Wooden Ships Comments on this 52′ Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter
Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter built by E. Rowles of Pill in 1905. She was built for Capt. Gilmore Dickens and named after his wife Letitia (Letty).
Major professional rebuild between 2011 – 2019. All hull planking, frames and the majority of the centreline structure were replaced along with a new deck, interior, machinery, systems and rig.
Sadly offered for sale at a very attractive and low price due to the owners health issues. This asking price is far below her current market value and this is a golden opportunity for the right person to obtain an original yet rebuilt Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter that is largely ready to go this season.
All the advertising photos are recent and are representative of her current condition.
The first part of Lettys rebuild was started at Cockwells yard in Falmouth where the centreline, hull planking and frames were replaced. She was then taken to Plymouth and the work was completed by experienced shipwright Chris Rees with a new deck interior systems and rig.
Since the completion of the work in 2019, she has sailed extensively, taking part in the 2022 Brest and Douarnenez festivals and joining the OGA Round Britain event in 2023.
The boat is currently laid up afloat but will need very little spring work before being ready for the season.
Wooden Ships Comments on this William Kings & Sons Gaff Sloop
21’ double ended gaff sloop built by William Kings & Sons of Burnham-on-Crouch in 1932.
Very nicely built and highly interesting yacht, impeccably well maintained in long experienced ownership. This little yacht sails beautifully, is very easily handled and has won many gaffers races.
This special little yacht went through a major renovation in 2002 with a professional shipwright, and since that time has been diligently maintained by her meticulous owners with many recent upgrades and repairs. The boat has been avidly cruised as well with trips north from her Welsh base, exploring the west coast of Scotland, Ireland and south to Brittany and Cornwall.
Far more capable and seaworthy then some would assume from her short length on deck, this is a particularly interesting yacht in superb condition and fully equipped ready to sail away this season.
Length on Deck 21’ / 6.4m
Length Overall 27’9” / 8.46m
Length Waterline 20’7” / 6.27m
Beam 6’9” / 2.06m
Draft 4’ / 1.22m
Displacement 4 tons
Sail Area 300sqft
History
Shearwater has an interesting history. She is based on the 1895 Pengelly & Gore of Teignmouth designed & built 18ft double ender ‘Snipe’. Her designer Abraham Pengelly was said to be one of the best boat builders of the time (and interestingly the young Morgan Giles started his career around this time learning from Pengelly & Gore). Snipe was owned by the well-known yachtsman & author Francis B Cooke for a number of years around 1900. She was described affectionately in virtually all of his books, and he said she was probably the best boat he owned in some seventy years or so of sailing.
The person who purchased Snipe from Francis B Cooke, after almost 30 years of ownership, decided to have a larger version built, and it was essential she should have all of Snipe’s excellent qualities, so her lines were taken off by Kings of Burnham and Shearwater came into being in 1932. Kings did a wonderful job building her out of the finest materials. Shearwater is mentioned in the books as performing equally well, which has been confirmed many times since in the many cruises she has undertaken and classics races she has won.
Another previous owner, an ex pilot for Imperial Airways in the 1930s, lived aboard Shearwater for 16 years, and one one occasion made a trip from Isle of Man back to the mainland with a MV Agusta motorbike and dog aboard! Any information gathered on Shearwater’s history will be passed on to new owner.
The current owners have renovated Shearwater, kept her to a high standard, and have been on many adventures with her around Anglesey and as far as Brittany and the Outer Hebrides. She is now looking for a new owner to love and take care of her and enjoy new adventures of their own.
