David Schweizer

A lot have not been put on digital access for a good reason. Many of the records in local Records Office are loaned to them, and are not the property of the Local Records Office. Requiring students to search them personally helps to stop people from stealing someone else material. Some of the records I research are still owned by the organization that placed them in the local Records Office, and one requires written consent from the originating organization to call them from the archives for personal research, which I have always been given, but it can be withdrawn if the information is used inappropriately.

Suspect post. This does not read like someone writing in a second language. Reported

I am certain it was compulsory when we bought the boat, so it already had all the legally required ventilation. It worked well and there was no need to remove it.

But surely boats are legally required to have permanent ventilation via low level cabin side/door vents and roof ventilators. We had both and more than the regulations required, our cabin was always dry.

Our old boat was built in 1981 and was insulated with Rockwool. The cabin sides were lined with pine matchboard and at some time most of it was temporarily removed for re-wiring. In 20 years, we had no moisture issues. We also had no problems with wet bilges. I suspect that much depends on the initial quality of build and the fitting of the insulation.

The only person who seems to be repeatedly insistant on re-arranging their underwear regarding this issue appears to be yourself. 😀

Wasn't Sculptor also converted to a London Fire Boat If so, maybe the lever control was fitted at the same time.

Pisces, which was a Small Northwich, had a rachet lever throttle control, and a very long pivoted lever connnected to the gearbox for gear change. I do not know whether they were original equipment, or controls fitted when the boat was either converted into a Fire Boat, or later into a Water Bus, but they were the controls on the boat when aquired from Brittish Waterways in the early 1960's. I seem to remember seeing another former working boat with a similar arrangement some years ago, but cannot remember the name of the boat.

Yes thank you. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I was already aware of the newspaper article identified by Heartland, but had forgotten about it, along with some census research I conducted some years ago. To make ammends the link to a 2019 thread giving more information is here:- https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/99623-canal-boat-or-narrowboat/

Rolt certainly appears to be the first person who used the term Narrow Boat in print, but he must have got the term from someone, and it was a tad more than 50 years ago his book "Narrow Boat" was published in 1944.

Is this sort of "humour" appropriate?

Very unlikely as very few went to school or ever learnt to read and write. Up until quite recently there would always be a good number at the Braunston historic boat rally, but sadly many of them have either passed away in the last few years, or are too unwell to attend. If you want to see old photos, may I suggest that you start by taking a look at the Historic boats for sale section.

Fair enough, I must have mis understood what you were trying to say. However, there are a lot more members on here who remember working boats then you may think, but most of them choose to post only infrequently.

How does that make recollections of those who rermember the old working boats, make their experience any less relevant ?

I have never heard of that happening. I knew a lot of boating families in the 1960's, and can only think of two who might have qualified for that sort of treatment. All the others kept both themselves and their boats clean and tidy, despite the often dirty work.

deleted My Bronze windlass is exactly the same as the one illustrated.

I still have my bronze Boatman's Cabin (Laurence Hogg) short throw windlass. It is a lovely item, which I used on all but the stiffest lock paddles. It is now in my small collection of interesting windlasses, but not on display!

Not really. Old rare, and interesting postcards can fetch serious money.