Preamble and History

EmilyAnne was conceptualised and designed by my granddad and her current owner, Tom Mason and built was in 1990 by Watercraft Ltd, a small fabrication firm with a history of making small numbers of narrowboats, based in worcester,

Her rather unusual dutch influenced hull shape was based loosely on a boat watercraft where currently building to a customers own design. The shape was liked, and permission to use and adapted the designs to our own needs was granted.

The hull was then grit blasted inside and out, primed, and painted in her current colours with the two-part paint.
- She was then transported to Atlas Mills in Bolton where she was partially fitted out my my granddad by various friends of the family.

She had an early Maiden Voyage in May 1992 as the mills where being demolished to make space for a Morisons supermarket.
- She was launched on the bridgewater canal a short distance from worsley dry docks, she was the bow-hauled for the short distance to worsley as part of the day celebrations. She then spent just over a year at worsley for further fitting out, including completion and testing of the steam installation, with my grandad living aboard for the majority of the year and winter.

And so the kitchen sink was in, and she was ready to move under her own steam! A short test run to Leigh was undertaken with numourous members of the Northen Mill Engine Socity was under taken to test her out.
- After which a small amount temporary storage was made up in kitchen area, and she set of south to Gloucester docks for a large waterways festival held there by Brittish Waterways in June to celabrate 200 years canals.
- Emilyanne was booked in well in advance, and secured a front row possition, and excellent vantage point for showing off a new toy!

After that she then remained south for a number of years predominatly based at Saul Junction (Gloucester and Sharpness canal), where she contiunded to be fitted out, and began exploring the waterways in the area, including more crusing on the Severn, a trip up the Avon.
- This was a convinent location at the time and my grandad was living in Painswick, and his main boating freind John Vince was living in cambridge.
- The following autumn also saw the completion of the fitting out of kitchen on the bank at Simbridge with a cabinate maker making all the cupboards and refitting the kitchen sink. With tom and john assisting very fast progess.
- The boat also became the first boat to be restered inn Stroud for many years. Which is where signwriting comes from.

fabrication of a lighter wheelhouse roof, and the fitting of the redesigned engine controls

She set off one a manic tour of large amounts of the waterways, up and down the country etc.
- Then at some point she was travelling north on the Sour in 1998 when my grandad was taken ill, she was then moved onto the Trent and Mersay and to Jannel Cruisers at Burton-on-Trent by freinds. Where she ramained for over a year, some work being done on the pumps on the back of the engine, and the first re-make of the wheelhouse roof.

Then when the boat finally left Jannels she relocated to a more northen base, where she has remained since. Wintering first at Market Drayton (Shropshire Union) for two years, Then Hapton for year (Leeds Liverpool), then Tarleton for a year (L&L Ruford Branch), followed by a year a Whixall (Llangollen), and then two years at Anderton (T&M) to bring us upto 2006.

More to come..

The Engine.

EmilyAnne's engine was commissioned and purpose built for the boat by Anthony Bever (Swindon). The engine is a A. A. Leak design two cylinder compound. and is coupled to a inboard surface condenser.

The engine has a stroke of 4inches, with the high pressure cylinder having a bore of 4.5inches, the low pressure being of bore 7.5inches. The valve gear is Stephenson's link reverse gear driven from two pairs of eccentrics on the crankshaft with a piston valve on the high pressure side and a slide valve on the low pressure

The engine also drives three pumps, the circulating pump for the condenser is driven of the low pressure crosshead, with the 'air pump' being driven off the high pressure crosshead, and the three-ram boiler feed pump being belt driven of the end of the crankshaft.

The engine can develop around 20IHP at full power, with a top rotational speed of around 330rpm.

The Boiler

The Boiler was also purpose build for the boat/engine by Langley Engineering, Storrington also in 1991. It is a vertical fire tube boiler of welded steel construction, and an estimated evaporation rate of around 600 lbs/hour. The boiler holds about 28gallons of water, and has a working pressure of 200 PSI, with a 4.1/3 sq ft coal burning grate.

The boiler can also provide the domestic hot water via a standard twin coil calorifier.

The Rest of the boat!

Although about 20ft of the boat is basically taken up by the engine/boiler/coal bunker/tools etc, there is still enough boat left for a largish galley area, with a full size 4ring gas cooker, a decent sized electric fridge, kitchen sink and cupboards, a squirrel stove, stand alone double drop-leaf table, a small book case, with fixed seating that will let down into a double bed.

There is then a separate bathroom, with a 3/4 sized bath with shower over, and a forward bedroom which has a double bed (which will fold up into a single). - and if you really tidy down the tools, there is also the aft cabin, which can be used as a day cabin or a 3rd bedroom.

Last updated 30/12/08