Jump to content

Fore Cabins on restored boats - too high?


Laurence Hogg

Featured Posts

was it only on horse and butty boats then? I thought all boats had it to some extent?

 

Andy, here you go as I have obviously less important matters than some!

 

 

 

From what I have gleaned fore cabins do seem to be more prolific on butty's but yes motors did have them.

 

ETA. I was thinking about this whilst walking the dog. Horse drawn boats tended to work singly, so with a family a fore cabin would be needed more on one of these.

Motors tended to be attended with a butty so the butty cabin was available for the family.

 

I would hazard a guess that No 1's who worked their own motor only, would tend to need a fore cabin.

Edited by Ray T
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great images, Those shots of the framing really give you an idea of the strength needed to keep the shape and deal with the knocks of everyday use. Really interesting to see the same principle in use in an iron boat and the difference in size of framing/ribs due to materials, I imagine that in the iron boats the framing is 99% for strength as it would be possible to get the shape by other means, demonstrating the heavy contact the builders expected the boats to endure.

The Dutch fishing boat's use of space is every bit as ingenious as a boatmans cabin, you see i tin modern fishing boats too. Not an inch is wasted although the modern ones dont have the same... atmosphere I suppose youd call it, as the old one. You can imagine the fishermen in there, pipes smoking, beards swaying in time to the waves as they face the North Sea.

 

Ray I love that photo from the wear and tear on the boats, to the young Lady mopping the cabins, to the difference between the two cabins, same company same design probably but slight differences in build between them.

 

Thanks everyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting to note in Ray's photo that on the far boat you can see the stove chimney collar is in the same place in relation to the slide as on a back cabin. So does that mean the internal arrangement would have been similar - stove on one side of the entrance and a side bed down the other, and space for a central door into the hold at the back. If so, the stove must have been very close to the bed, with the attendant risk of unintended contact.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting to note in Ray's photo that on the far boat you can see the stove chimney collar is in the same place in relation to the slide as on a back cabin. So does that mean the internal arrangement would have been similar - stove on one side of the entrance and a side bed down the other, and space for a central door into the hold at the back. If so, the stove must have been very close to the bed, with the attendant risk of unintended contact.

 

David, you have a PM.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Details from these enlargments of the fore cabins on the FMC horse boats which were dumped in Hawtreys pit, Harefield will be of interest. Note the strengthening bar and the rear doors, there is also a possible look out hole above the bar, collars are all starboard.

 

gallery_5000_522_24009.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_1485.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_5400.jpg

 

The irony is that these are all still there but in most cases buried under a a few inches of spoil, what a pity!

Edited by Laurence Hogg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From Charles Nursers notebook.

 

Dimensions of fore cabin on Butty Boat

 

Height off Kelson (sic) to the top of beam 4'9"

 

Width across the top of beam 4'8"

 

Length overall 7' 3"

 

Length of cabin 4'10"

 

Width finished across the top at forend 2'3"

 

Between knees at B. H. (Bed height? Bulk head? my supposition) 18"

 

Now nursers built boats for many people, going by some of the measurements I think this is more of a FMC sized forecabin than TCO.

I do also have a ghosted drawing of a forecabin again it is a small FMC version tho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

ETA. I was thinking about this whilst walking the dog. Horse drawn boats tended to work singly, so with a family a fore cabin would be needed more on one of these.

Motors tended to be attended with a butty so the butty cabin was available for the family.

 

I would hazard a guess that No 1's who worked their own motor only, would tend to need a fore cabin.

 

Some of the fish class motors designed to be worked singly had fore cabins fitted which would fit with this. Also some of the boats converted from horse boats to motors had fc's does anyone know if they were kept over from butty days or were they new additions at the time of conversion?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of the fish class motors designed to be worked singly had fore cabins fitted which would fit with this. Also some of the boats converted from horse boats to motors had fc's does anyone know if they were kept over from butty days or were they new additions at the time of conversion?

BCN tables should answer this for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hasn't the BCNS got one? I have not used it but I think its there.

