Wooden Ships Comments on this Peter Duck Bermudan Ketch
The original Peter Duck was designed by Laurent Giles for the author Arthur Ransome before the war. The design was revived in 1961 in a slightly modified form and between 1961 and 1970 38 boats were built by Porter and Haylet proving the popularity of this fine little cruising yacht. This one was built in 1962.
The design is typical Laurent Giles and remarkably similar to the famous Vertue but fuller and bigger. Long keel, transom stern, good freeboard and beam make her a stable, dry yacht with excellent sea-keeping capability.
She has been the subject of a major and very diligent refit by the current owners which started in early 2017 and saw her launched again in November 2019. The refit included a complete cosmetic overhaul inside and out as well as checking keel bolts, replacing strap floors, scarphing in new laminated oak timbers, replacing engine beds and re-glueing the box section masts among many other jobs. A full list of repairs is available on request.
Probably one of the nicest examples of a Peter Duck afloat. Detailed survey reports available done before and after the refit work complete with a full catalogue of the refit.
Designed by Alan Buchanan and built by the first owner with help of professional shipwrights at Gweek Quay, Cornwall in 1974.
An unusual design for Buchanan with a fiddle headed clipper bow, short counter stern and gaff yawl rig, she has a very distinguishable profile. She has a generous beam for her length giving decent volume below decks.
An interesting boat with recent survey, good equipment and full sail wardrobe.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Converted Baltimore Class Lifeboat
Built by S.E. Saunders of Cowes for the RNLI in 1921, known as the Baltimore Class life boat, a sailing life boat with auxiliary power. Launched as the Frederick and Emma, her first station was Wick where she served until 1939, after which she went to Amble until 1952. During her time in service she saved 98 lives. She is now listed on the National Historic Ships register.
Her previous owner bought the boat in 1965 as a bare hull then fitted her out with the new deck and coachroof arrangement, new engine, rig and interior fit out, she was then used as a live aboard for many years and then as a family yacht, cruising the east coast and taking part in the traditional regattas. Although never at the front of the fleet, she was always there no matter what the weather.
The present owner purchased the boat in 2019 and had various repairs professionally carried out to remedy some minor issues found in their survey. Plans to sail the boat south have been thwarted and she is now being offered for sale once again.
Vessels like this are unusual in their shape and conversion has to be done in a clever way in order to maximise the space available. The previous owner has managed to fit in an enormous cockpit which is very deep and safe, plus an interior with 7 berths and what feels like a lot of space. The deck space is vast as well, despite the large coachroof, with ample room to move around and work the rig from.
The sailing performance is not her strong point, she needs a good wind to get going as expected but will carry her canvas into very heavy weather and will look after her crew through anything. The strength, weight and stability of a vessel like this mean there is more to her than simple speed and performance.
Length on Deck 45′
Beam 12’6″
Draft 3’6″
Gross tonnage 15.26
The below video was filmed in 2017 but shows the layout of deck and down below:
Wooden Ships Comments on this Itchen Ferry Gaff Cutter
Itchen Ferry gaff cutter designed by Daniel G. Hatcher and built by Fays of Northam in 1890.
Dan ‘King Dan’ Hatcher was a highly regarded designer of the 1800’s, working from his yard on the shores of the River Itchen in Southampton where he gained experience designing and building fast fishing boats and small yachts for local sailors. As his reputation grew so did the orders for yacht designs and he was responsible for many of the elegant gaff cutters of the Victorian era that were at the forefront of yacht racing in the UK.
Hatcher also drew the lines for Wonder, a very well known 19’ Itchen Ferry and a near sister to this boat, Freda.
Freda was built for well known racing skipper Captain G. Rowe and was subsequently taken on by Captain Sam Randall, both hugely successful skippers in big yacht racing circles. She was certainly a working fishing boat, but would have been a very smart example with varnished spars and canvas covered decks, but during the summer months her rig would have been changed for a taller and more powerful set up and she was raced with great success in the Solent regattas by Randall.
After years of neglect and subsequent rebuild, Freda passed to the current owner in 1998 and since has been cruised and raced on the east coast, proving herself as a formidable opponent around the cans. She has been kept very original without the usual added coachroof and accommodation that is often seen. She still bears the scars of her years of sailing and retains the low aft fishing deck. Her finish is very much ‘work boat’ with tarred rigging, painted decks and little in the way of varnish. However her pedigree, historical importance and sheer performance are plain for all to see, she is a remarkable yacht now in need of a suitable new custodian to keep her sailing into the future.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Morecambe Bay Prawner
Morecambe Bay Prawner, commonly known as a Nobby, possibly built in Fleetwood but that is not confirmed, probably around 1900.
