PBK 27

[Douglas Clague]

Hi, I'm new to this site but, at the age of 9 I saw the film, 'the cockleshell heroes' and I was hooked! I persuaded my dad to buy me a set of plans for a pbk 27 as a Christmas present in 1957. As a builder / joiner he had allowed me to use his tools, probably with some trepidation, but secretly checked out the materials list and arranged for the marine plywood and parana pine stringers to be supplied by his timber yard for my birthday in the following August. By this time I had researched all I could about canoes as they were then known, and had secretly made myself a member of Manchester Canoe Club with a view to joining in. When I got home from a day fishing on the local canal, I discovered my present in the garage, and set about assembling the various components, having obtained some Aerolite glue from the local hardware shop. I received an awful bol----ing from dad and told in no uncertain terms to desist from my activities. About 3 days later he said what a good job I had made of the vestigial frame and told me to get on with the project. I needed no more encouragement and completed it in short order. To cut a long story short I became the youngest (at that time) competing member of MCC and was taught the eskimo roll and slalom turns by Paul Farant at New Islington Baths in Manchester, albeit in a competition pbk 14. Those were days I will remember to my dieing day and wish I had continued beyond my teens.

[Mike Crees]

Hi Douglas..I was the same all though a little earlier than you,about 1954..saw the film too,my canoe was a PBK 20,i had many adventures on the river thames camping,i still have a couple of canoes.....there is a Percy Blandford facebook page.

all the best Mike 

On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 11:36 PM, Douglas Clague <dougc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi, I'm new to this site but, at the age of 9 I saw the film, 'the cockleshell heroes' and I was hooked! I persuaded my dad to buy me a set of plans for a pbk 27 as a Christmas present in 1957. As a builder / joiner he had allowed me to use his tools, probably with some trepidation, but secretly checked out the materials list and arranged for the marine plywood and parana pine stringers to be supplied by his timber yard for my birthday in the following August. By this time I had researched all I could about canoes as they were then known, and had secretly made myself a member of Manchester Canoe Club with a view to joining in. When I got home from a day fishing on the local canal, I discovered my present in the garage, and set about assembling the various components, having obtained some Aerolite glue from the local hardware shop. I received an awful bol----ing from dad and told in no uncertain terms to desist from my activities. About 3 days later he said what a good job I had made of the vestigial frame and told me to get on with the project. I needed no more encouragement and completed it in short order. To cut a long story short I became the youngest (at that time) competing member of MCC and was taught the eskimo roll and slalom turns by Paul Farant at New Islington Baths in Manchester, albeit in a competition pbk 14. Those were days I will remember to my dieing day and wish I had continued beyond my teens.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Canvas Kayaks" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to canvas-kayaks+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Douglas Clague]

Hi Mike,I mentioned that my dad was a joiner/builder but didn't expect him to obtain the canvas for me in the way he did. He was renovating a shopfront and installing new signage and on discovering it had a redundant shop blind, procured it for me. Can you imagine the embarrassment of of paddling along in a red and white striped canoe? Eventually I saved up and bought some rubberised paint! Happy days!

[Mike Crees]

Hi Douglas...red and white striped canoe,that would catch on nowdays yes very happy memories simple pleasures.

On Fri, Nov 3, 2017 at 10:26 AM, Douglas Clague <dougc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Mike,I mentioned that my dad was a joiner/builder but didn't expect him to obtain the canvas for me in the way he did. He was renovating a shopfront and installing new signage and on discovering it had a redundant shop blind, procured it for me. Can you imagine the embarrassment of of paddling along in a red and white striped canoe? Eventually I saved up and bought some rubberised paint! Happy days!

[Douglas Clague]

Hi Mike, I spent 7 years as a Venture Scout leader, ending up as ACC activities in Greater Manchester North when I renewed my BCC instructors certificate to be able to bring young folk into the sport. I was daft enough to enter a down river race ( in the veterans class ) by way of encouragement, and did 8 miles down the Mersey, complete with a major portage, finishing at Sale Water Park where the Marshalls had to lift my canoe out of the water, turn it over and let me fall out of the cockpit. My legs had locked up and I was knac---red to the extent I couldn't walk for 3 days. One of my charges that day went on to compete for the armed forces!!! What really revived my interest some years later was watching a German couple in a vintage Klepper sailing across the mouth of Esefjord near Balestrand, like a swan with two lugsails and leeboards. They only travelled about 600metres but drew the attention of everyone who was in Balestrand that day!

[Mike Crees]

Douglas .You did a lot,i wanted to do the Devizes to Westminster canoe race but i never got around to it, a few years ago i bought a old pbk 20 canoe frame from a scout troop in the Midlands,the frame had been in the scout roof for over 30 years,the troop leader tol we cannot  afford the insurance for the boys to use it,so we do not go ton he canal anymore,a sign of the times i am afraid,but a real shame.

On Sat, Nov 4, 2017 at 1:53 AM, Douglas Clague <dougc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Mike, I spent 7 years as a Venture Scout leader, ending up as ACC activities in Greater Manchester North when I renewed my BCC instructors certificate to be able to bring young folk into the sport. I was daft enough to enter a down river race ( in the veterans class ) by way of encouragement, and did 8 miles down the Mersey, complete with a major portage, finishing at Sale Water Park where the Marshalls had to lift my canoe out of the water, turn it over and let me fall out of the cockpit. My legs had locked up and I was knac---red to the extent I couldn't walk for 3 days. One of my charges that day went on to compete for the armed forces!!! What really revived my interest some years later was watching a German couple in a vintage Klepper sailing across the mouth of Esefjord near Balestrand, like a swan with two lugsails and leeboards. They only travelled about 600metres but drew the attention of everyone who was in Balestrand that day!

[Douglas Clague]

Absolutely a sign of the times. When I was first involved with my local venture scout unit, I also found an old two seat pbk design canoe in the church hall loft and couldn't gain insurance or boat certification. I was an architect at that time and sold the old canoe to Andy Thornton, architectural antiques company, whereupon it was sold on to a theme pub.The funds allowed the purchase of three second hand fibreglass kayaks and their refurbishment, which gained certification without problem. I had to renew my BCC certificate in a polythene Pyrana plastic tub!!!! Regards, Doug.