Questions about this type of Enterprise

[Greenheart]

We slept in the log cabin, eating aboard the hulked Thames barge ' Pride of Sheppey ', which disappeared some years ago.

I thought at first you meant the "Gerald Daniel", previously HMS Sidlesham, which I always sailed past, heading down to Cobnor.

I read years ago that she'd gone. I was afraid she'd been scrapped because even 30 years back she looked as if she was permanently parked in the mud...but it turns out she's afloat on the Thames, opposite Battersea Park. Picture courtesy of Google Maps...

 

[Seajet]

Dan, the Gerald Daniel was used by the police training centre next to the Cobnor youth sail training outfit; thanks for the pic and info, I thought she must have been scrapped too. Have you read the excellent book on Chichester Harbour by John Reger ? Recommended.

 

[wombat88]

Was the varnished Harbourmaster's launch called Regnum?

There was a Harry Feltham launch for sale in Emsworth a while back...revers clinker...something to think about.

Serious thread drift apology.

 

[Tink]

Otter for sale on EBay £19.99

Bit too much of a project boat at the moment for me but some interesting pictures

 

[Seajet]

Tink,

I'm very tempted myself ! What those pics don't show is the pair of very handy open, draining lockers each side in the bow buoyancy tank. At Cobnor the favourite trick, as the Otter goes much better in light winds than the Bosun, was to sidle up and throw seaweed into the main so it dropped onto girl crews , eliciting satisfying squeals...

 

[Seajet]

Was the varnished Harbourmaster's launch called Regnum?

There was a Harry Feltham launch for sale in Emsworth a while back...revers clinker...something to think about.

Serious thread drift apology.

wombat 88,

yes it was called Regnum.

Always sounded like a slightly rude anatomical expression to me, maybe that reflects some of my dealings with the Conservancy.

 

[wombat88]

Talking to a one time Otter sailor this morning. Boat doesn't like too much weight up front, tends to make it plough into the water and get quite wet. Otherwise fond memories.

 

[Seajet]

Wombat 88,

just wondering, do you know if that was on salt or fresh water ?

I found a lot of boats which behave well on salt water bury their bows when pressed a bit on fresh water.

 

[Tink]

Tink,

I'm very tempted myself ! What those pics don't show is the pair of very handy open, draining lockers each side in the bow buoyancy tank. At Cobnor the favourite trick, as the Otter goes much better in light winds than the Bosun, was to sidle up and throw seaweed into the main so it dropped onto girl crews , eliciting satisfying squeals...

No pictures on eBay facing forwards to show the lockers, but go for it. A wooden Gull that was buy now for £1200 didn’t get any bids that started at £800.

 

[Tink]

Talking to a one time Otter sailor this morning. Boat doesn't like too much weight up front, tends to make it plough into the water and get quite wet. Otherwise fond memories.

The Otter looks quite fine in the bow compared to the much fuller Gull.

 

[Seajet]

Re buying the £20 one, Get thee behind me satin !

It's hard enough getting anything done on my A22 in winter, I've had dinghies as well before and it was very tricky maintaining both; plus a novice chum needs a hand with his Osprey and Miracle not far away, so I think I can get my fix of dinghy sailing.

If anyone knows of spare - needn't be wonderful, but useable - sails that would fit a Miracle we'd be grateful, not expecting for free.

Re burying bow, didn't sail Otters in conditions to find out, but I think they'd be OK - as I asked, was that fresh or salt water - my Caricraft 10 I knew very well buried her bow when we took her on Windermere.

 

[Tink]

The research so far
https://youtu.be/hCTzjeQKO1c

 

[Greenheart]

Good little research-file, Tink.

I do love that photo of the Gull where it looks so much like a mini Wayfarer.

 

[wombat88]

The water was salt...if that is what the stuff in the Bosham Channel is. It might be dilute Prosecco.

Gull No1 was at the Proctor event at Bosham in September. very pretty.

 

[Tink]

Good little research-file, Tink.

I do love that photo of the Gull where it looks so much like a mini Wayfarer.

That one was up for £850, almost worth it for the trailer and trolley. With a bit of patience I think there are some bargains out there, and finding one is all part the fun too. There are also many times more complete dogs.

 

[Seajet]

That boat looks worth every penny - to someone else - I wish I'd known about the sale - then again best avoided as like a rescue cat and dogs' home I'd have come back with dozens !

 

[wombat88]

Accumulating boats is never the problem, putting them somewhere is.

Going right back to the original question, someone around here sails an Albacore with a Firefly rig...or at least sails.

Swears by it and adds that an Albacore hull is cheap, lightish and quite roomy. Traditional Fairey hulls are much easier to work on than many realise.

 

[Seajet]

Wombat,

I like Albacores and Fireflies a lot, but not too confident about their hull constrution method - cold moulded / double diagonal ? in the long term, ie now.

 

[wombat88]

Recently had a couple of old Fireflies, 1066 Hastings and 2768, inevtably there is a story behind both but that is for another day.

Repairs are pretty straight forward. The wood is agba (from Robbins), the secret is to do one layer at a time so that there is something to work 'against'.

Using epoxy staple the the piece down and then pull the staples out when set (this last bit is the trick!).

When looking at an old boat apply pressure to various parts, if it makes strange clicking and scruffling type noises it is delaminating. There are so many around one can afford to be choosy.

 

[Greenheart]

Have you read the excellent book on Chichester Harbour by John Reger ? Recommended.

Ordering a copy, thanks Andy. :encouragement:

Going right back to the original question, someone around here sails an Albacore with a Firefly rig...or at least sails.

That was exactly my plan, before I set my sights a bit higher. The following thread is one I started a year before buying the Osprey, when I thought the Albacore looked just the boat for me. Lots of interesting dinghy views are expressed:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...ghy-crews-response-please!&highlight=albacore

Albacores are very pretty - a wood example at my club last year, was a real eyeful. It's significant (and mysterious, to me) that in spite of being rather heavy, the Albacore isn't much slower than Bethwaite's Tasar, which was designed to enable lightweight mixed-gender crews to plane upwind and generally go much faster than their righting power and strength conventionally permitted.