The Pen Makers Boat: #540 Now Sold

NB Dane Oak and Chrome Premium Ballpoint Twist Pen

(£4 from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the Custodians of NB Dane)

EUROPEAN OAK - Quercus robur

Usually straight-grained, the heartwood of European Oak varies in colour from light tan to brown. Quarter-sawn pieces show attractive flame figuring. The wood is fairly hard, heavy and dense, clean but with the occasional knot. European Oak is a beautiful timber and with an oil finish, the grain will turn a deep golden brown.

This particular piece of oak (probably English rather than European) is just a little bit special though. It comes from the rear cabin side planking of Narrowboat Dane. I was given a few off cuts by the superb craftsmen who were carrying out the extensive refurbishment to this historic boat.

The rotten parts of these rebuilt boats are usually used to stoke the fires that steam the new planks for bending to the hull's shape.Luckily these pieces of elm were too important to burn and have been properly stored. I wasn't sure how deep the rot would have gone and how deep I would have to delve into this piece to find stable wood. The pens I make from historic boat materials have been thoroughly tested by me to make sure that they will give pleasurable daily use.

Narrowboat Dane was built by the Mersey Weaver and Ship Canal Carrying Company and used as part of their fleet. She was built in November 1946 and first registered on January the first 1947. Ade from A P Boatbuilding is currently restoring her on behalf of The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the work being done is re-bottomed with new chine planks, kelson, stem post and soon to receive two new bow planks, gunwales, decks, new back cabin and engine room. The pens that I will be making from Dane are all from a heavy lump of Elm bottom plate and a replaced side plank made of oak.

Pen #540 was turned at Mercia Marina, Willington on 21st May 2016

After Fradley Junction and the drop down through busy locks came a run across glorious countryside to Alrewas and down onto the main Trent River for a short run past fast flowing weirs and our stop at Burton-on-Trent. It was a short half day trip through a few more downhill locks and into Mercia Marina at Willington which would be our next port of call and a floating market with the added benefits of the marina facilities including our much anticipated 240v electrical hook-up.

This was our first time trading from pontoons and it certainly did bring a new set of challenges. The first of which was just getting into position on our pontoon. The wide open spaces created by all the flat water in these new super-marinas can really accelerate any breeze into a ferocious wind that will blow a 60 foot 18 ton flat bottomed narrowboat off course in the blink of an eye. Luckily our fellow traders were there to lend a helping hand.

It wasn't until the first trading day that many of us appreciated that the very narrow (and shorter than advertised) finger pontoons were going to be a tight squeeze for sharing with another boat. They were only about two foot wide and had no barrier at the far end which at 40 feet long was about two thirds the way along the average boat. We shared our pontoon with a day trip boat which was fine until it started leaving every hour for fifty minutes to convey its passengers around the local canals leaving our customers standing back to look at the pen displays and teetering on the edge of the pontoon!

Like I say a challenging weekend but enjoyable none the less, however it may be something that we don't revisit in the future as our insurance is valid for trading from a towpath only.