Why is it ?

[Phil Speight]

It happensquite often. Someone rings and wants a watercan ( which they invariably call a Buckby can ) to sit on top of their modern "traditional" boat . I`ve no problem with that because a can well painted on a well painted and presented boat looks good . Pointless in practical terms given the mighty onboard water tank , but nice enough. Rather a can on the roof than a wooden spoon/eggcup/plastic wheelbarrow on the shelf at any rate. When I say they need a green can and they say "no, no - I want blue to match the boat" the whole thing becomes nonsense. They want to be "traditional" but 99.99% of all watercans/handbowls cabin stools etc were GREEN - no matter what colour the boat on which they belonged. The decoration works best on green, always did , and the majority of painted cans belonged to the boatman , not the boat. So I tell them having a can that matches the boat is totally UN traditional and they look at melike I`m plain daft. I wish they would either do it right or leave it alone . Expensive boat with washers stuck on it , nice paint, mop and cabin shaft ( always too short incidentally ) , chimney chain and collarless shirt AND A BLUE CAN! Ye gods.

I`m grumpy because I`ve liberated a few more horsepower from me bike and now I`m not alowed to try it because I`ve just had me eye fixed. Bugger.

Cheers

Phil

[magnetman]

It happensquite often. Someone rings and wants a watercan ( which they invariably call a Buckby can ) to sit on top of their modern "traditional" boat . I`ve no problem with that because a can well painted on a well painted and presented boat looks good . Pointless in practical terms given the mighty onboard water tank , but nice enough. Rather a can on the roof than a wooden spoon/eggcup/plastic wheelbarrow on the shelf at any rate. When I say they need a green can and they say "no, no - I want blue to match the boat" the whole thing becomes nonsense. They want to be "traditional" but 99.99% of all watercans/handbowls cabin stools etc were GREEN - no matter what colour the boat on which they belonged. The decoration works best on green, always did , and the majority of painted cans belonged to the boatman , not the boat. So I tell them having a can that matches the boat is totally UN traditional and they look at melike I`m plain daft. I wish they would either do it right or leave it alone . Expensive boat with washers stuck on it , nice paint, mop and cabin shaft ( always too short incidentally ) , chimney chain and collarless shirt AND A BLUE CAN! Ye gods.

I`m grumpy because I`ve liberated a few more horsepower from me bike and now I`m not alowed to try it because I`ve just had me eye fixed. Bugger.

Cheers

Phil

and without a proper hand forged hook on the end

[Liam]

Blue buckby water cans, deary me.... it would have to be green, to match our boat

 

Don't forget the rope on the tiller.. Or even the scrubbing brush and sometimes a pair of old boots, sat on an old mat on the tipcats!

Edited June 21, 2008 by Liam

[Timleech]

It happensquite often. Someone rings and wants a watercan ( which they invariably call a Buckby can ) to sit on top of their modern "traditional" boat . I`ve no problem with that because a can well painted on a well painted and presented boat looks good . Pointless in practical terms given the mighty onboard water tank , but nice enough. Rather a can on the roof than a wooden spoon/eggcup/plastic wheelbarrow on the shelf at any rate. When I say they need a green can and they say "no, no - I want blue to match the boat" the whole thing becomes nonsense. They want to be "traditional" but 99.99% of all watercans/handbowls cabin stools etc were GREEN - no matter what colour the boat on which they belonged. The decoration works best on green, always did , and the majority of painted cans belonged to the boatman , not the boat. So I tell them having a can that matches the boat is totally UN traditional and they look at melike I`m plain daft. I wish they would either do it right or leave it alone . Expensive boat with washers stuck on it , nice paint, mop and cabin shaft ( always too short incidentally ) , chimney chain and collarless shirt AND A BLUE CAN! Ye gods.

I`m grumpy because I`ve liberated a few more horsepower from me bike and now I`m not alowed to try it because I`ve just had me eye fixed. Bugger.

Cheers

Phil

 

I've got two cans, both painted by Tony Lewery.

 

One's black, the other is red.

Maybe if I ever want to sell them I should look for people with black & red boats

 

Correction, we've got 3 cans in the house, there's a green one done by er indoors.

 

I agree blue cans do look a bit odd, though.

 

Tim

[alan_fincher]

With my old BCN boat, (now believed to have been a Bantock), back in the 1970s, I decided I quite liked a colour scheme of black borders to red panels.

 

Seemed like a good idea......

