HELP FINDING A BOAT FOR A GOOD CAUSE!!!

D

D12ty

Member
Joined
28 Sep 2016
Messages
32
Visit site
Evening all, was speaking with my neighbour and he started telling he’d love to find his dads old boat that he grew up with which was moored on the Thames between Brentford and the London Apprentice in Isleworth for a period of time...

quoted from him

“That’s my dads boat and I think this might be at the London apprentice ? it was called Wolf not (the wolf) it was a 52’ ex naval pinnace and it used to be moored just upriver of glovers island Petersham I think up till the early eighties. See if you can find it I’d love to know it’s still going strong”

I have a couple of pictures aswel to help locate it

EB186646-5560-418C-BD3C-6F9FBDD3E61F.jpeg
726DC196-8FE3-4B23-9E63-DB4D6462764C.jpeg
 
Ooh, she's lovely. I have a cruiser on the medway, lots of vessels like her, I'll start keeping an eye out for you / him.
 
Did the boat have a Gleniffer engine?

There was a similar looking boat at Hampton Wick in the 90s. Gleniffer DB2 engine. I don't remember the white wheelhouse but that could have been removed. The boat was "under repair" for a long time, floating with pumps. Moored below the Railway bridge on the residential moorings.

I was told it was hulked at Waterman's Park Brentford in the 2000s. Not sure if there is anything left as I had a look and could not locate it.

Could well be a different boat but it was very similar to the one in the picture except had no wheelhouse.

Plenty of other similar boats but it just rang a bell and was local.

It's an odd engine to have in that sort of boat so maybe it's the wrong one.
 
Last edited:
The boat above Bell Weir (Moored by Nicholes shed) at Yard Mead is Rose Hearty which is an MFV with an 8 cylinder Gardner in it.

That's shortly to be broken up so I was told by the person who has recently taken over the boatyard.

Round stern on the MFVs whereas a Pinnace will have a transom stern.

I'll show my friend the picture of WOLF when I see him. He has been afloat around Richmond, Kingston areas since the 70s so will probably know the boat but not necessarily the name.
 
Last edited:
Outinthedinghy said:
Did the boat have a Gleniffer engine?

There was a similar looking boat at Hampton Wick in the 90s. Gleniffer DB2 engine. I don't remember the white wheelhouse but that could have been removed. The boat was "under repair" for a long time, floating with pumps. Moored below the Railway bridge on the residential moorings.

I was told it was hulked at Waterman's Park Brentford in the 2000s. Not sure if there is anything left as I had a look and could not locate it.

Could well be a different boat but it was very similar to the one in the picture except had no wheelhouse.

Plenty of other similar boats but it just rang a bell and was local.

It's an odd engine to have in that sort of boat so maybe it's the wrong one.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the responses, he has confirmed that it was indeed a 6 cylinder Gleniffer engine (Air start)

what do you mean by Hulked? Thanks for your help
 
Outinthedinghy said:
The boat above Bell Weir (Moored by Nicholes shed) at Yard Mead is Rose Hearty which is an MFV with an 8 cylinder Gardner in it.

That's shortly to be broken up so I was told by the person who has recently taken over the boatyard.

Round stern on the MFVs whereas a Pinnace will have a transom stern.

I'll show my friend the picture of WOLF when I see him. He has been afloat around Richmond, Kingston areas since the 70s so will probably know the boat but not necessarily the name.
Click to expand...
Good spot, I always remember her when she was at Thame Ditton, such a shame, I cycled past her last week, that still a semi-decent RIB on the roof, I remember when that was new!
 
D12ty said:
Thanks for the responses, he has confirmed that it was indeed a 6 cylinder Gleniffer engine (Air start)

what do you mean by Hulked? Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

The boat I was referring to was dumped in a backwater near Brentford on the tidal River because it was a sinker.

I think it was a smaller Gleniffer in it though, not a six.

I didn't see the engine myself but was informed there was a Gleniffer in the boat by someone else who seemed to think it was a twin cylinder but maybe not.

It was blue hull and previously varnished bulwarks but no wheelhouse construction. And could have been shorter than 52ft.

It's a while ago now.

I'll certainly look out for a matching vessel in the area when am next down there.
 
Outinthedinghy said:
I remember when Rose Hearty was perfect.
Click to expand...

She's certainly not a naval pinnace. Last time I climbed aboard Rose Hearty about 8 years ago (to affix a 'you're nicked' form on it) she was just about in salvageable condition, a lovely old fishing boat. It's a shame when these old boats disappear.
 
I did mention it was an MFV earlier on. Another difference between an MFV and a naval Pinnace is that the MFV will probably be Larch planking whereas the Pinnace has a good chance of being Teak. The latter will last longer.
 
Time Out said:
Good spot, I always remember her when she was at Thame Ditton, such a shame, I cycled past her last week, that still a semi-decent RIB on the roof, I remember when that was new!
Click to expand...

The outboard (55hp evinrude I think it is) looks about 1990. Nice electric crane. Everything about the boat was done really well.

I was present while the boat shed was being emptied a while back. Same owner as the boat. He had everything in there most of which was sadly going to the scrap man :(

I didn't know in advance just happened to be there on the day while the scrap man's pickup was being loaded. Oh the bronze on the vehicle that day!! Good for scrap yes but things like jabsco pumps are useful as well and he seemed to have the new old stock from Bates yard at Chertsey which is now boring flats. cabin vents mooring cleats etc from the starcrafts. I did email the StarCraft owners club not sure if they managed to get in there in time though.

Big old Sailor ship to shore etc.

Serious gear.

Never mind. Lots of it was obsolete but the quality was obvious.
 
Going back to the original post I suppose a couple of obvious yards which may have been approached for repairs would be Eel Pie and perhaps Dennets at Laleham.

It's possible it has survived and been changed. That wheelhouse structure certainly is very recognisable if it's still there.
 
Evening all, firstly want to thank you for your responses as it’s nice to know there’s a potential it’s still out there given the history my Neigbour tells about and the maintenance etc they put in as kids do keep it going after they rescued it many years ago

a little bit more info I received tonight

“my dad and brother changed the engine from a Glennifer to a Gardner 6cylinder electric start also they removed the wheel house and changed the layout I don’t know what to I didn’t see it. He said it was mainly due to the engine having to go out through the wheelhouse and roof? he thinks the wheel house was painted blue the same as the hull. Also they swapped it for a tug from a guy called John he tends to think that would’ve been the mid eighties. Sorry to be a pain but I’d love to know where it is”

there it is, thanks again all
 
The outboard (55hp evinrude I think it is) looks about 1990. Nice electric crane. Everything about the boat was done really well.

That outboard is now a collector's item as Evinrude have cased production this week!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top