Canal Corp Boats 10

This post is devoted to buoy boats (BB) only.  These vessels were “used to maintain and refuel kerosene lighted buoys on the state’s canal system. This series consists of plans, drawings, and specifications used in building the state’s buoy boat fleet at the Syracuse Canal Shops in the 1920s and 1930s,”  per NYS Division of Canals and Waters archives, Syracuse office.  Click here for an article from a 1982 issue of the Baldwinsville Messenger on a person who used BB 130 for “river sweeping.”

I’d love to learn how many of these vessels were built.  Meanwhile, here are the ones I have photos of.  Some are easily identified . . . like 153 and

109.

Others like 115 have numbers elsewhere.

Others might have all numbers removed.

Others have no BB number but do have a five-digit identifier beginning with “90 . . .”  here 90246.  Urger’s five-digit, e.g., is 90303.

121,

138,

139

142 . . .

151,

and finally, a summer shot of 153.

Click here for three more, BB 110, 113, and 115.  I’ve also seen others that I don’t have photos of.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who hopes to talk to the archivists soon about these very 1920s looking workboats.

Anyone know how many total were built and deployed?  Anyone know of any that have been sold and converted into “BB yachtlettes”?