Historic Boats in the 90's

[MtB]

 

I have read this a few times now. As it was me that deconverted Themis I think that its time to tell the other side of the story.

Firstly I am not against converted boats, in fact I am converting one right now.

 

I bought Themis without seeing it and only saw some photos of the re-bottoming work. The roof had been fiberglassed over the top of rotten wood and with lots of filler looked fine. However when it rained every room in the boat leaked. With use and stepping on the roof over time the fiberglass had cracked and coupled with some areas which needed to be avoided when walking on the roof, tough when there were no gun-whales on the boat. The front deck leaked (the inside of the front deck was exposed to the rest of the boat with only a curtain to separate it) and there was huge leaks running down between the engine room bulkhead and behind the cabin which has rusted the bottom of the bulkhead away. All of the windows/portholes leaked except one. This and the fact that the boat was 6'3" wide and I had to run chains across the inside of the boat when boating in narrow locks to get through (still got stuck and had BW pull the boat out on more than one occasion) even with some triangular plates that had been welded in. The wood around the windows was rotten. When the boat was not chained in the cabin leaned slightly at the front end to one side, hence the repairs that had been made to the boat after clipping bridge holes even with the fact that the cabin dropped down at the front end.

 

There were many more issues that were of a minor problem (only centre doors to get in and out, the stairs that had been used as coal bunkers were unlined and the coal had rotted the hull away at that point, mold behind all the cabinets, both solid fuel stoves were broken) and that could have been made good.

 

So what to do? At that time I did not need a converted boat so I moved into the back cabin for nearly a year with the front cabin still on but did not use it due to the issues mentioned. So hence the deconversion. I lived on Themis for another 2 years in the back cabin, loaded it, boated it and had a lot of fun with her.

 

Was it a unique cabin? YES

Was it in a fit state? NO

Was it a lovely boat? YES

Is it still a lovely boat? YES

If I had put a conversion back on would it have been the same? NO

Can someone else put a conversion on it? YES

 

So what is the answer?

Putting a steel cabin on identical to the old one and pulling the boat in?

Stripping the cabin and remaking in wood?

 

Whatever, boats are a very personal thing and a number of boats are only around because they were converted but it comes down to the right thing to do for the boat in my opinion. I know there are a number of people that think that it should have been kept and thats great that they think that.

 

Just saying.

 

 

Fascinating. Thanks for all that. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

Had I bought the boat I'm inclined to think I'd have scrapped the top too, but the price it was on for seemed to suggest there was not a lot wrong with it. Had I been to view it I'd probably have walked away given your description of the decrepit state of everything.

 

MtB

[Speedwheel]

the owner was living in Scotland and keeping a coal-fired Clyde Puffer going had taken over his life.

 

 

I presume this is the one to which you refer? Taken 2011 on the Crinan.

 

[Timleech]

 

I presume this is the one to which you refer? Taken 2011 on the Crinan.

 

 

That's the one.

I was its Engineer for four years.

 

Tim

[David Schweizer]

I've managed to find the negatives for the 1995 photos and found a picture that I've obviously lost the print of.

 

Braunston Boat Show 1995 by Ian Mulford, on Flickr

 

We've already worked out that another boat in the set of pictures was Archimedes so what was paired with Ara at the time?

 

Callisto sticks in my mind for some reason.

 

Well Ara looks a lot smarter there than she did when still in BW ownership. I remember her back in the 1960's paired with Aynho working as piling boats on the Southeren GU, captained by Billy Brown and Dolly Dakin. Probably the scruffiess pair I ever saw.

Edited December 20, 2014 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

 

Well Ara looks a lot smarter there than she did when still in BW ownership. I remember her back in the 1960's paired with Aynho working as piling boats on the Southeren GU, captained by Billy Brown and Dolly Dakin. Probably the scruffiess pair I ever saw.

 

I think you are actually thinking of Aynho and Ayr, not Aynho & Ara, David!

 

EDIT:

 

Searching for a picture actually finds the late Gladys Horne on Aynho & Ayr before they slipped into the state they did ofter Billy Brown had them.

 

I can't resist posting it again.....

Edited December 20, 2014 by alan_fincher

[David Schweizer]

 

I think you are actually thinking of Aynho and Ayr, not Aynho & Ara, David!

 

EDIT:

 

Searching for a picture actually finds the late Gladys Horne on Aynho & Ayr before they slipped into the state they did ofter Billy Brown had them.

 

I can't resist posting it again.....

 

Yes of course correct, blame my advancing years.

[Charles]

That puffer... chust sublime...

[IanM]

Yes of course correct, blame my advancing years.

I'd be more inclined to blame the Grand Union's fetish for picking very similar names for some of their boats for example Argo, Argon, and Argus

[deckhand]

Having just visited Aldermaston Wharf today, I am fairly sure that I saw Ara moored there roped up to a couple of hire boats.

[Athy]

Having just visited Aldermaston Wharf today, I am fairly sure that I saw Ara moored there roped up to a couple of hire boats.

Was there a town class boat called Bow? It's just occurred to me that Bow and Ara would have made a good pair.

[matty40s]

Was there a town class boat called Bow? It's just occurred to me that Bow and Ara would have made a good pair.

Your coat sir....

[Derek R.]

Was there a town class boat called Bow? It's just occurred to me that Bow and Ara would have made a good pair.

 

. . and if there had been a sparra close by, there might have been a poem . . .