Wooden Motor 'IAN'

[riverwolf]

Found ourselves at Warickshire Fly last wednesday so had a good look at 'Ian',what a lovely boat! Amazed that no one has bought her/him yet,especially now the price has been reduced!Sorry to say too big for us,but has to be seen if you are looking for a big motor that feels proper!!

[Machpoint005]

If it's called 'Ian' it must be OK.

[greywolf]

I agree but it is the wrong spelling

Iain

 

Is it as nice on the inside as it is on the outside?

[riverwolf]

The back cabin is perfect,very mellow,but better suited to the smaller person,engine hole very trad,under cloths needs a bit of work,but it has a great feel to it! A really lovely boat.

[Chertsey]

Just the one catch - it's made of wood.

Fine if that's what you're specifically into, but if you just want a boat, then it could be a lot of trouble. We looked at it a few months ago, and I agree it has a lovely feel about it and fantastic paintwork... but you have to think about what lurks beneath the floor....

 

Re him/her, my understanding is that unlike sea and river boats, canal boats have historically been 'it'

Edited August 26, 2009 by WarriorWoman

[carlt]

At nearly 20 years, since the rebuild, it will be ready for a bit more fettling. If I was in the market, for a full length boat, though, Ian would be the one.

[Max Sinclair]

II saw Ian for sale at Braunston in 1960. She was incredibly hogged and expected it to be scrapped. Full of surprises.

[Paul H]

II saw Ian for sale at Braunston in 1960. She was incredibly hogged and expected it to be scrapped. Full of surprises.

Are you sure it was the Ian you saw? It was still carrying for Blue Line until 1968 when it was replaced by Renfrew. It has been lucky to have had a series of caring owners since who have lavished much care and money on it.

 

Paul H

[alan_fincher]

II saw Ian for sale at Braunston in 1960. She was incredibly hogged and expected it to be scrapped. Full of surprises.

 

Are you sure it was the Ian you saw? It was still carrying for Blue Line until 1968 when it was replaced by Renfrew.

 

I think Max has to thinking of a different boat.

 

Pictures of Ian (paired with Iona) in the mid to late 1950s show it as immaculate, (as you would expect with the Whitlocks in charge).

 

It seems highly unlikely she was up for sale in poor state in 1960, surely ?

[AMModels]

I have pictures taken by Jim Payler in the late 50's when both Ian and Iona were looking in tip top condition

[Derek R.]

From what I can remember (now there's a challenge!) Ian was resident down in Aylesbury during the Early eighties (and maybe before) when it was in the ownership of a mature gent who kept it very proper. There was a part conversion of the hold, mostly glazed, with a lengthy open front end. I recall watching him turn in the basin on just little more than tickover, effortlessly.

 

He sold, sometime during the eighties, and had a new build called Ion. For the life of me I cannot remember his name.

 

Derek

[Chris-B]

From what I can remember (now there's a challenge!) Ian was resident down in Aylesbury during the Early eighties (and maybe before) when it was in the ownership of a mature gent who kept it very proper. There was a part conversion of the hold, mostly glazed, with a lengthy open front end. I recall watching him turn in the basin on just little more than tickover, effortlessly.

 

He sold, sometime during the eighties, and had a new build called Ion. For the life of me I cannot remember his name.

 

Derek

 

 

Bob Beere was the gentleman's name Derek

 

Chris

[Derek R.]

Bob Beere was the gentleman's name Derek

 

Chris

 

Aaah! Thanks Chris. Is he still about, do we know?

 

Derek

[Chris-B]

Aaah! Thanks Chris. Is he still about, do we know?

 

Derek

 

 

Not to sure I lost contact in the early 90's Derek

But will investigate through the OP's network ....

 

C

[David Schweizer]

I think Max has to thinking of a different boat.

 

Pictures of Ian (paired with Iona) in the mid to late 1950s show it as immaculate, (as you would expect with the Whitlocks in charge).

 

It seems highly unlikely she was up for sale in poor state in 1960, surely ?

