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New Year challenge - famous boatyards and their boats


LizG

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Sanderson's yard in the 80s from a scanned photograph. At least two of the Sandpipers are in origornal condition (the two on the left) with the others in their various remodernised conditions. A Sanderling can also be seen. On a historic note Sandersons are the last boatyard to fly the Blakes flag.

Sanderson Marine Reedham 1980's

 

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A clutch of old Summercraft boats circa 1970's Glitter Girl's 1 & 2 with Galaxy Girl in the middle, spent a lovely week on Glitter Girl 2 - glad to see they are still in business :-) 

summer_craft.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Page from 1963 Hoseseasons showing some of the houseboats moored on Oulton Broad.

3 are listed as ex Torpedo boats and one as ex Gun boat but they are all different lengths and beams. Perhaps somebody (Vaughan?) could enlighten me as to if the descriptions are correct.

The houseboat at the top of the page looks like one of the flat-afloats but I didn't think they were called that until quite a few years later. There is one listed at Wayford Bridge and one at Brundall.

Roy

Hoseasons 63 318.jpg

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The top one is a Windboats Flat-a-Float. They were based around a caravan body on a flat pontoon, in those days when holiday houseboats were very popular on the Broads. Some versions were built with a front lowering ramp, so that the caravan could be rolled off the raft and used on the road.

"Young Jim" is a British Powerboat Co. 60ft pre-war fast patrol craft and MTB design.

5a60de806c8b6_Gunboatearly1.thumb.jpg.f31c1f29807954832df1e92141bf6b3a.jpg

This one was commanded by my father, in Hong Kong.

100_3454.thumb.jpg.b36ae1946c379c466675bf8033572cdf.jpg

She is more likely to have been this RAF rescue launch version of the same hull, as both flotillas of the MTB version were lost in action during the war.

"Gray Malkin" is a mystery as she appears at first to be a Fairmile "D" MTB but at 72ft is too short and is missing the "scollop" out of the hullside for the torpedo tubes. May have been some kind of landing craft or harbour defense launch.

"Foynes" is the 73ft Vosper MTB, built during the mid years of the war. Later made famous in the late 60s as an Airfix plastic model kit. MTB102, now in preservation, is an earlier, and smaller, version.

100_3453.thumb.jpg.5991c6375316eb3b01ce1acf6a80afa5.jpg

"Blue Lagoon" is clearly a British Powerboat Co. design such as MGB 81, which was a 72ft MGB. She is shown in the catalogue as 60ft, so she is probably an RAF rescue launch version of the same design.

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1 minute ago, C.Ricko said:

Grey Malkin is possibly  a 69ft Higgins MGB.

Yes indeed!

Hubert Scott-Paine of the British Powerboat Company took his designs to America and these were used by ELCO and Higgins.

Higgins MTBs were used in the Battle of the Narrow Seas.

I will have a look for some photos tomorrow.

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That certainly looks very much like the hull shape of Grey Malkin. Higgins boats were well known off the East Coast during the war and had some famous commanders.

I notice in your photo, the American method of dropping the torpedos over the side, instead of launching them from tubes.

I will look up some more details tomorrow.

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On 11 January 2016 at 18:12, JanetAnne said:

Just to bump this thread up again, although we are all enjoying Griff's memoires as well of course, here's possibly the only colour picture in existance of this little cruiser. She was I believe, sadly broken up in about 1971. This picture is from 1963.

Anyone care to guess her name and the location (with reg number suitably disguised of course :default_wink: )img022.thumb.jpg.2e505e2c91313205e7c0847?

Hi Anne, 

This is lovely boat I think it maybe currently for sale with topsail. It's been on there website a long while 

I love look of wood very classy https://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1741

Dave 

 

 

 

 

 

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Foynes.thumb.jpeg.87f9710056a7f07bf1fc132bfb737478.jpeg

"Foynes" was a second series Vosper 72.5 ft MTB, like this one, seen in Malta.

 

5a61d392941e2_BlueLagoon.thumb.jpeg.6d773f58ea881dfe2754a147a22c8fb7.jpeg

These are 72 ft British Powerboat MGBs, so "Blue Lagoon" at 60ft, may have been an anti submarine boat (MA/SB).

5a61d3d70b2e9_GreyMalkin.thumb.jpeg.10867975f66cb689537a972a219ae04d.jpeg

There seem to have been several versions of the Higgins boats but I think "Gray Malkin" may have been one of these.

The photos are from "The battle of the torpedo boats" by Bryan Cooper.

