'Change' Boats

[Tiggers]

I am currently doing an indepth look into Ferrets history in accordance with the National Historic Ships guidelines as we are about to begin her restoration.

 

I have found that it appears for much of her carrying career, she was a 'change boat', being used by boatmen when their usual motor was in for extensive repairs.

 

What I was wondering, were there many change boats? And if so, how many survive now? Would they receive the same care and attention that many of the boaters gave to their own boat?

 

If anyone does have any other interesting facts about Ferret, Id love to hear them, particular during her time with the Clarke when I believe she was used to navigate a number of canals that BW were planning to close down.

 

Thanks

[Timleech]

Some boatyards kept change boats for this purpose, may have been boats nearing the end of their useful lives, or taken on because the owners couldn't pay for needed repairs. A bit like 'courtesy cars' kept by garages, small garages often have a beat-up small car for the purpose. I seem to remember being told that the hotel boat 'Forget-me-Not' had been a change boat for Tooleys prior to its conversion by them.

I think the bigger carrying fleets kept their own reserve boats.

 

Tim

[koukouvagia]

 

What I was wondering, were there many change boats? And if so, how many survive now?

 

I've been told that our ex-FMC butty Hampton was one such boat. I've never been able to verify this, however.

[stagedamager]

I believe Meteor was a change boat.

Dan

[MtB]

I've been driving around in a 'change van' for the last few days...

 

MtB

[Laurence Hogg]

Any boat could become a change boat if it was "available". Some builders ie Nurser's had boats with their own names on as "change boat"s much like courtesy cars today!

Theres nothing in Ferret's dock record from Saltley to indicate she is dedicated as thus.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Laurence Hogg

[Tiggers]

Any boat could become a change boat if it was "available". Some builders ie Nurser's had boats with their own names on as "change boat"s much like courtesy cars today!

Theres nothing in Ferret's dock record from Saltley to indicate she is dedicated as thus.

But the fact that she was paired with about 11 buttys and had a number of steerers point to this. The only docking records I have for her here in the archive are from 1957, and are things such as new uprights, repairs to cratch and repairs to the engines water pump

[cheshire~rose]

Any boat could become a change boat if it was "available". Some builders ie Nurser's had boats with their own names on as "change boat"s much like courtesy cars today!

Theres nothing in Ferret's dock record from Saltley to indicate she is dedicated as thus.

 

Sorry to hijack your thread Tiggers

 

I wonder if Laurence, or anyone else, can advise me how I could go about accessing docking records?

 

Python was docked a lot of Saltley so it would be fascinting to see what information exists (if any)