No it was not. Ian was in resplendant condition in the 1960's, paired with Lucy and operated by Blue Line on the run to Kearley and Tonges, under the control of Laura Carter and Rose Whitlock (Bill Whitlock never steered the boats). Ian was replaced by Renfrew in the late 1960's about two years before the Run ceased

 

They used to pass our moorings at Uxbridge very week. I still meet Joan, (Bill and Rose's daughter), at the Braunston Historic Boat Show every year.

Edited August 28, 2009 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

Bill Whitlock never steered the boats.

 

Ah, a version of canal history clearly taken from the same book as "FMC Boatmen never wore bowler hats" then, David !

 

Here's Bill not steering Lucy.

 

Edited August 28, 2009 by alan_fincher

[David Schweizer]

Ah, a version of canal history clearly taken from the same book as "FMC Boatmen never wore bowler hats" then, David !

 

Here's Bill not steering Lucy.

 

 

Right I will clarify.

 

In the early days of their marriage, Bill did occassionally steer, but being off the land and not from a Boating family, he was not an experienced Boatman, and one day he managed to jam the boats in a lock, causing considerable delays to other boats whilst they were being extracated.

 

This incident caused considerable ridicule and hilarity amongst the Working Boater community, particularly because of Rose's somewhat superior attitude about the "correct" way to run a pair. From that day, Bill was not allowed to put his hand on the tiller again.

Edited August 28, 2009 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

This incident caused considerable ridicule and hilarity amongst the Working Boater community, particularly because of Rose's somewhat superior attitude about the "correct" way to run a pair. From that day, Bill was not allowed to put his hand on the tiller again.

Well it looks like Renfrew leading to me, which would make the picture 1968 or later. Lucy is certainly in Blue Line rather than Barlows livery.

 

I think it's agreed he did not generally steer, but the picture surely makes it clear there were exceptions, at least as far as the butty goes ?

 

But clearly he was not a real boatman - he is wearing that nondescript beret, rather than a proper bowler!

[David Schweizer]

Well it looks like Renfrew leading to me, which would make the picture 1968 or later. Lucy is certainly in Blue Line rather than Barlows livery.

 

I think it's agreed he did not generally steer, but the picture surely makes it clear there were exceptions, at least as far as the butty goes ?

 

But clearly he was not a real boatman - he is wearing that nondescript beret, rather than a proper bowler!

 

It is possible but I am not convinced. Ian had two tunnel bands, wheras Renfrew had three, and the centre one was painted light blue. Whilst the second rubbing strake is not visible, if it was Renfrew, the coluor of the central tunnel band would manifest itself as light grey not dark grey in a monochrome photo.

 

Renfrew also had a markedly upward slope to the back cabin wheras the boat in the photo apears to have an almost flat cabin top, which matches the cabin on Ian. The deciding factor would be if you can enlarge the back end of the motor and identify the towing arrangement, Renfrew had two studs and Ian had one stud and one hook. If the towing rope was on the port side of the motor, I would concede that it is Renfrew, but both Ian and Renfrew had a stud on the starboard side.

Edited August 28, 2009 by David Schweizer

[AMModels]

For me the cratch looks too foreshortened on the motor to be IAN, Ive had a play around with the pic and the cabin does actually seem to upsweep when you alter the contrast and exposure. No amount of refocusing or zooming shows the hook/dolly arrangement but on the scales of probability I would humbly suggest it is more likely to be renfrew based on other pictures I have in my possession of both boats.

[alan_fincher]

Well.....

 

I still think it's Renfrew - it looks far more like a Big Northwich than a Nurser boat to me, and whilst it's not possible to see towing hook/stud arrangements the amount of freeboard showing on the fully loaded motor seems far more consistent with the deep sided Town class hull.

 

Checking back, the original image was captioned as being Renfrew, but as it also claims September 1970, about which I'm less certain, I wouldn't take it as gospel. (If it were September 1970, presumably it was the last load carried ??).

