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My latest acquisition


David Mack

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There is a long throw Dunton Windlass in Apsley Lock, courtesy of my wife last year.  I really miss it as they are certainly the best. May I sugggest you attach a steel jubilee clip to it so it is retrievable with a magnet.  I learnt that by experience!

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Lovely though they  look, (and I still have one I have somehow managed not to ulose), they do have their limitation because they are alloy.

 

I saw someone crewing one of the coal boats have the head snap off one whilst working what I would not have considered to be a particularly tough Grand Union ground paddle.

 

That said we have broken the heads off two different Walsh alloy windlasses, but I have not so far damaged the Dunton.

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I was privileged to use Jack Shaw's hand made windlass many times at Maureen's (Wardle) lock.

The shortest I have ever seen but you could put as much weft behind it as possible. Made winding paddles very quick.

Maureen's was a bit longer, but not much.

Both were cut and filed from steel. Beautifully finished and polished from heavy use over many years.

Sam.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rather than start another thread.

 

Is the bottom falling out of the boat artifacts market? What with ribbon plates worth next to nothing at the moment.

 

I recently purchased this from eBay for £21 with only two bidders. It looks like a Laurence Hogg Boatman's Cabin one to me. It has a large eye to fit GU "Candlesticks."

 

s-l1600a.jpg

Edited by Ray T
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23 minutes ago, Ray T said:

Rather than start another thread.

 

Is the bottom falling out of the boat artifacts market? What with ribbon plates worth next to nothing at the moment.

 

I recently purchased this from eBay for £21 with only two bidders. It looks like a Laurence Hogg Boatman's Cabin one to me. It has a large eye to fit GU "Candlesticks."

 

s-l1600a.jpg

Actually for the old size "GU South" spindles, none of which survive, I think.   It will work on the Ham Baker gear too, of course, but probably has a lot of taper, which they don't have, so not totally ideal.

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Ray, there seem to be an ever decreasing number of boaters with little interest in things traditional, be it plates, windlasses etc and in many respects appropriate decoration, lettering and so on. I think Paul made a valid point in the Harry Arnold thread, it was the connection with working boaters that spurred the desire to emulate. Starting in the 60s, I only just caught the end of things. There are a small number of younger boaters anxious to continue things, but they are indeed a minority. I was surprised at the sparse response to Harry’s demise in the forum, perhaps in hindsight I shouldn’t have been. 

  • Greenie 1
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Dave, from what I knew of Harry he was a very self effacing gentleman. He certainly didn't glory in his achievements.

Because of this I think those achievements have largely gone unnoticed by  many, only really those with an interest in canal history.

 

At the CRT press briefings he kept up with the times as well as the past and always gave a balanced well thought out point of view.

Edited by Ray T
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22 hours ago, dave moore said:

Ray, there seem to be an ever decreasing number of boaters with little interest in things traditional, be it plates, windlasses etc and in many respects appropriate decoration, lettering and so on. I think Paul made a valid point in the Harry Arnold thread, it was the connection with working boaters that spurred the desire to emulate. Starting in the 60s, I only just caught the end of things. There are a small number of younger boaters anxious to continue things, but they are indeed a minority. I was surprised at the sparse response to Harry’s demise in the forum, perhaps in hindsight I shouldn’t have been. 

As iv'e stated before the whole concept of canal boating has changed the "oldie" boaters from back in  the day of the beginning of leisure boating were "INTO"canals & cruising now the cut is viewed in a different light an alternative housing estate & various other uses but really having little or no interest in the system I get the feeling that a good number of boat dwellers would be happier with a dry section providing they could source water /bog emptying"leccy"  Etc .It's just a "there" commodity & the history of such is largely irrelevant no help by C&rt's diverging interests+ the "enthusiasts"are now viewed much as the boating families were by sections of Joe Public back then Dinosaurs just waiting extinction real shame problem is it's finite & the constant running down i'm sure it will lead to dereliction & unlike the past I fear if it gets beyond being used & goes it will be gone forever or just be a linear housing estate

