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Question for serious rivet counters


onionbargee

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Very good then we can delete both RUFFORD and TYSELEY from my list - that makes no more than 11 G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. motors, and I am still suspect of a couple of those.

 

I was wondering about TYSELEY as I am aware that it was subject to major works about 10 years ago captain.gif

 

I think it was probably longer ago than that. Time flies when you're having fun ohmy.png

Can't remember now, may have some pics somewhere, but I think the engine room remained more or less intact.

 

Tim

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Vesta's steelwork was in good condition when she left me but I plated the Stewarts and Lloyds large engine access plate back to monkey box size. When I blow lamped off the paint in 1961 the name and number 96 appeared etched in the steel.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My reckoning is:-

 

Small Northwich.

 

BELLATRIX

ERIDANUS

LACERTA

LIBRA ?

 

Middle Northwich.

 

RADIANT

TYCHO

ZODIAC

SEVERN DOLPHIN (currently named TAYGETA)

 

Large Northwich.

 

PADDINGTON

READING (currently named REDSHANK)

RUFFORD

TADWORTH

TYSELEY ?

 

non G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd..

 

CYPRUS

 

So that is no more than 13 former G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. motors plus 1 E.C.C.Co. Ltd. motor.

 

I do believe RUFFORD's back cabin was redone in 2009 by the lads at Brinklow. However I am led to believe that the handrail (yes it is a finger pincher, however on the bright side it also stops my phone from slipping in the canal), engine hatch doors and sliding hatch and many other bits and pieces are the original bits.

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I do believe RUFFORD's back cabin was redone in 2009 by the lads at Brinklow. However I am led to believe that the handrail (yes it is a finger pincher, however on the bright side it also stops my phone from slipping in the canal), engine hatch doors and sliding hatch and many other bits and pieces are the original bits.

Thank you - a confirmation of post number 21.

 

To be honest I would prefer a good reproduction 'Yarwood' cabin to an original, even a welded one to the original design would suffice.

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Thank you - a confirmation of post number 21.

 

To be honest I would prefer a good reproduction 'Yarwood' cabin to an original, even a welded one to the original design would suffice.

 

Im happy with anything that doesnt leak :-)

 

However Triggers Broom does spring to mind, the sad fact is that things do get worn and perish with time and need to be renewed - not only many years later but also when the boats were working. I dont think any boat or indeed anything is 100% as it was made, and if it were it would be a sad state of affairs and certainly not a 'working' boat but rather a full size model of a working boat that has been dry stored from day one.

 

RUFFORD's back cabin is riveted, I think the engine room roof might also be original. Im hoping to move into her in a few weeks if all goes to plan and then at the end of May have the generator installed in the engine room....

 

*mutters about bloody boat time*

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Tadworths cabin is still 90 % sound, round the portholes, chimney colar, and vents has rusted though and been patched, but its not in bad nick.

 

Did others rust away to an unsalvageable state ?

 

The idea that cabins rust on the inside is dubious, 70 odd years with no insulation kind of proves that.

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They tend to rot at gunwale level, usually because there are timber gunwales planted on the outside. They'll go where the timber back meets the steel sides, though this can be arrested by welding on a steel back. Also the rivetted flange around the top, once it starts to collect rust between the layers it's pretty hard to stop.

 

Tim

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Beatty is a small Northwich which is still composite; we had a new Opepe bottom fitted by Malcolm Webster in 2006. This replaced the original elm bottom which was getting very thin. Beatty is a one-off design built by Yarwoods for Barlows. She has been converted since the early 1960s. See our website for further information: http://www.nbbeatty.co.uk

Nick

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I think the butty "Ash" is still composite

 

Not too sure.

 

I know the lower part of the sides certainly has been replaced in the past (I think while still owned by BW so some years ago now) as you can see the weld line.

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Not too sure.

 

I know the lower part of the sides certainly has been replaced in the past (I think while still owned by BW so some years ago now) as you can see the weld line.

