Our Boats - Independence

Historic, pretty and wooden

• 45 capacity for private charters
• Many passenger boat operators have moved away from the traditional simple open wooden launches but in Independence (and Margaret) and we have two wonderful examples which are much loved members of our family.

Facilities:

• canopy over back of boat
• open bow
• PA
• great fun, summer boat!

Boat Spec:

• licensed within Bristol Floating Harbour and up to Pultney Weir, Bath.

History:

• Originally built to work the shallow waters of the River Severn and Wye. For this reason she has an unusual tunnel arrangement in the stern which houses the propeller shaft and enables her to skim across sandbanks  – shipwrights find this very exciting, but quite fiddly to work on as there are lots of awkward curved shapes to bend the wooden ribs around!
• For a time Independence seems to have made her way to Derbyshire where she worked on the Erewash Canal which intriguingly was built by the famous canal and harbour engineer William Jessop; he was also the main designer of Bristol Floating harbour in the early 19th century.
• Built circa 1926 pitch pine on oak
• Also worked up Wye Valley between Chepstow and Brock Weir
  Bought By Bristol Ferry Boat Company in 1981
• named after previous owner's divorce!