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g.u wideboat progress

chris collins

By chris collins
in History & Heritage

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  • 1 month later...
bargemast Influencer

bargemast

Posted
Posted

BW have all the original drawings for the boat in the archive. I also know they have a coloured drawing showing the paint scheme. There are numerous press shots too.

 

 

Hello Laurence,

 

do you know where and when this good looking widebeam was built ?

 

Peter.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
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Hello Laurence,

 

do you know where and when this good looking widebeam was built ?

 

Peter.

"Progress" was built by Bushell Brothers of Tring, (actually at New Mill, on the Wendover Arm).

 

She was launched in the autumn of 1934.

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Tam & Di Influencer

Tam & Di

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"Progress" was built by Bushell Brothers of Tring, (actually at New Mill, on the Wendover Arm).

 

She was launched in the autumn of 1934.

 

I'm fairly sure I put these on before. They're at the Cowley tip on the Slough cut end in 1962. I used to think they were 1961, but Jason told me a while ago that he was born in 1961 (well, how was I expected to remember that?), so they had to be a year later.

 

2.jpg

 

 

1.jpg

 

BWB had a crane to move and it was decided in the office that they would use Progress. This meant cutting the sidedecks back to widen the hold at the back end. George Beauchamp (George the Crane) was very angry that they would ruin "his" boat, and somehow it managed to sink when it came back to the tip. We bought it for £50 (borrowed from my father!) and when we talked to George about pumping it out he told us not to worry. Next day it was floating again - somehow the top of the mudbox had apparently come off, causing it to sink, but had now reseated itself properly.

 

Unfortunately the National (which it then had) had suffered damage to the outside of the block during ice the previous winter. I drilled and tapped it and screwed a metal plate over the crack and it ran just fine, though rather smokey.

  • Greenie 1
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BWB had a crane to move and it was decided in the office that they would use Progress. This meant cutting the sidedecks back to widen the hold at the back end. George Beauchamp (George the Crane) was very angry that they would ruin "his" boat, and somehow it managed to sink when it came back to the tip. We bought it for £50 (borrowed from my father!) and when we talked to George about pumping it out he told us not to worry. Next day it was floating again - somehow the top of the mudbox had apparently come off, causing it to sink, but had now reseated itself properly.

 

Unfortunately the National (which it then had) had suffered damage to the outside of the block during ice the previous winter. I drilled and tapped it and screwed a metal plate over the crack and it ran just fine, though rather smokey.

 

 

What a great story - :cheers:

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bargemast Influencer

bargemast

Posted
Posted (edited)

"Progress" was built by Bushell Brothers of Tring, (actually at New Mill, on the Wendover Arm).

 

She was launched in the autumn of 1934.

 

 

Hello Alan,

 

thank you very much for this information.

 

Peter.

 

I'm fairly sure I put these on before. They're at the Cowley tip on the Slough cut end in 1962. I used to think they were 1961, but Jason told me a while ago that he was born in 1961 (well, how was I expected to remember that?), so they had to be a year later.

 

 

 

BWB had a crane to move and it was decided in the office that they would use Progress. This meant cutting the sidedecks back to widen the hold at the back end. George Beauchamp (George the Crane) was very angry that they would ruin "his" boat, and somehow it managed to sink when it came back to the tip. We bought it for £50 (borrowed from my father!) and when we talked to George about pumping it out he told us not to worry. Next day it was floating again - somehow the top of the mudbox had apparently come off, causing it to sink, but had now reseated itself properly.

 

Unfortunately the National (which it then had) had suffered damage to the outside of the block during ice the previous winter. I drilled and tapped it and screwed a metal plate over the crack and it ran just fine, though rather smokey.

 

 

Hello Tam,

 

I really like your story, it shows clearly that (in the past) if you were smart and practical, you could do miracles with very little money.

 

I do admire you for rescueing a boat that was in desperate need of someone like you, to allow her a new lease of life.

 

Peter.

 

p.s. if you can find, and post some more photographs of her, I would be very happy.

Edited by bargemast
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bargemast Influencer

bargemast

Posted
Posted

May be of interest, found this picture in a 1974 copy of "A short history of the Narrow Boat" by Tom Chaplin.

 

 

 

Hello Ray,

 

thank you very much for posting this photo on which you get such a good view of the nice stern.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter.

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Paul H Rising Star

Paul H

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Posted

Hello Ray,

 

thank you very much for posting this photo on which you get such a good view of the nice stern.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter.

Actually Ray,s photo is of a completely different boat - Fellows Morton and Clayton's Pioneer which was more conventionally styled than Progress.

