Norwich Yacht Station

[CaptinDread]

so now there is a sunken boat at norwich yacht station, I won't put anymore info here so just watch, hopefully the couple can sort this, they have been there today trying to sort something out, fair play to them

sadly the dangers of ownng an old wooden boat

the vid 

 

 

[JennyMorgan]

In fairness the owners have asked, via Facebook, for offers of help. I'm too far away and no longer have a suitable pump so I have not responded  but perhaps someone nearer and better equipped can help? Always a possibility, with an old woody, that if neglected they will sink, afraid that is the burden of old boat ownership.

[BrundallNavy]

Such a shame when this happens, you must keep on top of maintaining any boat even more so with a woodie.

Doug.

[CaptinDread]

14 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

In fairness the owners have asked, via Facebook, for offers of help. I'm too far away and no longer have a suitable pump

a pump or two may have been sorted, will be heading back there tomorrow morning

[JennyMorgan]

Hopefully her decks are at least above the low water level. Think that is fairly early though.

[Baitrunner]

That's a shame and hope it's not too badly damaged. 

You would think if you spot it early enough a call to your insurance company might be enough to prevent a total loss.

Sorry no pump to offer, but good luck offered.  

[BrundallNavy]

If it has insurance 

Doug.

But you only have to have third party insurance for a Toll, Doug

"Tolls are needed for any vessels kept or used within the Broads Authority's navigation area or adjacent waters.

They must have:

• either an annual toll or a short visit toll
• third party insurance (except unpowered vessels with a block area of less than 6m²)
• a valid boat safety certificate (for vessels within the scope of the scheme, not required for short visit toll)"

Edited January 11, 2016 by Hockham Admiral
Doug, so sorry, I was trying to quote you and in fact edited your original

[Hockham Admiral]

Doug, so very sorry but I inadvertently clicked edit instead of quote when I just replied to your last post.        

[Islander]

Is this not something the BA or Fire Service could help with? I feel sorry for the owners and wonder if they were living onboard as they will have lost almost everything. We only have one small portable pump here. Our pump out system here is the same pump as the yacht station and it can be quickly reconfigured to pump boats out in this situation using the pump out points along our quay. Come on, BA and Fire Service. Ideal opportunity for a bit of rescue practice and goodwill building.

Colin

Edited January 11, 2016 by Hockham Admiral
Done for Colin

[Islander]

Now I've hit the wrong button. I meant to hit edit and correct my last sentence but one. It should read 'Comeon BA and Fire Service.

I blame the little grey cells, there's not so many now.

Colin

[JennyMorgan]

The fire service have been known to help with drowned boats, attributing it to training. As for the BA, I suspect that they have the means down at their Thorpe depot, be a nice gesture but half, maybe a day's work for a team, would the owners pay? 

Trouble with old woodies is that they need to come out every winter, not just for maintenance but also for health checks. Trouble is that there aren't many 'woody' boatyards down South unless you head to Lake Lothing, t'other side of Oulton Broad Lock.

Re insurance, most companies I know of require a recent survey and for evidance that a boat is suitably maintained. Boats that sink because they are not maintained adequately often don't receive a payout. 

[Hockham Admiral]

43 minutes ago, Islander said:

Now I've hit the wrong button. I meant to hit edit and correct my last sentence but one. It should read 'Comeon BA and Fire Service.

I blame the little grey cells, there's not so many now.

Colin

Done it for you, Colin.   

[JanetAnne]

41 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Trouble with old woodies is that they need to come out every winter, not just for maintenance but also for health checks. Trouble is that there aren't many 'woody' boatyards down South unless you head to Lake Lothing, t'other side of Oulton Broad Lock.

There arnt many boatyards down south period!

In the meantime I am not so sure about woodies being taken out every winter for too long. I believe it to be the case, especially with carvel hulls, that as the planking swells and pushes together to form the 'seal' some of the softer wood within the grain is compressed. When the planks dry out this compressed grain stays compressed and so the gap between the dried out plank increases slightly. We then, being sensible owners, pack this slightly increased gap with putty etc. Over time the putty hardens and so when the plank swells it compresses the wood a little further and so it goes on. This is why the planking seems to get smaller and smaller over time and those new planks that were tight together when you fitted them a couple of seasons ago now have gaps when dry.

