Death of a fine vessel?

[milltech]

I was in Falmouth last week, and passing the quay at Penryn I saw across the river a boat I recognised as the 1959 Herd and Mackenzie, "Andvari", lying in the mud on her side. A fisherman on the quay confirmed it and I went for a walk to find her.

Apparently the story is that she was against one of the quays and she fell over, staving in one side, and that the Harbour Master had her taken across and put where she is. Each tide the water comes in and the water goes out.

As some of you may know I like Herd and Mackenzie boats and have owned one in the past, there aren't too many of them. This is one of three or four built originally for John Mackenzie himself as "Marandi" (Mary and I), and later sold on.

I thought if the owner would release her I'd have her patched and removed from the water to stabilise the current problem, although doing anything about it is beyond my wallet these days.

I can't find her in Lloyds but from memory she's about 53 feet with twin Fords, now probably only good for moorings! If this is the end it is a sad one.

 

[Superflid]

A real shame, far beyond my budget unfortunately.
Would have been a lovely vessel in her prime.

 

[Guest]

Heart braking that is, mind you a plywood patch and a bit of canvas would keep her afloat and slow the deteration a bit? possibly a couple of temporary beaching legs to keep her upright?

I wonder who owns her? he must be out for lunch! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Charlie.

 

[milltech]

She needed a refit when I last looked at her with a view to purchase. That was in Plymouth and must be 12 -15 years ago. I suspect she's fallen into the hands of DIYers, or a shipwright who didn't have the time, or a live-aboard, with matters getting steadily more out-of-hand.

At this point it needs a man with deep pockets to do a proper job.

 

[Lakesailor]

Terrible shame. You can see her as a fine ship, even in her present state. It would be a labour of love though.

 

[Nauti Fox]

Its a terrible, terrible shame. I wonder why people do it?
When I used to work at Tough Bros (Teddington) back in the seventies you would see the same boats just sitting there year after year just gently rotting away until they were dead.
I dont understand it because it costs money to keep them there until you cant sell them, so why?


Oh crikey, see Mikef2 has said almost exactly the same thing earlier on Classic!

 

[Sixpence]

Hi John , can you tell me if the hole is too big to cover with a tarp , one of the methods used to postpone what is usually the inevitable is to try and stop the constant fill up and drain with the tides , it doesn't always work but can be a solution sometimes . If it's possible to cover the hole and stop this cycle until someone comes along with the required deep pockets , is it worth a try

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Its a great shame - what is it about a dying boat that looks so awful, or is it that we are just boat lovers and it distresses us to see it happen?

I was walking passed Waterman's Lock near Brentford and there is loads of dead and dying boats there. It seems to be the place that old boats go to die. A very sorrowful place.

 

[fisherman]

Seen a big boat refloated with a plywood patch and liberal application of expanding foam.

 

[Sixpence]

patch and tarp is a well used rescue method on historic vessels , all depends on how bad the damage is

 

[Blueboatman]

Now thats clever

 

[steverow]

Forum restoration project??

Maybe someone could get a TV Company to do a series of prograames on it and get some funding that way, a la "Boatyard".


Steve.

 

[goochie]

I think there would be quite a few who would offer at least a couple of days free labour. Me included.

 

[Guest]

I will happily give you some time, but I think that it should only go as far as relieving her immediate distress and most importantly...........with the owners permission!

Charlie.

 

[nyx2k]

that's a pretty good idea. i'll give a few days labour

 

[aztec]

i'm in.

 

[Forbsie]

[ QUOTE ]
Forum restoration project??

Maybe someone could get a TV Company to do a series of prograames on it and get some funding that way, a la "Boatyard".

[/ QUOTE ]

It was sounding attractive until you mentioned Boatyard. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[oldgit]

Firewood more like.

Sorry,but its well past its sink by date.Most rivers are littered with stuff like this that have come to the end of their useful lives.They merely represent a money pit for the misty eyed and the unwary.No one with the financial wherewithall is going to restore a broken backed non descript old wreck like that and any enthusiast daft enough to have ago will be broke within 12 months.Many old barges round here have skinted people before being sold on or abandoned and then been quietly flytipped up some creek by boatyard owner unable to get overdue rent from long gone "restorer" type..
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[milltech]

Re: Firewood more like.

That's probably overstating it a good deal. I'm sure she won't be "broken backed", only 1959, from a very well respected yard, cascovered from new.

She's likely to have frames that form the bulwarks and probably they'll need to be chopped off at deck level and replaced with iron, frames may need to be doubled, and, depending the damage in the fall, replaced, plus a lot of starboard side planking. She may be larch on oak, some were teak and others, (mine), were iroko.

She's going to eat £100k - £150k of anyone's money, but really at the end of the day that would be a deal for a well found TSDY from a famous yard. This is no MFV conversion.

 

[milltech]

I can't really, I just took the photos, but practically speaking it wouldn't be tough job to get her into a temporary state to float across the harbour and be lifted. I have friends there who could do that tomorrow.

I think buying her is the first step, a few grand to salve his concience, (whoever he is), but only a few. Get her out, steamed and cleaned, and go from there.