I've bought a Butty!

[Speedwheel]

a Scholar and a gent.

Thanks for that, brilliant!!!

Regards

Dan

 

More than welcome. I will try and get a better copy for you - though you may have to remind me

 

Can anyone make out what the "articles on board when weighed" are? All I can read are "4 beams ....2.....1.... 6 cwt..." Just curious.

 

Not totally sure. Hopefully Pete will come along to decipher.

 

Close up might help - be right back.

 

....... right here we go.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2012 by Speedwheel

[BlueStringPudding]

I've bought a Butty!

 

Chip or Fish Finger?

[stagedamager]

Fish finger, with tartare sauce and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper! Only the best!!

[Speedwheel]

Fish finger, with tartare sauce and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper! Only the best!!

 

 

Hmmmmm (Mark wonders through to the kitchen to have a look in the freezer)

[pete harrison]

Not totally sure. Hopefully Pete will come along to decipher.

 

Close up might help - be right back.

 

....... right here we go.

 

 

My copy of B.C.N. 1645 is easier to read, and articles on board when weighed were:

 

4 Beams, Rudder, 2 Barrows, 1 Plank, 6 cwt Dunnage (all written in long hand)

[pete harrison]

 

 

Hmmm, this photograph illustrates another B.W.B. cock up - but whether it is the boat that has been incorrectly numbered or their records incorrectly collated I do not know.

 

Mr Hogg's photograph clearly proves that 80393 and B.C.N. 1645 are one of the same boat. B.W.B. records list 80395 as being B.C.N. 1645 - a boat that was subsequently renamed LIZ and was still a maintenance boat in the Midlands in 2004 (quoted as being at Dutton Hall Bridge 211 - B.W.B. index 502448). 80393 is listed by B.W.B. as being B.C.N. 1570, a 70' "Hotholer" acquired from Hickman's in 1959, latterly based at Bradley and subsequently renamed DOE.

 

I can confirm that 'British Waterways' purchased a number of boats from Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd. in 1959, most of which came from their subsidiary Alfred Hickman Ltd..

[stagedamager]

Thank Pete,

The plot thickens!

There is discussion further up the thread about the bow photo Laurence has provided, and it indeed looks like it is the boat i have purchased, given the position of various dents.

BCN 1570 is still extant and listed on the national historic ships register.

We've done a bit more digging around this afternoon, and discovered a photo of when she was working as a ?mudpan here (copywright of owner)

Also, watching "narrow boat" on catchup, in the first few episodes, there are various shots taken at Keith Ball's yard, where there is a day boat near Dover which features prominently in several shots which looks suspiciously like this one, i may be wrong but the signs are there!!!

Regards

Dan

[stagedamager]

Well, it's not the one at Keith Ball's yard, that's now around the Braunston area, although it does look similar!!

[stagedamager]

Right, here goes, an update!

i've spooke briefly about this on another thread, but here is the story so far!!

Mum and Dad Left Langley Mill on Weds 15th, and got to Middlewich midday Sat, and picked the butty up (made good time i thought!). I arrived in Middlewich after a 15 hour shift at work, and we set off at 0700, and travelled the mile up to Rumps Lock, locked the Tug through, i was bowhauling the butty in and SLAM! stuck dead. Now we knew she was a bit over beam, but we also knew she had been south on the T+M as far as Weston. When we looked, the chamber had been re-lined, and the lining now follows the coping stone and kicks in by a good 3 inches.

 

Wobbly Wall!

 

 

Normally not a problem, but for a wide-ish BCN day boat, catastrophic!!! Handily, we had some supplies on board so were able to do some structural work to hopefully aid passage, so off we went again, and SLAM, she stuck again. by this point it was about 1030, and not looking good. Mum and dad had booked the tunnel for the following morning, and had to be back by the end of the week. So I got on the blower to Middlewich Narrowboats, and sorted a short term mooring out for her. So, we breast up, engage reverse, and have a jolly back to Middlewich, backwards. Eventually we got back, and left the butty there. They have docked her for me, removed the guards around the front bulkhead (They had been previously taken off, but welded on really badly so were sitting her 3 inches wider than should have been) and added a couple of patches in the same area.

I've managed to blag 3 days off this Fri, Sat and Sun, (but i have to go back for a sat night shift, crazy train journey!!), so have managed to get a tow up towards Stoke. Liam And Kez are Middlewich bound with "Ariel" for Take 2 of the Cheshire Locks, and BANG! "Ariel" hits a Stoppage just south of Anderton. No chance of passage until Fri eve at the earliest, so again, another crazy mad dash up the Cheshire Locks.

Meanwhile, further south, Mum and Dad are heading home, and start the trip up the Erewash, and SLAM! hit Dockholme lock with no gates on. This stoppage has been since the 20th but was not listed on waterscape on the 15th when they left, and no signage at Trent Lock. So a 3 mile reverse back down the Erewash Canal, and no chance of passage till mid next week, so they are now Stoke bound to meet "Ariel"... This is not going well....... so i'm now waiting on phone calls from BW, and Tuckeys, as i'm sorely tempted to chuck it on a Trailer back to Langley Mill.........

The Saga Continues!!

If anyone sees, "Ariel" or "Wyrd", or either towing an Old BCN day boat, do give a friendly hello, because we're all totally over it at the moment!!!!

