Navy's 45ft Picket Boats For Sale

[Slowboat35]

Huggins of Torpoint have just announced the sale of the first of 8 of the former Dartmouth based 45ft Halmatic Nelson picket boats used for 50 years for Officer cadets' sea training. Twin Sabre130s installed recently.
I recall these as wonderful sea-boats, built like battleships and at around £30K apiece their imperfect cosmetic conditions might not be too much of a concern.
I'm in no way assocoated with the sale, just interested to see the word get around.
Ad found on apolloduck.

 

[Paul1962]

Find A Fishing Boat (FAFB) too

 

[burgundyben]

Apparently they do 12 knots all day and 14 knots flat out. Most engines have done 3 or 4 thousand hours. I would think the 130hp NA phaser 1006 block nicely run in.

I understand they originally had Gardners.

 

[Sneds]

Couldn’t see any for sale on their web site?

 

[Portofino]

Link .Bit like a LR defender from a classic desirability pov .
Evey body admires them .Now !
Nelson 45 for sale UK, Nelson boats for sale, Nelson used boat sales, Nelson Commercial Vessels For Sale 45ft Royal Navy picket boats - Apollo Duck

 

[doug748]

Tom likes them:

.

 

[Seastoke]

is the navy college still in dartmooof.

 

[Greg2]

Received an e-mail briefing on them from the RNSA, which included the following detail:

Engines are fairly recently installed modern Perkins Sabre M130 diesels of about 125hp each. Max speed around 9 knots, fuel consumption 28 litres per hour per engine. Cruising at 6 knots, fuel consumption will be around 10 litres per hour per engine. Engines seem externally in quite good nick and were serviced at Christmas by Babcock Sandquay (oil changes, filters, impellers etc). All these boats motored from Dartmouth to Plymouth last week with no significant problems reported. Plenty of engine spares, impellers, filters, belts and gaskets etc included. 4 x 100Ah 12V batteries arranged as two banks of 24V. 24V main electrics with 12V droppers for electronics. Twin rudders operated by rod gearing, with wheel at the bridge, in working order. No autopilot. Recent Teleflex engine controls. Well equipped with modern Garmin boat radar, chart plotter, DSC VHF, GPS and depth sounder etc. Includes full outfit of 45lb CQR bower and lighter kedge anchors and cables, with a manual anchor winch. Fenders, rescue and boarding ladder etc. Searchlight, signal flags, lots of official UKHO publications (pilots, tide tables, list of lights etc) but no charts. Eberspacher diesel-fired hydronic hot water and central heating system (not warm air type). Full outfit of small commercial vessel fire fighting gear, and CO2 engine room drench, mostly in date. No liferaft, lifejackets, first aid kits or pyros. Not much to chose structurally or engine wise between the various boats but some are a bit better cosmetically.​

 

[Sticky Fingers]

oooh. Interesting. That would make a nice project for someone (not me).

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Ad here if someone's interested...
Nelson 45 for sale UK, Nelson boats for sale, Nelson used boat sales, Nelson Commercial Vessels For Sale 45ft Royal Navy picket boats - Apollo Duck

That's a lot of very tough boat for relatively little money.

 

[Poignard]

Ad here if someone's interested...
Nelson 45 for sale UK, Nelson boats for sale, Nelson used boat sales, Nelson Commercial Vessels For Sale 45ft Royal Navy picket boats - Apollo Duck

That's a lot of very tough boat for relatively little money.

That is very attractive seaworthy looking vessel

 

[Bru]

20 litres per hour at 6 knots? Nearly 60 at 9 knots?

No wonder the Navy is selling them!

 

[Slowboat35]

20 litres per hour at 6 knots? Nearly 60 at 9 knots?

No wonder the Navy is selling them!

At the usual rule of thumb of a gallon per hour per 20Hp what's so strange about that?
4.5GPH at 6 Kts. About as expected isn't it, 90 or so Bhp to shift such a heavy boat at 6Kts?
Cram it on to silly speed and what consumption would you then expect?

 

[Bru]

At the usual rule of thumb of a gallon per hour per 20Hp what's so strange about that?
4.5GPH at 6 Kts. About as expected isn't it, 90 or so Bhp to shift such a heavy boat at 6Kts?
Cram it on to silly speed and what consumption would you then expect?

At 6 knots about 2 and a half litres an hour

 

[bowler]

Nice engine room.

 

[oldgit]

Perkins 135M
6 litres and built like a brick out house. Flat out 2.600 RPM. Revolutions per Month.
Look at the space in the engine room. .
Price a little optimistic perhaps. Out In the real world pay the value of 2 x engines/ gear boxes and stern gear , problem will be what to do with the hull.

.........and as for the "They would make beautiful private launches or live aboards motoring up the Thames . "
Why not ask the EA about a mooring , must be loads , or better still a Thames marina , might find you a space for a 45 footer for just under £6000. PA, then need add registration fee of about £1K
The really posh marinas do not deem to mention actual mooring charges online. If you have to ask etc....

 

[stelican]

Note raised wheelhouse to aid visibilty through the bow spray.
Buy all eight and start your own Navy.

 

[Never Grumble]

I remember crashing them against the pontoons at Sandquay and into each other, together with taking them out of sight of the college to complete academics studies homework when supposed to be doing boat handling training or swimming off the beach or going ashore for an ice cream, The photos remind me of how stark (and damp) the interiors were ... I love the sign telling you to boil the water. We'd all love one for nostalgic reasons and I suspect they will get snapped up but too big a project for me I'm afraid.

 

[Farmer Piles]

The naval college is still there. the MoD proposed closing it but there was uproar. My friend's son did his officer training there and spent many hours on those boats. Including storming them and defending them from attack by the NCO instructors.