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Backwards Boat Going Forwards, Indus Too


IanR

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Hi folks, as the new owners of this vessel we'd like to find any info or pictures of it (in any of it's previous guises!) from its past. Any ideas who did the work to put the new stern end on? To my eye, the new back end looks good enough and is in keeping with the style of a working boat, but how close, if at all is it to an original Star class motor? I know it never was one and never will be one, I accept that and perhaps will one day upgrade to a 'proper' historic vessel. Though then I'd only have guilt issues with doing a conversion to one!!

 

Many thanks, Ian.

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A friend of mine had it built, its the front end of a butty, and was originally unconverted, he had a contract to lay fibre optic cable down the grand union towpath. Then used as a coal boat. He sold up, Then the hold was steeled over . I think it had a big Ruston in it then, way too powerfull, and could only be run near tick over.

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A friend of mine had it built, its the front end of a butty, and was originally unconverted, he had a contract to lay fibre optic cable down the grand union towpath. Then used as a coal boat. He sold up, Then the hold was steeled over . I think it had a big Ruston in it then, way too powerfull, and could only be run near tick over.

The fore end on INDUS TOO is the stern end of the small Woolwich butty INDUS - not the fore end of it.

 

The person who carried out this conversion also owned the original fore end of INDUS, which he converted to a full length carrying boat and returned it to the name INDUS.

 

edit = captain.gif

Edited by pete harrison
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As Pete says, Indus Too is the stern end. Do you know who did the work for your friend? The big Ruston is still in there, it is a bit big, but sounds lovely. It has been suggested we could fit a smaller prop to use the engine more, but we're happy to live with it as is for the moment and see how we get on. I'd love to find some pics of it when it was Water Willow. Or even better, when it was the complete butty.

 

Ian.

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I can't help with pictures, but have a couple of snippets about this as a carrying butty with the GUCCCo.

 

Cowley lock keeper records show that in 1946 it was paired with "Letchworth", a boat we now own, (although it is currently carrying it's later Willow Wren name of "Flamingo").

 

On 9th Feb 1946 it was carrying grain from Brentford to New Ground on the Tring summit.

 

On 21st Nov 1946 it was carrying beer from Park Royal to Sampson Road, Birmingham. Perhaps somebody can confirm if that is likely to be the famous "Guinness run"?

 

Steerers names are not recorded in these records.

  • Greenie 1
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You might find the entire back cabin is held together with gripfill though. Over engineering was not the original owners style.

 

It 'looks' sound enough at the moment, just a ceiling panel to replace and a general spruce up. Could you PM me the original owners name, so I can add it in my paperwork. Did have a reputation then!!?? I've started to gut the hold area with a view to doing something hopefully better! The insulation is Superquilt and the panelling in thin ply, but since the quilt wasn't hard against the hull condensation seemed to be a big problem. I plan on spray foam unless the more knowledgeable know different? (I'm not expecting an answer in this section though) I've been reading with interest the debates about GUCC Co Ltd liveries as the plan is to finish Indus 2 eventually in wartime colours.

 

Ian.

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On 21st Nov 1946 it was carrying beer from Park Royal to Sampson Road, Birmingham. Perhaps somebody can confirm if that is likely to be the famous "Guinness run"?

 

 

Seems likely, as Park Royal was the location of Guinness' London brewery, now alas closed down.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What was famous about the Guinness Run then? Presumably it was a fairly common thing to transport this lovely tipple?

 

Ian.


Don't quite know why I was whispering in the last post!!!

Edited by IanR
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What was famous about the Guinness Run then? Presumably it was a fairly common thing to transport this lovely tipple?

 

Ian.

Don't quite know why I was whispering in the last post!!!

There was nothing particularly special about this run, except it was often 'fly' and often given to the better regarded boat families captain.gif

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  • 1 month later...