Recent maintenance
Interior cabin coachroof deck head, deck beams, galley and under side decks repainted and re-varnished to high professional standard 2023
Exterior varnish and paintwork always maintained to high standard
New flexible water tank (Plastimo, 50l) 2024
Engine oil change/service every year. Last service Oct 2024
New Yanmar engine water pump 2024
New Airmar bronze depth transducer 2024
New fuel lines (Lloyds Register approved Marine fuel hose) and shut off valve 2022
New Fuel Tank 33l 2022
New Morse engine controller 2022
New cutlas bearing, stern gland and packing 2022
New anchor chain (50 metres of 8mm chain) 2022
New Rigging (stainless steel) 2022
New VHF aerial 2022
New engine start battery (Yuasa 65Ah) 2022
New domestic batteries (2 x 70Ah = 140Ah total) 2020
New manual bilge pump (whale gusher urchin) 2022
New mast June 2013 from professional shipwright
Renovated 2002 by professional shipwright
– Numerous ribs replaced
– Re-caulking where necessary
– New sampson post
– Whole exterior scraped to bare wood and coatings re-applied after applying 3 coats of wood preservative
– Ballast keel re-bedded and new keel bolts added
– Plank end (hood end) fastenings replaced with Silicone Bronze screws
Winterised ashore each year under a bespoke winter cover, after servicing all systems, winterising engine, and with all hatches open to ensure good ventilation throughout the boat. Batteries removed and kept indoors fully charged every winter.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Paul Gartside Bermudan Sloop
Designed by Paul Gartside and built by the first owner, launched in 2003.
The brief to Gartside was for a ‘strong, tight and easily handled no-nonsense boat, capable of beating to windward in adverse conditions’.
The builder was limited in size by his barn, hence her overall length of 21’. The construction utilises modern glues with multi layered timber to create a very tough and durable hull that requires minimal maintenance and will withstand very tough sailing conditions.
In 2013/2014 the previous owner, a professional shipwright, bought the boat and carried out a refit with a new engine and systems, new electrics, added cockpit tents and other gear. More recently the rig has been upgraded with a stack pack system on the boom and roller furling on the headsail.
This is an unusual and very capable little boat in excellent condition and very well equipped for short handed offshore cruising. Sold with a custom made yard bogey trailer.
Survey and rig report from October 2024 available.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Laurent Giles Lymington L Class
Lymington ‘L’ Class designed by Jack Laurent Giles and built by E.F. Elkins of Christchurch in 1939. Sail No. L14.
The L class is often thought of as the forerunner to the Vertue, a design which has become iconic since it’s launch, with many similarities between the 2 designs.
The L Class was intended as a day sailor and weekender with enough space below for a couple of berths, heads and galley, but a large enough cockpit for comfortable day sailing.
This yacht was purchased by the current experienced owner in 2020 and given to a professional local boat builder for a thorough refit. This included stripping the hull to bare wood which found the original pitch pine planking in excellent condition. Aft deadwood and associated bronze bolts were replaced, some cracked frames repaired and corroded strap floors replaced. A rebuilt Vire petrol engine, new upholstery and all new sails topped off the refit period.
This is a very smart and excellent example of the class, professionally cared for in recent years and well equipped.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Lyle Hess 32 Gaff Cutter
Lyle Hess 32 designed by the famous American naval architect and built in Malaysia by the Haji Abdullah Bin Muda shipyard in 1991. She was built for the son of high ranking politician Teo Eng Tat.
The Hess 32 took inspiration from the working boats and pilot cutters of the UK making them very seaworthy and capable vessels. Her generous beam and stiff bilge sections give her excellent stability and the rocker on the keel is reminiscent of the Morecambe Bay Prawners which were renowned for their speed.
As with most yachts built in that part of the world, the very durable hardwood Chengal was used for frames and planking giving the yacht longevity even in harsh environments.
Imported into the UK by the previous owner after a period of neglect, the vessel had a lot of professional refit work carried out by Waterfront Marine in Bangor to bring her back up to A1 condition. She then left for an 8 year Atlantic cruise, winning prizes at the Antigua Classics Regatta in 2008, 2009 and 2013. The work done at this point included the following:
Replacement of the bottom 4 planks either side in iroko
New teak on plywood deck with stanchions, bulwarks, cockpit etc
New interior joinery
Purchased by the current owner in 2016, she still had her original Bermudan cutter rig on aluminium spars. The owner decided she would look superb with a gaff rig so he started on a 2 year refit with Waterfront Marine where a complete new gaff cutter rig was designed and made including all new spars, rigging and sails. In the same period the systems and electrics were renewed entirely, new nav gear and many other jobs to bring her up to a high spec.