She was launched as a fishing boat and would have spent much of her early life at sea trawling nets. It is not known when she was retired from fishing and when she was first converted to a yacht, but we have records of her from about 1940 onwards.
Bought by the present owners in 2009 since when she has been sailed extensively around the south coast of England, France and across to Spain. She has served extremely well as a safe comfortable boat for the 2 owners to cruise all summer and has been well looked after in that time. The previous owner had owned the boat since 1984 and had carried out extensive and major work fitting a new engine, new deck and replacing any hull planks and frames that were not up to scratch.
Another thorough professional refit was carried out between 2019 and 2020 which included an overhaul of rig and spars, new deck seam paying, cockpit rebuild and a complete paint job. Detailed itemised invoice for this work is available.
She is now in smart and tidy condition ready for her new custodian.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Windermere Gaff Sloop
Built by Shepherds of Bowness on Lake Windermere in 1906 to a design by Percy C. Crossley, a naval architect and well known lake sailor. The design was for a cruising boat but obviously with an emphasis on performance judging by her lines.
The commissioning owner was A.H.E. Wood and historical records show he had built at the same time a slightly larger racing yacht, a very early example of the Windermere 17, a class still being raced today.
This is the only survivor of 3 boats built to the design and was exhibited at the Windermere Steam Boat museum for 25 years, bought by the current owner in 2003 and restored by Michael Dennet Boat Builders of Chertsey-on-Thames between 2018 and 2019.
Since her refit she has not been afloat and needs work to the rig to complete her. She has all her spars but no sails.
This is a very beautiful boat with a well documented and interesting history which will be a fascinating boat for the right person to cherish and enjoy. She comes with a trailer and can be towed easily behind a moderate size car.
Designed by Jack Francis Jones as a comfortable motor sailer with acceptable sailing ability, able to get herself off a lee shore under sail if required.
Built by Porter and Haylett of Wroxham in 1968.
With a well documented history of careful and diligent owners, she was purchased by the current owner about 3 years ago and taken to Harbour Marine Services at Southwold for a cosmetic refit which included and complete external re-paint top to bottom, repairs to the hull planking where necessary and all new upholstery.
The Sole Bay 35 is a perfect cruising boat for northern climates with good performance under engine and acceptable help derived from the sails to ensure you are not totally reliant on diesel. The wheelhouse is a huge bonus, giving a dry warm space on deck allowing passage making even when the weather is poor.
Wooden Ships Comments on this traditional pilot cutter for sale
Pellew was built by Luke Powell and his Working Sail Yard in Truro, Cornwall, and launched in February 2020.
The lines were taken from the Vincent, a Falmouth Pilot cutter built in 1852 for the Vincent family of St Mawes. She worked for 70 years as a pilot boat, finally retiring in 1922 and ending her days as a houseboat on the Percuil River very close to the yard where she had been built.
Falmouth Pilot Cutter Pellew video
When the idea to build a new pilot cutter of considerable size, a 68ft boat, was born, the lines of Vincent were seen as the ideal basis and the project to build Pellew began. Her keel was laid in 2017, and less than 3 years later, she was launched to begin a career as a commercial charter vessel.
The sailing yacht was designed and built from the very start to comply with the MCA regulations and has been constructed to MCA Category 0 standards so that she can operate worldwide. She is currently coded to Category 2 (60Nm from safe haven), but with extra safety and communication gear, she is eligible for Category 0. She is fastened throughout with bronze and copper and is planked in oak top to bottom, so has been built to last from the best available materials.
Charter boat for sale
Pellew is an extremely tough and capable sailing yacht but also elegant and graceful. She works well as a charter boat, offering awe-inspiring holidays on the west coast of Scotland, but she could very well be used as a sail training vessel or for expedition voyages to remote parts of the world.
She has 8 guest berths and is licenced for 15 persons in total with a comfortable crew cabin aft, large saloon, guest accommodation forward and 3 heads compartments with showers. Her commercial-grade galley can easily cater for a full complement of crew with a large fridge and freezer, dishwasher and oven.
This is the biggest sailing boat to have been built in wood in the UK for many years and was a landmark project, the result is a superb vessel that will survive for decades to come, and this is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a new sailing boat of this size and type
Wooden Ships comments on this award-winning designed classic sailing yacht
Designed and built by David Moss of Fleetwood, she was launched in 2017 and won the Classic Boat award for the best traditional new build sailing yacht under 40’.