Shortly before I moved to the grim north (or possibly shortly after) I provided the B.C.N. Society with both a Microsoft Access database and a printed copy of the transcripts I took of the B.C.N. Gauge Registers that they hold. These documents run to 13431 entries, that is one entry for each table that they have in their Archive, and each entry includes gauge date, gauge number, gauge station, name of vessel, owners name, owners residence, length, beam, tonnage, notes which includes boat type. These entries relate to the first named owner only and do not include previous or subsequent owners, although I do have these details and more in another Microsoft Access database having transcribed other sets of Registers from private collections.

 

I do not know whether the B.C.N. Society have made use of these documents or whether they are housed within their Archive. I can not find any reference to these documents on their website.

Edited by pete harrison
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shortly before I moved to the grim north (or possibly shortly after) I provided the B.C.N. Society with both a Microsoft Access database and a printed copy of the transcripts I took of the B.C.N. Gauge Registers that they hold. These documents run to 13431 entries, that is one entry for each table that they have in their Archive, and each entry includes gauge date, gauge number, gauge station, name of vessel, owners name, owners residence, length, beam, tonnage, notes which includes boat type. These entries relate to the first named owner only and do not include previous or subsequent owners, although I do have these details and more in another Microsoft Access database having transcribed other sets of Registers from private collections.

 

I do not know whether the B.C.N. Society have made use of these documents or whether they are housed within their Archive. I can not find any reference to these documents on their website.

Such a shame they havent made them available online, what a fantastic resource.

 

Hats off to you Pete for your dedication to your cause.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Must admit I am surprised, I thought the BCNS archive was to include the tables and was part of what the grant funded. There's no mention of "under construction" or similar. It appears finished.

I would like to make it clear that I was not paid in any way for the transcripts of the B.C.N. Society owned gauge registers. All of my boat work is carried out at my own expense and I do not sell anything or profit from my researches in any way at all captain.gif

Edited by pete harrison
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finally scanned in the sketches I had sent to me a while ago.

 

sml_gallery_3500_1050_100543.jpg

 

sml_gallery_3500_1050_261757.jpg

 

gallery_3500_1050_205387.jpg

I think this shows clearly the size and layout of a FMC type forecabin, back to my original query is there anywhere or anyone who has details about Claytons forecabins? I think the why they were bigger has been answered with the trim of the boats but a similar cut away or health reg details for one would be brilliant.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

back to my original query is there anywhere or anyone who has details about Claytons forecabins? I think the why they were bigger has been answered with the trim of the boats but a similar cut away or health reg details for one would be brilliant.

I do not have the internal measurements within my transcripts but I do usually include the number of cabins as well as the number of persons allowed to dwell within each cabin. I would be surprised if the owners / operators of GIFFORD do not have a copy of its Daventry health registration certificate as these are still available for inspection by that Authority.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Finally scanned in the sketches I had sent to me a while ago.

 

sml_gallery_3500_1050_100543.jpg

 

sml_gallery_3500_1050_261757.jpg

 

gallery_3500_1050_205387.jpg

I think this shows clearly the size and layout of a FMC type forecabin, back to my original query is there anywhere or anyone who has details about Claytons forecabins? I think the why they were bigger has been answered with the trim of the boats but a similar cut away or health reg details for one would be brilliant.

 

Yes that's an fmc style horse boat bow cabin the stove would be on a metal shelf to the side of the bed ole to the starboard side as would be in the back cabin. With the bed flap down the whole area becomes of the cabin becomes a bed. I have the book these drawings came from when I get chance will see if they have a Claytons cabin, if memory serves in does not but we will see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finally scanned in the sketches I had sent to me a while ago.

 

sml_gallery_3500_1050_100543.jpg

 

sml_gallery_3500_1050_261757.jpg

 

gallery_3500_1050_205387.jpg

I think this shows clearly the size and layout of a FMC type forecabin, back to my original query is there anywhere or anyone who has details about Claytons forecabins? I think the why they were bigger has been answered with the trim of the boats but a similar cut away or health reg details for one would be brilliant.

I think this shows how low they would be. A FMC hull is only 4ft deep, rising slightly at the bow. The internal height of 4ft 4" would then get an extra approx. 2" added for the beams and ceiling thickness, so externaly it would appear low.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.