Since that time she has cruised the Irish Sea and Western Scotland but age and health has forced the owner to find a new custodian.
This is a high quality yacht built from very durable materials and maintained to an excellent standard. Having proven herself over many thousands of miles of ocean cruising, there is no doubt she has the capability to sail across oceans as well as gentle cruising around our coasts.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Alan Pape Gaff Cutter
Designed by Alan Pape and built by Rob Feloy and Gubby Williams in Devon and launched in 1991. In 1992/93 she crossed the Atlantic via the West Indies to Maine, returning in 1995. Since then she has been sailed extensively around the UK, and after a major refit by the Elephant Boatyard in 2010 she completed two separate circumnavigations of the UK taking in the Shetland Islands and the Orkneys.
In the present ownership she has been altered in many ways to improve her sailing ability and her comfort with a newly designed taller mast in 2006, Beta Marine engine in 2007 and the large quarter berth in 2009. She has had extra tanks fitted, heating systems, modern charging systems and all new upholstery in recent years.
Built using modern wood/epoxy techniques making her very strong but light with a healthy ballast ratio and large internal volume, she is a very unusual boat. Being only 34′ length on deck she is not a big boat but has more space and volume than most gaffers of this size.
Licenced for commercial sailing until 2020,she retains all the paper work and the stamp of approval this certification brings.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Murray Peterson Gaff Schooner
Murray Peterson schooner professionally built in Fowey in 1981 by A.H Watty, the last boat built by this yard.
Run as a private yacht and as a charter vessel at different times, she has done at least 6 Atlantic crossings and has raced in classic events across Europe, the Caribbean and up to Nova Scotia. More recently in the previous ownership she was been based on the East coast with a trip to Norway then round Britain taking in the Hebrides and the West coast.
She has proved to be a very capable yacht even in severe weather conditions and is easily sailed by a small crew, a previous owner cruised with just husband and wife on many occasions. With 8 berths in total however she has the space for a large compliment of hands if required for adventures further afield.
Sadly neglected in present ownership and laid up on the hard. Being offered for sale at this reduced price to reflect the work required. Professional survey carried out in December 2024, copy available.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Fred Shepherd Bermudan Cutter
Fred Shepherd design, built by the Hanson Yard, Isle of Wight, in 1903.
Originally rigged as a gaff yawl, she is now a bermudan cutter.
A major rebuild was undertaken by the current owner in conjunction with professional boat builders at D.S. Wooden Boats. Well known surveyor Iain Nicholson was engaged for technical advice and design work throughout the rebuild.
The work was finished around 2004 and she has been lightly sailed around West Wales since then. Currently ashore, she was last afloat in autumn 2023.
The hull was rebuilt to a good standard but there is room to continue the refit work. She could not currently be considered ready for sea given the lack of safety systems and equipment.
This is a very elegant yacht in structurally excellent condition, ready for the next owner to put their mark on the boat.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Spirit of Tradition Bermudan Cutter
Designed and built by the owner, the 3rd yacht he has completed. Launched in 2015.
Constructed to German Lloyds standards. The owner is a time served shipwright, a qualified Master Boat Builder under German rules who has worked for Yachtwerft Stapelfeldt for over 30 years. He has put all the skills and knowledge of a lifetime spent working with wooden boats into this yacht. The owner and his wife have spent several years cruising in her, visiting Norway and the Mediterranean, sailing the boat in all weather conditions and spending months at a time living aboard.
She has proved to be an excellent cruising yacht, very well mannered at sea, a joy to sail and turns heads in every port with her elegant lines. She was constructed to be a low maintenance boat and is finished entirely with 2 pack paints and varnish that have stood up exceedingly well to the years of cruising. Whole boat being re-varnished through the winter of 2024.
