Any ideas on this old work boat?

[Sweeny Todd]

Hi. I have recently bought an ex-workboat and am trying to find out more information about it. Several people have made comments on its origins but I have not found any firm information. Having looked, I can see boats with similarities but nothing the same as this one. It is made from riveted steel on the hull and deck. There are two massive ballast tanks inside towards the bow, and looking at the set up they appear to be designed to be filled from the cut when extra ballast is required. The boat itself is 50' by 17'6" and has a draft of approx 3'. Her bow is a pretty typical shape but the stern is a real nice tapered shape. If any one can shed any light on this, it would be appreciated. Hopefully if I have done this correctly, there should be some photos below...

 

 

[John V]

can't help but it looks interesting......nice dog

 

(actually I really do like the bollards, I haven't seen ones with curved horns like those before)

[jenevers]

Hi. I have recently bought an ex-workboat and am trying to find out more information about it. Several people have made comments on its origins but I have not found any firm information. Having looked, I can see boats with similarities but nothing the same as this one. It is made from riveted steel on the hull and deck. There are two massive ballast tanks inside towards the bow, and looking at the set up they appear to be designed to be filled from the cut when extra ballast is required. The boat itself is 50' by 17'6" and has a draft of approx 3'. Her bow is a pretty typical shape but the stern is a real nice tapered shape. If any one can shed any light on this, it would be appreciated. Hopefully if I have done this correctly, there should be some photos below...

IMAG0150.jpgIMAG0171.jpgIMAG0174.jpg

 

Where is the boat?

Looks Humber Keel- like.

[John V]

Where is the boat?

Looks Humber Keel- like.

 

bows do a bit, but the stern doesn't and traditionally a keel would have square bollards round the bow area

[Giant]

The bows, bollards and that winch all look like they have come from a Humber keel. At 17'6" beam I wonder if it is a Selby size barge that has been cut down and had a different stern put on.

 

John, ours has bollards exactly like that, at both stern and bow. Visible in this photo from 1959 and still there today.

 

 

[Pluto]

As it is decked over, could it be an ex-tar boat from Knottingley?

[John V]

Hi there Giant.....Never come across them before.....I thought the little square ones were traditional (although not nice to use) as on the old wooden boats they just left some of the ribs sticking up above the deck and just shaped them a bit.

 

All of Sabina's bollards were gone when I got her and have been lusting after the square ones 'cos I thought they would be the right type......maybe I should have been keeping my eyes open for different types

[jake_crew]

Are the pictures near Stanilands at Thorne ?

[Sweeny Todd]

Hi. Yes the pictures are taken just below Thorne lock, near Stanilands. We have been working on the engine as we hope to take her onto the Trent at Keadby onto the Ouse and in at Goole the week after next. We normally moor at Wakefield so hoping to get her home asap so the real work can begin.

[Giant]

In fact, not only are those bollards identical to ours, you can even see what look like traces of Waddington's blue paint on them, complete with visible layers of different shades.

 

Sweeny Todd, does the paint on those bollards look layered in different shades like this?

 

 

The background is that Victor Waddington was notorious for getting his money's worth. When he ordered a boat to be painted, he would hand out the paint for only one coat at a time. Each was a slightly different shade of blue, so he could always spot if the crew had skimped on the job anywhere!

[Tony Dunkley]

Hi. Yes the pictures are taken just below Thorne lock, near Stanilands. We have been working on the engine as we hope to take her onto the Trent at Keadby onto the Ouse and in at Goole the week after next. We normally moor at Wakefield so hoping to get her home asap so the real work can begin.

 

If you want to get to Wakefield soonest, and that boat is no more than 17' 6'', she should pass through the old top chamber at Bramwith with the lock full, but not with it drained down, . . . . unless the walls have come in a bit in the last few years, it's 17' 4'' wall to wall at the lower water level and a few inches more at coping level.

Why not give it a try, . . . if she won't go through you'll be able to swing at Bramwith, somewhere between the lock and the swingbridge.

 

Ps. I reckon it's the craneboat that was at Campling's Yard at Goole after the yard closed down and then became Viking Marine.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Tony Dunkley

[Sweeny Todd]

Giant, I will take a look at the paint layers later when I get back to the boat.

