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Author Topic: Pitsea Museum  (Read 4857 times)

vintagent

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Pitsea Museum
« on: June 23, 2010, 10:35:25 am »

Does anyone have any up-to-date news about the above?
I tried the Classic motor Boat Assoc. forum with the predictable lack of response.

We really should know what's happening to this important collection of boats and artifacts and especially the library which I used often.

It goes without saying that it is a damned disgrace that it has been closed and will be broken up, but at least we should be able to find out what's happening to it all.
There used to be a Friends of the Museum group, but I've heard nothing from them either.

Regards,

Vintagent
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SteamboatPhil

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2010, 11:46:23 am »

As I understand it they are still getting rid of all the boats (it was full when I was last there a couple of months ago), there was talk of the sea scouts taking over a part of the building, and that they would keep the library going. Maybe someone from the Wat Tyler club would know more as they meet there every Sunday (Barty 230 is the secretary)
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2010, 02:50:18 pm »

Gawd 'elp us..Sea Scouts?  That library deserves a place in a proper museum so that people can use it for research.  In the plans cabinet are a LOT of drawings. If you're down there check 'em out.

Is there a model boat club at Wat Tyler?  Where's the water, apart from Leigh Creek, of course.

Regards,
Vintagent
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Arrow5

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2010, 04:10:36 pm »

I`d also like to know what happened to the couple or so classic powerboats in the Windermere Steamboat Museum. Norman Buckley`s K41 Jag powered hydroplane "Miss Windermere IV" and others.
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2010, 04:27:20 pm »

Ah yes, good point, Duncan.

That also seems to be a dead museum.  Since the fat slob politician and his scruffy mountain chum shut down the lake for proper boats, where's the point in the steamboat museum keeping a fast boat?

What a parlous state to allow our watery heritage to get into, eh?
Think of all the stinking rich g*** who half own the lake anyway and a lot more besides who could save and RUN all these wonderful old boats for the nation they've grown rich on.

Regards,
Vintagent
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gondolier88

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2010, 08:01:48 pm »

The boats are in storage awaiting restoration- they don't need as much restoration as the older steam powered craft as they were kept out of the water.

Havn't heard as yet what the longterm plans are for the museum- Lakeland Arts Trust are keeping it close to their chest.

Greg
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Arrow5

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2010, 08:18:21 pm »

Miss Windermere IV, Jag powered hydroplane K41 and White Lady II. Part of the powerboat collection at the Steamboat Museum.I wonder why we (the Brits) dont model this type of craft more often or even create a vintage /classic racing class.
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2010, 11:27:37 am »

Right on, Dunc!

White Lady was at Pitsea for a while, wasn't she?

Gondolier, if the boats ain't afloat and running, they're 12" -1FT models, they ain't boats!  Would you like to see Gondola at one end of Coniston on a stillage?
And don't forget all the cuts of Tueday's budget.  There won't be any money for museums.  There WILL still be rich g***.

I think the problem is that there are no plans and nobody prepared to get them measured up. Now I'm "semi-retired" i can't afford to travel about doing that.  I find it relatively easy to take lines off a boat. It's a very logical process and has never failed me yet, but seems to put others off.
Also, there are no kits of these craft (yet, watch this space :-))) and people are a bit lazy. They want GRP hulls on the shelf.
I still can't understand why anyone would want, and ge,t an ugly modern tug or a coaster readily, but it takes all sorts I suppose.

Your suggestion of a classic class (and section in this forum, please, Martin) is a great one.

Let's get speedboats popular again!!  But scale ones. They're so much better looking.  AND there's a massive selection of good British boats worth the effort of modelling.

Regards,
Vintagent
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Arrow5

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2010, 11:53:33 am »

So how about getting some of the hydroplane fellows here to come up with a basic hull for an R1 class model . The Imp engined (inboard front engine) instead of the slavish copies of the Ya.. er American "thunderboats". The model could be about 18" or 24" say for "Action Man" pilots (compulsory) and be similar to the type(s) used by the Noone dynasty and plenty of others in the UK and Europe. We have at least one member here making hydroplane hulls, any thoughts.  Kneelers or Cab-overs need outboards unfortunatly.  I`ll leave the "Miss England" and record breaker types (normal hulls) to Vintagent .
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2010, 12:43:19 pm »

Great stuff, Arrow.

