Walkers of Rickmans worth "Small ricky" drawings

[Mr Lister]

Good evening gents, I have recently become the custodian of a pair of wooden narrowboats, A pair of small Ricky boats to be exact, a motor and a butty.

 

I am looking at restoring both to complete carrying states and I am currently searching for any of the walkers drawings for these boats, I was hoping Laurence Hoggs website might have been some help but after finding out about his very sudden passing in 2018 it seams that the drawings that were available on his site are long unobtainable, Would anyone out there have a complete set of drawings for both the motor and the butty that they would be willing to share or even better be willing to let myself have a copy off them for a small fee?

 

And now as some will know the butty is going to require more work then the motor since the elm bottoms are completely worn away in place but the iron footings are in relatively good condition and in my view do not need replacing, However, There are holes in the bottom being filled and sealed with plumbers mate at present and a bow and stern bilge pump pumping her out every hour or so, These planks certainly need replacing and the funds are there to facilitate this but finding a drydock to carryout this work is becoming harder and harder to locate.

 

Now the motor boat equally needs work, I am docking both boats soon and the motor has had a new counter block fitted at some point after it split when it was dragged up onto a slipway and has such not been bored to size nor had a stern tube fitted however the required items are onboard awaiting to be fitted including the prop, Unfortunately the engine that was fitted is not included in the sale of the boats being incredibly rare on its own, A Ruston Hornsby 2VSH, I have in my collection a Lister HRW3 that is pretty much ready to fit, However, I would like to fit an original Blackstone 2G 2.1 reduction gearbox to the engine if anyone knows of one available for sale I am willing to pay good money even if I end up having to overhaul it which isn't much bother for me.

 

If anyone can assist with the above I would highly appreciate it, even negative advice helps.

 

 

 

 

Cheers for your help gents.

 

MR L

[roland elsdon]

Is your butty a wooden ( ricky) or composite woolwich boat. ( you refer to iron footings.

I have the woolwich star class butty drawings somewhere.

[IanM]

Would the motor be Hesperus?

 

No reason for asking other than geeky curiosity 🙂

[Mr Lister]

7 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

Is your butty a wooden ( ricky) or composite woolwich boat. ( you refer to iron footings.

I have the woolwich star class butty drawings somewhere.

The butty is a wooden small ricky Star class boat. Iron footings bolted through the planks from what I can see.

 

Cheers

 

MR L

3 minutes ago, IanM said:

Would the motor be Hesperus?

 

No reason for asking other than geeky curiosity 🙂

As it happens the motor is Hesperus, In rather sorry state at present.

 

Cheers

 

MR L

[IanM]

10 minutes ago, Mr Lister said:

The butty is a wooden small ricky Star class boat. Iron footings bolted through the planks from what I can see.

 

Cheers

 

MR L

As it happens the motor is Hesperus, In rather sorry state at present.

 

Cheers

 

MR L

 

Thought it might be. I remember talk on here several years ago that in needed a new counter block and when I last saw it in 2016 in had a new one fitted and things looked to be progressing but obviously not much else happened.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by IanM

[Mr Lister]

1 minute ago, IanM said:

 

Thought it might be. I remember talk on here several years ago that in needed a new counter block and when I last saw it in 2016 in had a new one fitted and things looked to be progressing but obviously not much else happened.

 

In all fairness to the previous owner the repetitive sink and raise routine ended up getting a little bit tedious and I believe that he eventually gave up and lost interest over time and Hesperus sadly sank again recently before I made the offer of taking both the butty, Ariel, and the motor Hesperus, On as a long term project as a custodian of both, I have the space and the funding to do both up back to original working condition rather then converted, Since I personally do not believe that converted wooded boats age at all well in that state however I stand to be corrected, In the future, once restoration is complete, I intend to move onto Hesperus in the long term, after all I have a rebuilt HRW3 Lister to go in her and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

 

MR L

[IanM]

7 minutes ago, Mr Lister said:

In all fairness to the previous owner the repetitive sink and raise routine ended up getting a little bit tedious and I believe that he eventually gave up and lost interest over time and Hesperus sadly sank again recently before I made the offer of taking both the butty, Ariel, and the motor Hesperus, On as a long term project as a custodian of both, I have the space and the funding to do both up back to original working condition rather then converted, Since I personally do not believe that converted wooded boats age at all well in that state however I stand to be corrected, In the future, once restoration is complete, I intend to move onto Hesperus in the long term, after all I have a rebuilt HRW3 Lister to go in her and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

 

MR L

I wish you all the best with them. We moor in Braunston and was really happy to see Ariel floating again recently. Sorry I can’t help with any plans but please keep us all informed of the progress.

[David Schweizer]

There is a much reduced copy of the original drawing of a Small Ricky motor in the book "Walkers of Ricky" written by Anthony Walker in 1991. The drawing is credited to the 8th February 1935 edition of "The Motor Boat" magazine.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by David Schweizer

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, Mr Lister said:

However, I would like to fit an original Blackstone 2G 2.1 reduction gearbox to the engine if anyone knows of one available for sale I am willing to pay good money even if I end up having to overhaul it which isn't much bother for me.