Taking inspiration from the Westcountry working boats of Devon and Cornwall, her straight stem, long keel and raked transom stern are elegantly proportioned with a sweet sheer line that sets her off perfectly.
The owners passion for this yacht is evident, he has lived and breathed her since the first drawings through to launch and consequent extended cruising. She is a magnificent yacht in sparkling condition.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Kim Holman Bermudan Cutter
Kim Holman Bermudan Cutter built by Tucker Brown of Burnham-on-Crouch in 1963.
Designed for RORC Class II and launched in time for the 1963 Fastnet Race. She was the reserve yacht for the 1963 British Admirals Cup team.
Holman to many people in the know is considered one of the most talented UK yacht designers of the period, producing some extremely successful yachts and class designs that have become iconic boats, such as the Stella and the Twister. His designs were without exception superb sailing vessels, always did exactly what they were designed to do and frequently took others by surprise with their pace and ability.
This yacht, one of a small handful built to the same lines, exudes a subtle beauty and elegance found in very few other designers work of the time. She is also fast and very seaworthy, proven by her impeccable racing record against some of the well known yachts of the era such as Bloodhound and Lutine. She has since crossed the Atlantic to cruise and race and various parts of the globe, turning heads everywhere she goes.
In the present ownership since 2012, she underwent a major professional refit in 2013 and has since cruised extensively, visiting not only the usual haunts of the West Country and Brittany, but also a trip to Norway via Ireland, the Western Isles and Shetland, then around the North Cape and through the White Sea and the Belomor Canal to the Baltic and St Petersburg. During this period she received 3 separate awards from the Royal Cruising Club. In this time she has also competed successfully in classic yacht regattas and holds a JCH rating of 8.6993.
Now back in her home port of Salcombe, she is undergoing some more refit work prior to another busy schedule next season.
With many improvements, upgrades and repairs over the last 10 years she is in really good sailing condition and has proven that she is not just a classic regatta winner, but also a superb cruising boat. The owner likes to think of her as an Aston Martin Grand Tourer, fast and elegant but very comfortable with it. She is everything that is required of a classic yacht for the modern world. She rewards being sailed well and forgives being sailed less attentively!
Length on Deck 41’6” / 12.65m
Length Waterline 30’ / 9.14m
Beam 10’10” / 3.3m
Draft 7’2” / 2.19m
Displacement 11.9 tonnes
Thames Tonnage
Refit work 2012 -2013
Mast step extended
New laminated wooden floors under the mast step
All original galvanised strap floors replaced with cast bronze
Underwater seams raked out and re-caulked
Engine removed and overhauled
Engine bearers replaced and new stern gland fitted
New Balmar smart alternator fitted
New AGM batteries
Solar panel fitted
New Lewmar self tailing winches fitted
Mast stripped and painted.
New standing and running rigging
New alloy boom with Stack Pack system
Harken MkIV furlers fitted to yankee and staysail
New mainsail and yankee
New carbon fibre spinnaker pole
Diesel fired hot air cabin heating fitted
New Jabsco heads
All navigation instruments replaced with B&G + NMEA 2000 connections 2018
2022
All external varnish back to bare wood and built up
Coachroof windows removed and re-bedded
All new interior varnish
New Whitlock steering gearbox and fully serviced steering system
Engine removed and fully serviced
Bilges painted stem to stern
One short shift of plank replaced port side
Various topsides splines replaced
Backstay quarter plates removed and checked
2024
Underwater hull stripped to bare wood
Loose plugs replaced ad a few graving pieces fitted
A video showing the 8 year rebuild of Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter Letty. She is very sadly now going up for sale due to unexpected medical circumstances and will be offered at the bargain price of £100,000. The owner wishes to sell her quickly and see the boat back sailing this summer rather than laid up. This is a very rare opportunity to purchase a rebuilt original pilot cutter at far below market value. Anyone with serious interest should contact us directly, more photos and full specifications to follow on the web site. ... See MoreSee Less
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