Rather Sad

[jackh]

Do you know what's very sad, I (rather my dad) used to own a Hillyard 8 tonner ( in fact it's the one pictured here ) and I remember spending summers on the french canals or crossing to cherbourg, falling asleep on the boom after constructing intricate harnessing arrangements so that I wouldn't fall off(!) and strapping myself to halyards to pretend i was trapezing on a dinghy...

My Dad having sold the Hillyard a fair few years ago and replaced it with a seadog (At the time I was young and naive and wanted a beneteau oceanis - luckily I was ignored) if I go down to work on the dog I can see the Hillyard still on the hard, where it's now been sat for several years, slowly falling apart.

Just thought I'd share my woes...

 

[l'escargot]

[ QUOTE ]
...if I go down to work on the dog...

[/ QUOTE ]
Whereabouts are you?

 

[jackh]

At the moment I'm far away at University - but the Seadog (Curlew River) it on the hard in Christchurch, and will in the near future be returned to her mooring in Keyhaven.

 

[Sixpence]

I'm confused (easily done)
You say she is falling apart, but then that she will be moving to her mooring at Keyhaven ??
Could you explain please

 

[jackh]

Sorry - two different boats!!

Curlew River, our Seadog 30 will be going to Keyhaven in a few weeks, but at the moment she happens to be next to her predecessor, the Hillyard, at the boatyard.

 

[l'escargot]

We were up at Christchurch SC last summer and met Dogmatic off Hengistbury Head on our way in. We had a run up to Keyhaven in September and were surprised to see 3 or 4 dogs on moorings when we went up, don't recall the names but presumably one was yours.

 

[Sixpence]

Ah right, sorry, I should have read it a little better maybe
Is it possible to get some photo's of her as she is now, and post them here so some can have a look ?. Not for morbid reasons but some of us are suckers for rescue projects and like to see if there's anything that can be saved. Almost completed my latest one but she wasn't too bad, only a few holes in her in comparison to what can be taken on.
If you want to e.mail the pics instead just drop me a line and I'll let you know where to send to. You never know with these things, she could possibly be rescued before she's driftwood.

 

[jackh]

I don't have any current photos of her ("Fumper" - no idea where the name came from!) at the moment and I'm currently in Oxford, but in about 3 weeks I'll be going back home to take Curlew River to her mooring, and if you're interested I can certainly take some photos and email them then. Feel free to PM me.

in response to lescargot: I'm always surprised at how many I see around (until my dad bought one I'd never heard of them) - we're moored right next to another (Soyakaze) on the Keyhaven river.
I'll admit I was sceptical when we first got Curlew River, and she's had her share of issues (this season steering failure and leaking into the aft cabin) but recently I sailed her up to Beaulieu on my own in an F6 with no autopilot (I'd broken that as a result of the earlier steering failure, but that's a different story) and she was perfectly happy going to windward on her own with me just stood on the deck watching. Fantastic. Later on I passed my cousin in a beneteau motoring into harbour because it was too windy. Ha.

 

[Sixpence]

Oh yes, most definately I would like to see the pic's if you don't mind, you'll find my e.mail in my profile so just send them through, and thanks for taking an interest in older boats, too many these days just want easy maintenance plastic

 

[jackh]

Yeah, I was in that camp a few years ago, but now I've come to the conclusion that the more things on the boat you have to take to pieces, the more you appreciate how she works. Besides, boats need character.

The date's not fixed yet, but I'll probably get those photos on the 2nd weekend of May.

Cheers,

Jack

 

[Sixpence]

I'll look forward to the e.mail but I have to confess, one of mine is plastic, and you wouldn't believe how far you can take them apart, though she is also a classic, but totally agree about the boat having character. Without that, they're not worth the time and effort. But define character ?
Not an easy thing to do, but as far as I'm concerned, it's in the eye of the beholder. If someone looks at a boat, car, house, or anything, their own personal feelings and imagination can turn even a monstrosity into something others don't see
Try looking at an MTB, then look at what some people have done to them after they left service.
Sorry, bit of a passion of mine, but hope you get the meaning

 

[jackh]

"but define character?"

Definately in the eye of the beholder. It's nice to have something at least a bit unique though. But you're right, it's all about imagination, time and effort.

 

[hannahman]

I remember Fumper very well when she was moored on the Lymington River for quite a few years.
I used to commute weekly on the ferry to Yarmouth, and would always admire her and 9 tonner Aideesea which moores just upstream of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club.
At the end of the season it was always sad when both boats left their moorings for the long winter, but when they both re appeared in the spring I would get that nice feeling knowing that a new boating season was starting! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I hope Fumper will be ok.

Doug

 

[Wansworth]

In my short career as boatbuilder working at Hillyards I remember FUMPER;was in for storage and spring refit.The great thing about wooden boats ls they can be recovered witha bitof elbow grease and look like new...unless there is some underlying structural /rot problem.

 

[jackh]

Wow - I'm amazed she's remembered - she hasn't been on the water for a few years and even longer since she was in Lymington. Here's hoping she finds her way into more caring hands...

 

[Wandering Star]

Wow - I'm amazed she's remembered - she hasn't been on the water for a few years and even longer since she was in Lymington. Here's hoping she finds her way into more caring hands...

Well 2 years on from when this thread was first started and my son has just purchased Fumper! She was on eBay and sold for peanuts. We've moved her into a yard and spent a day emptying her bilges and removing a shedload of mostly useless clobber. Cosmetically she's in an utterly disgraceful state BUT she appears to be sound as a bell apart from one smallish area of rot in the first plank up from the keel and close to the sternpost. (I have to relearn timber terminology because I'm sure this plank has a name!).

The plan is to strip her right back and restore her and I'm sure she'll live to sail again!

Cheers, Brian.

 

[david_bagshaw]

Well 2 years . (I have to relearn timber terminology because I'm sure this plank has a name!).



Cheers, Brian.

garboard plank ,


good luck in your restoration

 

[Sequoiah1]

Congatulations. Make sure your son joins the Hillyard owners Yahoo group and the owners association.

Well 2 years on from when this thread was first started and my son has just purchased Fumper! She was on eBay and sold for peanuts. We've moved her into a yard and spent a day emptying her bilges and removing a shedload of mostly useless clobber. Cosmetically she's in an utterly disgraceful state BUT she appears to be sound as a bell apart from one smallish area of rot in the first plank up from the keel and close to the sternpost. (I have to relearn timber terminology because I'm sure this plank has a name!).

The plan is to strip her right back and restore her and I'm sure she'll live to sail again!

Cheers, Brian.

 

[Amulet]

My boat too is a member of the family

I'm not the only sentimental old geezer then. See the Amulet story at *click*
Good luck with the restoration. I'm afraid I didn't have the time to do much myself - Kings of Pinmill did most of the work.

 

[hannahman]

Brian, it's great to hear that Fumper has been saved. Good luck to you both, on getting her ship-shape again.
It's always nice to hear of a boat that has been saved, particularly a Hillyard, and especially one that I know.

Amulet, a great story, and a lovely boat.
A similar history with my Hillyard, as she was built for my parents in 1968, and she was the family boat until 1979, when my dad sold her and decided to go 'plastic'.
In 1999 I bought her back into the family and still own her today.
Luckily she's not had too many owners in the intervening years, and is still very original, with the Sestrel compass that my dad fitted before our first cross Channel trip in 1976, her Baby Blake loo, and 2 cylinder Petter engine.