The dinghy was built as the tender to the 12 meter class yacht Flica 11, built by Fife in 1939 to a Laurent Giles design. Flica 11 was the last large yacht built by Fife.
Built by Alex Robertson & Sons, Yacht Builders Ltd of Sandbank on the Clyde, Scotland in 1939.
It was not uncommon in those days for a yard to pass on some of their work to a neighbouring yard especially if the time scale was tight
Spruce is used for the planking for lightness as she would have been hoisted up on deck.
Clinker planked, 10 planks per side all fastened with copper nails and roves to Canadian rock elm steamed timbers at approx 7”centres.
Oak stem, mahogany keel. Burma teak transom, sheer strakes, cappings, thwarts and sole boards.
Two rowing positions on midships and forward thwarts. Midships thwart with twin grown oak knees each side, forward thwart with single grown oak knee each side. Long grown oak transom knee.
Stern seat against the transom.
The boat is finished in varnish throughout inside and varnished outside to the wl. incl transom.
The exterior bottom to the wl is painted in dark blue gloss.
Original lifting rings in the keel forward and aft.
Fendered all round in white rubber D-section. Original Badges each side at the bow.
One pair of 8’ varnished spruce spoon blade oars with 5 1/2” blades, leathered in way of the rowlocks.
One pair of bronze rowlocks.
Original Builder’s Plate and Flica 11 Name Plates.
Purpose built 2-wheel road trailer with standard ball hitch, center-line keel rollers for easy launching and wide nylon midships sling to fully support the boat on the trailer.
wooden ships comments on this Clinker sailing dinghy built by Seaking Boatyard, Leigh on Sea, Essex.
Launched 6 April 1985.
A fine boat with a generous beam which gives her great stability and makes her a dry, buoyant boat.
She is presented in very tidy condition and ready to launch and sail.
Planked in mahogany, clinker laid and fastened to steamed oak timbers with copper nails and roves all in the traditional manner.
The hull is finished in varnish to the water-line inside and out, anti-fouled below the wl.
Oak back-bone with grown oak stem piece, varnished transom.
Varnished mahogany thwarts and centre-board case.
Galvanised steel centre-board on a single whip pull reached by the helm.
Galvanised steel swing rudder blade with wire lift in a varnished mahogany stock
Varnished ply fore deck with enclosed cuddy under, locker doors in the fwd bulkhead above and below the mast thwart.
Oak Sampson post through the fore deck.
Bronze drop down rowlocks.
Single stemhead chain roller.
Gunter rig on a varnished spruce mast, varnished boom and yard. The mast has been adapted to sit in a tabernacle allowing to be easily lowered for bridges when river sailing. The boom extends aft over the transom. All spares stow within the length of the boat.
Stainless steel shrouds and fore stay to stainless steel chain plates.
Headsail fairleads on the gunnels
Claw on the boom
Modern main sheet blocks with jammer on the lower block.
Sails by Windward Sails, Leigh on Sea
Mainsail and jib in red terylene setting 201 sq’, seen in almost perfect and apparently unused condition.
6hp Mercury outboard engine on a tilting bracket on the transom. Identical engine for spares just in case.
Stunning launch desingned and built by Camper and Nicholson in 1912 as a fast yacht tender for the ground breaking racing yacht ‘Istria’, also built by C&N. It was common for the big yachts to have small fast tenders to ferry crew and guests out to the yacht which would often be anchored off the harbour. All these tenders had lifting eyes fore and aft in order to be hauled on deck and set in chocks.
There is some evidence to suggest this launch was requisitioned by the military and used at Dunkirk to evacuate troops from the beach.
Beautiful lines with a touch of tumblehome on the transom, subtle sheer line and a nice flare to the bow.
She has been undergoing a steady refit over many years and several owners. Some of which have done more for her than others. The current owner has done some very good work and likely saved the boat from a sorry end. She now needs a new enthusiastic owner to take her on and finish the project.
Planked in full length Honduras Mahogany, fastened with copper nails and roves to light steam bent timbers at 5” centres. The construction was designed to be lightweight as the boat had to be fast and easy to haul up on the deck of the big yacht.
