Windboater

I was just googling my grandfather Donald Hagenbach and this forum came up the owner talking about Rafiki and asking about her background. I am on holiday with my mother who is interestingly filling in some of the gaps. The development of concrete hulled boats came about because of my grandfather’s nephew Paul Hagenbach, a structural engineer. They had just dug up the Mulberry Harbours and found that the concrete was stronger than when they were originally cast. He had been the engineer working on the roof structure of the Sydney Harbour Opera House, with Ovi Arap - the combination of these experiences led to the experimentation. They agreed that if they had ever had to prove this to a Board it would never have happened. I remember the first seacrete dome being on Windboats yard, propped up and Grandpa’s tales of being challenged to build a dome strong enough to hold a man’s weight - there was a picture with about ten people standing on the dome. He eventually made it in to a pond in his garden. It was true about the seacrete hulled boats being able to be driven flat out in to a quay head, as tested by some of the engineers who had their doubts; unbeknownst to my Grandfather took the boat out the night before the launch and did just that. The quay was damaged but the boat was untouched. Unfortunately it was very easy to build concrete boats in peoples back gardens, but they were not Windboats seacrete and eventually Lloyds refused to insure concrete boats because there were so many that were not sea/river worthy. We are told that the Aluminium day boats in Henley upon Thames are or were Pearly Miss’ - the Windboats Aluminium speed boats. Windboats had many famous clients, George Formby and his wife Beryl who called all his wooden hulled boats ‘Lady Beryl’, all the dinghies were called Baby Beryl - and the tender with the engine that went wrong on her first trip out was called ‘Crazy Beryl’. It is sad that Windboats is no longer, it has been a remarkable boat builder at every stage of its business. Many great people worked there and have been involved. It is wonderful to see Rafiki and many other boats still being cherished.