Jump to content

The Butty Has Landed!

Kez

By Kez
in History & Heritage

 Share

Featured Posts

Kez Community Regular

Kez

Posted
Posted

On the 29th September BW held The Great Auction, and sold off a load of their boats. As many people know, I got one of them.

 

Finally on the 30th of March 2011 myself, my dad and Dan (Stagedamager) went to Ickneild port to collect Butty (once known as Ohm. She will get a new name, but until then she is known affectionatley as Butty :) )

 

I fear I was mislead by BW in buying her though. I was sold a boat full of holes, I got one full of water :D

I have given her a thorough inspection and I've found only one hole; it's about the same size as the nail on my little finger, and it's in the original iron of her bottom. However, the section where it is has been overplated at some point in the last 30 years, and so it's not a worry at all.

She is a tired boat, certainly, but she is by no means scrap! We certainly wouldn't have any issues re-floating her right now. :)

 

Here's the youtube link of the rescue:

 

 

And here are some photos of her:

 

190511_10150142669755887_526185886_7068073_7072699_n.jpg

110330_121907.jpg

000_0003.jpg

110330_170947.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jake_crew Rising Star

jake_crewDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Great news.

 

Its always nice when things are in a better state than you expect, tho if my experience in old car restoration is anything to go by, its usually worse than it looks once you strip it down. !

 

We bought Pintail at the same time, and like you, it was full of water (cabin hatch missing for years). However we hooked up a battery to the bilge pump and pumped it straight out ! After stripping the cabs off there's some very unpleasant heavy rust under the floorboards (inside the swim and counter), but overall its fairly sound.

 

Whens you're target re-floating date !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NB Esk Rising Star

NB Esk

Posted
Posted

Good for you, it's been around this long, it deserves someone to take it on.

 

I dont know enough about butty's (or Joey's, come to that) but aren't those guard irons the style used on Joey boats? will they be original, or a later addition?

 

Whatever, good luck with the restoration...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kez Community Regular

Kez

Posted
  • Author
Posted

She's definatley a BCN boat, although opinion is divided as to whether she is a Bantock or something earlier that Mr Bantock then later copied with his boats.

Records can trace her back to 1885, but no further due to the destruction of earlier guage tables. We're going to have her carbon dated sometime in June/July to get a closer date on her age.

 

We're hoping that she can be refloated next May; Ariel is carrying the repair kit of iron and steel down for her, which will arrive at Butty after Braunston Rally. That's when the restoration starts in earnest

 

Oh, and just so everyone is clear; this boat WILL NOT be motorised. She's going to be rigged up to work as a horse-boat and a butty :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Speedwheel Influencer

Speedwheel

Posted
Posted (edited)

She's definatley a BCN boat, although opinion is divided as to whether she is a Bantock or something earlier that Mr Bantock then later copied with his boats.

Records can trace her back to 1885, but no further due to the destruction of earlier guage tables. We're going to have her carbon dated sometime in June/July to get a closer date on her age.

 

We're hoping that she can be refloated next May; Ariel is carrying the repair kit of iron and steel down for her, which will arrive at Butty after Braunston Rally. That's when the restoration starts in earnest

 

Oh, and just so everyone is clear; this boat WILL NOT be motorised. She's going to be rigged up to work as a horse-boat and a butty :)

 

 

I've got half a pack of chewing gum you can have to help plug the holes. :P

 

PM'ed

Edited by Speedwheel
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Laurence Hogg Veteran

Laurence Hogg

Posted
Posted (edited)

She's definatley a BCN boat, although opinion is divided as to whether she is a Bantock or something earlier that Mr Bantock then later copied with his boats.

Records can trace her back to 1885, but no further due to the destruction of earlier guage tables. We're going to have her carbon dated sometime in June/July to get a closer date on her age.

 

We're hoping that she can be refloated next May; Ariel is carrying the repair kit of iron and steel down for her, which will arrive at Butty after Braunston Rally. That's when the restoration starts in earnest

 

Oh, and just so everyone is clear; this boat WILL NOT be motorised. She's going to be rigged up to work as a horse-boat and a butty :)

 

I think that carbon dating may not be a good idea, first boat builders in this crafts era used second hand plate on boats, this is a fairly well known fact. Also the accuracy of carbon dating on metals is at best from what I know to within 60 years(mass spec method), more often you are talking hundreds.

