31-05-2019, 09:36 PM
The ad came from a Motorboat Manual, dated 1914. Somewhat chilling, all the advertisers would, within months, have been very busy with war work, and the readers certainly not relaxing on their boats.
Austin later chose heroic names for marinised engines, Triton and Tornado rather bolder than the choice of Prawn and Scampi for Parsons, perhaps a Friday afternoon choice after the advertising dept had been in the pub. Whilst the Thetis was the official factory Seven boat engine, there must have been hundreds of improvised engines, were there even proprietary conversions offered for sale? Differing details observed include hand pumps attached to empty the sump for oil changes, and water pumps for cooling boats on canals or rivers. Yes I should get out more. Tomorrow if the Batho route takes us across the Worcester and Birmingham Canal I'll stop and peer over the bridge parapet in the hope of seeing an ancient launch with a Hotchkiss cone propulsion unit operated by a Thetis.
I'd wondered how on earth a clinker boat kept out in the sun would remain even faintly watertight, musing that perhaps they were kept full of water. The above recollections suggest that tightness was indeed not achieved!
Austin later chose heroic names for marinised engines, Triton and Tornado rather bolder than the choice of Prawn and Scampi for Parsons, perhaps a Friday afternoon choice after the advertising dept had been in the pub. Whilst the Thetis was the official factory Seven boat engine, there must have been hundreds of improvised engines, were there even proprietary conversions offered for sale? Differing details observed include hand pumps attached to empty the sump for oil changes, and water pumps for cooling boats on canals or rivers. Yes I should get out more. Tomorrow if the Batho route takes us across the Worcester and Birmingham Canal I'll stop and peer over the bridge parapet in the hope of seeing an ancient launch with a Hotchkiss cone propulsion unit operated by a Thetis.
I'd wondered how on earth a clinker boat kept out in the sun would remain even faintly watertight, musing that perhaps they were kept full of water. The above recollections suggest that tightness was indeed not achieved!