Paul

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bargemast Influencer

bargemast

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Actually Ray,s photo is of a completely different boat - Fellows Morton and Clayton's Pioneer which was more conventionally styled than Progress.

Paul

 

 

Hello Paul,

 

it was already quite late last night (or very early this morning) when I posted my message, but I did read the text next to the photo that said :"FMC's one-off wide boat PIONEER,and that she was similar to the better known PROGRESS".

 

I also noticed that "Progress" had some external changes between the photo's in post # 5, and Tam's photo's in post # 31, like no more wheel-steering, funnel, ships bell and the coaming around the stern bollards all gone.

 

They did look like boats with a very nice stern, not the best for loading lots of tonnes, but a shape that didn't hold the water, a very well shaped swim by the looks of it.

 

Peter.

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chris collins Engager

chris collins

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Posted

Hi Tam, Di, sorry about the delayed reply, many thanks for posting/reposting those two photographs,by coincidence when I bought "Progress" from B.W the price was....£50! Unfortunately it needed a bit more than the mudbox lid to fix.As far as the rebuild goes some parts follow fairly standard wooden narrowboat practise,some parts are notably different but survive well enough to be reliable patterns, some like the front deck/ coaming/ hatch/ winch need all the help they can get. Do you have any photo's/recollections/ just about anything that might help? Also any photo's in dock would help getting the scarph spacing correct.Many thanks & lots of luck Chris.

IMG_0842.jpg

IMG_0843.jpg

SPA50001.jpg

SPA50032.jpg

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xadmx Engager

xadmx

Posted
Posted

Hi Tam, Di, sorry about the delayed reply, many thanks for posting/reposting those two photographs,by coincidence when I bought "Progress" from B.W the price was....£50! Unfortunately it needed a bit more than the mudbox lid to fix.As far as the rebuild goes some parts follow fairly standard wooden narrowboat practise,some parts are notably different but survive well enough to be reliable patterns, some like the front deck/ coaming/ hatch/ winch need all the help they can get. Do you have any photo's/recollections/ just about anything that might help? Also any photo's in dock would help getting the scarph spacing correct.Many thanks & lots of luck Chris.

 

you've bought that, bloody hell your brave lol.

adam

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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you've bought that, bloody hell your brave lol.

adam

I may be wrong but rather fancy you are addressing that at the person responsible for restoring the wooden boat pictured behind Progress from a similar-ish (???) start point.

 

I think you are talking to someone who relishes a challenge!

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bargemast Influencer

bargemast

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Hello Chris,

 

I have to say that I admire you more than I can say, for taking on such an enormous job on your hands.

 

It is reasuring to see that you are a very skilled craftsman, looking at that narrowboat you restored already.

 

This one should be even better from an historic point of view, as she's probably the only one left, in a for someone like you restorable condition.

 

May I beg you to keep us informed with photos if possible, to follow your progress on the restauration of "PROGRESS".

 

I wish you the best of luck with this challenge.

 

Peter.

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Ray T Veteran II

Ray TDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)

Chris, Hi.

 

Lovely to see Mimas restored to her former glory. In the fullness of time will you be restoring Ray?

 

It would be fantastic to see them again as they were when the Stokes family cared for them.

 

Thank you for your labours in restoring these boats.

Edited by Ray T
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Tam & Di Influencer

Tam & Di

Posted
Posted

Hi Tam, Di, sorry about the delayed reply, many thanks for posting/reposting those two photographs,by coincidence when I bought "Progress" from B.W the price was....£50! Unfortunately it needed a bit more than the mudbox lid to fix.As far as the rebuild goes some parts follow fairly standard wooden narrowboat practise,some parts are notably different but survive well enough to be reliable patterns, some like the front deck/ coaming/ hatch/ winch need all the help they can get. Do you have any photo's/recollections/ just about anything that might help? Also any photo's in dock would help getting the scarph spacing correct.Many thanks & lots of luck Chris.

 

We're back in the UK for a bit now and I'll try to get time to have a look through my tat. I think I have photos (maybe colour slides) from when John Wooley renewed a lot of waterline planking in Uxbridge dock. I might find some shots which include the foredeck too.

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  • 4 weeks later...
chris collins Engager

chris collins

Posted
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Posted

Just a bit of an update,Does anyone else get really peeved with the ******g adverts on photobucket? the forum won't let me upload from flickr -any hints? Anyway here's some pictures of new bottom boards,a big pile of oak and the first of the side planks.

Many thanks to Mike Constable at Stoke Bruerne for his archive help.

SPA50047.jpg

SPA50037-1.jpg

SPA50048.jpg

SPA50049.jpg

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