The Life-boat and its Work, a history from 1911

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history

‘It is impossible to assign to any one person the merit of inventing the Life-Boat’

Based on a 1910 Royal Society of Arts lecture, Sir John Cameron-Lamb’s small book The Life-boat and its Work was published in the following year, and sold for the now-laughable sum of one shilling. I promised the gentlemen who look after Southwold’s historic Alfred Corry I’d scan this book, and so here’s the first instalment!

To see the rest of this series:

The Life-boat and its Work, a history from 1911 – part I

The Life-boat and its Work, a history from 1911 – part II

The Life-boat and its Work, a history from 1911 – part III

lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history

lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history

lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history

lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history

lifeboat, lifeboat institution, john cameron lamb, lukin, wouldhave, tyne lifeboat, greathead, history, lifeboat history

Marcus Lewis restores a Troy, and plans to make clinker dinghy drawings available

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans,  plans, restoration

marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans,  plans, restoration marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans,  plans, restoration

Troy class yacht Ruby restoration

marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans,  plans, restoration marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans,  plans, restoration

Taking the lines from a 1947 9ft dinghy

Down in Fowey in Cornwall, boatbuilder Marcus Lewis has been as busy as a bee, and a few days ago wrote to tell us what he’s been doing, and about some of his plans. Here’s what he has to say:

‘I have been busy building another Fowey River class dinghy, which is due for launching in a couple of weeks and I’m also part way through a serious restoration of Ruby, a  Troy class yacht built in 1930. She has needed 75 per cent of her planking replaced; lots of new parts including new horn timber, transom, transom knee, stem and stem knee, and gunwales, steamed oak timbers and keelbolts; and new  ply deck. Hopefully they will be enough to see her through the next 80 years!

‘I have attached some photos of a 1947 9ft rowing dinghy that is past repair. I am taking the lines off her in order to make some moulds and to make up plans that I intend to make available.

‘Also, have cleared out the internal bits of the Percy Mitchell-built tosher and will also be taking lines off her in the near future. If there are a couple of interested people who wanted to spend the weekend helping to take off the lines, and then have a copy themselves, I would be glad of the help – and it would galvanise me into getting it done!

‘Marcus’

Thanks Marcus. That dinghy is a nice shape – I will be delighted to help you promote the plans when you have them ready. I’d have thought there would be someone out there to help you take those lines, not least because it would be an opportunity to practice something we normally only read about in books.

If you’d like to help Marcus take the lines from the tosher in his yard, contact him at Fowey, Cornwall on tel 07973 420568, email marcus@fowey9.freeserve.co.uk . His website is at www.woodenboatbuilder.co.uk.

Start receiving the weekly intheboatshed.net newsletter: sign up here

Two festivals: the Beale Park Thames Boat Show and Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

beale park, thames, boat show, portsoy, scottish traditional boat, festival, boatbuilding, restoration beale park, thames, boat show, portsoy, scottish traditional boat, festival, boatbuilding, restoration beale park, thames, boat show, portsoy, scottish traditional boat, festival, boatbuilding, restoration

Scenes from previous Beale Park Thames Boat Shows

beale park, thames, boat show, portsoy, scottish traditional boat, festival, boatbuilding, restoration beale park, thames, boat show, portsoy, scottish traditional boat, festival, boatbuilding, restoration beale park, thames, boat show, portsoy, scottish traditional boat, festival, boatbuilding, restoration

Scenes from the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy (last two supplied by the organisers, but I think taken for them by Kathy Mansfield)

Two of the most important boat shows featuring wooden boats are coming up – but for some reason this year I don’t seem to be hearing much about them from anyone.

The shows in question are the Beale Park Thames Boat Show from the 4th to 6th June  near Pangbourne on the River Thames (click here for information), and the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival on the 26th-27th June at Portsoy (click here for more information).

You exhibitors out there, why don’t you get in touch and tell me what you’re going to be showing and why you’re so proud of them, and why people should go along and see your stuff – and throw in a couple of photos while you’re at it? There’s still time, it’s very easy, I can be reached at gmatkin@gmail.com, and this site gets 800+ interested visitors a day. It should be a no-brainer…