Category: River boats

Saving the Mary Gordon

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Said to be the oldest electrically powered craft still in existence, the Mary Gordon river boat is being restored to carry passengers on the Fossdyke in Lincoln. She was built at Eel Pie Island on the Thames in 1898 of teak planking on oak frames.

Electric launches were very popular around the end of the 19th century, and the Mary Gordon was one of the largest: at 52ft in length she could carry 75 adults or 120 children in comfort.

http://www.marygordon.org.uk

For more riverboats http://intheboatshed.net/?cat=9 

Mary Gordon

electric boat, electric launch, pleasure boat, boat restoration

Got an hour to waste? Here’s a great place to do it…

If you haven’t visited before, the National Register of Historic Ships is a real find, and is enough to keep any hardened boat nut busy for hours.

http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/

An elegant electric canoe from 100 years ago

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Gena is a fine electric canoe built more than 100 years ago, and restored in the late 1980s by her owner Robin Newlands. All the fittings, equipment and motor are original, except the controller, which was modernised in 1923.

Take a look at the picture links – I took them at the Beale Park Boatshow in 2005, and it’s a privelege to have some good sized images to show you all. Thanks for taking her to the show Mr Newlands, wherever you are – you must be very proud.

http://intheboatshed.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/a1.JPG

http://intheboatshed.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/a3.JPG

Also, take a look at the Thames Vintage Boat Club site – its members have put up many of pictures of their boats and some articles :
http://www.thamesvintageboatclub.com

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