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BCN No 108 - BCN Joey boat, built in iron in 1883
BCN108 is now on its way north to Cheshire, on hire to Linnet Shipping. 'A' frames, top planks and cloths were fitted, and paint applied,
over the winter. She will be carrying retail goods and towed by ARIEL. The first stage of the journey was to Hillmorton, towed by RENFREW.
Unfortunately the Denham to West Drayton aggregate traffic has not recommenced. However, No.108 is still working.
On 26th April I loaded ten very long oak planks into the boat. These are all over 30ft long, the longest being 34ft,
and are destined for replacing the longest side planks in LUCY. They were cut at EC Forest Products in Lewes,
and delivered to Coppermill, on the Grand Union Canal, by King Lifting.
No.108 then was on display in the Chess Lock at Rickmansworth Canal Festival on 21st/22nd May with the LUCY project display and sales stall.
She was towed to Braunston with the cargo by Chris and friends with Hayley. The lining has been removed and A frames and gunwhales fitted.
Cloths are on order, and top planks made for the running gear.
The joey boat was towed to Rickmansworth Festival in May by Chris Gray in HAYLEY, and displayed information and sales items for the LUCY project.
From 3rd to 18th July, number 108 was part of the famous fleet on The Big Gravel Run, carrying 20 of the 130 tonnes of gravel from Paddington Basin to Atherstone. She was steered by Chris Gray, myself and Tim Collier, and towed by ARUNDEL, steerer Richard Horne. The gravel was carried by seven working boats: ARCHIMEDES, ARA, THEMIS, CALLISTO, VICTORIA, ARUNDEL and BCN No 108.
We now await recommencement of the Uxbridge to West Drayton aggregate traffic, pending repairs to the conveyor at the pit.
Between August 2008 and April 2009 No 108 carried a total of 358 tonnes of aggregate in 14 trips. Quite a few trips have been cancelled due to breakdowns
at the loading conveyor and the unloading wharf. On 16th and 17th May she attended Rickmansworth Festival and provide the base for a display and sales stall
for the NB LUCY Project.
In 2008, No 108 was lined out with timber and was delivered to Uxbridge to replace BETELGEUSE on the Denham Aggregate traffic.
Since August, she carried over 155 tonnes of aggregate in six trips, an average of nearly 26 tonnes per load. This gives her about four inches freeboard!
The square and unencumbered hold lined out in timber has improved unloading times by saving half an hour at West Drayton.
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No 108 was acquired in the spring, as the 56ft long "JOE", a BW workboat restored to a high standard by Eva and Piers Bull, owners of the Leonard Leigh Tug HELEN.
They had done much work on the hull and fitted a replacement cabin with bed and stove. They had also found some of its history, with the BCN Society providing
copies of gauging documents which dated the boat to 1883.
JOE was towed to Lyons Boatyard, on the Northern Stratford Canal, and was lifted out in preparation for stretching back to its original length of 71ft 6in.
The boat had been given a new bottom and footings in BWB days, and had been shortened by removing three 5ft iron plates and their knees from each side.
JOE was carefully cut and rivets unpicked along the plate joints, and the two halves moved apart and accurately aligned on angle girders.
New steel plates of the correct thickness were welded onto the bottom and footings, and hot rivetted to match the original upper hull plates.
Six new knees were fabricated out of split tube and flat bar and bent in a ready made forge to match the originals.
A new wooden rudder was made based on research gained in the ellum shed at the Black Country Living Museum's boatyard.
Help, advice and materials were obtained from Ian Kemp of Stourbridge, including the rivetting equipment and the large size rubbing strake.
Lyons Boatyard provided space, labour and welding expertise to carry out the work.
To prepare her for the rigours of short haul sand and stone traffic,
the hold gunnels were reinforced with steel angle and the large fore end locker retained to counter the bouyancy of the extended cabin.
The hold has to provide a clear, square, smooth sided space for grabbing out the material.
JOE had become No 108, its BCN number, a full length joey boat, and was launched in the traditional manner in December 2007.
Then we bow hauled her to Lapworth, to pick up the timber needed to line her out for the traffic at Denham.
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© Phobox Ltd. 2012 ----- Last updated: 7.3.2012
