Becoming the Puffer Preservation Trust

The Puffer, VIC 32 was built in 1943 and is 80 years old this year.

Nick and Rachel bought the Puffer in 1975, restored her hull by double plating on the tidal Thames and converted the ship’s hold to accommodation for 12 passengers. They then took her back to Scotland and operated her as a passenger-carrying vessel under the auspices of ‘Highland Steamboat Holidays’. This was a very successful but shoestring company and when in 1998 they could see the writing on the wall for the continued success of the project, becoming a Scottish Charity became the obvious way forward.

This was initialized in 2000 and we became ‘The Puffer Preservation Trust, Co. Ltd’ in 2002.

In the spring of 2004, the Allianz Cornhill insurance company’s boiler inspector failed the Puffer’s boiler. Their metallurgy experts had made their best efforts to try and overcome the boiler’s problems but to no avail.

I don’t think we realized back then how popular the boat was. Members of the public came up to Nick in the local supermarket and sympathizing with the situation, stuffed £10 notes into his top boiler suit pocket. Children gave him their pocket money, did sponsored swims and walks along the Crinan canal. Local artists raised £11,000 by giving their art that was sold one evening in the Crinan Hotel.

The Heritage Lottery fund gave £105,000 toward the boiler replacement project which included new 8mm hull plating under and around the new boiler. The work was done by Corpach Boatbuilders at Fort William and by Roger and Paul Pridham at Tavistock in Devon. The entire project cost £158,000 and by September 2006 we were back up and running on the Caledonian canal.

Since the inauguration of the Puffer Preservation Trust we have probably spent over £750,000 on the vessel. This includes approximately 60% of the underwater hull’s plating being replaced with new 8mm thick steel and 25% of the above water hull’s plating.

We gather money in from all quarters during the year: mostly from selling holidays on board during the summer, but also from gift aided donations, gift aid itself, sales of souvenirs and raffle tickets and our Cookbook.

Any future money given to the boat will continue to go toward its general restoration and the on-going hull replacement scheme.

If you come across us anywhere you meet us, feel free to ask for a guided tour and see where the money you have donated has gone to. Unless we are very busy it is quite common to be allowed on board anytime during the year.

Thank you for your continued support.

Jim Hay, Rob Davies, Phil Robinson and Richard Albanese (Directors of Puffer Preservation Trust Co. Ltd)

 

THE PUFFER PRESERVATION TRUST CO. LTD. Company No: SC228272 Registered Charity No: SCO32793 Directors : Jim Hay, Phil Robinson and Richard Albanese Registered Address C/O Abacus Services, Abacus Building, 8 High Street, Oban, Scotland, PA34 4BG VAT No. 847801703

THE PUFFER STEAMBOAT HOLIDAYS CO LTD. is an ancillary of The Puffer Preservation Trust, Co, Ltd and is a non-profit making company. All its earnings are ploughed back into the Trust and the money is spent on our hull replacement programme. Company No: SC281247 VAT No. 888996024