Wooden Ships Comments on this A.R. Luke Gaff Sloop
Designed by A.R. Luke and built by Brook & Hall of Walton-on-the-Naze in 1927.
A very capable boat for her size, she was evidently built to a very high standard with excellent materials.
Looking a little neglected as the owner has been unable to carry out his usual diligent maintenance program. The varnish on the hull needs attention and the boat needs a general clean up as part of her spring maintenance program.
A very pretty boat that offers a lot of fun for the money.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Centreboard Bermudan Cutter
Built by E. Williams of Cowes, reputedly in 1908.
Found in a poor state by a local shipwright in Chichester Harbour, the boat was refitted and bought by the current owner after Covid. Since then she has been kept on a drying mud mooring in Chichester Harbour and used for local sailing, she has been a wonderful boat for her owner, pottering about the harbour and visiting the various pubs in the area.
She has the benefit of being shallow draft with a dagger board so she can access shallow creeks with ease. She can also take the ground meaning cheaper drying moorings are accessible to her, reducing annual running costs.
The boat has been used with a heavy duty yard trailer but could easily be towed on the road with a suitable road trailer, again giving the option to reduce annual running costs with the ability to take the boat and store for free in winter months.
A pretty little boat with 2 berths to spend nights aboard and explore shallow areas, a perfect weekend camping and exploring boat.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Kim Holman Bermudan Ketch
34′ Kim Holman ketch built by Whisstocks Boatyard, Woodbridge in 1966. She has had several owners who have cruised the boat extensively over the years, including widely around Europe and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean proving her as a capable, safe and comfortable cruising boat.
With a new deck laid in 1996 (re-caulked 2021) and a major hull and engine refit by the Elephant Boatyard in 2016/2017, she has been maintained to a good standard over the yea
Her snug ketch rig makes her easy to handle when sailing alone or short handed with a spacious cockpit, wide side decks, roller furling headsail and self tailing sheet winches.
She is a deceptively spacious yacht below decks with a healthy beam and a good depth in hold due to her underwater shape, typical of many Holman designs of the period which offer a lot more internal volume than yachts from other contemporary designers. The raised doghouse offers a separate space aft for the quarter berths and chart desk which is rarely found in a yacht this size.
Wooden Ships Comments on this 43′ Camper and Nicholson Sloop
Camper and Nicholson sloop designed by Charles E. Nicholson and built by Camper & Nicholson in 1951. Her build and early years are well documented in Yachting World articles. An all teak hull with splined topsides, teak planking is a big advantage over many other timbers due to its durability and therefore less maintenance work.
Unlike her later C&N sisters, she is slightly narrower in the beam and with more sheer, making her a very elegant boat with her long counter stern.
Fitted with an alloy mast with in- mast furling makes her a very easily handled boat, often sailing single handed even in stronger winds.
The boat comes with a detailed maintenance log going back to 1995 with her diligent previous owner.
For sale again after her recent purchase due to the current owners circumstances meaning he is unable to use the boat.
Part of the National Historic Ships Register. 2022 survey available.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Percy Dalton Gaff Cutter
Built by Dartmouth based shipwright Peter Nash in Dartmouth in 1979-1980 to a design by Cornish naval architect Percy Dalton based on the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters and the West Country working boats. Long keel with pronounced rocker, straight stem and transom stern with elegant tumble-home and rudder hung on the transom. The underwater shape of this yacht gives some clue as to the very impressive performance and sailing capabilities which have gained her such a fantastic reputation over the years.
One of the most remarkable gaff cutters in UK waters. Although she has the appearance of a traditional working boat she was only built 40 years ago and she has had considerable up-grading and ongoing maintenance work since.
In the past she has made several trans-Atlantic passages, competed successfully in many classic regattas and won her class at the Antigua Classics. On her first crossing she sailed from the Canaries to St Lucia in an incredible 17 days proving her to be a very fast and seaworthy yacht. She is capable of being sailed very hard but equally has proved herself as a comfortable long distance cruising boat. Her huge benefit is the cockpit which is deep, safe and spacious and means the crew are not perched on the deck.
In the present ownership she has had a complete new composite deck plus new stanchions and bulwarks, rig overhaul and new running rigging, re-wire and new systems. New transom and aft deck 2025.
Wooden Ships Comments on this 37′ Arthur Holt Gaff Ketch
Designed by Arthur Holt and built by Arthur Holt Ltd, Heybridge in 1977.
This was the 3rd boat built to this design with her very traditional working boat lines, generous beam and a stout bilge for good stability. The build is extremely robust using mainly iroko which was available as extremely good quality timber at the time of her build.
The first owners were looking for a cruising boat for the Western Isles to take children and grandchildren in comfort and safety. She is designed to be sailed short handed with a manageable gaff ketch rig which splits the rig down into smaller more easily handled components. Her mainsail is gaff but the mizzen is Bermudan which makes it easy to set and there less chance of the mizzen creating weather helm issues.
The spacious interior offers 8 berths with a large double in the forepeak. The saloon has excellent headroom under the coachroof of nearly 7′.