'British Waterways' re-footed and re-bottomed most of the narrow boats in their Southern Division carrying fleet during the 1950's and early 1960's. Most, but not all, wooden bottomed boats were re-fitted with wooden bottoms at that time.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that had 'British Waterways' not rebuilt these narrow boats during the twilight days of carrying that many would not exist today. Most of these boats have since been rebuilt again - at least once.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've just come across this topic, and being a professional rivet counter I thought I might contribute.

 

I think Reading/Redshank had a welded replacement cabin at Stockton a few years ago, and as regards butties, I would agree that Corvus was the last of the little boats with an original cabin. As far as I know Leonids still had its original cabin the last time I saw it, but I haven't seen it for some time. If it still has, that must be the last of the butties with one

 

During my career I have riveted replacement cabins on Triagulum, Tarporley and Tipton whilst working for the WFBCo, Antlia and Sextans whilst working for myself at Stockton, and Towcester, Rufford and Scorpio as part of Brinklow Boat Services, and I know that Ian Kemp has done Sculptor, Regulus, Leo, and Malus.

 

When they were built Northwich cabins were lined with 1/2 inch fibre board which was attached with brass countersunk machine screws which were drilled and tapped through the cabin side and roof - if anyone has stripped the paint off an original cabin and wondered what the brass discs on the surface are- that's it. The fibre board was fitted flush with the 1/2 inch steel framing which was left exposed, most of the angle frames were capped, but there was still a lot of steel left exposed which would have run with condensation, they must have been horrible to live in. Both Sculptor and Scorpio have been restored like this. BW decided that the best remedy was to cut the cabin off and replace it in wood, although a few boats retained their steel cabins which were relined with tongue and groove in a more conventional manner which I would have thought was a better option. When I worked for the B'ham and Midland and had the Yeoford the cabin was original and was fitted out like this, but as regards rusting internally, after a 'robust' days boating you could guarantee that the bed would be full of scale!

 

On all of the little boats and the middle boats originally the engine would come out through the bulkhead, which was bolted on. The cabin/engine roof on both little and middle Northwich boats was riveted on in one piece, whilst in the big boats (both Northwich and Woolwich ) the engine would come out through the roof, which was consequently separate and bolted on, and the bulkhead was riveted. Whilst most little Woolwiches were altered to a bolt on roof ( the only ones left with a riveted roof flange are Caillisto, and Corolla - which has a bolt on roof inside the handrail line, and when restoring Aquila I decided to rivet the roof on as per original ) none of the little Northwiches were altered.

 

As regards composite boats, the Sculptor is still composite and was rebottomed at Brinklow boat Services two years ago after a campaign to keep it so - there was a move to replace it in steel but the right decision was made in the end - and I am sure that Bellatrix is composite also. I believe that it is correct that Ash is still composite, but Carina lost it's wooden bottom a couple of years ago

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That's an interesting point about the screws through the cabin sides to keep fibre board in place. TYCHO has many of these, and I had thought they had been placed when the cabin got rebuilt to fix batons in place for the tongue and groove. Right pain they were to get a half decent paint job to last long. The original brass may have been replaced with steel, but to hear they might have been original supports the original cabin claim. The roof had been de-riveted for the Petter install, and bolts are in place of rivets.

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TYCHO has many of these, and I had thought they had been placed when the cabin got rebuilt to fix batons in place for the tongue and groove. Right pain they were to get a half decent paint job to last long.

 

I'm playing that game at the moment. It's proving to be a pain to get them to seal.

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I didn't spot in time what it is, but there is currently an unconverted Grand Union butty on Roger Faringdon's dock at Braunston.

 

As I watched it disappearing into the background, it seemed that about the first third of the bottom (from the front) was steel, but it appeared to have a planked bottom aft of that.

 

I suppose the likely explanation is that a composite boat is being re-bottomed in steel, but the planks on the back two thirds of it rather looked like they were new ones, not old rotting ones.

 

Does anybody know which boat? Long shot, but could it be Argo?

 

If nobody has an explanation, and it is still there in two weeks time, I'll try and be more alert, and take a proper look!

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