Britain's official guide to canals, rivers and lakes

Sunday 7th September 2008

Details of heritage craft

Details of the redundant workboats offered to charitable waterway groups by British Waterways

Alder
Current location: Kennet & Avon Canal, South West.
Description: 11.28m long, 2.08m wide workboat. Believed to have been significantly altered during its life with the stern reported as either being built in 1931 or part of a 1950 iron ‘dayboat’. It has a Lister HR2 13.3/31 engine.

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Image: Alder

Centauri
Current location: Newark Workshop, East Midlands
Description: 45ft long by 7ft, 1in wide. Age unknown. The present engine is a Lister HA2 air-cooled, with evidence of 2 water inlets, possibly for direct cooling. Windows in the sides of superstructure are not originals, these would have been portholes or just blank. The main superstructure appears to have been replaced, with the GRP roof window being added. The aft side decks have possibly been widened and all the decks covered by durbar plate. The rounded transom has been replaced. The storage compartment in the front of the hold has been added. There are signs that the vessel may have been shortened. Various sections of rubbing bar have been used. Apart from some general heavy pitting, the hull appears to be in a reasonable condition.

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Image: Centauri

Derwent
Location: River Weaver, Wales & Border Counties
Description: 18.38m long by 4.26m wide dumb boat. Estimated to have been built in 1940. Welded hull.

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Image: Derwent

Effingham
Location: Wales & Border Counties.
Description: 21.93m long by 2.01m wide Admiral class workboat. Built date estimated at 1959. Engine Lister HR2. Riveted hull.

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Image: Effingham

Freight Mover
Location: Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, South West.
Description: 14.66m long by 4.6m wide long-tug. Build date now known to be 1968 (rather than 1948 as originally believed). The tug is of welded construction and has a 400BHP Rolls Royce Diesel Engine with keel cooling. She was built at Wivenhoe in 1968 and was first registered by the Port of London Authority as Plausible in 1970. She was sold by the PLA to British Waterways on 2nd August 1974 and renamed Freight Mover on 30 April 1974 (details obtained from Certificate of Registry and Bill of Sale.). She is powered by a Rolls Royce Engine rated at 420 BHP through a single Schottel unit. Steering is via a joystick not a wheel, with a clutch mechanism that permits the thrust to be stopped when turning the Schottel unit.

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Image: Freight Mover

This information is believed to be correct but no guarantee can be offered to its accuracy.