Indus has now had the hull works completed, new bottom and refootings, plus some mods to the steel undercloth cabin to reinstate the back end planks ahead of the engine room. This was done at P J Barbers yard at Sheet Stores and we are extremely happy with the work and the service, highly recommended! Being novices to this boating lark, getting it back was exciting, up a very windy River Trent and the likes, but it went very well with no incidents. Backing out of Barbers yard was probably the worst bit as it (I'm guessing mainly I) wasn't too 'steerable'. An area I need to practice on. Indus is back down at Alvecote for blacking and also while we complete on a house purchase then arrange a mooring near to it. The house is at Barlaston (between Stone and Stoke) on the Trent and Mersey if there's anyone local. Here hopefully is a couple of pics of the boat. Edit...I'll post a few pics when I work out how!

 

Ian.

Edited by IanR
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I love Rustons, we had a 3 cylinder Ruston Hornsby with the same square top to the engine, painted bright blue and made such a lovely noise. No electric start, huge brass flywheel, the compression levers on top and a raw water cooling system that was a pain in the backside to keep going. Loved it.

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'Sucking the monkey', I had to look that one up!! I love this Ruston too, I just hope I can keep the beast going. One thing has me pzzled is that red bar on the pics, is / was it some sort of decompressor to aid starting in a previous life? It doesn't feel to be connected to anything like I can feel when starting our old dumper.

 

Ian.

 

ruston

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Which is why it was "often given to the better regarded boat families" captain.gif

 

Pete I'm sure you know more than most: my only reference was from from a boating book/reminiscences that mentioned that booze cargoes were entrusted to certain trusted Captains - due to said practice from less honourable crew who may have made up the space/weight with canal water. smile.png

Edited by mark99
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Regarding the red connecting bar/rod. Might it at one time been exactly as suggested - a decompressing device connecting cams to lift the exhaust valve a touch? Or if not that, a device similar to the JP which changes starting compression to running compression?

 

I am completely unfamiliar with Ruston engines so it's just guesswork.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had a good long 4 day weekend on Indus and certainly learnt a few more things. The red bar on the engine is not connected anymore as it makes no difference to the starting, running of the engine at all. Also learnt how to wrestle a 215 x 80 x 16 car tyre from around the prop just approaching a right hander into the bottom lock at Atherstone on the Coventry. I was dreading that but in the end we got it free and retrieved said tyre as a trophy. Then, not wholly as a result of the tyre, the propshaft universal joint flanges parted company so a good hour or two in the depths taught me a bit about the goings on down there too. Turns out the bolts holding the flanges together were woefully too short. Flange thickness is about 18mm but the bolts only used about 4mm worth! I'm guessing the tyre 'frightened' the joint and the running did the rest. Saw some interesting boats too, Fulbourne sailed past and we met Auriga coming tuther way. When we got back to Alvecote the marina is filling nicely ready for their weekend of activities, anyone going?

 

Ian.

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It was a fair wrestle as I think I'd got it round figure of 8 stylee in my attempt to clear it in reverse! The weed hatch is just big enough that I could hang right down to reach the propshaft. I have a feeling that the tyre has caught a boat before as I couldn't find the edge bead of the tyre so it looks like some scrote had got it free from their boat and not retrieved it, leaving it to sink and snag another. It was a bit of extra effort to get it out of the canal but why wouldn't you!!?? The hardest bit was getting a rope round it from over the counter. I'd read recently about a boat craned out for tyre removal so when I reached down and felt the tread, Jane took the dog and herself off and left me to it expecting the worst!!

 

Ian.

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Here is a pic of the tyre, no beaded edges left at all and I don't think they are around my prop excl.png Also a couple of pics of the bits of work we've done up to now, namely new slides and modified undercloth steelwork to enable the back end planks to show, not only for looks externally, but provides an easy escape from the rear of the hold.

 

Ian.

 

tyre1

engine room slide And Top plank

undercloth

back End planks

cabin slide

 

 

 

 

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