it could be a ridiculously inexpensive way to get afloat.

 

Slight damage is relatively easy to repair but a high impact collision could be disastrous, concrete is inferior to steel in this respect so I suspect the reason it never really found favour on canals is the same reason grp boats are becoming less and less common.

 

The worst thing about a concrete boat would be how on earth to get rid of it. Even the professionally built boats are struggling these days because they are such a rarity and the method got a bad press owing to horror stories concerning DIY boats.

 

There is a 37 foot ferrocement sloop for sale near us which I think has been on the market for about five years...

[Tam & Di]

I seem to remember John Wooley building one at Iver Boatyard at the time, From memory he built it for his hire fleet, and it was something like a cross between a narrowboat and a Thames Cruiser,

 

He had 2 or 3 - Briar and Bramble were two of them. We would frequently see them storming out of the Slough cut end and running straight into the piles on the mainline ahead of them before the steerer could work out how to do a 90 degree turn. They seemed to survive that OK though.

[Laurie Booth]

Two friends of mine, Bobby & Jim Williams had one and loved it. I think it was called "Joy of Gloucester". After their daughter Joy.

[Captain Fizz]

A friend of mine owned Briar in the 70's, I think she was 35 foot if I remember.

That was Derek, who Tam & Di will remember from Bulls Bridge days when he owned Halifax.

He, like them, graduated to a Dutch barge.

The main problem with ferro boats, is the difficulty of assessing the condition of the reinforcing steel at survey, which makes them difficult to insure.