Roger is one of a very few wooden narrow boats conserved for operational use as it was built by Bushell's Brothers in Aylesbury in 1936 and is on the National Register of historic ships. It was built for Harvey Taylor and was in use carrying cargo until 1968 and Rose and Arthur Bray and Ernie Kendal crewed Roger, first paired with the butty Daphne and then with Raymond, which was the last wooden narrow boat built in England.

Rickmansworth Waterways Trust saved Roger in the mid 1990's and fully restored the boat to its original condition as a Harvey Taylor boat. It was returned to the water in 2000 and has been used as a key part of our Heritage Education work every since.

A wooden boat was designed to last about 25 to 30 years and most were left to decay to a point where only full restoration was an option. Rickmansworth Waterways Trust have a programme of continued conservation which ensures the boat is dry docked every two years to complete minor repairs and also re caulking and blacking.

Since Roger is approaching 30 years since it original restoration several large timbers are needing to be replaced. The Trust spend around £10,000 a year conserving the hull and in two years we need to replace part of the Keelson which is expected to cost around £30,000.

Any donation, however small will help us keep this historic wooden narrow boat available for future generations to enjoy.