But don't forget the inboard older hydros.  I'm working on a Darby One design for a kit maker in wood, which would be an easy build or which somebody could make in GRP.  There is also the Whippet, Singer Cadet, etc.
Then come nearer today with Tremlet, Fenn and Wood, Albatross, Delta, Pearly Miss, Broom, Healey, etc. runabouts, both inboard and outboard.
The smaller Graupner o/b could be specified as a suitable one size class or make an o/b from both ends of their range as two different classes, but always scale.

The R1 is a great class. Not sure where to find one, but it can't be that difficult.  I nearly bought a real one once until I got the heave-ho from the CMBA, then it was pointless owning an old fast boat, but they are out there, I'm sure.
It just needs publicity.

Regards,
Vintagent
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knoby

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2010, 07:48:09 pm »

A one class scale racing formula sounds like a great idea to me !!  I'm sure with the modern cheap electrics available it would be possible to produce something that not only looks fantastic, but goes well, for not too much money.
For some time now I have found myself getting a little bored with scale boats from the operating point of view. Modern fast electrics are prohibitively expensive for me, so this may be just the thing.

Unfortunately I know very little about real hydroplane classes, so I would be very interested to see what designs you more knowlegable chaps can come up with. mean while I'll do some reseach for myself to see whats out there

Cheers Glenn
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gondolier88

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2010, 10:01:42 pm »

...

Gondolier, if the boats ain't afloat and running, they're 12" -1FT models, they ain't boats!  Would you like to see Gondola at one end of Coniston on a stillage?
And don't forget all the cuts of Tueday's budget.  There won't be any money for museums.  There WILL still be rich g***
...
Regards,
Vintagent


Erm?????? %% Sorry you've confused me Vint'- I merely meant that the museum has had to proiritise- it is after all a steamboat museum first and foremost- the powerboats on display had been stuffed and mounted in a non destructive way and maintained (well, what George Pattinson called maintainence anyway!) so they do not need urgent and thorough restoration, unlike the steamboats which go from at the point of sinking with no steam plant installed at worst, to planks needing replacing and the boiler being re-certificated at best.

In turn they will all have a good home- in the museum or otherwise, and believe me there are plenty of people out there with money to give to just causes, you just have find them- something you can't do without being proactive vis a vis; moaning on a forum about the state of the situation, but not actually offering to do anything about it- it sounds like you used to, but the moment you stop and are unwilling to find people to carry on your work you lose the right to pick at other people's efforts.

Greg
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2010, 03:41:04 pm »

I don't confuse you, Greg, I don't know you or even what you do.
My point is simply this... A boat stuffed and mounted ain't a boat. It's a big model. It serves to show the shape, but that's all.  Some of your precious museums don't even allow photography, never mind measuring and taking lines off.  At least Pitsea let me in to do exactly that with impunity.
IS the Steamboat Museum going to be redone or not?  Simple question.  Another simple question. Why did a steamboat museum have powerboats in it?
Another...why don't they just call it the Windermere boat museum and stretch it a bit?
Or better still, get the powerboats out to new owners who'll run them. Especially since the lake was emasculated by that fat slob and his whiskery chum. It's no longer any place for powerboats.
It's not up to me to try to find new owners for these things. Gawd knows there are enough meddling QUANGO Herberts creaming it on public money to do that.  I could give you a list of people to phone up, but the "authorities" wouldn't listen to me.
When these boats are gone, they're gone forever. Replicas don't fool anyone.
There's one chance to save them and those in the money are usuall yalso in the know and it's actually up to them.

Vintagent
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2010, 03:42:01 pm »

Oh and another simple question...the first one...
What IS happening at pitsea, does anyone actually know?
Regards,
Vintagent
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gondolier88

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2010, 07:41:11 pm »

My point is simply this... A boat stuffed and mounted ain't a boat. It's a big model. It serves to show the shape, but that's all.  Some of your precious museums don't even allow photography, never mind measuring and taking lines off.  At least Pitsea let me in to do exactly that with impunity.
IS the Steamboat Museum going to be redone or not?  Simple question.  Another simple question. Why did a steamboat museum have powerboats in it?
Another...why don't they just call it the Windermere boat museum and stretch it a bit?
Or better still, get the powerboats out to new owners who'll run them. Especially since the lake was emasculated by that fat slob and his whiskery chum. It's no longer any place for powerboats.
It's not up to me to try to find new owners for these things. Gawd knows there are enough meddling QUANGO Herberts creaming it on public money to do that.  I could give you a list of people to phone up, but the "authorities" wouldn't listen to me.When these boats are gone, they're gone forever. Replicas don't fool anyone.
There's one chance to save them and those in the money are usually also in the know and it's actually up to them.