She has the DNA of a traditional working sailing boat with a full bilge, transom stern and simple gaff cutter rig but has been refined by Moss with more than a hint of ‘yachtiness’. Built to his exacting standards with good quality materials, she has now spent a few seasons being worked up and developed by her diligent owner so that she is now a well-proven and ready-to-go yacht.
At 31’ LOD, she is a handy-sized sailing boat, not too big to be a handful for her crew, but large enough to allow for the deep sheltered cockpit, over 6’ headroom and four good berths below, plus a heads compartment and decent galley.
The choice of gaff cutters in this bracket is very limited as most are either much larger or smaller. This excellent sailing yacht for sale strikes the perfect balance between size and manageability.
Video of David Moss Gaff Cutter “Polly” For Sale
Length on deck 31’
Length overall 40’
Length Waterline 29’
Beam 10’
Draft 5’6”
Tonnage 9.65 tons
Owner’s Comments on the design
David and I developed the lines taking inspiration from a number of different craft from around the the 1930’s. William Atkins Fore An’ Aft was one and also German Frers Senior’s Fjord II. Colin Archer had some input and Peter Bret’s original wooden Rival, the D24. A number of ½” to the foot half-models were carved, I think 5 in all and after much deliberation the design for Polly was arrived at. It’s true to say I was in favour of a more traditional Gaff-rig profile of straight stem with a bit of drag and David thought we should have some cutaway and a horizontal keel with some rocker. A 1” to the foot model was constructed and measurements taken off and scaled up for the build.
Most of the timber came in tree from Summerscales; Iroko from the West coast of Africa, teak from Burma. David found a supplier who had very long lengths of old seasoned Oregan Pine for the spars which could all be got out in entire lengths. As with the decks there are no scarphs.
Was it all worth it? Well Polly has the most comfortable motion at sea of any yacht I have sailed on – with the possible exception of Overlord which is a might bigger! The generous displacement of 10t on 30 foot overall length plays it’s part although there are many other factors which contribute. She is also exceptionally comfortable lying to anchor which is a great asset.
The triple strake bulwarks and wide decks around the mast make working the rig a joy.
John Alden Malabar sloop, designed by John Alden and built by the Wing on Shing Shipyard, Hong Kong, in 1961 for a UK owner.
She has been in the present ownership for over 20 years and in that time has been very well maintained with continual upgrades and repairs including a new deck in 2005, new engine in 2009, new rigging in 2008 and major repairs to the hull when necessary with a new stem, transom and garboard planks. Wintered undercover each year and professionally maintained by the yard team, this is a lovely example of the class and a truly stand out yacht.
The Malabar is typical of many American designs with a more generous beam than their British designed counterparts, offering a more spacious and comfortable interior layout for her modest 34’ length. The cockpit is very large and comfortable and feels as though it belongs to a yacht of considerably more length. This all adds up to a yacht that offers a lot for her length, keeping running costs down while still being a capable, safe and exceptionally pretty vessel.
The interior is well equipped with stowage space, a lot of which was tastefully added in the previous ownership and she benefits from domestic pleasures of hot water, a good quality stove and a fridge.
A lovely pedigree yacht built from good materials and well cared for in the present long experienced ownership. New varnish on hull, coachroof and cockpit in spring 2022 so she is looking smart, in commission and ready for the summer.
45’ Laurent Giles cutter built in India in 1949. Double diagonal teak planking. Unmistakably Laurent Giles, she is just a big Channel Class. Proven ocean cruising boat, fast and capable. Offered for sale at only £24,000 due to the owners personal circumstances. woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/45-laurent-giles-bermudan-cutter/... See MoreSee Less
After posting some teaser photos of Nell a little while ago, we have now formally put this fine yacht on the market. Nell is a G.L. Watson gaff cutter built on the Clyde in 1887 and completely rebuilt in Normandy, France between 2009 and 2017. This yacht is a totally unique piece of maritime history and is presented in superb condition. Her interior is her most remarkable feature and was designed by her first owner Robert Cowan Robertson. He was an artist based in Glasgow and his interior design was influenced by the fashions of the time with raised and fielded oak panelling, ionic pillasters and most notably stained glass sliding windows covering the portholes. The interior has been restored sympathetically and is largely original apart from some very small areas where damaged joinery needed replacing. The result is magnificent and sets this yacht apart as a unique piece of history. Full details and many photos available on our web site with the following link:woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/g-l-watson-gaff-cutter/#classicboat #classicboatforsale #yachtforsale ... See MoreSee Less
