It's too late now?

[LittleShip]

It\'s too late now?

When I was rebuilding my boat some years ago there was a "Gentlemans Cruiser" in the yard very similar to this one.

I always admired it with a wanting eye! It was owned by an elderly gentleman who always stopped to talk.

Last week I was in the area and decided to have a look in the yard, to my horror this old boat (which was in need of much TLC) was on it's side and being cut up. When I spoke to the guy cutting her up he told me the old man had passed on and he had bought her from the yard for a couple of hundred quid.

All he was doing was selling the bits from her and said that he thinks he will make about 2K

I felt really sad that an old boat, which to my mind was majestic was being cut up for a couple of grand. Surely there would have been somebody out there with the skills and money to put her back in commission rather than buy a plastic fantastic.

Come on retirement then I can look for something like this to look after. I'll bet the old guy is turning in his grave!

Tom
Just needed to get it off my chest!

 

[jhr]

Re: It\'s too late now?

Very sad. I hope it wasn't one of my Dad's old boats, last seen in the Clyde area some years ago.

/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[alan006]

Re: It\'s too late now?

When I bought my old 1946 Osbourne Eagle the gentleman who sold her to me insisted that all the drinks in the saloon went with her. He couldn't find anyone else who would take her on and as I was buying her whilst afloat I told him depending on the hull's condition I might not be able to save her.
He left a large amount of his personal tools onboard and insisted I have them as well. He had owned her for probably over 20 years and was determined she had the best chance possible.
Luckily some 5 years later I am well on the way with her restoration and know the worst is behind me. I hope I'll be as generous to the next owner when my time comes.

 

[LittleShip]

Re: It\'s too late now?

Post a couple of photos and lets see what you have been doing!
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Tom

 

[Casey]

Re: It\'s too late now?

Wooden boats are very difficult to sell. Kala Sona has been up for sale for fifteen months now and I have had a few enquiries but no-one has yet been to see her. I just do not know how to entice people to look her over. To my ineffable regret I have had to put a time limit before I break her up. If she has not been sold by the end of this season I simply cannot justify keeping her. She is a vessel in fairly good order but needs some TLC but sails very well and is a pretty looking boat and I would accept an offer. What else can I do?

 

[misty56]

Re: It\'s too late now?

You are not alone I'm afraid. There are several boats on that classic sales site you've got her on (which BTW doesn't work properly in FireFox, you might want to tell 'em) that have been up for grabs for two years or more, and that's the norm. There's a nice Cheverton arrived in Mr Seedhouse's brokerage section that I've been watching since August 2006, so the problem is general, and me hearties, it's about to get worse, if this recession thingy Messrs Bush & Blair engineered gets going. Tragic, especially when I look back 20 years and remember what the same boats were making then.

As far as Kala Sona is concerned--- heartbreaking but you might be better off sticking her on Fleabay and taking what you can get now when there's some sort of market rather than waiting till the back end and possibly having to do that thing you mentioned. I don't think you'd get your asking though. Wish I could help but I'm spoken for.

I know this sounds dreadful, but it's meant the right way: I do have some land next to Le Chateau that is not being used. I could get one boat on it (room for more but Planning would object, and I need to reserve one space for obvious reasons.) If anyone is really stuck and needs a place to keep her till, well, whatever, PM me.

 

[bigwow]

Re: It\'s too late now?

Tom

The story he gave us at the marina was that he had a similar vessel, under restoration Nr Brighton, and as the back was broken on the “John Kenwin” and was past economical repair he was salvaging as much as he could to use on his other boat.

John

 

[ianc1200]

Re: It\'s too late now?

Can I just check; do you mean "John Kenwyn", was always moored in the Henley area 60's & 70's, then by the Richmond Slipways yard through late 80's & 90's? Not quite as top photo, had Glennifer diesels with wheel gear changes.

If broken up, a great pity.

IanC

 

[bigwow]

Re: It\'s too late now?

I don't know about those previous moorings, but I've known John Kenwyn in the yard at Liverpool since the late 90's. We did not even know she was for sale, untill someone came on the yard with a chain saw after having bought her for £600!
John

 

[LittleShip]

Re: It\'s too late now?

If my memory is correct ......you have the correct spelling of her. I did say "similar to this one" although I have no idea who the manufacturer was.

What the guy cutting her up said to me was "the deck beams had rotted" I would have loved to have see her in the water with a lick of paint and varnish!

Tom