Carbon dating is more reliable for dating organic compounds which have lived ie wood, plant remains etc. Oh btw, before being permanently infected with canal water I was a Radio-chemistry technician.

Edited by Laurence Hogg
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kez Community Regular

Kez

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think that carbon dating may not be a good idea, first boat builders in this crafts era used second hand plate on boats, this is a fairly well known fact. Also the accuracy of carbon dating on metals is at best from what I know to within 60 years(mass spec method), more often you are talking hundreds.

Carbon dating is more reliable for dating organic compounds which have lived ie wood, plant remains etc. Oh btw, before being permanently infected with canal water I was a Radio-chemistry technician.

 

With respect, I have spoken to the professionals and they beleive they can date the boat accuratly to a five year margin. Even if the metal is second hand (and the professional opinion is that it is not) it does at least give us a closer window to the actual production of the boat.

 

It will certainly do her no harm to be carbon dated, and it is being done as a gift for the boat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kez Community Regular

Kez

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I don't recall the length being mentioned. It looks about 40ft, would that be right?

 

Planning on a cabin of sorts, or keeping it as a 'day boat'?

 

Her auction length was 47'6", but it turns out shes a longer by over a foot. We reckon they just quickly measured the hold length as opposed to the full length, which does fit the discrepancy.

 

She is going to be cabined, shes going to have an extended main cabin and a forecabin too; she's not a day boat anymore, shes a long distance traveller, and she'll be a home! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Speedwheel Influencer

Speedwheel

Posted
Posted

Her auction length was 47'6", but it turns out shes a longer by over a foot. We reckon they just quickly measured the hold length as opposed to the full length, which does fit the discrepancy.

 

She is going to be cabined, shes going to have an extended main cabin and a forecabin too; she's not a day boat anymore, shes a long distance traveller, and she'll be a home! :)

 

Are you going to have a stable on board?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kez Community Regular

Kez

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Not according to The Anonymous Bard

 

I'm sure he has his own point and his own opinions, which he's perfectly entitled to, but I don't give a monkeys what he or anyone else thinks of my boat.

Butty's an old girl and in pretty original shape; but if she's to have any chance of surviving that way, she's got to be adapted to live and work on todays canals in todays world.

Hang the "traditional" ways; the old boatman's view was to get on with the job however best it could be done.

 

Besides, she's not his boat :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

Posted
Posted

If you're going to live on it, it strikes me you couldn't do better than sticking with the name "ohm"!

 

Paul

 

As in "Ohm, Ohm on derange, where the dear little cantaloupe playyy"

 

Richard

 

Nurse, it's time for my medication..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Max Sinclair Community Regular

Max Sinclair

Posted
Posted

On the 29th September BW held The Great Auction, and sold off a load of their boats. As many people know, I got one of them.

 

Finally on the 30th of March 2011 myself, my dad and Dan (Stagedamager) went to Ickneild port to collect Butty (once known as Ohm. She will get a new name, but until then she is known affectionatley as Butty :) )

 

I fear I was mislead by BW in buying her though. I was sold a boat full of holes, I got one full of water :D

I have given her a thorough inspection and I've found only one hole; it's about the same size as the nail on my little finger, and it's in the original iron of her bottom. However, the section where it is has been overplated at some point in the last 30 years, and so it's not a worry at all.

She is a tired boat, certainly, but she is by no means scrap! We certainly wouldn't have any issues re-floating her right now. :)

Would suggest the ironwork was rolled by Hingley's of Netherton.She certainly suggests Bantock ancestry. Good luck, I enjoyed rebuilding Ballinger.

Here's the youtube link of the rescue:

 

 

And here are some photos of her:

 

190511_10150142669755887_526185886_7068073_7072699_n.jpg

110330_121907.jpg

000_0003.jpg

110330_170947.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.