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BCN Tug Sultan


johnnywalker

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Does anyone know the whereabouts and /or owner of a 52' BCN style tug, built in 1979 and originally called Sultan? She was fitted with an Armstrong Siddley 3 cylinder. I designed and co-built her with Malcolm Pearson in Freeth Street, Birmingham and am curious to know if and where she is now. I still have the original drawings, if the owner would be interested in a copy?

 

Also, I advertised her for sale (in Waterways World - a line drawing advert across the bottom of the page - I think), sometime in 1979. I don't suppose anyone has a copy of that advert?

 

Any news gratefully received!

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  • 5 years later...
3 hours ago, TimAfloat said:

Hi there Johnny. I have just taken ownership of Sultan and would be very keen to have a copy of drawings and any historical info from that time. Looking fkrward to hearing from you. tim@onboardsolar.co.uk 

IMG_20210728_013557.jpg

Congratulations on owning such a nice looking boat. @johnnywalker has only ever made two posts on CWDF, both in this topic back in 2015, so isn't a regular contributor. However, he last logged in during May this year, so there is a chance that he will see this at some point. Fingers crossed.

Jen

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The boat used to be based at Bedford Basin but was sold a few years ago and is now based on the River Weaver.

 

Earlier in the year the AS3 engine was replaced with a Lister HA3 and has been recently advertised for sale.

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7 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Congratulations on owning such a nice looking boat. @johnnywalker has only ever made two posts on CWDF, both in this topic back in 2015, so isn't a regular contributor. However, he last logged in during May this year, so there is a chance that he will see this at some point. Fingers crossed.

Jen

And just 7 hours later your quoting @johnnywalker brought about a 5 year awaited reunion! Nice work Jen! :D

 

(Lovely looking boat!)

  • Happy 1
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I think I remember that boat moored near Cropredy in the late 90s. By the bloke who used to so the fenders and the old wooden narrow  boats. Maybe getting confused. 

 

It was a boat of the same name anyway, looked like an old boat but obviously not specially old however it was a nice job. 

 

ETA I think it was another one as did not have the long stern deck and extended tiller. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by magnetman
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5 hours ago, johnnywalker said:

I know where the AS came from - I'd be very interested to know where it is now?

 

Also, this is the Freeth Street yard... and Sultan being launched

Freeth_Street_Yard-Icknield_Port_Loop-BCN.jpg

Sultan_being_launched.jpg

The AS3 is in my collection at Langley Mill.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan

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Beautiful boat, She certainly has a good size propeller too . Looks like there’s some work to do but not one to skimp on, they don’t make them like that often anymore.


What is the metal bar for between the prop and rudder? I was talking to someone epoxy painting a boat with one the other day who hadn’t been aware of one before. Is is merely  to keep the rudder attached more securely? 
 

 

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16 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

What is the metal bar for between the prop and rudder? I was talking to someone epoxy painting a boat with one the other day who hadn’t been aware of one before. Is is merely  to keep the rudder attached more securely?

 

I think is is to add stability to that really long skeg, the long skeg being necessary due to the decision to have quite a large gap between the blade and the rudder, I would imagine. Cast braces of this type are seen on the stern gear of one or another type of historic boat but I can't remember which. There was a long thread on here discussing them (with photos) seven or eight years ago. I dunno how to go about finding it, perhaps someone here remembers it too?

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29 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I think is is to add stability to that really long skeg, the long skeg being necessary due to the decision to have quite a large gap between the blade and the rudder, I would imagine. Cast braces of this type are seen on the stern gear of one or another type of historic boat but I can't remember which. There was a long thread on here discussing them (with photos) seven or eight years ago. I dunno how to go about finding it, perhaps someone here remembers it too?

I think it was discussed in the thread about Canopus & Sculptor. I wont say anymore in case I upset someone. 

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1 hour ago, johnnywalker said:
Your Armstrong Siddeley 3 cylinder engine (recently removed from Tug Sultan) was rescued from a sunken ‘barge’ called Spyder in Yorkshire, in around 1978. Not sure exactly what kind of boat she was - absolutely cavernous compared to a narrowboat. Nor can I remember exactly where. What I do remember, location wise, was a huge pump out barge that came up daily to collect sewage waste from a few hundred yards away, just up the river. So probably one of the members of this forum will be able to place that?
 
I bought the barge from BWB for £10 on the understanding that we would remove her from where she was and scrap the hull. Mark, a friend and I were trying to pump her out for a couple of days to refloat her and get access to the engine, which was totally under water. We couldn’t even see what type of engine it was. Luckily it was completely submerged and under an oil slick, so it wasn’t corroded. All we had was a little ex-GPO petrol pump. The guys on the waste barge, seeing our continuing efforts, very kindly came alongside and connected their pumps and she popped up like a cork. Two days later, to their great surprise, we had dried out the engine, oiled it, connected a battery and we motored past them going upstream, towards the scrap yard which was beside the river, a little further up. They don’t make ‘em like they used to!
 
The scrap yard lifted the engine out for us and we took it back to Birmingham, where Mark rebuilt it. Not very well, I’m afraid. Because the subsequent owner had to have it sorted shortly afterwards. She was always a bit smoky.

IMG_1905.jpg

An amazing bit of history. Thank you for taking the time to share.

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