The secret is to have a wooden boat out just long enough for maintenance and to protect from the worst of the elements but not long enough for it to dry out. Easier said than done eh!

Alternatively a nice wet shed is a woodies ideal home...

[LizG]

WR is best left in the water. She is for the second time in her life in a wetshed for the winter.............. Take her out for too long and she simply sinks on launching and takes ages to take up.  Jason will vouch for that!

[CaptinDread]

2 hours ago, Islander said:

Is this not something the BA or Fire Service could help with? I feel sorry for the owners and wonder if they were living onboard as they will have lost almost everything.

Colin

they were living onboard, they are currently making an effort to salvage the boat and get it floating again so waiting for a low tide to atleast patch the hull and pump out the water.

[JennyMorgan]

14 minutes ago, CaptinDread said:

they were living onboard, they are currently making an effort to salvage the boat and get it floating again so waiting for a low tide to atleast patch the hull and pump out the water.

Good luck to them. Whatever the problem it must have been pretty drastic for the boat to actually sink. Hope they have friends to put them up.

[BrundallNavy]

2 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

Good luck to them. Whatever the problem it must have been pretty drastic for the boat to actually sink. Hope they have friends to put them up.

The one that sunk at Beuchamp Arms a couple of years ago was just a hose on the sink drain, took some big pumps to get her up.

Greenway Marine in Loddon is a fantastic yard for woodies, Nipper spent the last 20 years wintering there, she is now tucked up in a wet shed but will come out in March for a check over.

I wish them good luck with raising her.

Doug.

[Springsong]

Do we know which boat it is ? or have I missed something?

[CaptinDread]

its the one that has the yellow boom around it springsong 

[quo vadis]

Very useful 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Re yards that specialise in wooden boats, Maffett cruisers spring to mind. Swallow and Merlin are always in mint condition, we`ve hired Swallow many times, and she`s regularly out for inspections and if ness re-planking, but as soon as she`s ready, she`s straight back in so as to stop her drying out. I totally agree you NEVER take a wooden boat out of the water for long periods. They dry out, and if left on props for any considerable length of time, they can very easily go out of shape, with planks warpuing where the props are, i saw it down where i use to keep Mistral. There was a beautiful old carvel construction Folkboat style yacht which had been ashore for about 3 years. she had gaps everywhere that you could actually slip a wood batten in, and where the props had been, the planking was quite severely bowed inwards. The owner eventually got it back in the water, but i don`t think he did anything about the bowed planks, as i seem to remember him saying they would eventually take up and go back to there original shape. Personally, i think he may have been living in cloud cuckoo land.

 

I love wooden boats, i just don`t think i`d ever have enough money to ever maintain one.

[NorfolkNog]

I believe this may be the one that sank. This was taken at the Waterfront in May last year. 

[JennyMorgan]

I saw her on the river during the winter, not so smart as she is there. If she is the one that has sunk, and is still on the bottom, then I am not surprised. The windows were running with condensation, ideal conditions for rot to go rampant. One or two bits of planking were rippled, indicating rot was already setting in. Trouble is that some folk buy 'end of life' boats because they don't know better, can't afford otherwise, and that often means that they don't know how and can't afford to maintain them in a river worthy condition. Often don't have a reserve in the event of a catastrophic.sinking either. When boats go downhill they can do so very quickly.  The old girl looks nice there, but it takes more than a lick of paint to maintain an old woody. Perhaps there is an argument for the BSS to include the integrity of the hull and skin fittings. 

[LondonRascal]

Took a pic of this very boat on the Yare not too far up river from Reedham back in July  2014 with a notice stuck on her - she was in the reeds at the time.

Nice looking 'little ship' though the wheelhouse looks very much a non-original addition.

 

[JennyMorgan]

Does anyone know for certain if she is the boat that has sunk? Bit unfair of us to speculate if she isn't. That said, I will state the obvious, no apparent toll or registration, the ramifications of which aren't attractive if that is the case.