Dobson Boats ?

[JonL]

I'm looking for a boat and I've been told about a 24 foot centre cockpit boat.

It's beginning discribed to me as a Dobson Dayboat - 4 berth.

Apparantly it has a 2 cylinder 2 stroke Stewart Turner engine.

 

Now despite about surfing for 30 mins I can't find anything about Dobson boats and all I can find on Stewart Turner engines is that they were often used to power water pumps in the days of the Raj !

 

Anyone any more information

[JayCee]

Not a lot of help, but there appear to be 6 boats of 24 ft on Jim Sheads web build by dobsons. All build around mid 1970's. Doesnt give engine details, but most are petrol engines, and all are fibreglass hulls.

 

I expect someone will be along with more info. shortly.

 

 

JayCee

[Athy]

I believe they were based in Shardlow, Derbyshire. Last time I looked (2006) Dobson's Boatyard was still there but I think it had been taken over by another company.

[rjasmith]

I'm looking for a boat and I've been told about a 24 foot centre cockpit boat.

It's beginning discribed to me as a Dobson Dayboat - 4 berth.

Apparantly it has a 2 cylinder 2 stroke Stewart Turner engine.

 

Now despite about surfing for 30 mins I can't find anything about Dobson boats and all I can find on Stewart Turner engines is that they were often used to power water pumps in the days of the Raj !

 

Anyone any more information

 

If you want to know more about Stewart Turner marine engines try here

 

The engine will undoubtedly be either a P55 or P66 and will be 2 stroke petrol (50:1 two stroke oil mix) - very nice if you like that sort of thing and enjoy occasionally cleaning sparking plugs!!

 

Somewhat unusual however to have in a canal boat these days and may be a little harder to get through the BSS.

 

Richard

[RLWP]

I'm looking for a boat and I've been told about a 24 foot centre cockpit boat.

 

<snip>

 

Jon, are you looking for any boat and were pointed towards these Dobsons as a possibility, or are you specifically looking for Dobson boats to the exclusion of all others?

 

Richard

[Tony Brooks]

I'm looking for a boat and I've been told about a 24 foot centre cockpit boat.

It's beginning discribed to me as a Dobson Dayboat - 4 berth.

Apparantly it has a 2 cylinder 2 stroke Stewart Turner engine.

 

Now despite about surfing for 30 mins I can't find anything about Dobson boats and all I can find on Stewart Turner engines is that they were often used to power water pumps in the days of the Raj !

 

Anyone any more information

 

Stuart Turner were based in the centre of Henley on Thames and were an old established company who started with steam engines and moved on to two-stroke petrol marine engines and finished with a small diesel. I have reason to suspect that there was a link with Sole on that engine. As far as I can recall they closed in the 1980s although it might have been in the 1990s.

 

I think Fairways Marine at Maldon in Essex took a lot of stock and technical stuff but their website lists a link to Stuart Engines and then some further sites below a load of rubbish. It looks to me as if that company is no longer trading or their website has been taken over.

 

Marlex Marine seem to be involved now but there is no mention of the diesel engine on their website, however they may be a source of spares for the two-strokes.

 

When I went to Stuarts in the 70s to buy 12v centrifugal water pumps and small fuel tank (for running the Webastos on paraffin!) their front office was Dickensian with a big high chair and desk overlooking the girls a manual typewrites etc.

 

If you are into maintaining old engines then I think the magnetos were by Lucas so spares for those are probably still obtainable via a number of old vehicle/engine organisations. I know some used an Amal carburettor but others had a Stuart one. They had a name for reliability - until they were not! Personally I would not not want the hassle of a two-stroke petrol engine but that boat may have one of the diesel versions and as I say I suspect it may have been a bought in from another company job.

 

Tony Brooks

[JonL]

Jon, are you looking for any boat and were pointed towards these Dobsons as a possibility, or are you specifically looking for Dobson boats to the exclusion of all others?

 

Richard

 

I'm not excluding any boats really - it's actually about finding a boat for sale with a mooring transfer somewhere not too far from my home in Brentwood in Essex

[Timleech]

Stuart Turner were based in the centre of Henley on Thames and were an old established company who started with steam engines and moved on to two-stroke petrol marine engines and finished with a small diesel. I have reason to suspect that there was a link with Sole on that engine. As far as I can recall they closed in the 1980s although it might have been in the 1990s.

