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Chertsey

By Chertsey
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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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Having an idle afternoon so thought I would upload a couple of photos of Chertsey, as we finally got the sidecloths fitted last weekend and got the topcloths on on Wednesday.

IMG_0372blog.jpg

IMG_0788blog.jpg

I'm not sure my knots will stand up to expert scrutiny, but we did make up all the strings ourselves.

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pete harrison Veteran

pete harrison

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I'm not sure my knots will stand up to expert scrutiny, but we did make up all the strings ourselves.

 

I think many boat owners go way over the top with their knots, especially as I am a great believer in boating without knots - with the exception of the half hitch. Your method of securing the top cloth strings is fairly similar to mine in so much as I do not use a knot at all but instead rely on the tension in the string to secure a loop passed back under the string. This ensures 'untying' the strings is a simple matter of pulling on the loose end and everything just falls apart - quick and simple. I was taught this method by a former boating family and use a very similar method for side cloths whether tied to the gunwale or over the top plank.

 

Perhaps owners have got a bit excitable about using knots to secure their cloths as boats are now left clothed up for months at a time, whereas when the boats were in trade they would have been clothed up for a few days at a time.

 

Just don't get me started on cratches and why owners do not build them properly :captain:

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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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I think many boat owners go way over the top with their knots, especially as I am a great believer in boating without knots - with the exception of the half hitch. Your method of securing the top cloth strings is fairly similar to mine in so much as I do not use a knot at all but instead rely on the tension in the string to secure a loop passed back under the string. This ensures 'untying' the strings is a simple matter of pulling on the loose end and everything just falls apart - quick and simple. I was taught this method by a former boating family and use a very similar method for side cloths whether tied to the gunwale or over the top plank.

 

Perhaps owners have got a bit excitable about using knots to secure their cloths as boats are now left clothed up for months at a time, whereas when the boats were in trade they would have been clothed up for a few days at a time.

 

Just don't get me started on cratches and why owners do not build them properly :captain:

Ah well I won't as we haven't actually built Chertsey's at all yet. PB made a lovely new false cratch based on the dimensions of the old (possibly original) one, but not taking into account the wider gunnels that we now have, so that all has to be redone. (Although it would be good to know what pitfalls to avoid...)

 

Interestingly we had four old, again, possibly original, uprights that came with Chertsey. Two stamped 101 (Aber), one 134 (Carnaby) and one 130 (Chertsey). Despite the passage of years, the new gunnels and the new cloth battens, only one fitted - 130.

 

Actually, I can ask this now... the fact that these various bits are stamped with a GU fleet number (the stands are as well, one 130 and one 132 iirc, and the old deckboard), how old does that make them? When would this practice have ended - did it continue into BW ownership? And was it common for boats to end up with other boats' running gear or is this more likely to have happened at a later stage?

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pete harrison Veteran

pete harrison

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Interestingly we had four old, again, possibly original, uprights that came with Chertsey. Two stamped 101 (Aber), one 134 (Carnaby) and one 130 (Chertsey). Despite the passage of years, the new gunnels and the new cloth battens, only one fitted - 130.

 

Actually, I can ask this now... the fact that these various bits are stamped with a GU fleet number (the stands are as well, one 130 and one 132 iirc, and the old deckboard), how old does that make them? When would this practice have ended - did it continue into BW ownership? And was it common for boats to end up with other boats' running gear or is this more likely to have happened at a later stage?

 

I usually put in the uprights after I have put up the side cloths. This means the side cloths have to be tied without too much tension and then the uprights are knocked into place adding massive tension to the side cloth strings and making the whole structure very solid. It is only experience with your own equipment that you will learn how much tension to use initially to ensure your side cloths do not tare or rip out of the gunwale when the uprights are knocked into place.

 

Although I have seen fleet numbers on various components of G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. running gear I do not know when this practice started or stopped. When we owned BARNES its mast was marked S&CCC (Severn & Canal Carrying Company Ltd.). This mast, along with stands and full cratch, was subsequently refitted onto BADSEY (by me) to replace half hieght items. If I remember correctly NUNEATON has a stand marked 108 (BADSEY). I am also fairly sure that when BEAULIEU had its running gear replaced in the 1980's it was all carved with its fleet number 113.