 

Kind Regards

 

Dan!!!

[greywolf]

They say that in years to come you will laugh at this maybe even write a best seller LOL best of luck with the rest of the journey.perhaps that's all the bad luck out of the way at the beginning.

[stagedamager]

Here's hoping, I'm saving up the laughter just In case!!

Dan

[Liam]

And if all else fails, Dan, we'll just go and get pissed drunk in the nearest pub!

[tom_c]

will they make it to fradley for tuesday?

[stagedamager]

fingers crossed....

[paddy r]

It will be worth it in the end.good luck.

[Liam]

The stop planks have been lifted so the bridge 'ole is back in water...

 

Ariel is making steady progress to Middlewich at the moment to meet up with Dan.... and we're set to make a start on Cheshire Locks this PM.

[stagedamager]

Well, here we are, after what was an eight day trip, which turned into a 3 1/2 week trip, the butty is back at Langley Mill, and currently sat on Dry Dock, awaiting a good coat of looking at. Initial inspections show some work required on the footings, some hull straightening around the chines, and some hefty hammering of the stern post, more photos to follow soon, once she is docked and looking a bit more presentable!!

Regards

Dan

[GSer]

Great news that she's home at last, i hope all goes well with the build, what are you planning?

 

Cygnus is just having the last of the welding work done tomorrow and i've removed a lot of the conversion that was recently installed, its all a real mess now, and i'm desperate to start rebuilding again but it appears that there is only 24 hours in a day so i'll just have to be patient for now.

 

I've had a week of nice bonfires, its amazing who you meet when you light a fire and just sit there, i'm well off the beaten path but its been rare to be alone in the fires warm glow.

[stagedamager]

Hi Paul, glad to hear Cygnus is going well, not sure of plans yet, get the hull sound is stage one within the year, then back cabin and bow cabin, and cloth over the hold. In the long term, I may look at a full undercloth conversion and small hydraulic drive unit Which can be stowed when not required but I dont have any money at the moment for crazy things like that!!!!

Regards

Dan

[stagedamager]

Right, the plot thickens.

I have had contact with another fellow "Hickman" owner, who kindly informed me that BCN 1645 was involved in the "Last coal run from Anglesey", a recreation with tug "Enterprise" and 3 day boats, each with ~ 20 tons on, from Anglesey basin to the Black Country Museum in 1999. I have found video clips of this on Laurence's Video "Narrowboats on parade" ( with a great tug of war at Nottingham ) and i believe this was done in 1999. Now, the confusion begins.

Laurence's pictures prove BCN 1645 is BW 80393.

BW 80393 was surveyed in 2001 at Bradley by Matt Beamish for a hull survey. This shows over plating where 1645 has none.

Therefore, i believe Pete's theories are correct that 80393 was at somepoint BCN 1570.

I shall now start digging to work out when the major works were done on my boat, maibnly 30' of side plating and new bottom.........

Stand by for further updates!

Regards,

Dan

[stagedamager]

As it has been a few months, i shall give an update. She is still at Langley Mill and we have clothed her over to protect from the elements. Handily, due to lack of cloths, our advertising banners at work are near enough the same width ans side cloths, so she is currently covered in banners promoting Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...... I am aiming to have a new bottom and footings put on in the Spring,by Langley Mill boatyard, and then will look at the rest of the hull. I have created a Facebook page for the restoration which can be found here:

 

BCN 1645

 

However, updates will be posted on here too!

 

 

Please follow if you are on Facebook, the more the merrier, and i hope to see you all out on the cut soon!!!

Regards

Dan

[GSer]

Looking good, what are you using for the back cabin, wood or steel?

[Admiral]

Looks like its butty buying year all round.

 

I have finally given in and bought a butty for Admiral.

Its nice that after 95 years two boats that ran together as a pair when Admiral was a steamer are back together.

 

"24.8.1917 FMC’s steamer ADMIRAL steerer P. Littlemore and butty boat VERBENA , George Jones running into the top inside gate of Lock 8 at Buckby at 10.30 pm August 21st 1917 and breaking the gate bumper and otherwise straining the gate. There was no lockfiller ahead of the boats and at the time our night lockkeeper was drawing off the water and the lock was ¾ full. The lockkeeper shouted for the steamer to stop. The boats were coming at such a pace that the tow rope broke and the butty crashed into the gate. Had the lock been empty the gate might have been knocked down. The butty boat had no fender on the fore end otherwise the damage might have been less. I would suggest Geo Jones be fined 10/- for the damage."

Courtesy or Ricahrd Thomas www.steamershistorical.co.uk

 

Last time I steered a motor and a butty was 1984 so will be good to remember....

[stagedamager]

Brilliant! congratulations, and what a lovely pair they will make.

its always nice to see pairs back together, we had a lovely shot of 'Banstead' and 'Meteor' working together, but it begs the question, how many pairs are around which would have worked together?

 

:cheers:

Dan

[Admiral]

Brilliant! congratulations, and what a lovely pair they will make.

its always nice to see pairs back together, we had a lovely shot of 'Banstead' and 'Meteor' working together, but it begs the question, how many pairs are around which would have worked together?

 

:cheers:

Dan

 

Good question, would be nice to know how many matched pairs of GU boats are together, none that I can think of offhand.

 

I mean that were paired together from new..

Edited September 26, 2012 by Admiral