  • Greenie 1
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22 hours ago, dave moore said:

Ray, there seem to be an ever decreasing number of boaters with little interest in things traditional, be it plates, windlasses etc and in many respects appropriate decoration, lettering and so on. I think Paul made a valid point in the Harry Arnold thread, it was the connection with working boaters that spurred the desire to emulate. Starting in the 60s, I only just caught the end of things. There are a small number of younger boaters anxious to continue things, but they are indeed a minority. I was surprised at the sparse response to Harry’s demise in the forum, perhaps in hindsight I shouldn’t have been. 

 

But is a 1970s mass produced  cast brass/bronze windlass a "thing traditional"?

 

Pretty though they are, I would say, not really.

I don;t think the fact that Ray has managed to buy one at £21 when some have sold for 4 or 5 times that is too much of a worry.  I do worry about people paying £90 or so for a windlass that is not now much use for very much at all, other than decoration,  though!  £21 sounds more like the market readjusting to some kind of sanity, (assuming it is not a one off).

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I have left stuff, I don't have a need for any longer, near waste compounds. Looked later and it's gone. I have also taken stuff left near waste compounds.  There's a lot of thieves about.

 

A couple of years ago we recovered a nice blanket from the water. Washed it and it was on the roof drying when someone passed and shouted that it looked like a blanket they had had blown into the canal. They got it back, we didn't charge for laundry.

Edited by Nightwatch
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image.png.cbd27e2730f32775e712337034065e8c.png

 

On 15/11/2018 at 14:11, alan_fincher said:

Actually for the old size "GU South" spindles, none of which survive, I think.   It will work on the Ham Baker gear too, of course, but probably has a lot of taper, which they don't have, so not totally ideal.

 

Jan bought me the last available new one of those from from Boatman's Cabin some years ago, and it works fine on the GU lock spindles, I have also used it sudccessfully all over the Midlands.

Edited by David Schweizer
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32 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

I have left stuff, I don't have a need for any longer, near waste compounds. Looked later and it's gone. I have also taken stuff left near waste compounds.  There's a lot of thieves about

Its probably on the auction thread! 

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21 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

image.png.cbd27e2730f32775e712337034065e8c.png

 

 

Jan bought me the last available new one of those from from Boatman's Cabin some years ago, and it works fine on the GU lock spindles, M have also used it sudccessfully all over the Midlands.

But Ray says it fits the Ham Baker gear, so it must surey the old large GU eye size.

I believe it will not work elsewhere on the GU, or on narrow canals, unless they have those rare cases of hydraulic gear that has not had the spindle size reduced, (if any still survive).

If you have one that works on the GU south paddle gear, (with the reduced size spindles) and throughout the Midlands, I suspect it is a small eyed one, whereas if Ray is right about what his fits, I'm sure it must be a large eyed one

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2 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

I have left stuff, I don't have a need for any longer, near waste compounds. Looked later and it's gone. I have also taken stuff left near waste compounds.  There's a lot of thieves about.

 

A couple of years ago we recovered a nice blanket from the water. Washed it and it was on the roof drying when someone passed and shouted that it looked like a blanket they had had blown into the canal. They got it back, we didn't charge for laundry.

A little while back whilst on the Shropshire just south of Chester I left a windlass on a lock beam and did not realise until reaching the next lock. I quickly ran back (I could at that time!) and found another boat in the first lock. I asked if they had seen my windlass and they somewhat sheepishly produced it, saying that they thought that no-one wanted it. I doubt whether that response would have passed the test set out in a previous post!

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10 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

That's theft! Better not to confess so openly  . . .  you never know who is listening

inventor tentor

:)

I did try to find the owner by asking the boats moored there but had no luck. If anyone reading this owns the items please contact me and tell me the approximate location where they lost them and the year. 

:)

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