 

Long before the cabin was stripped off for renewal, a cratch board was made up, painted with red panels on plack border, with some diamonds down the middle, (the bit I could manage).....

 

I presented it to my brother, who was a passable amateur on roses and castles, and he was horrified. "You can't possible paint roses on a red background - it just doesn't work!"......

 

Bless him, he tried, though.

 

This picture is a bit of a mess, as the old plywood cabin is in course of being demolished.

 

It kind of shows his efforts - not to bad, I suppose, considering I had asked him to break the rules

 

 

Borrowing the image Steve King has just posted in another thread...

 

 

Yep - that's his work on a real boat, and, Yep, the background is Green!

Edited June 21, 2008 by alan_fincher

[Chertsey]

Pointless? Maybe. But as William Morris might have said, have nothing on your boat that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful - one out of two will do me.

[Timleech]

Here's our 'can collection', top two by Lewery, bottom two by er indoors. One green one among the four, & they look OK to me. Liz does go along with the 'Green is traditional' view, though.

 

 

 

The black one of hers was painted for sale but there was a problem with paint crazing slightly under the varnish so she feels a bit embarassed about selling it, but it was done some years ago & stabilised quite quickly - it's still available

 

Tim

[Liam]

Where can you get watercans from, in an unpainted state?

[Tim Lewis]

Where can you get watercans from, in an unpainted state?

 

 

We bought ours from the Chandlery next to the junction at Middewich (the name escapes me) but it was a few years ago.

 

Tim

[Lingy]

Here's our 'can collection', top two by Lewery, bottom two by er indoors. One green one among the four, & they look OK to me. Liz does go along with the 'Green is traditional' view, though.

 

 

 

The black one of hers was painted for sale but there was a problem with paint crazing slightly under the varnish so she feels a bit embarassed about selling it, but it was done some years ago & stabilised quite quickly - it's still available

 

Tim

 

The bottom ones are very nice ..

[blackrose]

They want to be "traditional" but 99.99% of all watercans/handbowls cabin stools etc were GREEN - no matter what colour the boat on which they belonged. The decoration works best on green, always did , and the majority of painted cans belonged to the boatman , not the boat. So I tell them having a can that matches the boat is totally UN traditional and they look at melike I`m plain daft. I wish they would either do it right or leave it alone .

 

Perhaps you should also explain to them that any narrow boat which isn't open and has a superstructure (other than a small boatmans cabin), is also UN-traditional.

[Liam]

We bought ours from the Chandlery next to the junction at Middewich (the name escapes me) but it was a few years ago.

 

Tim

Probably Kings Lock or Middlewich Narrowboats?

 

I didn't know whether those in the the normal chandlers were any good, but I don't know why not.

 

I think a nicely painted water can on a nicely painted boat looks quite good IMHO.

[Brin Morris]

This is what watering cans should be used for on a boat . no need to decorate,

 

Hope the pictures work

[BGA]

Very nice Brin, but this setup can only be as permanent as the first low bridge or tunnel that you get to.

[Chickadee]

It happensquite often. Someone rings and wants a watercan ( which they invariably call a Buckby can ) to sit on top of their modern "traditional" boat . I`ve no problem with that because a can well painted on a well painted and presented boat looks good . Pointless in practical terms given the mighty onboard water tank , but nice enough. Rather a can on the roof than a wooden spoon/eggcup/plastic wheelbarrow on the shelf at any rate. When I say they need a green can and they say "no, no - I want blue to match the boat" the whole thing becomes nonsense. They want to be "traditional" but 99.99% of all watercans/handbowls cabin stools etc were GREEN - no matter what colour the boat on which they belonged. The decoration works best on green, always did , and the majority of painted cans belonged to the boatman , not the boat. So I tell them having a can that matches the boat is totally UN traditional and they look at melike I`m plain daft. I wish they would either do it right or leave it alone . Expensive boat with washers stuck on it , nice paint, mop and cabin shaft ( always too short incidentally ) , chimney chain and collarless shirt AND A BLUE CAN! Ye gods.

I`m grumpy because I`ve liberated a few more horsepower from me bike and now I`m not alowed to try it because I`ve just had me eye fixed. Bugger.

Cheers

Phil

 

I've got two blue cans! One that came with the boat with her name on it and one that was painted for me by a family friend. I am under no illusion how old my boat is (1990) but i like pretty things and particularly roses. I am intending to paint some roses on the white bits on my boat but they will be tattoo style roses instead.

I also have the problem that the family friend mentioned above keeps bringing me stuff painted up with traditonal roses. Its hard to turn things down where there gifts.

