A swing boat, colloquially known as a "shuggy boat" in Northern England, is a fairground ride in which pairs of riders pull ropes to swing back and forth. A similar ride called a pirate ship swings in a similar motion but without the rider pulling on ropes.
Swing boats were one of the earliest fairground rides, common in the Victorian era.Carters Steam Fair: Swingboats . Accessed 8 January 2014Ruth Goodman, Victorian Farm, Pavilion Books, 2009. . p 68. Accessed 8 January 2014 The Beamish open-air museum features an example from the 1830s, named "Skylark". The boats were originally powered by hand, but steam-driven versions began to be introduced in the 1880s.Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre - Swings and Roundabouts. Accessed 8 January 2014
Examples of Victorian-style manually operated swing boats are still popular and are generally seen in traveling "period" fairs.Bridgend County Borough Council, "Families enjoy Bryngarw's Victorian Christmas weekend", 16 Dec 2013 . Accessed 8 January 2014
See also Pirate ship (ride)
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