GJCC 100 year old tug on ebay!! Amazing survivor

[rivergate]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

I think it was a 6LX yes. The boat I am referring to (eel pie island) is unusual in having a stern cabin added on for live aboard accommodation and also it has diagonal rubbing strakes. I'm wondering if it is a welded tug rather than a riveted one. And possibly ex waterways rather than Thames.

It's not Frederick Whittingham (that one is at Watford and the stern cabin is original as it is a pla health launch not a tug. Frederick Whittingham below:

 

..thanks..I owned Frederick for a while..really nice little tug  

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

Pretty sure the tug at eel pie is Billdora

http://riverthames.sosugary.com/displayimage.php?pid=1426

 

Looks totally different today but the diagonal rubbing strake are a giveaway

 

 

..lovely tug  ..thanks for that..  

[magnetman]

49 minutes ago, Mike Adams said:

I will try and find out. Not sure of the draught. My tug Silverlit was a similar size and when I converted it I managed to get the draught to about 4'. We managed to go around the London Ring(early eighties) and up the GU to just beyound Denham deep when we met T and D's trip boat (ex L and L shortboat) and couldn't pass ending up reversing through the lock. Now there are so many wide boats on the GU and often moored near bridge holes and in the channel its hard work for White Heather whose draught  is now about 3' 4" static.

 

 

I have been told it is owned by Henry of Eel pie boatyard

Where is white heather kept now? It seems to be hiding. My favourite memory of White Heather was in the late 90s I was moored in Cookham lock cut for the winter (would have been 1996/7 I think) the whole lock cut was frozen over quite thick. Then there was this crashing noise and Nick was putting the boat through the ice with his parents on their dutch barge Spes following behind.

Nice boat that one. Another one I haven't seen for ages is Tyburn. Was moored offside at Cowley then towed away. That was a nice little boat too.

[magnetman]

23 minutes ago, rivergate said:

..thanks..I owned Frederick for a while..really nice little tug  

..lovely tug  ..thanks for that..  

I'll put a picture of it on here when I get a chance to take one. Should be passing it in one of my boats in the next week or two.

[Mike Adams]

White Heather is based on the Northern Oxford Canal up the arm at Brinklow, Tyburn which was originally called Birmingham is a hull set up at vast cost  alongside the tardebigge flight as a display by CaRT!

[magnetman]

Going back to the Billdora the thamestugs website has these details

Steel launch tug. 42'x12'x5.9'. Single screw. 75HP 3cyl Bolinder W7M33 diesel engine.

The draught sounds slightly unbelievable but some tugs are deep to be fair. I also don't think its 12' wide so possibly some sort of confusion. 4ft draught seems more likely.

Edited March 15, 2018 by magnetman

[Tim Lewis]

2 hours ago, Mike Adams said:

I will try and find out. Not sure of the draught. My tug Silverlit was a similar size and when I converted it I managed to get the draught to about 4'. We managed to go around the London Ring(early eighties) and up the GU to just beyound Denham deep when we met T and D's trip boat (ex L and L shortboat) and couldn't pass ending up reversing through the lock. Now there are so many wide boats on the GU and often moored near bridge holes and in the channel its hard work for White Heather whose draught  is now about 3' 4" static.

 

 

I have been told it is owned by Henry of Eel pie boatyard

 

 

Tim

[Jrtm]

You need detailed work of what was done in 2011, seams a bit odd to be spongy on one side for a boat ment to be rebuilt in 2011,

i suspect new planks and other work done then new ice plating put on with heavy blacking to hold together if its been bodged.

If its covered in ice plating apart from a wooden mallet you would see much unlike a wooden narrowboat that only tend to have ice plate on the front or on buttys along loaded and unloaded water lines

[roland elsdon]

Surprised you couldnt pass fatworth or fatlass above denham and had to go backwards through the deep, we used to regularly pass each other on trips. Mind fatlass was only 12 foot 6 i think. Dont remember many moored boats on that bit in early 80s

[pete harrison]

22 hours ago, magnetman said:

Going back to the Billdora the thamestugs website has these details

Steel launch tug. 42'x12'x5.9'. Single screw. 75HP 3cyl Bolinder W7M33 diesel engine.

The draught sounds slightly unbelievable but some tugs are deep to be fair. I also don't think its 12' wide so possibly some sort of confusion. 4ft draught seems more likely.

I think you will find that 5.9' (or presumably 5'9'') is the depth of the hull rather than the draft 

[magnetman]

38 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

I think you will find that 5.9' (or presumably 5'9'') is the depth of the hull rather than the draft 

 I wondered about that. Moulded Depth. It just seemed odd that a boat which had no manufacturer name given would be quoted like that but you are probably right. As there was another Billdora I wondered if the draught and beam had been confused. I will be able to confirm the beam when I pass it and take a photo. I don't think its 12ft wide.

 

[pete harrison]

15 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 I wondered about that. Moulded Depth. It just seemed odd that a boat which had no manufacturer name given would be quoted like that but you are probably right. As there was another Billdora I wondered if the draught and beam had been confused. I will be able to confirm the beam when I pass it and take a photo. I don't think its 12ft wide.

I do not know BILLDORA but I am applying the same 'rules' as most boat builders / ship builders who quote actual hull dimensions rather than draft 

[rivergate]

On ‎15‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 18:12, magnetman said:

I think it was a 6LX yes. The boat I am referring to (eel pie island) is unusual in having a stern cabin added on for live aboard accommodation and also it has diagonal rubbing strakes. I'm wondering if it is a welded tug rather than a riveted one. And possibly ex waterways rather than Thames.