Some replanking has been done around the aft end where the bronze A-bracket has pushed through the hull at some point. This is part of the evidence of her use at Dunkirk, where one soldiers account describes them jumping into a small boat matching the description of this tender. He explains that as they all jumped in she was pushed down in the water and bottomed out on the sand, causing planking to be damaged and a serious leak to start.
New teak floors fitted in way of the engine space. Copper straps fitted on many of the timbers to replace the original bronze straps, most of which were broken.
The exterior of the hull has been sheathed in West System epoxy and glass cloth. The decision was taken to do this to preserve the boat as best as possible. Her hull was dried, stripped and prepared, and the result is a very strong and lightweight boat. Although not traditional, this action will probably preserve the boat and make her usable for many years to come without having to replank and refasten large parts of the hull.
There is no engine with the boat but she would suit a modern lightweight diesel. The work has been done to strengthen the hull in the area of the engine, but nothing more has been done towards the installation of a power unit.
Many original bronze fittings with the boat including fuel tank, propeller, A-bracket, rudder and tiller, cleats, fairleads, wheel and steering cable sheaves.
This is a stunning little launch from another era, with a vast amount of history to go with her. If only boats could talk!
wooden ships comments on this Breton crabbing lugger
Breton crabbing lugger built to the traditional design in 1980 for an English gentleman. Typical Breton lines, built by Monsieur Marcel Heltergouarch of Concarneau. Used around the south coast of the UK as a private pleasure boat and more recently the boat has been used to fish in the traditional way with outrigger poles. Major refit completed in 2010 with photos and survey available.
Open decked launch type boat with transom stern and raked stem. Water tight deck with high bulwark all round and a decent amount of freeboard making her seaworthy and suitable for commercial coding. The boat has considerable beam for her length and a sharp turn to the bilge midships giving her the enormous amount of inherent stability that was required from these tough little working boats.
Planked in 7/8” mahogany, fastened with galvanised boat nails to heavy 2”x 1.5” sawn French oak frames at 14” centres.
Some areas of decayed planking replaced 2014.
Hood ends fore and aft fastened with 316 stainless steel screws.
Full length oak keel with oak floors.
Marine plywood deck, sheathed in epoxy glass and finished in grey non-slip deck paint.
Deck new in 2010.
Painted Iroko cover boards up to the ply deck.
Two water tight hatches in the deck give access to the engine and the forward bilge, used as a storage locker. Watertight bulkhead between the forward storage space and aft engine space. New solar ventilation fans installed 2014.
Thwarts across the transom and midships give suitable seating space while leaving the deck open enough to enable to crew to move safely around and work the boat.
New taff rail 2014
Tiller steering to a steel plate rudder set under the hull within the length of the boat.
Two masted lug rig with bumpkin and bowsprit. Main mast set in a galvanised tabernacle bolted to the deck forward of the hatch allows it to be dropped by one person.
Main mast replaced in 2001.
Mizzen set off to port just forward of the aft thwart. Bowsprit sets through a gammon iron on port side of the stem and can be easily run in for mooring purposes.
Stainless steel standing rigging with seized eye terminations to deadeyes and lanyards. External galvanised steel chainplates. Main mast with twin shrouds and forestay. Mizzen mast with single shrouds.
All sails in good condition.
New jib and mizzen by Westaway sails in 2011
Machinery
Beta Marine 2cyl 16Hp diesel engine installed new in 2010. Less than 50 hours. New Iroko engine beds installed at the same time.
Single lever controls at the aft end on starboard side. Beta gearbox with stainless steel shaft to 3 blade bronze propeller gives 6 knots cruising speed.
New propeller and shaft in 2010.
Fuel tank located under the deck. 60L plastic tank with CAV filter and water separator.
Engine first commissioned in 2011 and serviced regularly.
Single 12 volt battery for engine starting and domestics. Charged from standard Beta alternator. Small waterproof switch panel located next to the engine controls.
Inventory
Steering compass
Icom DSC VHF
Garmin 512S fishfinder/plotter with transom mounted transducer
wooden ships comments on this Morgan Giles rowing dinghy in immaculate condition having just finished a professional refit.
Totally rebuilt by present boat builder owner to an exacting standard, with the majority of work completed in 1992. Stored indoors and launched for occasional use.
Built by Morgan Giles himself, supposedly when he was an apprentice.
