Hello from Mid Wales

[Barbara Thompson]

Hello,

I have joined mainly for some research. Being a writer I would rather use correct terms and facts and look for places to find them. My books always have some sea-time in them, I expect because I was brought up in Southampton with a yachtie Dad who motor-sailed the Solent area in his Fairy Fisherman. My mum used to take us to tour the cruise ships when they came in. I could hear the dredgers working at night, and loved the New Year's hoots from the ships in the docks. I got to know the Solent area very well growing up and watching the various ships coming and going, but my favourite were the J class yachts and tall ship, the Royalist which we often saw. I learnt to sail in various little boats as well as do various school trips to France and the Channel Islands on the Ferries and at 18 I got a place as crew on the sail training tall ship, Malcolm Miller.

I continued to sail after getting married and having children. We sold our home and chucked in our jobs and went on a longer voyage, though only in British waters. Now we are in landlocked Mid Wales, a beautiful natural place equally as nice and nasty as the sea, with no regrets, except missing the sights and sounds of the sea from time to time.

If anyone has read this far, my first question is regarding small boats and tenders; Why do they have bung holes?

Barbs

[Harry Nicholson]

Hello Barbara. As an urchin hanging around the cobles drawn up on the sands at Hartlepool, I saw the cobles were rarely covered when stored between fishing trips. Yet they were not filled with rainwater - so I assume they were stored with drainage bungs removed. Is that the purpose?

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hello,

If anyone has read this far, my first question is regarding small boats and tenders; Why do they have bung holes?

Barbs

A carry over from the old days when most (if not all) boats were wooden, either clinker or carvel construction from wooden planks. When these boats were laying on shore out of the water for any length of time, the wood would start to contract and open up the seams thus making them non watertight when relaunched, to counteract this most prudent owners would fill the bottom of their boats with water up to freeboard level, this kept the wood swollen and thus abutted up tight against its adjacent plank. The plug or bung was necessary to let the water out a couple of days before relaunching into the water, but don't forget to put the plug in before refloating! We used to fill the bottom of our lifeboats just above garboard strake level if on long ocean voyages in tropic regions to stop the planks drying. You still need the bungs on fibre glass or aluminium boats as they can fill with rain water if not properly covered, saves a lot of baling.

[Doc Vernon]

Just a wee bit off course here ,but would like to comment as I stayed in Manafon Welshpool Powys Mid Wales on my Holiday a few Years back now. Wonder how far that was from you. Babara ??
It was so lovely,although Winter and cold I loved every day I was there.
I stayed then with a Friend I had actually met online,and when he came to Birmingham to pick me up from my Daughters place had a lovely Drive back and was so welcomed ,as we arrived there was a large Cotton Sign saying "Welcome Vernon" how good was that! His Wife was wonderful and made me really feel at home.
Two wonderful People God Bless Them.
Cheers

[Barbara Thompson]

Hello Harry,

I had always supposed it was to do with rain water, but why not just tip the boat up to clear it, considering a loose or lost bung would be rather dangerous. Just one of those things I wondered when rowing along, as you do. All our tenders and dinghies were small. I don't think the rubber one had a bung. One sailing dinghy and 2 yachts had self draining holes that automatically closed when still but opened when going along. They worked very well.

Thanks for your reply.

[Barbara Thompson]

Thanks for the interesting answer to my little question. It makes perfect sense. (The only wooden boats I have used have been made of plywood). I shall have to look up 'garboard strake', but I love that kind of talk.

[John Arton]

Stowing wooden casks of wine, the rule is hung up, bilge free.
Just thought I would pass on that little nugget of information. LOL
Rgds
J.A.

[Barbara Thompson]

Welshpool is only about 8 miles from us. The town is a little dull, but has its own grand castle. The surrounding countryside is stunning, with the Severn valley and tree clad mountains. I used to know a lady who lives/d in the Poet's House in Manafon, but have lost touch. So many tourists go straight through mid Wales to get to the coast (fair enough, that is gorgeous too) and miss this lovely part of the world. It is like a secret.

- - - Updated - - -

makes sense

[Ivan Cloherty]

Thanks I shall have to look up 'garboard strake', .

Garboard strake is the length of planking (or steel plates on a ship) either side of the keel from the stem post to the stern post. On ship and boat plans on a plan called the 'explansion plan' the garboard strake* is called strake 'A' subsequent strakes are called 'B' 'C' 'D' and so on. There is no 'I' strake as this could be confused with '1'. There is no Port or Starboard plan, as both sides are the same to main deck level, if the hull is higher** on one side than the other then the sequential alphabetical lettering continues on the high side.

* as no strake will be one continuous piece of wood or steel, the plates are numbered from the stern post, the nearest being 'A1' the next 'A2' and so on, the plates aft of the stern post are numbered '-A1' '-A2' etc. Plates are never numbered from for'd

** Some ships built for special trades their hulls are higher on one side than the other, but these are rare events these days

Your #5, why not just tip the boat over, a lifeboat weighed in the old days (our days 50's and 60's) circa 1.5 to 2.5 tons, the plugs were attached to the keel inside the boat by a chain, so that we didn't lose them.

I think we may be talking about different animals here or apples and pears, so I'll leave it to the yachting boys, another word for you to look up in boat parlance is 'Tabernacle'

[Keith at Tregenna]

Good evening Barbara, hope you are settling in and getting used
to the site, though a South Walien, my mothers side of the family
hailed from your neck of the woods.

Beautiful Country.

Hope you discover all you require here and hope to hear both
hear more from and of you ASAP.

Regards,

Keith.