 

However, I can't see which motor it is actually makes any difference to the good humoured point I was triyng to make, (obviously not very well!!). The butty is clearly sign-written as Blue Line rather than as Barlows, so the picture can't possibly be any later than about 1962, even if it were Ian doing the pulling.

 

I believe Bill Whitlocks's embarrassment of boats jammed in locks is supposed to be some date in the early 1950s, (correct ?), so there seems little doubt that, many years after that, he was once again trusted to steer at least the butty, even if not regularly.

 

Perhaps it was his birthday the day the picture was taken, and Rose has allowed him a special treat ?

 

Little doubt he is steering, and it must be between 1962 and 1970, whatever the motor.

[David Schweizer]

For me the cratch looks too foreshortened on the motor to be IAN, Ive had a play around with the pic and the cabin does actually seem to upsweep when you alter the contrast and exposure. No amount of refocusing or zooming shows the hook/dolly arrangement but on the scales of probability I would humbly suggest it is more likely to be renfrew based on other pictures I have in my possession of both boats.

Fair enough, I will bow to poular wisdom. I will now try and dig out the biography of Rose Whitlock, based on inteviews with her recorded by Tim Coghlan, to verify the story. It may be that Bill was never again allowed to take the boats into a lock, because of his disaterous experience, but that is not how I remember the story.

 

One thing I can say with certainty is that for the seven years that I witnessed the Whitlocks coming throuygh Uxbridge lock every week, I never saw Billl steering either of the boats, It was always Rose or Michael (and occasionally Joan) on the butty, and Laura or Michael on the motor.

Edited August 29, 2009 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

One thing I can say with certainty is that for the seven years that I witnessed the Whitlocks coming throuygh Uxbridge lock every week, I never saw Billl steering either of the boats, It was always Rose or Michael (and occasionally Joan) on the butty, and Laura or Michael on the motor.

Yes,

 

I'm sure that's right.

 

If there was lock-wheeling to be done there seems to be little doubt about who was doing it.

 

As you mentioned who steered what, I note several pictures I have seen show Rose helming the motor, such as this one, (taken when Cath's family were on a boating holiday in 1969 by Phil Quick - I kid you not!)

 

[David Schweizer]

Yes,

 

I'm sure that's right.

 

If there was lock-wheeling to be done there seems to be little doubt about who was doing it.

 

As you mentioned who steered what, I note several pictures I have seen show Rose helming the motor, such as this one, (taken when Cath's family were on a boating holiday in 1969 by Phil Quick - I kid you not!)

 

Well here we go again. That is definitely Michael on the butty, but having blown the photo up to 500% I am convinced that it is not Rose on Renfrew, it looks far more like Laura to me.

 

Wrong colour hair for a start, and in later years Rose wore glasses, although I must admit that I cannot remember when she started to wear them. I will copy and print that phioto and ask Laura or Joan for an identification when I see either of them next.

 

Post a more convincing photo please, and while you are about try and find a photo of Arthur Bray steering Roger or Nutfield. There are probably a few about , but they will be from the days when Ernie was to small to steer.

Edited August 29, 2009 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

Well here we go again. That is definitely Michael on the butty, but having blown the photo up to 500% I am convinced that it is not Rose on Renfrew, it looks far more like Laura to me. (wrong colour hair for a start.)

Yes, I accept it's possible - probably a bad example, as that picture could be either, frankly. I just wanted to use a shot with no copy-write issues.

 

EDIT: It may not be obvious as I've put the image on the web, but in the original scan of the slide, the steerer is definitely wearing glasses. I may be wrong, but I can't recall a picture of Laura Carter wearing glasses, so my money is still on Rose Whitlock.

 

What is certain, there are certainly several published pictures of Rose steering the motor.

 

If you have the slim Robert Wilson "Epilogue" book look at picture number 35, for example.

 

That one's not in any doubt, (but isn't dated)!

 

We are a long way from Ian though, so I'll stop now!

Edited August 29, 2009 by alan_fincher