Planked in 5/16″ larch fastened with copper nails and roves to steam bent oak timbers. Oak back bone, stem and transom with elm garboards. Varnished mahogany shearstrakes and gunwhales.
80% of planking and all oak timbers replaced during the refit.
Two rowing positions with a pair of varnished spruce oars.
Custom built galvanised trailer.
This fine little dinghy rows extremely well with her lovely run of planking. it is thought she was probably a Shaldon race boat, hence the reason why she was built so light. There was, and still is, a strong tradition of racing rowing boats in Teignmouth, stemming from the sein net fishing boats that worked off the beach.
It would be hard to find a smarter or prettier rowing boat.
The Merron dinghy was designed by Arthur Robb and built by Merron Ltd, London. It was the first design to use this autoclave hot moulding technique this side of the Atlantic, witrh the result being a very strong, lightweight and stable little boat.
Built of hot moulded mahogany, bonded with resorcinol glue. Interesting laminated thwarts replace the traditional method of flat boards and hanging knees.
Single rowing position with a pair of spruce spoon blade oars.
Gunter rig on varnished mast, stepped through the forward thwart. Single shrouds and a forestay to bronze chainplates. Mainsail by Leitch of Tarbet in good condition.
Plywood floorboards
Drop down dagger board in mahogany centreboard box. Transom hung rudder with drop down blade for shallow water work.
Rope rubbing strake all round.
Galvanised launching trolley and assorted mooring lines.
A very nice little boat in superb condition and absolutely ready to go.
Built by E Clandamore in Wroxham, Norfolk for the vendor’s father around 1965.
Clinker planked ¼” marine ply with glued lands. The all-glued construction allows for a lighter boat with no internal framing.
All varnished inside and out, red anti-fouling, painted bilge.
Centre thwart with double knees each end gives rigidity to the hull and strength to the turn of the bilge midships.
Forward thwart and aft thwart.
2 rowing positions
A beamy little boat, great load carrier. Wide transom with good buoyancy aft so will accept an outboard engine. Ready to throw in the water but a new owner would probably want to revarnish her while she is dry.
wooden ships comments on this Dallimore sloop for refit
A real little ship that has fallen on hard times.
Planked in 3/4″ mahogany all copper fastened to steam bent 1 1/4″ x 7/8″ oak timbers on what appears to be an oak back-bone
Long external 1 ton iron ballast keel.
The deck is laid in the old way with T&G boards covered with canvas and painted. Part of the canvas has been removed or damaged.
The coamings, sky-light, entrance hatches and cock-pit are all in mahogany and finished varnished although all the varnish now has to be stripped back and replaced.
Varnished mahogany sheer strake with bronze port holes.
Transom-hung rudder.
Fractional Bermudian sloop rig on varnished spruce mast stepped through the deck onto the keel setting 265sq’ of sail.
Varnished roller reefing boom.
Mainsail and headsail and storm jib.
Pair of sheet winches, not fitted.
Volvo Penta 1-cyl 7hp diesel engine on the centre-line to conventional centre-line shaft drive with3-blade bronze prop.
3 berths
Saloon cabin with galley to port by the entrance and the chart desk opposite to stbd
Port and stbd settee berths.
Fore peak with Baby Blake sea toilet on the centre line and a fold-away pipe-cot over to stbd, sail bin to port.
Good head-room.
Solid fuel cabin heater in the saloon.
Stainless steel sink
All original varnished mahogany joinery.
Rigid plastic water tanks and new bras hand pump to the sink.
Good 4-wheel trailer.
There is a considerable amount of equipment stored on board, all of which is included in the sale of the yacht.
She was in tidy condition and much loved by her elderly owner until only 3 or 4 years ago. After his death she lay untouched and suffered slowly bu insiduously. She has now emerged from her period of hibernation and looking for a new owner to refit her. She does not appear to have any obvious deteriorated timber but there has been considerable drying which now necessitates extensive refastening, the deck must be resheathed and the whole boat repainted and varnished. This is a challenging but very satisfying job.
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
gany, fastened with copper nails and roves to light steam bent timbers at 5” centres. The construction was designed to be lightweight as the boat had to be fast and easy to haul up on the deck of the big yacht.
