Alex and Paul Mears of the long established Seaton, Devon boatyard HJ Mears have written to tell us about their year. Follow the link for some history, boats for sale (including a nice small yacht… ) and some nice photos among other things.
‘We’ve been fortunate to have had a rather hectic year; so I thought I’d update you and your readers on some of our projects.
‘The first one to be completed earlier in the year was our 25ft clinker launch Tarka.
Her owner has had a cracking season exploring the river Dart and going further afield. She is certainly distinctive among the GRP of modern day marinas – and is ven distinctive when set among other wooden boats. Mears builds traditional clinker boats that are strong enough for beach launching day after day, and also very seaworthy. Beamy, strong and very capable, they can provide a versatile platform for a lifetime of boating.
The next completion was, dare I say it here, a Cygnus 21ft GRP fishing boat for a local single-handed fishermen in Axmouth Harbour- in the photo she is in the background, while in the foreground is one of our 16ft Beer lugger launches from the 1980s.
We had a lovely surprise when one of our 10ft clinker dinghies from the 1940s turned up for restoration.
She needed several planks (the elm was difficult to source!) and ribs, then a full strip down and finish. The owner was delighted how she was brought back to life at a approximate age of 70 years!
We then had a full restoration on a local 19ft GRP fishing boat. She arrived in an awful state but is now back out fishing safely with many more years service to clock up.
One of our current jobs is to pop a tidy little Beta engine in a boat we built in the 1960s. This will give her a new lease of life and offer the owner peace of mind.
We have a variety of jobs in the pipeline including one of our 16ft clinker launches suitable for use as a Beer lugger. She is at her most beautiful stage where the planking and ribs are all visible, the next stage is the strengthening structure.
Wishing all your readers a great Christmas and a prosperous 2016!
Alex and Paul’
