Paddleducks

General => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: Paglesham on January 04, 2011, 02:04:31 AM

Title: New member, ex paddle steamer owner
Post by: Paglesham on January 04, 2011, 02:04:31 AM

Hello, I've just joined on recommendation of a friend.
I used to own a paddle steamer and would like to know if she's still around.

She was 40ft long, rivetted wrought iron, built at the Ely Ironworks in 1898 as a weed cutter for the Fenland waterways.
Her number was 9, 99 or 999, hence her known as the "9 boat", but she was also named "Vexem".
She originally had a Savage's of Lynn stationary engine and boiler driving the cutting arrays and the paddle wheels.  Her 11ft diameter wheels were not feathering and were driven on a single 6" diameter axle with triple chain drive.  She was rudder steered from a massive bronze wheel.  She had a closed, round nosed cabin up for'ard and an open cockpit aft.

When I sold her via the unpleasant little man who owned Littleport Boat Haven, she went "to a Midlands River as a trip boat, with a BMC 2.5 Diesel" (YUCH!!!)

The only Midlands river she could reach would be the Trent, so if anyone from that area has any idea what happened to her, please let me know.

Cheers,
Martin

Title: Re: New member, ex paddle steamer owner
Post by: R.G.Y. on January 04, 2011, 11:36:43 PM

Do you have any photos you could post here. It could help. R.G.Y.

Title: Re: New member, ex paddle steamer owner
Post by: Paglesham on January 05, 2011, 12:04:25 AM

I will have to scan what I have in and learn how to do attachments.
Cheers,
Martin

Title: Re: New member, ex paddle steamer owner
Post by: Paglesham on January 05, 2011, 05:49:16 AM

Hi, I do have some others, but have to find them.
Meanwhile, here's one (I hope) which shows Vexem when we first picked her up from her long time berth on the Wissey at Hilgay.

Cheers,
Martin

Title: Re: New member, ex paddle steamer owner
Post by: Paglesham on September 10, 2012, 10:31:06 PM

Hi all, I know this is one hell of a "bump", but I have been so busy with other modelmaking I completely forgot about Paddleducks. i do apologise.

Just wondering if anybody has any news on Vexem?

Thank heavens I did a basic drawing of her before I had to sell her.

Cheers,
Martin

Title: Re: New member, ex paddle steamer owner
Post by: mjt60a on September 15, 2012, 09:42:55 PM

the description sounds like a picture that was posted here some while back, i think it was from wartime and had a gun on it but can't be sure, having searched for a couple of hours I can't find it at all, anyone else remember it? what the topic was in?

Title: Re: New member, ex paddle steamer owner
Post by: Harold H. Duncan on June 04, 2013, 05:44:21 PM

Hi Martin,
If you posted a copy of your sketches then maybe some one would recognize her
cheers
kiwi