LOCAL STEAM BOAT

What a delightful craft (Africa Queen?)
Would love something like that to play with out here.

Nice to see articles like this with the dedication of someone prepared to take on long term projects to bring interesting craft like this back to life, its a great credit to the restorers . Unfortunately our local repair and boatbuilding yards are all changing to meet modern needs and some interesting craft like this are seldom now seen locally .

I have just been asked to inspect a similar vessel, only slightly larger, to have a restoration refit for service on a private lake in East Sussex. Craft like these are full of character and keep the link with traditional timber boat construction alive, and also as an inspiration to new budding boatbuilders. But alas, the world is constantly changing which does not always cater for these traditions to be maintained.

Hi, At the time that sailing boats were being built in the workshop in the yard of Oxley and Bennett builders, there was a young man from Lewes working there. I just cannot recall his name at the moment. He bought a "wreck" of a very old boat and set about completely rebuilding it, a project that was to take him many years. He was carrying out this task at the Lewes Boat Club yard and I helped him to make a gadget to "steam" timbers for bending into shape for ribs and things. I lost contact with him when the boatshop ceased production, never did know if he managed to reach his goal. Reading about the above steam boat reminded of him. Something at the very back of my mind is telling me his name may have been Roger.

Nice pictures of your "electric boat", however the photo from the boat looking towards the incinerator just goes to show that the comments at the enquiry stating that "it would not intrude on the scene" were somewhat of an overstatement.

Here I am, late as usual. Colin, the young fella you remember was Roger Wood. My father Dick Stovell was to have been foreman of the Invicta boat building and with Roger they did all the groundwork for the project. Unfortunately dad not live to see the fruits of his work. Les Calfe took over as foreman and with Roger Wood they worked together when production of the Invicta class boats finally started at Oxley & Bennett.

I think the first boat was loaded onto a trailer, with Sid Turner driving the crane and may have been called "Invictus of Saxony". Bob Martin drove the tractor unit to the quay.

William, I can not think of a Roger Wood, working on the Invicta boats. Are you referring to Roger, the son of that other local character, Ken Wood?. The fella that worked in the boat shed was, I think, a Roger Atkinson from Lewes. He became friends with Alan "Yogi/Coke" Downes, and I have since heard, they both, ended up in New Zealand. It was an exciting moment when the first Invicta boat rolled out the yard for launching at the North Quay, and all your other details are quite correct.

Hi Colin, you are quite right, it was Roger Atkinson! Unfortunately Roger who was an old friend of mine, died in Nelson, New Zealand two or three years ago. I would have described him as a master Shipwright. 

Hi Dave, I'm sorry to learn of Roger's passing, he was a good bloke and like you said, a " Master of his craft ".