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Langford Jillings Snr.

Starbrite

By Starbrite
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Chelsea14Ian

Chelsea14Ian

Posted
Posted
50 minutes ago, johnb said:

 Never met the gentleman but it's always sad when someone passes on. Apart from the loss to his family and friends, I always feel with no disrespect intended that we all lose a bit of broads history, knowledge and wisdom. 

Very true indeed a sad loss to boat building and the broads.

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boycee

boycee

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Really sad news the broads has lost a true Broadsman and a great boat builder.He gave me lots of useful information and help over the many times we chatted. Sadly Alphacraft went into decline after he handed over the reins but he still talked of future developments which will not now come to fruition. Our condolences to his family and my thanks for designing my Alpha 35 centre cockpit a great boat in my opinion RIP old friend

Boycee & Mags

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Graham47

Graham47

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Very sad news indeed. I hired from Langford Snr for 4weeks a year for almost 20 years until he retired. He had a real passion for his for his business, adding new boats of various designs to his fleet almost every year. He also had a passion for restoring Jaguar cars. Some people that only met him once or twice thought he might seem a bit arrogant, but if you knew him like I and many others did you would get to know the real Langford. A true gentleman whose boatbulding for both private customers, and hire boats across the various hire boat yards was his life. Always busy working in the yard, hands on, or in the office planning new addittion to the fleet, which were all wooden boats when he took the business over from his father. He soon realised that wooden boats were too expensive to maintain and went down the route of replacing the fleet with a new fleet of fibre glass boats of his own making. He was indeed a true Broadsman and Boat builder and in my opinion has been a loss to boatbuilding and the hire fleet since his retirement. RIP.

 

 

 

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VetChugger

VetChugger

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I totally agree with Boycee and Graham. We had at least one and often two holidays every year with Langford Senior from 1973 and went through his whole fleet. At the time the zenith for us was a fortnight out on "Samarkand" (later "Jaguar") Langford and John Cressey spent almost two days working in the engine room at Yarmouth Yacht Station replacing a damper drive. I last saw him at the London Boat Show and he was really fed up and frustrated at being kept away from the actual boat building. "I simply want to build boats" he told me and I swear there were tears in his eyes. I really liked the bloke! Rest in peace.

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oldgregg

oldgregg

Posted
Posted
54 minutes ago, ChrisB said:

Did the purchase by NYA of the Alphacaft site and renaming to Langford Harbour go through? Also there was talk of boat building resuming.

Yes, NYA have the site and are leasing the workshops to Vogue Marine which is the boatbuilding arm of the Broads Boating Company.

https://www.nya.co.uk/vogue-marine-move-brundall/

The boats will be new designs based on Funnell hulls, as most of the Alpha mould tools were sold to Brinks.

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Broads01

Broads01

Posted
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I chatted to a Broads Boating Company guy at Acle this week and he excitedly mentioned the new builds going on at Brundall, with two boats in construction. I asked him if they'd be ready for next season and he said "we hope so". 

Was Langford Jillings the man behind all Alpha designs? His influence was undoubtedly huge when I think of the number of Alphas that are around. 

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Starbrite

Starbrite

Posted
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I chatted to a Broads Boating Company guy at Acle this week and he excitedly mentioned the new builds going on at Brundall, with two boats in construction. I asked him if they'd be ready for next season and he said "we hope so". 
Was Langford Jillings the man behind all Alpha designs? His influence was undoubtedly huge when I think of the number of Alphas that are around. 
You can read his story on nya Facebook page and yes he did design a lot of boats over 1000 made

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

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oldgregg

oldgregg

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, gancanny said:

    most of the hulls on alphacraft boats came from a design by f b wilds of horning

John Moxham was the architect they used for the more recent stuff, and I guess perhaps the 80's boats too?

The Bermuda hull was the basis for them all, though, just with the length altered and the gunwales built up a bit.

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NeilB

NeilB

Posted
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23 hours ago, colino said:

RIP and thank you for designing my alpha 35 one of the last moulds made fitted out by greenways in 1996

I never met him but worked on a few of his boats, quite a character from what I've heard.

I actually worked on your boat when it was at Kris Cruisers.  I can remember turning the battery master switch's off and the radio kept on going.  Turns out there were 2 power supplies, one to each side of the domestic master switch ! ! :default_icon_eek:

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DAVIDH

DAVIDH

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Was this design entirely down to Alphacraft? If so I guess it could be considered as the one which dragged the Broads cruiser into the 21st century. When out and about you very rarely see them sitting unused in their home boatyard. Sort of the E Type Jag of the Broads?

Alpha Spitfire1L.jpg

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VetChugger

VetChugger

Posted
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David, you are right about that design of boat and this was actually the second such example at least of this innovation. Langford Sr also produced the Alphacraft CC class of which an example is shown below courtesy of Craigs website.

This boat then appeared in fleets all over the country including the Thames and there were also some over on the continent. Yes, He has certanly left behind a legacy of design and boat building that many have tried to follow.

Can you tell I am a fan?

Alpha Lysander.jpg

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