Prouts & The Canvey Canoe Club

[ralph]

Some fascinating new pictures are on the Canvey community Archive website http://www.canveyisland.org/page_id__63_path__.aspx showing scenes of houseboats on Smallgains Creek.
I was born only a couple of hundred yards from Smallgains creek and have memories of the houseboats that were there in the '50s Even after the creek was dammed there were a number left in the "dry" section of the creek where the playing fields are now.
I'd be interested to see other pictures of the area and to hear of other memories of the houseboats and, perhaps, their owners.

[Sparrow]

Hi
I worked at Prouts IN the late 50s early 60s.
I believe the large catamaran with Ian Hawks by it is the MK1 Snowgoose[wooden ]which I worked on.
In the last photo the chap in the front row centre is with the jumper is Trevor Bloxham.His dad worked there at the same time.
The chap in the front row right with the specs is Mr Vincent [can't remember his first name] who ran the varnish shop.
Other names I recall---Paul Haylock,cold moulding supervisor[cigs 3d each]. Dave Poole---folding boats,still on Canvey.
Lawrence Unstead.Derek Gully.The McKenna bros.

Re houseboats in Smallgains creek,we used to play on the abandoned ones but some were still lived in up to the mid 60s.
I was quite sweet on one of the inhabitants---Carol Hayward and went to school with her.

[ralph]

I believe that Prouts originally made canoes before specialising in cats? I suppose that explains the canoe club connection.
Prouts made some interesting catamarans from the famous Shearwater to large one offs.
One that I recall was called Rehu Moana which was built to go to the Arctic if I recall correctly? I have some photographs of the launch somewhere which I'll upload if I ever manage to find them.
It had an unusual wishbone mast but it wasn't a success and was later replaced with a conventional one. Googling for "Rehu Moana" comes up with quite a few hits. Below is a snippet from Wikepedia on Dr. David Lewis:

He later decided to sail around the world with his second wife and two small daughters, and built the ocean cruising catamaran Rehu Moana, for this purpose. After an initial voyage towards Greenland, he entered the 1964 single-handed trans-Atlantic race and picked up his family in the United States. They circumnavigated by way of the Strait of Magellan, the South Pacific and the Cape of Good Hope. (See his book Daughters of the Wind.) This was the world’s first circumnavigation by multihull

[Trevia]

There are more excellent photos of Prout's Catamaran on the website!

http://www.canveyisland.org/page_id__63_path__.aspx

[canvey joe]

Ralph, you are perfectly correct re Prouts building canoes. They used to build them at the High Street end of Gwendalen Ave Smallgains Corner in an old black timber barn. Currently there is a house built on the site with the car dealer on the opposite corner. From there they moved to the factory between the top of St Anns and Gainsborugh Roads. where they started to build bigger boats

[ralph]

I was aware of the Smallgains site (I think shown in one of the pictures) but this is the first I've heard of the St. Annes / Gainsborough site. I'd be interested to know more about this one (I actually live quite close which gives it more interest to me) and to see any pictures.
The extra pictures that Dave has added (thanks Trevia for drawing my attention) are very good. I remember the launch of the Tsulamaran as I was there to watch it and still have the newspaper cuttings. The creek was a bit more empty in those days as you can see from the launch pictures and from the attached which was taken by me in 1965

Untitled-1.jpg (40.51 KiB) Viewed 569 times

[canvey joe]

Ralph, My mistake. "Goldings" the metal workers were at the top of St Anns/Gainsborough not Prouts.

[queenie]

Hi, My husband Barry Roberts is in the photo. The tall one in the back row, 6th from the left, next to him is Peter Hamblin. Does anyone know where Pete Hamblin is now?

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Dave Bullock replies: Thanks Queenie - Please click the link below to make sure I have updated the correct Photo:-
http://www.canveyisland.org/page_id__63_img__658.aspx

[canvey joe]

Hi Queenie. Peter Hamblin was certainly young in that photo. he is now living down Craven Avenue about half way down on the lh side. I will let him know you were asking after him next time i see him. Best wishes

[Dave Bullock]

Ian has sent in another Photo and named more people in the photos.

http://www.canveyisland.org/page_id__63.aspx

Dave

[CanveyAdministrator]

More photos and comments added this morning - If you want to see Smallgains Creek in the Snow click here!

http://www.canveyisland.org/page_id__63.aspx

Can anyone precisely date these photos?