Hire Boats Gas Steet Basin in early 1960's

[The Pipe]

Having had a few beers tonight with Ian Kemp I draged up the suject of a certain persion known as Stringbean as named by John Edwards. If rovingrom is the same silence can be purchased with beers. Ian says you should pop in you can allways sleep in the hold of Comet.

Edited January 2, 2015 by Jim Evans

[rovingrom]

http://www.national-preservation.com/threads/w-llr-resitas.346467/

I never thanked you for taking the time and trouble to post the photos!

Thank you for posting these photographs - happy memories of some canals that have changed far too much

 

Archie & Pete - you are most welcome! Pete - yes, even I can see there might have been a few changes, and I've not been to Gas Street since the late 1980's!

[rovingrom]

Having had a few beers tonight with Ian Kemp I draged up the suject of a certain persion known as Stringbean as named by John Edwards. If rovingrom is the same silence can be purchased with beers. Ian says you should pop in you can allways sleep in the hold of Comet.

 

Hmmm - not sure then that it could be me - I doubt I would have become that notorious as I was only at Brum Boats part time for one summer season, plus ingratiating myself occasionally in Gas Street..... plus the involvement with Hockley Port....

 

I don't remember if I did anything too embarassing (other than being a general pratt) to warrant buying my silence, but I'm happy to buy beers when I manage to visit - in fact i've offered that already - see message no.127 on page 7....

 

I'll only be in UK for a limited time next month so not sure if I can get to Brum. Coming from Romania, I'd rather offer good palinca - 60% proof home-made apple brandy. But maybe you guys can't cope with serious alcohol??

Edited January 3, 2015 by rovingrom

[andywatson]

Having had a few beers tonight with Ian Kemp I draged up the suject of a certain persion known as Stringbean as named by John Edwards. If rovingrom is the same silence can be purchased with beers. Ian says you should pop in you can allways sleep in the hold of Comet.

Luxury.

Especially compared to Gazelle if you don't fix your heating!

Edited January 3, 2015 by andywatson

[rovingrom]

 

Hmmm - not sure then that it could be me - I doubt I would have become that notorious as I was only at Brum Boats part time for one summer season, plus ingratiating myself occasionally in Gas Street..... plus the involvement with Hockley Port....

 

I don't remember if I did anything too embarassing (other than being a general pratt) to warrant buying my silence, but I'm happy to buy beers when I manage to visit - in fact i've offered that already - see message no.127 on page 7....

 

I'll only be in UK for a limited time next month so not sure if I can get to Brum. Coming from Romania, I'd rather offer good palinca - 60% proof home-made apple brandy. But maybe you guys can't cope with serious alcohol??

 

All gone very quiet in 'ere...... Hope I didn't upset you all by questioning your resistance to serious Romanian alcohol? Probably all still suffering New Year's hangovers? Or y'all fell in the cut on the way back from the pub???

[Derek R.]

Like waves on a shore - activity comes and goes. Been a busy thread full of memories.

[Mike Todd]

Ah!

 

Why didn't I think of that!

 

Our families first ever canal boat was an ex BW hire cruiser, or a type known as "Water Baby". I was led to believe they operated about 30 of these, but I don't know dates. (Some ended up attached to the maintenace depots).

 

Rudimentary doesn't describe them. They were tiny, with very low cabins, and little more space inside than for two very small berths. They could only have had a primus stove, I think, although we managed just to shoehorn in a 2 burner Camping gaz stove.

 

Sanitation arrangements were the same as on working boats - a galvanised bucket, painted BW blue, (but there was nowhere private to use the facility).

 

Here's ours, (the boat, not the bucket)....

 

 

They also operated a larger size of plywood boat, but in smaller numbers. Both types of boat feature on some of the Salmon postcards of the era - there's one I recall taken outside the waterways museum at Stoke Bruerne.

 

As Paul said the also operated cut about working boats, and later a type of steel boat that had all the design flair of the organisation that brought you Thurlwood Steel Lock and hydraulic paddle gear.

 

 

 

 

 

Ah if there was at least 3 of them, forget the "Water Baby" idea.

 

Unless someone slept under the canvas cover at the back, sleeping 3 wasn't possible in one of these.

 

Just come across this - I don't think I had joined the forum at that time. Like your, our first boat which we bought around 1968 was the same class. What was yours called? We had to sell it in 1971 after moving to the north east - no canals up there!

[alan_fincher]

 

Just come across this - I don't think I had joined the forum at that time. Like your, our first boat which we bought around 1968 was the same class. What was yours called? We had to sell it in 1971 after moving to the north east - no canals up there!

 

From memory, from a Roman numeral carved into it, we believed it originally to have been Water Baby No VIII. It was called "La Dolce Vita" when we bought it, but renamed "Gnat" by our family.

 

I always believed about 29 were built, but recent evidence suggests BW actually had built even more than that.

 

I doubt any survive.

[Derek R.]

Picture taken in the stop lock on the Wendover arm?

[alan_fincher]

Picture taken in the stop lock on the Wendover arm?

 

Yes!