Steam-boat Roger

 

 

 

Roger Mallinson, who restored this handsome anachronism seen steaming grandly down Lake Windermere is perhaps better used to very different vessels. Six years ago he made the headlines, trapped on the bed of the Atlantic for 85 hours in the mini-submarine Pisces III.

 

Now Mallinson, who went into diving from engineering, and computers, has turned to building steam-powered craft for a living, in the wake of a growing interest from dedicated amateur builders. "This 45ft launch, the Shamrock, was built on Windermere in 1903 by a Lancashire cotton magnate. Now it's' fitted with an old locomotive boiler, tapestry seat covers made by his wife and daughter, and an engine designed and built by Mallinson himself: 'It's clean and quiet, and never fails to start,' he says.

 

For eight weeks Mallinson fired the boiler on driftwood from the lake. Now he is using coal because he no longer has the time for beachcombing. Steam plant can also be adapted for oil or gas. His own boats are designed to fit on a trailer which can he towed by the family car. The emphasis is on craftsmanship, both in the power plant and the traditionally built timber hull.