Carvel planked 10.6m Gaff Cutter seen for sale; Bargain?

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Capt Popeye

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Hi there
Anybody looking for a 2015 repair task (or occupation, or devotion or dream) ?

Just seen a locally advertised Gaff Cutter, looks like an ex fishing boat as bearing LN230 (?), up for sale as sustained damage to hull carvel planking, appears to be rubbing /chafing marks in pics; offered for a giveaway 'petty cash' price as owner retired abroad now; appears to have the usual cabins with side berths and a wood ? belly fire installed; Sails condition not stated but pics show an apparent full and sailable rig hoisted.

If interested please pm me and I can give you details; would (wood) seem a great pity to loose a vessel like this unnecessarily, so owners are asking seeking a 'good home' for her, hence my posting on here. NB I am not involved in her ownership or sale in any way, just that these sort of vessels were still common in my youth and I hold great affection for them, my reading material was mostly about Thames and East Coast Bawleys, Shrimpers, Herring fishing boats, and the many vessels who's home port was an Essex River or creek.
 
Hi captn, very well done for trying to get it saved. Someone will want it. Might I suggest an e to the Old Gaffers Association? Cheers Jerry
Just had a look, a quick google of South West Gaffers will bring up an automated email contact form.
 
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pyrojames said:
Good evening to you too!

In my experience what you might save on the purchase is spent many times over on the restoration. I don't regret the money I've spent, but I don't think I ended up with a cheap boat!
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Well your experience is negative and off-putting, no need for it, Captn Popeye posted in good faith, and it sounds like a cracking project, please delete the post. IMO.
 
jerrytug said:
Well your experience is negative and off-putting, no need for it, Captn Popeye posted in good faith, and it sounds like a cracking project, please delete the post. IMO.
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No. My experience reflects the facts of myself and many of my friends. I don't want to see someone thinking that the purchase price is the bulk of the cost of an old project boat. I don't want someone to spent a large amount of money on something they can't follow through to completion. There are many failed projects sitting in yards all round the the world, and I like to see projects completed and sailed by those who gave blood sweat and hard cash to get them afloat.

I don't want someone full of enthusiasm to dive in for a "cheap" boat, spend more they can afford and not be able to keep the boat in the end.

Certainly, the boat may be worth saving, and I posted light heartedly with a simple relevant warning. My post stays.
 
pyrojames said:
No. My experience reflects the facts of myself and many of my friends. I don't want to see someone thinking that the purchase price is the bulk of the cost of an old project boat. I don't want someone to spent a large amount of money on something they can't follow through to completion. There are many failed projects sitting in yards all round the the world, and I like to see projects completed and sailed by those who gave blood sweat and hard cash to get them afloat.



I don't want someone full of enthusiasm to dive in for a "cheap" boat, spend more they can afford and not be able to keep the boat in the end.

Certainly, the boat may be worth saving, and I posted light heartedly with a simple relevant warning. My post stays.
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+1 it's much more than the purchase price. If I knew then .... I'd have missed out on the journey of my life. Other than marriage, kids and business, falling into a restoration was a godsend.
 
:0

Just to fill in a few pieces of information for anybody interested -

In the advert the owner states that he paid £21,000.00 in 2010, now due to damage is with broker at £10,000.00 owner asking £3,500.00 as it is ashore and laid up.

Would have thought that the sails and rig were worth more than that alone. Not that I am advocating stripping her at all, just comparing asking price with assets.

The advert is in GUMTREE for the Torquay area, and posted 2 days ago. The pics when she is under full sail are fantastic, might risk all and copy them, is it ok so to do?

Wont get 'keel hauled' or something, will I.
 
Not at all, I would love to see some pics.

As you say the bits are probably worth more than the asking price, but the price of getting her in the water is something else entirely.

All good boats deserve to be rescued by by someone. Not everyone knows what they might be getting into! My condolences to the chap who is selling it, it appears he spent a lot and has not ended up with much. Let's hope than he enjoyed his ownership.
 
