Thursday 10 March 2011

Reckless - The boat that Guy built part 2

The Boat that Guy Built part 2

Written as I watch.

Its the BCN - great start but its raining stair rods, so no change there.

First up its project shower and cue a steam powered instant water heater, or a geyser created in the confines of Sherborne Wharf. Instant hot water - "look chief" is the excited cry! But lets scale it up and blow up a shed with propane. Hmm, must remember not to mess with gas on a boat.
Next solution its a simple header tank on the solid fuel stove - but the twist is to pump the water with a steam engine. A lovely little model turning a drill pump our out gushes hot water. Well, maybe not at first, but finally Guy gets a dousing all rinsed off with fat soap. It works but I am not sure that the faff with the steam engine will catch on.

On to Boulton and Watt and their 1817 beam engine lurking in a Birmingham roundabout (near Waterlinks). It was revolutionary - 70% more efficient that its predecessor when pumping water but the ever enthusiastic Guy is appalled at the graffiti. You can tell he is a country lad - if you live in Birmingham you get immune to graffiti.

Showers needs soap and that means fat from a Bromsgrove butcher. Fat? Yes fat. Chopped and then rendered (boiled) and caustic soda added in to create a version of Pears Soap. Add the scent of sandalwood and Earl Gay tea and its into a mould to set. A lifetimes supply of soap - guess Guy dosn't wash too much!

The glimpse at Thomas Crappers world of sanitary ware provided a rich seam of schoolboy humour. Time for a quick competitive flush off. A bit surreal and the winners were the Crapper Kensington and  Dolphin. Not sure what it proved but so what. A cheap laugh is better then no laugh at all!

And so it concludes, another fragmented episode flitting from innovation to innovation but never really focusing on the boat. I don't think the boat is is really going to be restored at all, its just a base to play industrial revolution Mythbusters.

Oh, Guy is from Lincolnshire - not Lanscashire as I observed last week.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

hi
to be honset i do not think it is giving narrowboating a good name,
how many people do you see jumping from one side of lock to other using the boats roof and then to top it of seeing guy at the end pulling himself up off the boat onto a bridge and climbing over and then jumping back onto the roof of his boat
which is RECKLESS which it was

Unknown said...

What thoughts have you on his 'Bridge Jumping'?

Anonymous said...

I watched it last night and now I'm worried that I may be turning into an old fart because Guy's innocent tomfoolery doesn't entertain me at all!

Sue, nb Indigo Dream

Andy Tidy said...

All
Hmm, I really didnt like the bridge jumping - a really stupid thing to show on TV and never to be encouraged / endorsed.
I can forgive using the roof as a bridge over locks if you are agile enough - but as the years pass I do it less and less. Maybe I see the danger more these days.
I think the tomfoolery lacks gravitas.

Neil Corbett said...

Several non boaty friends emailed me to make sure I didn't miss it when they saw the trailers. I rather hope they aren't watching it. I'm getting less enamoured with every minute, and I don't think it'll do anything to further the image of canals or boats.
The blowing up of the shed was I fear symptomatic of the whole thing, which seems to be a desire to have a laugh rather than to teach anyone anything.

I'm with Sue on this. Us old farts should stick together.