Archives: Small crafts

Wooden Ships Comments on this Barrow Boat Sailing Pram Dinghy

8’ sailing pram dinghy built by the Barrow Boat Company, Norwich in 2003.

The Barrow Boats are so called because they have a small wheel at the boat and holes in the transom through which the oars are placed to create ‘wheelbarrow’ type handles enabling the boat to be wheeled around without a trolley.

This boat seems to have been used very little and is complete with rig and road trailer.   A super light dinghy that would suit a multitude of uses.

The hull weighs just 52kg so is eay to get on a roof rack and move around.  With the rig, oars ruder and dagger board, the whole set up is only 66kg.

Length             8’

Beam                4’6″

Wooden Ships Comments on this Norfolk Oyster Sailing Dinghy

Norfolk Oyster sailing dinghy designed by John Leather in 1959.  Professionally built for the current owner on licence from the designer, full signed plans are included with the sale.

Built by a Suffolk shipwright over a number of years and finished to a very good standard for the current owner.

Since completion the boat has been used for a 10 day holiday in Cornwall and kept ashore undercover ever since so could be considered in nearly new condition.

The boat is complete with rig, sails, cover and road trailer.  This is an excellent and very capable dinghy with space for 4 adults and able to take a bit of weather, ideal for dinghy cruising/exploring.  With a break back road trailer she is also pretty easy to launch and retrieve single handed on the right slipway.

Very smart and very elegant dinghy for sensible money.

Length on Deck 16’ 9”

Length Waterline             15’4”

Beam                                    6’2”

Draft                                      9”/3/9” plate down

Wooden Ships Comments on this Iain Oughtred Whilly Boat

Iain Oughtred Whilly Boat sailing skiff, one of several similar boats designed by Oughtred and inspired by the working boats of Shetland and Orkney.

These boats are tough, capable and good load carriers, as well as being fast under sail and oar.

This boat is constructed from glued marine plywood which makes her strong and light as well as being easy to maintain.  The boat is also easy to launch and recover single handed which makes using her a hassle free affair.  Can be sail single handed without a problem but also has space for 3 adults.

Complete with rig, road trailer and cover.

Length on Deck                 14’6”

Beam                                    4’6”

Wooden Ships Comments on this Electric River Launch

Iain Oughtred Grebe rowing boat, professionally built by a retired boat builder in 1996 for his own use but never launched.  Purchased by the current owner in 1998 and professionally converted into a motor launch with electric propulsion by installing a Bosch motor and a 2 blade propeller.  Subsequently she has been used extensively on inland rivers and proved to be a very easy to use boat.

This is an immensely simple boat, light and pretty, easy to use and very practical.

Electric launches are becoming more and more popular for river use, this boat will get the new owners afloat with minimal fuss and with far less expenditure than some of the newer electric river launches from large boatyards.

Complete with the whole electric drive, road trailer and oars.

Length               13’6″

Beam                   4’6″

Searanger 12’ clinker sailing dinghy built by Fred Mitchell of Brightlingsea in 1962.  The design was first conceived by Fred Mitchell in 1954 and the dinghy was adopted by the Gunfleet Sailing Club, Essex, as their One Design dinghy in 1961.  There is still an active fleet in the area, both racing and pottering about.

Below is a link to a detailed history of the class:

https://www.gunfleetsailingclub.co.uk/gsc-information/sea-ranger

This boat has been well cared for with a complete overhaul in the spring of 2023 with all new paint and varnish.  In 2022 the boat was given new tan sails.

A capable little general purpose clinker dinghy in tidy condition

Length                  12’

Beam

Wooden ships Comments on this Varnished Clinker Rowing Dinghy

Very pretty clinker rowing dinghy of unknown origins.  Judging by her lines she was not built as a working boat, but possibly for a rowing hire boat fleet or similar use.

She is elegant with fine lines, although the bilges aft are quite full giving good buoyancy and therefore stopping the aft end digging in with passengers in the aft thwarts.

Rescued from a shipyard in Plymouth, she has been refitted and varnished recently.  In the past she has had a couple of planks replaced but generally seems to be in good sound condition.

Length                  11’6”

Beam                    4’2”

Wooden Ships Comments on this Tideway 14 Sailing Dinghy

Tideway 14 sailing dinghy built by Walkers of Leigh on Sea.  Major refit in recent years with £7,000 spent on upgrades and improvements.  Good quality road trailer plus an all over mast-up cover.

The Tideway is a good solid sailing dinghy, very capable but easy to sail.  They can carry 4 adults with ease and are well known as good boats in the Dinghy Cruising world.  This is a nice example of the class and very reasonably priced.

Length                  14’

Beam                    5’10”

Wooden Ships Comments on this Landamore Lugsail Dinghy

Clinker sailing dinghy built by E.C. Landamore and Co. Ltd of Wroxham in the late 1950’s.

This yard built 2 sizes of clinker dinghy, 9’6” and 11’6” with some 60 boats being built.  Later the company took moulds of the hulls and started making GRP versions.

Lightweight construction using glued clinker plywood.  Complete with road trailer, oars and lug rig plus an all over fitted cover.  Complete package as a very pretty dinghy, perfect for getting the family afloat with minimal hassle and cost.

Kept in tidy condition and complete with everything needed for use.

Length  9’ 6”

Beam    4’ 5”

Wooden Ships Comments on this Andrew Wolstenholme Cat Boat

Designed by Andrew Wolstenholme, based on the cat boats found on the east coast of America, and professionally built by David Moss Boat Builders in 1986.

This is an exact replica of Pipkin which is in the sailing collection of the National Maritime Museum and was built to the same high standards that David Moss is known for in all his boats, using modern construction methods to create a very light but strong and resilient boat.

In 2013 she had a thorough refit by David Moss to bring her back into sparkling condition, and was bought by the present owner in 2014.  Since then she has been used only occasionally and dry sailed, stored indoors when not in use so her condition has remained extremely good.  Since 2014 she has been professionally maintained with all varnish work attended to in 2016/2017.

This is a special little boat in superb condition and absolutely ready to go with everything required to go exploring this summer.

The cat boats are known for their capability and stability, the wide beam makes the safe and stable boats while the decks allow them to take on more weather than an open boat of a similar size.  Gorgeous to look at and a pleasure to sail.

Length                 12’3″

Wooden Ships Comments on this 18′ Motor Launch

Built in Teignmouth in the early 1960’s by local shipwright Lenoard Matthews as part of the self drive hire fleet in Teignmouth in the summer months.  In the off season she was used by local fisherman for crab and lobster potting, mackerel fishing and seine netting for sand eel.  In 1972 she was sold to Dartmouth shipyard Philip & Son where she was used as a work boat until the yard closed in the late 1990’s.  After falling into disrepair, she was purchased and refitted by a local shipwright Andy Thomas in 2003 and has been a fixture on the River Dart ever since as a private river launch.

During the refit the decks, gunwhales and sole were all renewed along with many new frames and plank repairs.

She is an excellent and safe boat, very stable and stiff due to her hull shape so is capable of carrying a good group of people without concern.

Length                  18’3”

Beam                    6’10”

Draft                      1’9”