Percy W Blandford

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Bumtrinket

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I've started a facebook group to recognise the achievements of Percy W Blandford.

Percy designed dozens of affordable craft of every type and wrote many books about sailing, boating and boat building. His lifes work did much to popularise boating for all.

If you are over on facebook, why not join? We have his Grandaughter as a member whoo informs us that Percy is alive and well at 93 and has written his autobigoraphy, but the publishers won't publish just now due to the economic climate. Lets change their minds!

And editorial; Percy has been a regular contributor over the years, how about you publishing his memoirs?
 
Don't forget the PBK Kayaks with frame & stringer skeletons & canvas covers. Every scout group in the 50' & 60's made them, as did lots of school woodworking classes. A classic design for touring sea, river & canal.
 
I built a PBK 10 when I was 13 in my parents back garden . Thats how it all started for me . Thank you Mr Blandford . ....... In fact I still have those plans .
 
Searush said:
Don't forget the PBK Kayaks with frame & stringer skeletons & canvas covers. Every scout group in the 50' & 60's made them, as did lots of school woodworking classes. A classic design for touring sea, river & canal.
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I also built the PBK 22 ? two man canoe at school when I was 12/13 and was used for several years - even added leeboards, the top half of an Int. 14 mast, homemade boom, sails sewn from old sheets, hand made rope using string, fitted a rudder and sailed on the Grand Union Canal - but it was tricky tacking up the narrow bits! No L/J of course....
 
And another

I built a PBK Kayak single seat from a kit when I was just 12 years old, can't remember the type number but it had a ply hull on frames and canvas decks. It is the one and only time other than tenders I have bought 'new' and I went to London Boat Show and did it with my newly acquired check book! I built this one in an old stable in the grounds of a nursing home run by a friend's parents and he built a canvas model at the same time.

Later at 21 I built another Percy Blandford boat from plans, not a kit, this was an 11' fast runabout which I fitted with a 20hp outboard to go sea fishing with. I wanted to sail (had done the Tall Ships Race 5 years earlier on Theodora with Ocean Youth Club) but had nowhere near to do so and thought I could fish on the local river Ouse at St Neots from the runabout. Thoroughly enjoyed building this one, it went well too but was too small for sea fishing and too quick for river use without the plugs oiling up. Shortly afterwards anyway I switched jobs to Swindon and so this boat was sold to buy a sailing dinghy to use on a new gravel pit at South Cerney where I was a founder member of a new sailing club, Keynes Park. There was a chandlery in nearby Fairford at that time too that specialised in PBK kits, maybe called Hinton's?

So like many others I have a soft spot for Percy Blandford.
 
He wrote some great books and I used to look forward to his articles in *Small Boat" that was a great magazine, shame it folded! Of course you are right, he also popularised Kayaking and Canoeing, I added a sloop rig to my canoe complete with lee boards, awesome!

But google him and there is nothing on the web about the man himself! Just a few references on the 100+ books he wrote. Someone on the facebook group (have you joined yet) said it would be good to get a Wiki thread started about him!

Personally I think Pery deserves the MBE!

I really hope his memoirs get published! I'd love to read the story of how he got involved in designing and building all those boats and kayaks!
 
I built a 4 seater marine ply runabout in a neighbours garage in the early 70's. I think this was from Percy Blandford plans.
Terry
 
The Duck of Edinburgh might be a good signature to get on that form . . .


. . . . although he may give preference to Uffa Fox, another key designer of the era that saw dinghy & small boat sailing really take off as a family sport.
 
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My father built a PBK18 3-seater (2 adults + 1 child) kayak in the 1950s. He made a beautiful job of it and we tried it out on the Leeds Liverpool canal. He was not interested in boats but just enjoyed making things. Having made it he just gave it away and started another project.
 
Started life afloat in a PBK single seat canoe built by my Uncle, then graduated to Percys excellent 17ft Lysander - a smashing little 1st boat. Still quite a few around with an active Owners Association on whose comittee I served for a while before eventually upsizing. Excellent little boats, seaworthy and forgiving but a good turn of speed. Still got the RC model I built of mine.

More here: http://www.lysander.org.uk/
 
Bumtrinket said:
I've started a facebook group to recognise the achievements of Percy W Blandford.
Click to expand...

My twin brother and I had a Gremlin between us as youngsters. I dread to imagine how many miles we must have done over those long childhood summers under sail, oars and with a 2bhp engine. We learned about self reliance as we taught ourselves how to handle a boat on seemingly endless adventures.

mark_and_paul__maybe_kennet_and_avon_.jpg



It had a Viking funeral after probably 20 years sitting upside down in the back garden. (As far as I recall it never went in the water again after we graduated to a Mirror aged 9.)

I guess even nostalgia isn't what it used to be! :)
 
nomad 16 inland cruiser

HI all:)
i recently managed to get my hands on a nomad 16 cruiser.
built from the man himselfs plans. the boat was started in the sixties and has been in a garage for 50 odd years but never finished.the finishing is about to commence this weekend.I have the original plans with it too.
does anybody know anything about this particular boat or ever seen one in the water.if so any photos
would it be a collectable vintage.in mint condition as its never been in the water or still classify as a new boat since it is only been completed(shortly)

does anyone know if its worth a fortune or a couple of quid.
any one know how to get a lovely polished finish on a ply lined boats ? or would i just be better to paint it ?

any help on this one would be great.
I'll post some pics of the project soon if anybody's interested.

:)
 
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