Marine Power Services of Poole commented here some time back that most of their Lister customers have the Blackstone boxes replaced with PRMs, and consequently they have a shed full of Blackstones. Might be worth contacting them.

[Bod]

Have you seen this old thread?

 

Bod

[Bee]

I sometimes glance through lists of 'project boats' and occasionally think about taking one on. Then I think better of it. The idea of taking on a wooden narrowboat frightens me. The idea of taking on two makes me want to dig a big hole and hide so as the young people apparently say, Respect. I think the word custodian is well chosen as that is what owning old boats, cars, houses, railway engines etc. really is so the very best of luck with your project. Do keep us informed, there are people here who do have some experience of wooden boats. 

[Tam & Di]

12 hours ago, Mr Lister said:

Since I personally do not believe that converted wooded boats age at all well in that state however I stand to be corrected, In the future, once restoration is complete, I intend to move onto Hesperus in the long term, after all I have a rebuilt HRW3 Lister to go in her and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

A search here on the restoration work Chris Collins undertook with the wideboat Progress would be salutary - I'm sure that when they were built there was not the least expectation that these craft would still be around 80-90 years later. I can but offer my very best wishes on the task ahead.

 

Tam

 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Tam & Di

[zenataomm]

I've always understood "footings" were the very bottom of the hull where the chine angle meets the bottoms.

[stagedamager]

This isn't going to be a cheap rebuild! Beech was quoted nearly 100k for a rebuild a year ago and material prices have grown at an exponential rate since then....

[agg221]

I did Hagley under guidance and Samson myself (with my wife). Samson is now in need of further work and I don't have the time, but I do know how to do it in a way that works (and what not to do in some instances). If you are going down the DIY route, happy to offer comment/help. Best of luck!

 

Alec

[bargeeboy]

I'll help you out. 

10 quid to get the ball rolling. 

Anybody else as another 199,990 pounds needed

[roland elsdon]

On 04/10/2021 at 22:28, Mr Lister said:

The butty is a wooden small ricky Star class boat. Iron footings bolted through the planks from what I can see.

 

Cheers

 

MR L

As it happens the motor is Hesperus, In rather sorry state at present.

 

Cheers

 

MR L

So sorry my plans are no good to you, as you appear to have a ricky motor and butty.

I once put 16 odd tons of ( fortunately) bagged coal on Hesperus. 
It took some time for the pumps to catch up and a lot of running around with ash and bits of caulking but she didnt sink that day.

[Stroudwater1]

Looks like Ariel has been moved hopefully to pastures new. Great to hear your plans 

[agg221]

Looks like the 'ellum has been left behind? If so, well worth recovering it for the metalwork and as a pattern at least.

Alec

[Alan de Enfield]

19 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Looks like Ariel has been moved hopefully to pastures new. Great to hear your plans 

 

 

Maybe moved 'vertically downwards' ?

[Mr Lister]

On 11/10/2021 at 10:30, Stroudwater1 said:

Looks like Ariel has been moved hopefully to pastures new. Great to hear your plans 

 

On 11/10/2021 at 10:51, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Maybe moved 'vertically downwards' ?

 

 

Ariel has been moved to a new location for repairs to be undertaken, as for the ellum, that is not Ariels original from what I understand the ellum that is with Ariel belonged to another butty but it was in worse state then Ariels at the time so they were exchanged, there is a large amount of equipment and Irons that are going to be recovered and reused for the overhaul, I am picking these up when Hesperus is refloated and moved from Cropredy on the Oxford canal up to the base for the overhaul.

 

MR L

Edited October 12, 2021 by Mr Lister

[Mr Lister]

Hopefuly these photo links of Ariel will work.

 

MR L

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gTAkNT5LVR6Jx4rG9

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/R7HTTUhXrSoRKPdh8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rdDQp3pfppyzM5sz5

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t5yR4BZGXwHwgcxT8

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9qUseCKEBE3vEWAZ9

[agg221]

I can't see the photos but it sounds like it's all good.

 

I had to retrieve the 'ellum for Hagley from the Basingstoke. It was a similar challenge to get the right one, but we got lucky as someone remembered which one was.

 

Alec

[Mr Lister]

16 minutes ago, agg221 said:

I can't see the photos but it sounds like it's all good.

 

I had to retrieve the 'ellum for Hagley from the Basingstoke. It was a similar challenge to get the right one, but we got lucky as someone remembered which one was.

 

Alec

Thats unfortunate no one can see those links, That's fortunate someone remembered which one it was, Still struggling to find drawings for both boats but it looks like I might have been able to source a suitable engine for Hesperus now

Hopefully these photo links will work for some photos of Ariel as she stands at the moment.

 

 

 

MR L

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by Mr Lister

[IanM]

Links to the photos work for me. As I said before in this thread, I’m looking forward to seeing the progress.