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This is quite timely as I have come across another Broads MTB which is new to me.

I  bought myself a copy of the 1951 Hoseasons brochure which, among it's houseboats, lists "Otter" which it says was the Fairmile D MTB 729. Going back through the notes I have on ex admiralty boats on the Broads, this doesn't appear to be one which has cropped up on my radar so far. It was listed as being at Oulton Broad and a quick Google infers that she was built by Brooke Marine c1942 and was sold by the admiralty in 1947. 

It doesn't correspond with the numbers of the two Fairmile D's which were owned by the Sea Scouts at Norwich, (MTB's 724 and 740) or the one which I have photographs at at Horning in the early 1950s (MTB 653). 

Does anyone have any information or thoughts on Otter?

 

otter_hoseason1951_sml.thumb.jpg.13e5641a74217243447bb619e1044ffc.jpg

 

Carol

 

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The left one is a Fairmile "D" and the windows look the same.

The one at right is slightly smaller and narrower and appears to have a funnel, so I would think that is a Fairmile "B" ML. They had a funnel so that they looked like destroyers at night.

I remember another D Fairmile called Longmynd, which moored around the Brundall area but I don't think she was ever a hire boat.

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  • 2 years later...
On 28/10/2020 at 08:44, welshwombat96 said:

In the early 70s, my family had a holiday aboard young jim and as a kid in love with the navy i had a blast. Can anyone tell me the fate of young jim please, as shortly after the holiday I moved to Australia and have not been able to visit the broads again yet!

Regards Antony from Australia

I believe that I am right when I tell you that she was intentionally burnt to the water-line and what was left was allowed to sink where, over the years, her remains have rotted away or sunk into the mud.

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On 28/10/2020 at 08:44, welshwombat96 said:

In the early 70s, my family had a holiday aboard young jim and as a kid in love with the navy i had a blast. Can anyone tell me the fate of young jim please, as shortly after the holiday I moved to Australia and have not been able to visit the broads again yet!

Regards Antony from Australia

Young Jim.

Oulton Broad, Young Jim.jpg

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  • 1 year later...
On 28/10/2020 at 08:44, welshwombat96 said:

In the early 70s, my family had a holiday aboard young jim and as a kid in love with the navy i had a blast. Can anyone tell me the fate of young jim please, as shortly after the holiday I moved to Australia and have not been able to visit the broads again yet!

Regards Antony from Australia

Young Jim ended up as the foundations of a jetty at the Kevincraft Boatyard in Lake Lothing, the superstructure was removed and the hull was positioned, filled with scrap metal, Sunk & then the Jetty built off the decks and Hull.

Not much left now I'm afraid, this photo was taken about 2 years ago. Young Jims final resting place.IMG_3391.thumb.JPG.0e133d1870124a58836d5fb957b6818f.JPG

 

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11 hours ago, Tobster said:

Young Jim ended up as the foundations of a jetty at the Kevincraft Boatyard in Lake Lothing, the superstructure was removed and the hull was positioned, filled with scrap metal, Sunk & then the Jetty built off the decks and Hull.

Not much left now I'm afraid, this photo was taken about 2 years ago. Young Jims final resting place.IMG_3391.thumb.JPG.0e133d1870124a58836d5fb957b6818f.JPG

 

A photo that surfaced recently of Young Jim, with the day boat “Mare” alongside.

Also, just noticeable to the left the Houseboat Katrina or Miranda.

88FCA77D-10F3-4BF0-B33A-5AC38541E17C.thumb.jpeg.756d74f6b0266c026e01a6a345dd5a78.jpeg

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On 01/01/2016 at 23:34, JanetAnne said:

By the way, if anyone knows where any of the following are - or what happened to them, we would love to hear from you.

Falling Leaves or Emerald (both Newson Boats) or Lady Miranda (Coral Craft).

Willing to trade chocolate for any help.....  :party:

Emerald was re named Troubadour according to boats of the Norfolk broads, if that jogs anyones memory’s.

 

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  • 4 months later...

Good evening, uncertain if Herbert Freeman is a famous yard but certainly responsible for many woodies.  This one, originally Happy Time (believe 2) was sold along with the rest of the fleet to Herbert Woods sometime at the end of the 1960's and became Dazzling Light.  The photograph on Boats of the Norfolk Broads was taken at Martham where she was moored and purchased by us in 2013.  As with all woodies, much restoration has taken place. (At least I hope there is an attachment, a little tech uncertain).

She was built earlier than 1968, thought to be early 1960.

Edited by BlueMoon
For clarity.
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