It's not Frederick Whittingham (that one is at Watford and the stern cabin is original as it is a pla health launch not a tug. Frederick Whittingham below:

 

..incidentally the stern cabin on Frederick is the engine ole - 6 cylinder Gardner ( as it were ) ..the fore cabin ( as it were )  is the accommodation...

[magnetman]

Yes it is. Gardner 6L2 (hand start only!)

Now belongs to bloke who used to own White Heather. I remember it being rebottomed in the 90s but I think it was overplated so could be quite dodgy by now.

[rivergate]

..actually that's quite wrong...it is the fore cabin with the engine in..:) ...I cant go back and edit my previous..

...yeah..it was over plated...I found him again via facebook ..hopefully still be able to see her when he docks her...hes got a couple of little woolwiches as well I think..John Knill's and a converted butty to the new GUCCCo design of motor boat swim..?

..the engine always started fine with me..one cyclinder after another..  ..it was the gear box that I had issues with - constantly adjusting the belt...I think its got a PRM or something similar now but he has the box still for a rebuild int he futre...

Edited March 17, 2018 by rivergate

[LEO]

6 hours ago, rivergate said:

..incidentally the stern cabin on Frederick is the engine ole - 6 cylinder Gardner ( as it were ) ..the fore cabin ( as it were )  is the accommodation...

I filmed Jim MacDonald hand starting the 6L2 a few years ago (video on UTube) and the engine was in the front cabin then. not sure what was in the back cabin. lovely boat.

[pete harrison]

9 minutes ago, LEO said:

I filmed Jim MacDonald hand starting the 6L2 a few years ago (video on UTube) and the engine was in the front cabin then. not sure what was in the back cabin. lovely boat.

FREDERICK WHITTINGHAM was built by W.J. Yarwood & Sons Ltd. under Yard Number 304, and their records indicate that it was powered by a Gardner 6L2 from new.

Interestingly from the keel being laid to the completion of this boat some thirteen years and six months passed, and it is was Clive Guthrie's (researcher of all things built by W.J. Yarwood & Sons Ltd.) opinion that this small batch of boats described as 'motor launch' were speculative builds with the sole purpose of keeping skilled tradesmen in work during quiet periods 

[magnetman]

Are any of the other yarwood's "motor launches" still in existence?

 

[pete harrison]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

Are any of the other yarwood's "motor launches" still in existence?

 

That would be very difficult to answer as W.J. Yarwood & Sons Ltd. exported their products throughout the world, with some smaller boats going as deck cargo on ships and some larger boats dismantled and rebuilt on site. Obviously the really big vessels could make their own way 

[magnetman]

I misunderstood your previous post. I thought there might be some other "motor launch" boats similar to Frederick Whittingham about but maybe not at least not in the UK.

 

Its a nice boat which is why I was interested to know if there are others like it.

Edited March 17, 2018 by magnetman

[rivergate]

46 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I misunderstood your previous post. I thought there might be some other "motor launch" boats similar to Frederick Whittingham about but maybe not at least not in the UK.

 

Its a nice boat which is why I was interested to know if there are others like it.

..that's how I read it ...would be very interested to see others like Frederick...?

[pete harrison]

12 hours ago, magnetman said:

I misunderstood your previous post. I thought there might be some other "motor launch" boats similar to Frederick Whittingham about but maybe not at least not in the UK.

 

Its a nice boat which is why I was interested to know if there are others like it.

 

12 hours ago, rivergate said:

..that's how I read it ...would be very interested to see others like Frederick...?

I am not quite sure what I wrote that is misleading but there were two other motor launches in this batch that from their description would appear to be the same as the last in this batch FREDERICK WHITTINGHAM, apart from their engines which are described as 'Gardner Semi-Diesel Oil 24hp 2 cyl & reverse eng "Atlantic Engine" '. The first was exported to Holland and the second operated from Purfleet as a passenger tender servicing Oil Barges in and around Bow Creek - all sourced from Yarwoods 'Yard List' and Clive Guthrie's unpublished researches.

I would like to add that I know nothing about these boats as they fall outside my field of research 

[pete harrison]

A bit more detail of the second 'motor launch' from the batch that included FREDERICK WHITTINGHAM:

 

STONE

Built 1927. L31'. B9'. 13grt. Diesel engine.

1927 Delivered to Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd., London, named Tommy Pratkins. 19?? Transferred to Esso Petroleum Co Ltd., London.  1957 Sold to Cook & Tester, possibly renamed Stone. 1964 Sold to J.P. Knight Ltd.,  London. 1966 Scrapped at Queenborough.

Edited March 19, 2018 by pete harrison

[rivergate]

On ‎18‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 07:41, pete harrison said:

 

I am not quite sure what I wrote that is misleading but there were two other motor launches in this batch that from their description would appear to be the same as the last in this batch FREDERICK WHITTINGHAM, apart from their engines which are described as 'Gardner Semi-Diesel Oil 24hp 2 cyl & reverse eng "Atlantic Engine" '. The first was exported to Holland and the second operated from Purfleet as a passenger tender servicing Oil Barges in and around Bow Creek - all sourced from Yarwoods 'Yard List' and Clive Guthrie's unpublished researches.

I would like to add that I know nothing about these boats as they fall outside my field of research 

Thanks Pete ..I will do some googling cheers

[magnetman]

On 3/15/2018 at 20:09, rivergate said:

..thanks..I owned Frederick for a while..really nice little tug  

..lovely tug  ..thanks for that..  

Billdora as it is today (this morning)