 

 

Tony Brooks

 

They did make their own 2-cyl 2-stroke diesel, they're quite rare now though. I always rather fancied one just as a 'toy'. I think you're right that they also later imported little Sole diesels, I presume they were 4-stroke though.

 

Tim

[MarkAdrian]

And a one cyclinder diesel "Sole" engine too.

 

 

 

 

[carlt]

Dobsons built some lovely carvel cruisers, in the 60s, narrow and broad beam.

[casper ghost]

My first boat, a 20 foot steel estuary boat, had a Stuart Turner 2 stroke petrol engine. It was too powerful for the boat when on the canals. It's main problem was that it didn't like to tick over for any length of time and when doing alot of locks, like Wolverhampton 21 of Audlem it would choke up until I had to turn the engine off and pull the boat through the locks.

I replaced the engine with a Petter mini twin. At the time Mick Sivwright (spelling?) was the chat who dealt with the Stuart Turner engine and he bought mine from me.

Casp

[Athy]

Dobsons built some lovely carvel cruisers, in the 60s, narrow and broad beam.

 

Could you please tell me, cuz I don't know, is there a difference between "carvel" and "clinker-built" or are they the same thing?

[carlt]

Could you please tell me, cuz I don't know, is there a difference between "carvel" and "clinker-built" or are they the same thing?

Clinker built boats are made by over-lapping planks, when they are fxed to the frames. The water-tightedness (is that a word?) comes from the swelling of the planks against each other (though most, eventually end up being caulked in some way, or another).

 

Carvel planks are laid next to each other, edge to edge, with caulking between the seams, to form a watertight seal.

 

Clinker construction is more popular, with smaller boats, because it is the quicker method and, with planks below 3/8" thick, caulking carvel can be a very delicate operation.

[magnetman]

A good place to go for Stuart Turner spares is the Thames Traditional Boat Rally. There's a bloke with a stall on the jumble who has loads of the engines and bits.

 

If it were the diesel I think it'd be "Stuart" and not "Stuart Turner"

[Timleech]

A good place to go for Stuart Turner spares is the Thames Traditional Boat Rally. There's a bloke with a stall on the jumble who has loads of the engines and bits.

If it were the diesel I think it'd be "Stuart" and not "Stuart Turner"

 

You're right, but it was AFAIK the same 'Stuart'

 

http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/Stuart/Stuart1.htm

 

Just to confuse the issue, there was also a 'Turner' 2-stroke diesel, a 3-cyl IIRC, some were fitted as early Land Rover diesel conversions, but that was a completely separate 'Turner', Turners of Wolverhampton, perhaps better known for their V-2 and V-4 four-stroke diesels which occasionally crop up in naroowboats.

 

Tim

Edited May 11, 2010 by Timleech

[magnetman]

You're right, but it was AFAIK the same 'Stuart'

 

http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/Stuart/Stuart1.htm

 

Just to confuse the issue, there was also a 'Turner' 2-stroke diesel, a 3-cyl IIRC, some were fitted as early Land Rover diesel conversions, but that was a completely separate 'Turner', Turners of Wolverhampton, perhaps better known for their V-2 and V-4 four-stroke diesels which occasionally crop up in naroowboats.

 

Tim

 

It is definitely the same 'Stuart'.

[Phil Ambrose]

We had a 17ft GRP dayboat which had a 2 pot Stuart Turner diesel, 10HP at 2000 revs if I recall. Built like a tank no heaters or anything fancy, just decompressors but it would make enough speed to get paddled by the Navigation Rangers.

 

Phil

[WotEver]

I believe they were based in Shardlow, Derbyshire. Last time I looked (2006) Dobson's Boatyard was still there but I think it had been taken over by another company.

I believe Dobson's has been taken over by JD Narrowboats. The locals still refer to it as "Dobson's" as is the way with these things.

 

Tony

[lengthman]

I'm looking for a boat and I've been told about a 24 foot centre cockpit boat.

It's beginning discribed to me as a Dobson Dayboat - 4 berth.

Apparantly it has a 2 cylinder 2 stroke Stewart Turner engine.

 

Now despite about surfing for 30 mins I can't find anything about Dobson boats and all I can find on Stewart Turner engines is that they were often used to power water pumps in the days of the Raj !

 

Anyone any more information

 

The Dobson fibreglass hulls were made by Boroune at Grantham Linc's and they useually fitted with 8 or 10hsp Staurt Turner engine made in Henly-on-Thames.