 

Tony, thanks for the suggestion but its Thorne lock we have had a problem with. We measured the lock at just under 18' but unfortunately the red brick entrance butresses? slope inwards towards the bottom and were too narrow for the boat

[Tony Dunkley]

 

Tony, thanks for the suggestion but its Thorne lock we have had a problem with. We measured the lock at just under 18' but unfortunately the red brick entrance butresses? slope inwards towards the bottom and were too narrow for the boat

 

That's bad luck, . . . the lock tail walls were rebuilt in brick some years ago, and the one on the town side does appear to bulge out more down to water level than the other [towpath] side does.

Was the pound on weir when you tried, or was it down a bit ? . . . it might just make enough difference.

Are you OK with the Trent below Keadby near low water, and the first few miles of the Ouse just after flood?

Edited February 12, 2016 by Tony Dunkley

[Giant]

I shared the photos with the Humber barges group on Facebook and Alan Oliver has replied with this info:

 

"The boat in the picture is the "Thomas James" used to be the City of York dredger when they were responsible for the navigation before they gave it to Waterways. The story is that it was originally steam powered with a steam crane and I have seen a photo somewhere with the steam crane on although when I first saw the boat many years ago it had a 10RB. Its main job was dredging Naburn cut. It was eventually bought by Construction Marine who moored it on my mooring at Naburn, took the crane off and put the Hiab on."

[Sweeny Todd]

Hi

 

Tony, yes we are ok with the Trent and Ouse. Have someone to take us up with a tug as we haven't had the boat long enough or been able to test her enough to be certain the engine is 100% and don't want to tempt fate.

 

Giant, I looked at the paint work and you were bang on with the paint. It does indeed have several layers of slightly different shades of blue. Also thanks for the help with identification. On some paperwork work have the name James Thomas so that fits. She still has the hiab on at the moment. Thanks for passing on the info, the more we know about her the more sympathetic we can be with her refit. She needs a fair bit of work as it stands. First things first though, get her home and then arrange to get her into dry dock and see where we go from there.

[Giant]

Giant, I looked at the paint work and you were bang on with the paint. It does indeed have several layers of slightly different shades of blue.

Interesting. It doesn't sound like yours ever worked for Waddingtons, but plenty that did have been scrapped over the years, so my guess is those bollards came from one of theirs at some stage.

[John V]

If the bollards are not original they could spoil your restoration....that would be a shame !!!

If you like, I'll take them off your hands, I wont even charge for removal

 

[Sweeny Todd]

John V, that is a mighty generous and selfless offer but I think I will stick with them for now

[TheBoatGenie]

Hi All,

Having given Sweeny a hand with some jobs on the boat and had a rather close look at most of it (I am the one in the water in his first photo), I am pretty sure it is the boat shown near the end of this list :-

 

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11435980.53_pictures_of_York_in_the_early_1970s/?ref=mr

 

If anyone on here was boating in or around York in the 1970's this might help to jog a memory.

[RLWP]

Welcome to the forum

 

This boat?:

 

 

Richard

 

MORE: Is this the same boat?:

 

Edited February 17, 2016 by RLWP

[Giant]

Richard, I believe both those photos from the article are of this boat, i.e. Thomas James, the Corporation of York's dredger.

 

Les Reid has supplied this brilliant action photo of her via Facebook: "the York corporation crane boat seen here lightening the aft hold of Ouse to float her over Naburn weir, mid 60's. Kids had cast her adrift. Think this pic was taken by local newspaper and given to me by Fred Coates stood on the deckside --his mate Ernie stood on the cargo."

 

Also have a colour one of her with the crane on, alongside at Queens Staith in York with several barges, which I'm waiting on permission to post here.

[TheBoatGenie]

Hi Richard, thanks for the welcome.

 

Yes to both, the second one being much more identifiable - and thanks for posting the pictures, I couldn't work out how.

 

Kev

[RLWP]

Hi Richard, thanks for the welcome.

 

Yes to both, the second one being much more identifiable - and thanks for posting the pictures, I couldn't work out how.

 

Kev

 

No problem, I've been here for a while, that stuff becomes second nature

 

Richard