NB Ferrous - made in Edwin's shed

We've just got back from the AGM of the Boaters' Christian Fellowship in Nottingham. A convenient location for many people ... but there are few places convenient for Norwich dwellers such as us. So a long day, but a good one. We got there at about 1130. While I drank a welcome coffee I watched and listened as BCF member Edwin Fasham talked about his narrowboat, Ferrous, which he is refashioning. Or reFashaming. The man is a genius. The base boat was made in 1974, from which Edwin seems to be keeping only the hull. He has extended the rear hatch area, made a completely new fore deck, and has fabricated a new cabin. And made new gunwales. Oh, and he's made an amazing model which he brought to the meeting.


He's keeping the same exterior cabin layout, but it's all new. I wish I had a photo of the actual boat, but the model shows it very well. Much of the cabin is stainless steel. Why? So that the decorative cast aluminium
uprights either side of the windows don't cause a corrosive electrolytic reaction.


What looks like a flat grey bar between Edwin and the model in the top photo is one of the actual castings (unfortunately you can't see the scroll work at one end of the bar). He casts the aluminium himself in his garden shed! He cuts the stainless steel himself, does all the welding himself ... everything!

It's not easy to see the signwriting on the cabin side of the model (I wonder who did that): it says

EDWIN W FASHAM

Founder & Engineer

BIRMINGHAM

There is much more that could be said about this project, but Edwin himself would be the best person to say it. I don't know if he has a website - a quick search hasn't come up with one.

Oh, forgot to say: he made the propeller himself.