Resurrecting a Maurice Griffiths 27ft "Cockler"

You can talk about almost anything here

Moderators: Eventide Owners Group, Piskie, chris s

Post Reply
Oldsalt
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 17th, 2008, 10:41 am
Location: Cheshire

Resurrecting a Maurice Griffiths 27ft "Cockler"

Post by Oldsalt »

Hi All.
I have just arrived in port.
I am known on YBW, SBC and the Sailroom Forums as "Oldsalt".
With a Friend I have an interest in a Maurice Griffiths 27ft "Cockler"
He bought the Boat off eBay over last Christmas / New year for the princely sum of £205.
She had sunk on her mooring at Farmoor Oxford on the river Thames and was almost full of mud

Here are some extracts from post I have made elsewhere some of you may have seen them already.

Any help in identifying her or her history would be very welcome.

23/12/07
We went to have a look at her to day a 7 hr round trip from Manchester amazingly we made good time on the M6 and M40 both ways all though there was a lot of traffic.
She is is in surprisingly good order nothing seriously broken or sprung just a few little soft spots here and there.
The forward part of the coach roof planks have lifted and de-laminated and one of the starboard side stanchions has been ripped out leaving a rather large hole in the ply deck. So a new side deck may be in order.
Fortunately she has suffered no vandalism having been in a very quite spot on the river, just been left and neglected possibly by a long gone owner. The seller is the land owners agent and is drawing up the appropriate paper work to complete the sale and transfer to her new owner.
Every where is full of mud and she really only needs a though clean out scraping down and re painting nothing that time and effort won't put right.
Our biggest concern is the engine bores, but even that can be sorted with a re-bore and new stones.
We have not been able to find any name or number but it is early days so something may turn up.

First we constructed a trolley to put her on so she could be moved out of their way at the yard also it can be used to launch her down a slip.
Then my 1968 Ford "D" series wagon had to have ramps and steel work worked on to turn it into a transporter.
The deal being with my pal he would pay for the steelwork to make the transporter and I would bring her up to Cheshire for him.
We would then have a wagon that would be able to move both our boats when needed.
Never thinking it would end up taking some 5 months to complete with the phone calls to Swansea and then the re-plating and MOT.
Well thats all done and the MG is now safely ensconced at a friends farm.
Now the work on her really begins, Mast off, Her Engine out and a good jet wash out side.
The the inside still has about 1/2 ton of Tames mud in her.
Then it's set to and repair the bits that need attention.
Here is a pictorial of the events so far.
Image
The steel work for the wagon.
Image
The wagon ready to roll.
Image
Testing the ramps 2.25 tons this was as far as we could get the Horse Box up the ramps as the tow bar was scraping the ground. but we thought it was a fair test.
Image
Loaded up and ready to leave Oxford.
Image
On our way
Image
Unloading at Home.
Image
Well it's like this you can see all we need to is!!!
Cheers David.
Wooden Boat Fittings

Post by Wooden Boat Fittings »

Nice transport job!

Mike
Oldsalt
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 17th, 2008, 10:41 am
Location: Cheshire

Post by Oldsalt »

Thanks for the kind words Mike.
We put packings and screwed rods holding her down to the cross members over the chassis so the weight was taken off the trolley wheels and being on back wards put the CG well forward of the rear axle.
What we would like to find out is some history.
She has had two patches put on her hull quarters by the cockpit.
You can see them in the pics.
I have had a good look at the hull planks inside and all sound as a pound so I can find no reason for them other then to act as rubbing Bord's for the locks on the upper reaches of the navigable Thames and the canal system around Oxford where we believe she has spent some time.
No Name, no manufactures name plate and no carved number have been found as yet.
Any help would with history by any one who recognises her would be most welcome.
Cheers David.
User avatar
Eventide Owners Group
Posts: 270
Joined: Wed March 1st, 2006, 1:00 pm
Contact:

Congrats on a good salvage Job.

Post by Eventide Owners Group »

I will have to put a note on the Stoppress page about your salvage job. Well constructed ramp!

Best of luck sorting her out. Very sad that there is no hint of a name nor any idenification on her.. If we just had a Lloyds nuber or some thing....

How do you feel about having a page on the Builders and Restorers section? You would be very welcome proivided you could send in nice pics and a few words every now and then, might spark some interest in her, you never know..

Did you fill in the enrolment form for the Database Manager..? not sure I have seen it... Get so many I may have missed it.

Anyway keep up the good work.

John
Web site Coordinator
Post Reply