Gailey Canal Cruising

[The Pipe]

We owned Ernest Thomas aka Vulcan the boat shown on the cover, recognisable even allowing for artistic licence. (the name helped lol)

Did she have a 4LW or a 4LK when she was in the fleet?

[pete harrison]

Did she have a 4LW or a 4LK when she was in the fleet?

Ernest Thomas fitted VULCAN with a 4 cylinder BMC Diesel in 1953 as a part of its conversion to the pleasure boat ERNEST THOMAS for the Wolverhampton Federation of Boys Clubs.

 

Ernest Thomas operated a day trip boat named MAVERICK that was based on the hull of a small Ricky butty, and this was fitted with a Gardner 4LK complete with a Parsons 3:1 reduction gearbox.

[The Pipe]

Which ex hire boat is the one in Caggy's yard? I think that's an ET boat.

[Joseph]

I recall Maverick from the later 1960s.

 

I saw a boat at Ellesmere Port last Easter (not at the Museum as such) that looked very like a Thomas boat, although the owner said he thought it had been built at Norbury in 1971.

 

Incidentally, I think one clue to the brochure date, beyond BTC photographs (i.e. pre-1963) is the Gailey Lock. It looks as though the A5 bridge had been widened by then, with cranked balance beams. I've not got Ian Langford's book to hand, but he did record the date of rebuilding. Also, I read that ET was planning to launch the operation with 6 boats about 1957 (to be confirmed) and there are references to the fleet being enlarged.

 

Jim, did your b-in-law hire an ET boat, and if so, does he recall what year?

 

Regards

 

Joseph

[The Pipe]

I recall Maverick from the later 1960s.

 

I saw a boat at Ellesmere Port last Easter (not at the Museum as such) that looked very like a Thomas boat, although the owner said he thought it had been built at Norbury in 1971.

 

Incidentally, I think one clue to the brochure date, beyond BTC photographs (i.e. pre-1963) is the Gailey Lock. It looks as though the A5 bridge had been widened by then, with cranked balance beams. I've not got Ian Langford's book to hand, but he did record the date of rebuilding. Also, I read that ET was planning to launch the operation with 6 boats about 1957 (to be confirmed) and there are references to the fleet being enlarged.

 

Jim, did your b-in-law hire an ET boat, and if so, does he recall what year?

 

Regards

 

Joseph

We were talking about it today and we are thinking that the earlier brochure may have been my fathers we certainly had boats out from Gailey in the early 60's maybe even the late 50's. I remember driving the boat for locking as I was too young and week to work locks if it was 1962 I would have been 9 years old so would be able to drive the boat.

Dave my brother inlaw started boating when he started going out with my sister which would be about 1967 with us. The Evans's were floating around on the canals when I was a baby I was born in 1953 so probably 1954/55 we hired the first boat.

I know we had hired the camping pontoon and a boat from Eggbridge and maybe others before we found Gailey.