 

edit for typo's

Edited by pete harrison
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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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Yes, we knocked the uprights in afterwards. But the others were nowhere near. The 134 (sacrilege) was trimmed to fit; the others were not in good enough condition for it to be worthwhile. So, owner of Aber... you can have them if you like, even though you were going to put a full length conversion on last time I heard!

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ChimneyChain Rising Star

ChimneyChain

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Your boat is a credit to you both very well down. I've spent hours at work reading and re-reading your blog. Any plans for bringing the pair down the Southen GU this year?? Why don't you go the whole hog and take the top of bakewell.

 

Darren

Edited by ChimneyChain
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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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Your boat is a credit to you both very well down. I've spent hours at work reading and re-reading your blog. Any plans for bringing the pair down the Southen GU this year?? Why don't you go the whole hog and take the top of bakewell.

 

Darren

Are you taking the top off Bicester then? B)

 

I think the southern GU will have to wait - I don't fancy London this year!

 

Very neat, Sarah. I like to make my strings a bit longer so that I can make a couple of loops to hold a shaft.

 

Yes, I was going to make a couple (more?) of extra long strings for that.

It's all got to come off again anyway as we want to get the floors up and repaint underneath, which means removing the ballast tanks, and hopefully replacing with coal. Not sure how much of that will happen though with Easter being early this year and Droitwich beckoning.

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c c Rising Star

c c

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When we owned BARNES its mast was marked S&CCC (Severn & Canal Carrying Company Ltd.). This mast, along with stands and full cratch, was subsequently refitted onto BADSEY (by me) to replace half hieght items. If I remember correctly NUNEATON has a stand marked 108 (BADSEY). I am also fairly sure that when BEAULIEU had its running gear replaced in the 1980's it was all carved with its fleet number 113.

 

Yes BADSEY still has the S.& C.C.C.Ltd Mast.

 

So, owner of Aber... you can have them if you like, even though you were going to put a full length conversion on last time I heard!

 

And if owner of ABER. has no use for them ? How about giving them to NUNEATON so that they could then give BADSEY its mast back?

Just who we could then give the SCCCLtd mast currently in BADSEY to, I don't know.

Just a thought.......

Edited by canalchef
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pete harrison Veteran

pete harrison

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Yes BADSEY still has the S.& C.C.C.Ltd Mast.

 

And if owner of ABER. has no use for them ? How about giving them to NUNEATON so that they could then give BADSEY its mast back?

Just who we could then give the SCCCLtd mast currently in BADSEY to, I don't know.

Just a thought.......

 

I do not recall NUNEATON having BADSEY's mast, only one of its stands.

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Max Sinclair Community Regular

Max Sinclair

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I do not recall NUNEATON having BADSEY's mast, only one of its stands.

I have some Stratford 1964 Photos including one of Chertsey and crew sharper than last time if you contact thebutty@btinternet.com.

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Guest

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It might be a run via the Thames if not - which would be interesting. I don't suspect the traffic stopped if the GU route was blocked?

 

Mike

 

But it will have cost 'em a lot more.

 

I bit like closing the M1 to Eddie Stobbart..

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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It might be a run via the Thames if not - which would be interesting. I don't suspect the traffic stopped if the GU route was blocked?

 

Mike

Do you reckon any Jam 'Ole coal ever went around via the Thames ? (And I admit to having no idea of the answer to that question, but I suspect probably not!).

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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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It might be a run via the Thames if not - which would be interesting. I don't suspect the traffic stopped if the GU route was blocked?

 

Mike

David Blagrove talks about this in Bread Upon the Waters doesn't he? BW boats were laid up because the GU was closed for some reason; Leslie Morton (by then running Willow Wren) suggested they go via the Thames but BW wouldn't even consider it thus leaving the crews with no livelihood for six weeks. The more entrepreneurial Willow Wren though did I think so it would be wholly appropriate for the Jam 'Ole.

 

As for me - we're far to slow for Jam 'Oling :(

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