Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
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This is a super short film about the sail powered Falmouth oyster fishery is by David Young of POD Films. My thanks to Jim Godfrey for pointing the way.
Take a moment to look at their other stuff while you’re there – there’s a particularly charming one about Flora Day at Helston, with its extraordinary dancing celebration to mark the end of winter, and the Hal-an-Tow ritual.
For more intheboatshed.net posts relating to Cornwall, click here.
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Ben Wales (check the recent post about his motor launch restoration) has sent in a photo of a most interesting two-masted yacht that he says has lived on Oxey Lake, near Lymington, for over 20 years.
This boat is named So Long and Ben says she was built originally as a 32ft Royal Navy sailing cutter, which he believes were built around the turn of the century and often called DH boats.
This particular boat was built around 1908 and originally had a gun placement on her fordeck. She was sold to her present owner in the 1960s; he carried out a major refit with new decking and cabin, and a ketch rig. What a gorgeous little boat he created! If anyone has information to add, do please let us know – either using the comment button below, by registering with the forum (right) or by emailing me at gmatkin@gmail.com.
Thanks Ben. I now know what kind of boat I’ll sail if I ever get to heaven.
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Motor launch Mary as she is now, and as she was in 1960
Ben Wales wrote to say that he and a friend have embarked on restoring an 18ft clinker-built motor launch that was found stored under trees on a farm. Apparently she had been there for almost 28 years, so I think the boat’s done well to last as well as it has.
Ben’s research has revealed this boat, named Mary, was previously used by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club and was used as a tender for the club’s yachts and visitors. No one seems to know when and where it was built, he says, but he thinks the early 1930’s would be a good guess.
Here’s what Ben says about the job he’s taken on:
‘The launch will require a major rebuild with new top planking and decking.
‘So far we have moved the boat to a new location for the restoration work, and replaced the stem piece and the transom top. The major problem is locating good long lengths of mahogany planks for the top planks; we are currently looking at western cedar as it is priced well and we can get it in the long lengths we require.
‘Luckily, the rest of the planks are in very good shape and only need cleaning and painting.’
Ben says he hasn’t been able to find much evidence of clinker-built open launches being restored, and says that there are very few still around in his area, so he would be very interested to hear about other similar projects. If you’re doing something similar or if you have any further information about Mary that you think Ben would find interesting or useful, please contact me at gmatkin@gmail.com or use the contact button below, and I will pass the information on.
Thanks Ben – and do please keep us in touch with your project.