[StoneHenge]

Ours are all black based, and I think they look nice, esp the wood bucket with the heron on.

 

I think you can get buckets, buckby cans and water cans in their unpainted states from Hobbycraft. I saw quite a few last time I was in. Reasonable prices too.

[bridgit]

It happensquite often. Someone rings and wants a watercan ( which they invariably call a Buckby can ) to sit on top of their modern "traditional" boat . I`ve no problem with that because a can well painted on a well painted and presented boat looks good . Pointless in practical terms given the mighty onboard water tank , but nice enough. Rather a can on the roof than a wooden spoon/eggcup/plastic wheelbarrow on the shelf at any rate. When I say they need a green can and they say "no, no - I want blue to match the boat" the whole thing becomes nonsense. They want to be "traditional" but 99.99% of all watercans/handbowls cabin stools etc were GREEN - no matter what colour the boat on which they belonged. The decoration works best on green, always did , and the majority of painted cans belonged to the boatman , not the boat. So I tell them having a can that matches the boat is totally UN traditional and they look at melike I`m plain daft. I wish they would either do it right or leave it alone . Expensive boat with washers stuck on it , nice paint, mop and cabin shaft ( always too short incidentally ) , chimney chain and collarless shirt AND A BLUE CAN! Ye gods.

I`m grumpy because I`ve liberated a few more horsepower from me bike and now I`m not alowed to try it because I`ve just had me eye fixed. Bugger.

Cheers

Phil

I love the trad style, but see no reason why, if I want to, that I can paint my boat purple with pink roses. All things evolve. That said my back cabin wouldnt look right if it wasnt trad grained and painted but other more modern boats could. New boats dont seem to have any painting on them at all and maybe its time for a new style for new boats that will in time become the new trad. Cheers Bridgit.

[churchward]

Where can you get watercans from, in an unpainted state?

 

I have seen cans etc in unpainted state in Midland Chandlers.

[Timleech]

I have seen cans etc in unpainted state in Midland Chandlers.

 

Yes, they had a couple in at Preston Brook the other day.

Finding cans which are well made and a good shape can be a real problem, though.

 

Tim

[carlt]

Someone was telling me, the other day, that they know someone making them. I will endeavour to get details.

[Phil Speight]

Here's our 'can collection', top two by Lewery, bottom two by er indoors. One green one among the four, & they look OK to me. Liz does go along with the 'Green is traditional' view, though.

 

 

 

The black one of hers was painted for sale but there was a problem with paint crazing slightly under the varnish so she feels a bit embarassed about selling it, but it was done some years ago & stabilised quite quickly - it's still available

 

Tim

There all very nice - no question. However ( reluctant as I am etc.) they are all four very modern in relation to a two hundred year old tradition. Anyroadup - I`m back to not being that bothered this morning! I`m also about to paint a black can ! My difficulty isn`t with the various coloured cans - it`s with the strange school of toughtt that wants "tradition" provided it`s colour matched.....................

Cheers

Phil

 

This is what watering cans should be used for on a boat . no need to decorate,

 

Hope the pictures work

Were we talking about watering cans?

 

Here's our 'can collection', top two by Lewery, bottom two by er indoors. One green one among the four, & they look OK to me. Liz does go along with the 'Green is traditional' view, though.

 

 

 

The black one of hers was painted for sale but there was a problem with paint crazing slightly under the varnish so she feels a bit embarassed about selling it, but it was done some years ago & stabilised quite quickly - it's still available

 

Tim

Forgot to say

I have a tray by "er indoors" that sits happily among my Nurser/Jones/Crowshaw stuff..........

[John Orentas]

OK Phil, It's confession time, what is the most naff thing you have ever decorated, I once caught a very embarrassed chap painting a microwave oven..

 

You will feel much better when you have bared your soul, so let's hear it!

[Timleech]

Someone was telling me, the other day, that they know someone making them. I will endeavour to get details.

 

I know someone making them, good ones, but he does it occasionally in his spare time & wouldn't want to be inundated with enquiries.

 

Tim

[jelunga]

I do not know why we are all talking about metal cans and decorating them. If experience is anything to go by, the market will soon be flooded with plastic pre painted ones from China

 

[Bullfrog]

OK Phil, It's confession time, what is the most naff thing you have ever decorated

 

It wasn't one of Phil's but Andrew Denny's lap-top must be close to the top of the list - and I bet there's a Sky dish or two out there!

 

David