Class of Motor

[ditchcrawler]

Can anyone tell me what class this is please, seen on the Shropshire Union near Market Drayton today 

[junior]

Think it's an old Thames boat or something like that. It's been discussed at reasonable lengths on a thread on here somewhere, but no idea which one.

I've got the word pumpkin in my head for reasons unknown.

Oh and it's for sale by the way.

[Rob-M]

I seem to recall seeing this boat last year and it had a history written and hanging on the towpath side. It's history was something related to the Thames I think from memory.

[alan_fincher]

1 hour ago, junior said:

Think it's an old Thames boat or something like that. It's been discussed at reasonable lengths on a thread on here somewhere, but no idea which one.

I've got the word pumpkin in my head for reasons unknown.

Oh and it's for sale by the way.

Good memory - Pumpkin seems to be correct.

Look at this and subsequent posts

[mrsmelly]

12 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Can anyone tell me what class this is please, seen on the Shropshire Union near Market Drayton today 

It looks very " working class " to me? Not very shiney and its got a boot at the front with a cover on to keep stuff in.

[roland elsdon]

I think it's an old narrow welded converted Thames conservancy barge which used to be at the end of the Keys arm at Stockton when I lived there in the mid 90s. Owned then by Eric.

 

[MtB]

Is it the perspective of the photo or is it a little wider than 7ft?

I'm sure I've seen this exact shape of stern on an old riveted iron boat down here on the K&A too. I'll keep a lookout for it again.

[Jrtm]

Its not a sevener? Dosnt look quite right for sccc 

[hounddog]

7 minutes ago, billybobbooth said:

Its not a sevener? Dosnt look quite right for sccc 

That was my first thought but it looks a bit too pointy, even for one of them.

[junior]

Looks nothing like a severner.

[Bee]

2 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

I think it's an old narrow welded converted Thames conservancy barge which used to be at the end of the Keys arm at Stockton when I lived there in the mid 90s. Owned then by Eric.

 

Absolutely correct. counter added at Stockton, converted by Eric.

[davidg]

It was bought from the Thames Conservancy/EA by Greg Klaes. We towed it from the yard at Osney to Clattercote in one epic day which ended about three the following morning, using the trip boat Jericho.

Subsequently used for a few trips in the early eighties (the River tour would date one of them) for kids from his school.

He named it Pumpkin (for obvious reasons if you know Greg), ex A89. He sold it to Eric. 

 

[Derek R.]

Elsewhere declared as being built by the Uxbridge Steel Barrel Co. in 1923. But not the counter though if Bee is correct. Interesting shape. Wonder why that was chosen. I don't dislike it though.

[X Alan W]

9 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Is it the perspective of the photo or is it a little wider than 7ft?

I'm sure I've seen this exact shape of stern on an old riveted iron boat down here on the K&A too. I'll keep a lookout for it again.

Got to be only a fraction over 7' or less as it woudn't have got up the "Shroppie  unless it was craned out & back in at MK Drayton if that was the case it won't move much as the locks behind & ahead are of the 7ft'ish width

[tomsk]

8 hours ago, junior said:

Looks nothing like a severner.

Looks something close to a scrapper though?  

[davidg]

14 hours ago, Derek R. said:

Elsewhere declared as being built by the Uxbridge Steel Barrel Co. in 1923. But not the counter though if Bee is correct. Interesting shape. Wonder why that was chosen. I don't dislike it though.

I'd have to look out some old photos to confirm it, but from memory what you see of the stern end above water is more or less as original with the addition of the lower two guards; below water there are the usual sole plate/uxter plates & swim.

The stem post on t'other end is an addition as both ends were identical I think. It probably had pintles for a rudder at both ends originally, removed for obvious reasons.

Edited April 4, 2017 by davidg

[Derek R.]

Compare. Nicked unashamedly from Junior's post from May last year:

The fore end of PUMPKIN.

[Tiggers]

On 03/04/2017 at 15:27, davidg said:

It was bought from the Thames Conservancy/EA by Greg Klaes. We towed it from the yard at Osney to Clattercote in one epic day which ended about three the following morning, using the trip boat Jericho.

Subsequently used for a few trips in the early eighties (the River tour would date one of them) for kids from his school.

He named it Pumpkin (for obvious reasons if you know Greg), ex A89. He sold it to Eric. 

 

Currently sat in the pub with Dave Linney who did the work on this boat and he confirms this; it is the original back end with the addition of a couple of guards and it is a Thames conservatory boat. Apparently the swim is very short.