LOCAL STEAM BOAT
Emerald
By Mike Early
Some time in the 1970s, I gave £25 and a load of fire wood for a derelict hull. I was going to turn it into a steam launch. I got Bob and Charlie Lower to fit a new transom and aft locker on for me, and then I replaced a few rotten planks, added seats and decks and a floor. About 18 years later I fitted a new coal fired boiler and an old 1890 engine and Emerald was born again.
I found quite a lot of rot during a short cruise on the river Medway in April 2011 so had to remove all the steam plant to do the repairs to the hull. I had been finding, at the end of a days steaming, that I could hardly straighten up (old age happening fast), so I decided to sell the steam plant and make Emerald an electric boat. On the 11th August she was launched on the Thames at Windsor for the first time as an electric boat with great success. Now I just turn the key and away we go; not as exciting as steaming, but it means I can carry on enjoying my boating for a few more years. I have launched at Russell Simpsons, enjoyed a trip to Lewes, and popped out into the bay. So watch out for the born again Emerald on the river.
This gallery was added by
Mike Early on 15/03/2012.