Griff Rees Jones

[doug748]

Someone, on another thread, mentioned that Griff Rees Jones has a new boat.
A couple of interesting responses to some eggy interview questions, from his web page:

Q. What does ownership deliver to you personally and therefore does the investment deliver unique value?

It is not an investment. There is no return on wooden boats. We spend a lot of money annually on upkeep, new sails, flying in crew, (it takes twelve to race her), keeping her up to scratch. We will never see any of that back. Undina my last yacht, smaller but equally beautiful, has cost me half a million in restoration fees and is currently up for sale at 195 thou, probably less. People go aboard and expect to find extra cabins. Or suddenly realise what work they will have to do to keep her looking so great. I am about to repair her floors, perhaps the last stages of her total restoration. It is meaningless money because it won’t add an iota to her market value. You buy these boats in order to love them.

Q. If asked by an inexperienced potential owner for advice prior to entering the market, what is the most important piece of advice you could deliver?

Buy a boat on which some one has already done the work and wants out, rather than a wreck.


See here:
http://www.classicyachtargyll.com/

 

[Capt Popeye]

Humm, thanks for that info, all I can say is it appears to be 'eye wateringly expensive', but let it be acknowledged, a great sight to behold

 

[jerrytug]

Good comments from G R-J. Especially the second, buy one which has had the work done already.

 

[pyrojames]

Good comments from G R-J. Especially the second, buy one which has had the work done already.

Depends on what you enjoy. I like woodwork and the satisfaction of seeing a project come to fruition. But then I intend to keep the boat for along time...

If you can't do the work yourself, or a least a large part of it, it will cost everything you have. Err, even if you do the work yourself it still seems to cost everything you have!

 

[chrishelen]

Good answers I thought, 'but how will she pay' doesn't apply to pleasure boats.

 

[jerrytug]

Depends on what you enjoy. I like woodwork and the satisfaction of seeing a project come to fruition. But then I intend to keep the boat for along time...

If you can't do the work yourself, or a least a large part of it, it will cost everything you have. Err, even if you do the work yourself it still seems to cost everything you have!

I also love woodwork, and intend to keep my boat for a long time. My problem is finding a combination of:

1)Cheapish place to tie up, with water and leccy and no theives, and permission to erect a bench with vice.

2)With fair weather, not raining all the time like the UK.

3) Accesss to tool shops, hardwood outlets and wood boat advice.

4) Speak the lingo, i.e France.

Lorient ticks a few boxes at the moment, but not many wooden boats here. I would have loved to have stayed in Douarnenez but the weather's as bad as Cornwall's.

And if my present Marihona does get fecked by fire or hitting a rock, my next boat will be another wood gaff cutter which has been done up by someone else. I know which one as well, it's on brokerage, Woodenships, google Monumental stone carrier.

I have done all the work myself so far, apart from new cap shrouds and other standing rigging maintenance.

Maintaining a wood boat while on an extended cruise ( which looks like turning into an Atlantic circuit) is good for the mind and soul, using skin friendly fluids like Stockholm tar, Linseed oil etc, rather than epoxy, polyester etc.

G R-J's last boat was a similar size to my present one, I will never have his level of spending money though.

So yes I enjoy doing the tasks just like you, but also have rather "itchy feet" cheers Jerry

 

[doug748]

Lorient? Saw a lot of fine wooden boats in Port Louis last year:

[/url]DSCF0409 by doug748[/IMG]

Don't know where they overwinter.

 

[Boo2]

Someone, on another thread, mentioned that Griff Rees Jones has a new boat.
A couple of interesting responses to some eggy interview questions, from his web page:

Quotes in OP are on this page btw.

Hth,

Boo2

 

[PhillM]

I seem to temper a quote of his that went somthing like, he bourght his boat for £70k, spent £250k on restoration and now she is worth £70k.

Same here but my numbers are £3k, £22k and now £3k.

 

[jerrytug]

Lorient? Saw a lot of fine wooden boats in Port Louis last year:

[/url]DSCF0409 by doug748[/IMG]

Don't know where they overwinter.

Port Louis has a top kebab shop, didn't see any classics, being so out of season I think they have gone south, or across the pond.
Several people have recommended the La Rochelle classic yacht club, that's my vague destination, although it's great here in Lorient.
I can't get over how friendly and calm people are down here.

 

[Steve_N]

'Rhys' innit?

 

[Boo2]

Port Louis has a top kebab shop, didn't see any classics, being so out of season I think they have gone south, or across the pond.

Or someone's eaten them ?

Boo2

 

[Aurai]

JerryT

Many of the ones we meet up with find a barn or a shed over the winter! While check out http://yachtclubclassique.com for the La Rochelle lot, they have a club house of the harbour to drop in on.

 

[jerrytug]

Or someone's eaten them ?

Boo2

And?

 

[jerrytug]

JerryT

Many of the ones we meet up with find a barn or a shed over the winter! While check out http://yachtclubclassique.com for the La Rochelle lot, they have a club house of the harbour to drop in on.

Thanks charlie hotel, definitely aiming for it.

 

[Seanick]

Peter Gregson has always said (for as long as I can remember), find a distressed owner, not a distressed boat.

Good advice that I failed to follow

 

[Woodlouse]

Griff brought that 'new' boat five years ago.

 

[pyrojames]

This sums up classic boat ownership!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/glidergoth/sets/72157623868718841

 

[jerrytug]

That looks expensive with all those lorries and cranes. I'm just waiting for it to stop raining to antifoul my hull, but I feel like jacking it in and continuing south, but there are some naughty depressions on the way though, and at least we are in a city.
I've scraped and primed the hull since this pic was taken last week.

 

[dombuckley]

James, in your final photo, I think you have finally found the answer to keeping on top of wooden boat maintenance: cloning!