This is a very solid and well built traditional vessel with good space on deck and below, well maintained and nicely presented.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Camper & Nicholson 36
Nicholson 36 designed by Charles Nicholson and launched in 1962.
The hull was built by Halmatic who were experienced with the new GRP material. The design featured GRP frames laminated into the hull for added strength making this an incredibly robust and capable hull. The finished hull was then fitted out and completed by Camper & Nicholson to their exacting standards. She has a wooden deck, coachroof and cockpit giving her the look and feel of a true classic yacht.
Her first owner, Peter Nicholson, raced her in the early years and she competed in a Fastnet in the 1960’s.
In the present ownership for 16 years, she has cruised the UK and down via Spain to the Mediterranean where she spent a few seasons exploring the Balearic islands and south of France.
Gaff cutter built by C.F. Elkins, Christchurch in 1938.
A pretty and well maintained boat with a 2 berth cabin and installed sea toilet.
Purchased by the current owner in 2015, she had a detailed survey at that time with various professional repairs carried out. Further refit work through 2024/2025 including a new coachroof deck and significant mast repairs.
Well documented history from the last 10 years with surveys available for inspection along with all invoices. Sensibly priced gaff cutter in smart condition.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Laurent Giles Peter Duck Ketch
Laurent Giles Peter Duck built by Porter and Haylett in 1961. The Peter Duck is well known for its connection to Arthur Ransome, the very first one being designed for the writer by Laurent Giles just after the war. In 1961 the design was revived, altered a little and a total of 38 boats were built up until 1970 by Porter and Haylett Ltd of Wroxham.
The Peter Duck was a very popular design and has been a proven and loved coastal cruising boat for many years.
The easily handled ketch rig has a manageable sail area for hassle free cruising. The cockpit is large and comfortable and the interior is cavernous for a boat of her length, with excellent headroom and 4 good berths.
Her draft at only 3’ allows access to many areas off limits to larger yachts, and although it is a not a performance sailing yacht, the Peter Duck is an excellent affordable classic yacht for family coastal cruising.
This boat has been ashore for a number of years after the death of her late owner. She is now being sold by the family at this very attractive price simply to get the boat into new ownership where she can be properly cared for. After a professional inspection, it appears the hull is generally in good condition and her fairly recent teak over plywood deck is in an excellent state. She has a nearly new Beta 28 diesel installed and ready to go. The hull has dried out and she will need wetting and taking up before launch, but the extent of the drying does appear to be terminal in any way.
This is a good sound basis for a handy new owner to get themselves an excellent little cruising boat for a very sensible price.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Danish Topsail Schooner
Built in Denmark by Ustrup of Vejle in 1934.
Originally built as a fishing vessel for gill net fishing, she is typical of the Danish designed vessels of the period with a bluff bow, sweeping sheer line and an elegant elliptical counter stern. Launched with the name MIAS, she worked out of Hvide Sande with the fishing number RI100. Sold to the UK in 1979 where she fished out of Sunderland, before moving to Maryport in 1987. She continued fishing until purchased by the present owners in 1996.
Converted to her current configuration by her shipwright owner between 1996-2000, she carries an eye catching topsail schooner rig and has an MCA Category 2 commercial licence for 12 persons. During the initial conversion all her hull fastenings were doubled up with approximately 10% of the oak hull planking replaced along with most of the deck beams, carlins and then a new deck laid.
Very nicely fitted out below decks with 8 berths including 2 doubles and 4 singles. Laminated teak bath in the heads compartment.
She has cruised over the last 25 years as a family boat and as a charter vessel, exploring the Irish Sea, Scotland, Ireland and Brittany.
A superb little ship that doesn’t need a large crew to handle her, ideal for continued charter work or sailing as a private yacht. She has excelled appearing in various films and TV productions with her rig making her very attractive to the productions crews looking for something a bit special. She also has the visual impact to command appearance fees for the various boat festivals around the UK where she is a regular attendee.
Built by Arthur Holt Ltd of Essex in 1977, a substantial gaff ketch yacht built in iroko on laminated iroko frames, all bronze screw fastened. Ketch rig with a gaff main and bermudan mizzen, she is an easily handled cruising boat with self tailing winches, furling headsails and autopilot. Very generous beam of over 12' means her internal volume is vast currently with 8 berths including a double in the forepeak and 7' headroom in the saloon. A big volume, solid and very capable cruising boat with a 2025 survey for sale at £39,500woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/37-arthur-holt-gaff-ketch/... See MoreSee Less
Camper & Nicholsons yard were quick to realise the change in yacht construction when it came, and saw the future would be with GRP. They looked to adapt early on and built several designs in the new material, most notably the Nicholson 36. This example was built in 1962, still in the heyday of British wooden yacht building, and is one of their recognisable C&N yacht designs but with a GRP hull. The hull was laid up by Halmatic Ltd, experts in the new material, and finished by Campers with a varnished mahogany superstructure, cockpit and nice classic interior. These boats were raced a lot in the early years and will still provide their owners with exciting classic regatta racing, but are also excellent cruising yachts. A nice example of the class, well presented and ready to sail this season at £35,000woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/camper-nicholson-36/... See MoreSee Less
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