Curiosity got the better of me and I looked... For anyone else wanting to do the same, she's listed as "Heritage Sail Boat". Looks lovely and I too hope she finds a good owner. I've had a very quick google for the same boat with broker but not found her - if anyone else does, maybe let us know which broker?

I would be interested to see broker photos because the pictures in the Gumtree advert are so different: in the one under sail the hull is white and, so far as one can tell, all looks to be in pretty good shape. In the pictures in the boatyard, presumably more recent, the hull is blue, the paint is scraped back to bare timber in places (result of the accident?) and everything looks more like hard work beckons. Given what you can get on Wooden Ships for about £10k then the current asking price (on Gumtree) might actually be a bit more realistic.

Good luck to both the seller and purchaser, but I agree with PJ to the extent that it seems best that anyone who buys the boat at least realises that it won't be a case of buy on Monday, launch on Tuesday and sail away on Wednesday. Rather like PhillM I have found restoring an old wooden boat - and sailing her - to be a great experience and one I would not want to have missed out on, but it has all been both more work and more expense than I originally bargained for, and mine looked in better condition when I bought her (and was afloat and not leaking).
 
Oh it's Seafish, I had a look at her in about 2010 when she was for sale for £20,000, afloat. She is a Lynn smack which was used by The White Fish Authority or a similar contemporary organisation, for fishery inspection and research type work.
Totally conventional smack build, but she has had a mild steel deck and superstructure added, which covers the whole hull like a lid, I have never seen anything like it. It's probably an advantage now, helping prevent the hull flexing, and helping to keep the seams relatively tight. Deck leaks gone, to be replaced by drips of condensation..
If someone wanted to do a restoration, and end up with a 'classic' type boat, they would have to remove the tin lid and build everything from the hull upwards, a fairly massive task! Any deck beams will be knackered IMO.
She is an oddity, a butchered hybrid, but a massive bargain at a grand or so (the price can only fall) and hopefully some young dreamers with plenty of energy will take her on and do her up.

Sorry PyroJames for posting rudely, I have a bee in my bonnet about encouraging people to do up old boats and get out there, rather than pouring cold water on their dreams.
cheers Jerry
 
Interesting, I didn't get the thing about the steel deck (it says steel superstructure in the advert, which did sound a bit odd). To actually remove all that, and replace the deck beams, and rebuild everything above the deck would indeed be a massive job: if it's all sound as is, maybe better to remain as an oddity and keep the boat sailing?

It's not quite in the same league, but my pre-war boat has aluminium spars: a wealthy owner in the 1970s replaced the wooden originals with them. However, unlike many owners who took the opportunity to convert to Bermudan rig at the time, he had all the spars built to the same dimensions as the wooden ones he replaced, and even retained the original galvanised fittings. A few people have said things along the lines of "nice boat, pity about the spars" but quite honestly I have grown to love them: they look fine, quite old now so the gold anodizing is nicely weathered in, and they are about the only part of the boat that does not need restoring or maintaining!
 
So is yours a gaffer or convert to Bermudan Chal? Surely must be bermudan with ally spars?

Yes, I agree Seafish just needs doing up a bit and soldier on as a cheap gaffer, and accept the oddity!
 
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jerrytug said:
So is yours a gaffer or convert to Bermudan Chal? Surely must be bermudan with ally spars?
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A gaff cutter! Exactly the same rig as when she was built, still all powered by tackles not winches, but the spars are aluminium. It's quite unusual! I could restore her to original status by simply replacing the aluminium with wood: as I said, all the sizes are the same and the fittings are original. But, why bother?
 
Very unusual, and hoisting the main must be nice and light. Mine was designed for a husband and wife crew and has a hollow spruce gaff, it's almost spookily lightweight, a light gaff makes for a totally different (better) experience..
Accepted wisdom says a gaff cutter needs a heavy solid boom though, I presume you have proved it wrong!
 
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