glen

Put a wheelhouse and foremast on her and it could be a Clyde Puffer Alex. We need one of our resident experts to have a look as i'm only guessing

Certainly looks like a "Puffer" Davie.

looking at puffers on line it looks like it could be one . alex

Is she deep enough for a Puffer? (?HUH)

It looks like a very early steam "lighter", forerunner to the puffers, and from which the "Puffer" gained it's name. The earliest of these steam lighters, without any form of superstructure over the boiler casing , and tiller steered, came about as early as 1856 and not until the 1890's were superstructures fitted.so this is a very early one indeed.
Also they were mostly converted steel dumb barges in the very early years and were not given names, just numbers.

you can actually see the tiller arm rising up from the rudder, on the photo.

I think you've cracked it Neil ........ well done! (Applause)

This is probably a very old ship indeed. It is likely one of those constructed purely for working the Forth-Clyde Canal. This would explain its lack of bulwarks and apparent shallow draft. Before steamers, flat-bottomed horse-drawn scows were used on the canal.

cheers, ray.neil.

looking at the photo again, it reminds me of a little place called Plockton, up near Skye, but probably far off the track! anyone know where it is?

as i am from fife and this was one of my dads pictures i thought it might be around the limekilns ,charlestown area alex

i knew I'd be miles away, but it's just as pretty a spot.neil.