Name Pinner

PINNER is a 1936 canal working boat, built for the Grand Union Company.  She was built by Shipbuilders W.J. Yarwood Ltd in Northwich, Cheshire, as part of a batch of 38 new motorboats.  A quantity of similar boats were constructed also by Harland and Wolff in Woolwich, with slightly differnt constructional methods being used.  All the boats were named after UK Town or similar place names.

PINNER would usually have towed a seccond unpowered boat to increase the amount of cargo carried. These boats, know as "butty boats" would have been of wooden or composite construction.  Records show that PINNER towed butty boats FULWELL, DOWNHAM, BARNES, OXTED, BUDE and BRANKSOME. Sadly being wooden, many of these boats have not survived the years, though Pinner's original butty, POPLAR, is still in existence.

In 1950, PINNER featured in a British Transport Commission film called "There Go The Boats".  The film was created for the staff of the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive as a training exercise.  At the time, PINNER was paired with wooden butty DOWNHAM, the boats being operated by brothers William and Joe Berrisford.

At some stage, the original steel backcabin was removed from the boat, this being replaced with a new wooden cabin.  This change would be welcomed by the boatmen, as the metal cabins had issues with condensation.

Having served many decades, PINNER was re-bottomed and re-footed at Bulls Bridge in Middlesex.  The new bottom plates, along with the knees and guard irons were all riveted into position as per the original design. This work was undertaken in the 1950s.  She was then transferred into the South Eastern maintenance division of boats in the 1960's.  Her new job being to assist with the upkeep of canal infrastructure.  A new steel cabin was fitted in the typical BW maintenance style.  PINNER's counter was also removed and replaced with a new counter. She carried materials such as puddle clay and steel for piling work.

In 2000 PINNER was seen at Bradley workshops, not long before she was craned out of the water for repair work. Although the steel cabin was cut off and the engine removed, little constructive work was undertaken, and the boat lay exposed to the elements for the next decade.

PINNER was out of the water for over a decade, before being sold by British Waterways (now The Canals and Rivers Trust) in 2010.  Although the vessel had recieved a new bottom and re-footing work during her working career, these parts are again requiring attention. Additionally, there is significant corrosive damage to the hull in many localised areas, which are now  being attended to. The majority of the work involves carefull removal and replacement of damaged hull plating, with emphasis being placed on the preservation of the original hull shape. Additionally, the boat requires a new cabin, and engine installation, as these were both removed during British Waterways ownership.