Vintagent

Not my musuem!!!! {-)

If you go in and see the new master boatbuilder/museum workshop manager Adrian he will be more than happy to help.

Yes it is going to be re-done, it's already started.

If they weren't in the WSBM where else would you put them???

It's proper title is 'The Windermere Steamboats and Museum'.

I agree, they should be run, but at 10mph they wouldn't work for very long. They shouldn't be moved from Windermere as they are part of the local history.

As I said, you express opions on the subject, but you are not willing to put effort in to rectify the situation, I did not mention new owners in my post, merely the people with money to keep the boats where they are and in good condition- perhaps even running them.

Greg
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #15 on: June 25, 2010, 10:33:57 pm »

And what am I supposed to do with them, then?
Move to the North West?
Take bitty pieces home and clean them.
What rot!!

For your information, I've already saved several old boats and cars and bikes by restoring them or living aboard and keeping them nice, so I don't need any daft lectures from you or anyone else on that subject. My wife and I have replaced all the planks on an historic narrow boat ourselves. No machines, no "experts" and no help from anyone but the odd friend and our son at odd weekends. We spent all our money on her and have just sold her for much, much less to another custodian (for that is all we are) who has the health and money to finish the job which we no longer do.
My conscience is perfectly clear!

The Powerboats are owned by someone and so should be restored by the same body/owner.  Nobody, even rich ones, will pay for their restoration and then say " OK put them back on a stand", would they?

I moved away from Pitsea area just too early to join the "Friends", but certainly would have done.  The trouble is with all these committee run things is they are generally run by professional body runners/club runners/medling busybodies who wouldn't know one end of a chisel from a Parker pen.
Either get your woodworker to do the job or sell the things on to someone who will.  Who gives a damn about Windermere history?  Certainly not those lilly livered turncoats who allowed Fatso and friend to do the dirty on them.
Take the 10 MPH limit off and let's have the lake back or flog the fast stuff to someone who will use it and leave the Museum the Steamboats it's always preferred.

Vintagent
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gondolier88

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #16 on: June 25, 2010, 10:53:05 pm »

I'm just saying, for someone who feels so strongly you don't seem to want to do anything proactive- such as find someone around here who is as bothered about the powerboats as yourself to do what you would like to see happen!

Taking offence at something that is a logical and reasonable point is just excacerbating the problem, as I said I thought you had already made efforts to save things, so who better to spearhead getting the powerboats back into the hands of those that care about them, at least getting someone to run them?

The powerboats, along with the rest of the museum are owned by the Inland Revenue, public ownership on paper, as such you and any other group DO have a say in what happens to them.

My point is that there are many people out there with money who love these boats just as much as you who would like to see them saved and run as they should be, could you, or someone you know, not start collating a list of these supporters and submit plans of part or even full ownership, loaning from the museum at least?

I'm not personally responsible for the plight of the museum here, in pitsea or any other struggling marine museum in the UK but I, like you, have done my part in securing these wonderful vessels for future generations, however when I meet people who are willing to shout down others efforts to do as they see best to do such a thing it infuriates me- as a wise man once said 'If you want something doing right, do it yourself'.

Greg
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vintagent

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Re: Pitsea Museum
« Reply #17 on: June 28, 2010, 04:09:39 pm »

I'm not shouting you down, Greg, you seem to do a good job on Coniston, but my point is that the rich boys have far more clout than me. they are better connected, they could just offer to buy and restore the boats and loan them to the Museum for display days when the local whatever, council, authority, I don't know, can lift the restrictions for a weekend.  but that ain't gonna happen as we all know as they wouldn't even allow records week which since the travesty has been on Coniston, where I'm sure you all do nicely out of it, although perhaps october isn't exactly holiday time in the Lakes<G>

From where I am and how I'm fixed financially and mobility-wise, I can't do anything, but write, to which the recipients would say, "who's this geezer" and file in Bin.
Whereas if some rich type sent them a letter, they might listen or at least start a dialogue.

In the end, I don't give a toss as either you use it or lose it, but if they're going to moulder away, could we at least have drawings and pictures first, then all the Jonnie come latelies can mourn the loss of another bit of important English (British, if you must) heritage.
I can make a model from a couple of photos and if it's lorst and gawn, no-one can gainsay my efforts!

The CMBA don't even talk about it all on their forum, I've tried that, so I don't know of any other body that might care, do you?

Regards,
Vintagent
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