Old Broads Boats

[LondonRascal]

Just online going through Brian Wards when I look up and see these two old ladies of the Broads, on Barton Broad. 

Countess of Light and Spark of Light. Both wonderfully restored - have them in Black & White ans you’d think you’ve travelled back in time. Beautiful. 

 

[jeffbroadslover]

Robin,

Did you supply the blue fender?    lol

Jeff

[unclemike]

49 minutes ago, jeffbroadslover said:

 

Did you supply the blue fender?    lol

dont think so there was one floating in the wetshed yesterday morning

[ChrisB]

I would call that sepia Robin. Here is my take on monochrome.

[LondonRascal]

.. I was going to do B&W but opted for a retrolux filter instead which seemed to add character of an old slightly yellowed post card from the era. 

[BrundallNavy]

There was a ring of light class for sale on eBay recently a bargain at £6500. 

[ChrisB]

10 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

.. I was going to do B&W but opted for a retrolux filter instead which seemed to add character of an old slightly yellowed post card from the era. 

Many of the postcards from all over the country showing anything that was considered old at the time were developed using a tetenal sulphide toner for a sepia effect. Some photographers even bleached prints in the lab. Very often the yellowing you see is not age but toning during the films development.

[ChrisB]

I was told by a respected yard manager who specialises in wooden craft that the Herbert Woods boats are always challenging to restore and maintain, being designed and materials used within around a ten year hire life.

Longevity and resale value were very low priority and the motor cruisers were built down to a budget.

One always also must be aware that for a number of years after WW11 quality materials were not freely available and perhaps the builder had no choice but to use what could be had.

[JennyMorgan]

A yard owner at Lowestoft has a Herbert Woods boat which was built with impregnated soft wood such as we might use for fences or piling. She's actually survived very well and is a credit to her owner as she is to her builder.

[Vaughan]

One should remember that a lot of the classic HW hire boats were built before the War and many, such as the big King of Light class, were built to Admiralty specifications, even after the war.

One can also see by old brochures that a very large number of hire boats (maybe half) in the 40s and 50s had varnished hulls, which were later painted white. Including Herbert Woods. You can only "carry off" a varnished hull by using high quality hardwood such as mahogany, teak and oak. There was a shortage of good wood after the war, but many yards already had stock laid down for future building. It has to be seasoned, after all!

It was also perfectly all right to build boats out of high quality deal, as Peter describes above. Deal is a pine wood which has been grown in managed plantations where the little branches that grow out of the sides of the trunk are lopped off as soon as they appear, so you get a long straight trunk with no knot holes. The quality depends on where you buy it, but the best was always "Archangel Red" deal from Russia. This was reckoned to last as long as teak, but not exported any more, since the War!

From what I have seen, I think the way a boat was built, and the skill that went into it, is more important than the wood that was used.

By the way, a hire boat would never have been built with a view to just 10 years use, as you would never get the return back on your capital in that time, especially when building a wooden one!

 

[ChrisB]

According to his daughter Jennifer virtually nothing was left original after the war, many of the boats being cropped in the middle and completely rebuilt. Having sat on the bottom of Hickling Broad.

[JennyMorgan]

Boats built before the war, and for a time after, were well built. Yards that held Admiralty warrants had been well supplied with materials during the war years with some owners salting down some very good stuff, select off-cuts should we say, for when peace returned. On top of that I don't think that too many questions were asked about surplus stock left over after the war. At some time in the Sixties many yards realised that pristine, varnished mahogany hulls were pointless as far too many boats came back after just one week's hire looking decidedly worse for wear so why should they bother? 

[LondonRascal]

23 hours ago, brundallNavy said:

There was a ring of light class for sale on eBay recently a bargain at £6500.  

You want more work Doug

[C.Ricko]

The boat classes with varnished hulls booked better if the brochure picture was of a painted hull, people turning up to a varnished hull would complain if the boat was not of a white modern appearance as depicted in the brochure. 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

9 hours ago, C.Ricko said:

The boat classes with varnished hulls booked better if the brochure picture was of a painted hull, people turning up to a varnished hull would complain if the boat was not of a white modern appearance as depicted in the brochure. 

I can easily remember seeing photo`s in the catalogues of your boats in the 70s Clive, boats like Broadsventure, pacesetter, Fulmar etc etc, with white painted hulls, yet at the end of the boats details, there was a post script saying picture is of number 1, no`s 2-5 etc have bright varnished hulls. And yes, i did think at the time "i would`nt want one of those", so i can understand what you say.

[webntweb]

Aft cockpit of Constellation 2 in July 1964. One of Eastick's Foxglove class is moored a little close.

[webntweb]

Just remembered, after Foxglove had left one of Fletcher's Westering Homes moored a little nearer.

It came in too fast and hit us in the stern causing a foot long split in the transom.

[Essexgirl]

Just remembered, after Foxglove had left one of Fletcher's Westering Homes moored a little nearer.
It came in too fast and hit us in the stern causing a foot long split in the transom.

Great to see a picture of a Foxglove class. My parents had one and I have many happy memories of her. As an adult when I got my first boat I spent a long time cruising about looking to see if I could find one to no avail. After much cruising I eventually saw one moored up just outside of Beccles. The next time we were up she had sunk and remained there for quite some time. Very sad. If I remember rightly there was a Salmon postcard of a Foxglove class moored outside the Horning Ferry Inn. I have searched numerous times on EBay but have yet to find one.

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[JanetAnne]

I reckon Herbert Woods woodies have the highest survival rate of all the fleets. Their construction is somewhat over engineered when compared to other builders. 

A close second would be Powles with Martham not too far away. 

The big Richardson's boats are now few and far between and almost none of Leo Robinson's fleet survive.

This is based on the details we hold on the wooden boat show database so is hardly scientific. 

Of course, the next eBay listing can soon change my theory!

[trambo]

Perhaps as a consolation Essexgirl you will like this shot by Terry Baldrey. I think the last Foxglove in hire was from Bridgecraft (name escapes me) who restored her to a varnished superstructure.

Anyone interested in 60/70s hire boats, have a look at Terry's home page on Flickr. Fascinating collection. Mainly Richardsons. https://www.flickr.com/photos/41409347@N07/

 

Fred

 

[JanetAnne]

Westering home (2) by the way, is laid derelict outside Richo's wet shed.

[BroadAmbition]

Deralict ?

Thats putting it mildly

Griff

[grendel]

just needs a new chine and a few planks 

[Essexgirl]

Perhaps as a consolation Essexgirl you will like this shot by Terry Baldrey. I think the last Foxglove in hire was from Bridgecraft (name escapes me) who restored her to a varnished superstructure.
Anyone interested in 60/70s hire boats, have a look at Terry's home page on Flickr. Fascinating collection. Mainly Richardsons. https://www.flickr.com/photos/41409347@N07/
 
Fred

 

That's a lovely photo. Thank you.

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[VetChugger]

We had "Westering Home" out from Breydon Marine back in the late 70's. I remember her as a spacious, comfortable boat. It was around that time we had always fancied hiring one of those steel boats of theirs like "Lady Carron"  and "Waveney Halcyon" but never quite had the funds on student nurse wages!