Renovation project needed

[Sixpence]

Hi all , I'm on the hunt for a former fleet tender or similar in need of renovation , and yes I know I'm nuts . I'm on the East coast and looking at a mooring on the Crouch so if anyone knows of anything not too far away , your help would be much appreciated . Looking for something similar to this pic

sorry it's a bit dark


with some help the image has improved

 

[sarabande]

There's a group of people who have a website dedicated to such retired naval vessels. I'm ashamed to say that I ahve lost the URL. Watch this space.

Have you seen these ?
http://www.edisposals.com/is-bin/INTERSH...poAAAD_2yppc4d2

Sorry about the length of the URL.

 

[Sixpence]

Any help would be appreciated thanks , wasn't aware of that site but I've found a few others , none that quite fit the bill though , so the one you've forgotten sounds good to me

 

[albineer]

This site has ex-military craft for sale. I fancy Lemberg myself but SWMBO says "NO!", sigh.
http://www.bmpt.org.uk/boats%20for%20sale/index.htm

 

[Sixpence]

Apparently there are a few of us that are BMPT members , I saw that too but I'm afraid she doesn't quite cook the biscuit for madam

 

[ccscott49]

Thats a fleet tender?? Not like the ones I've seen, that looks more like a super yacht in build!
I did see a fleet tender in Glasson, she was for sale, but they seem to want lots of money for them.

 

[alan006]

Hi,
Why not pop into the boatyard at Great Wakering near Southend. I was there late last year and they had some very interesting vessels. If I remember correctly there were 3 different minesweepers in assorted condition.
Perhaps they are still there.

 

[roydymond]

In our travels we have found Turkey is a good place to rummage about for larger refits. Fleet Tenders all over the place the owners I spoke to feel uncomfortable at sea with these. We were operating the smaller Kiwi Class for some time in Ireland also a bit uncomfortable - fast roll rates. Gino Marine in Turkey have it seems their fingers on the pulse worth a call. If your stuck for a refit crew email us we have a crew on standby that will travel just about anywhere and get on with things. Our work has been with ex-military refits and conversions as well and would strongly suggest German surplus escort or minesweeper style are very fast safe sea boats well worth looking at. Good luck in your hunting.

----------------------------------------------
www.yachtsmartbrokerage.com

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

T25.
You could do worse than to give Offshore workboats ltd at Rothsay dock Glasgow a call, as he has 1 or 2 old naval boats there, he buys and sells boats, you would want to speak to Rex Lyons, or Keith Russel. on, 0141-941-3366.
You still havent said if you recieved those charts?
Cheers, C_W

 

[Sixpence]

Thanks for the contact details
Charts arrived and PM was sent but it seems some PMs haven't been arriving lately , thanks very much , very useful

 

[bilbobaggins]

'Mr Toots'! There's a cry from the past! I got roped into operating that boat in the early 80's....

I'd introduced a friend to sailing, on a borrowed Telstar trimaran. He liked it, decided he'd find a boat to buy, and some weeks later he drove me down to the King George V dock to view his new purchase - 'Mr Toots'! "WTF....?"

I owed the guy as a friend so, under protest, I committed to helping him. Fool!

At that time, she'd been in use as an angling charter boat, taking teams of punters on Saturdays, from Greenwich Barrier down-Thames to various angling 'holes' off Canvey Island all night, then bringing 'em back up again for the second, Sunday, lot. Part of the purchase deal was honouring the existing bookings, so the first time I ever maneuvred a twin-screw vessel was taking 'Mr Toots' out from the inside of a hammerhead just below the Barrier with the river in full ebb, then downstream to Sea Reach, then back onto her berth. Some learning curve....

After a couple of winter months of that, we had a 'strategic discussion', and the filthy, stinking sea angling role got binned. Then it emerged that the boat need to be moved up to Grimsby, for her next life as a dive charter boat. In January..... Dive clubs didn't have RIBs, then, and there was no GPS. But I was able to find un-dived wrecks 30-40 miles out, so we had lots of charters. And lots of mad, bad divers.....

I came to the conclusion that someone was going to get killed, and I didn't want it to be me, so the boat, its owner and I went different ways. I wonder where she's been, all these years?


/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Sixpence]

Thanks for the heads up BB , e.mail has been sent , just don't tell Louise yet /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Mr Toots !

 

[mrtoots]

Mr Toots

Hi I have just bought Mr TooTs and am about to refurb her are you guys still in this fourum or is anyone else interested in Mr TooTs
John-Paul

 

[Tremlett42]

Hello Mr Toots, we were watching on ebay with great interest as you are a stones throw from us. Did you get the garage full of spares too?, you must know your way around woodenboats and would love to pick your brains!

 

[mrtoots]

Mr TooTs like a phoenix will rise

Hi yes all spares are safe and well in Old Windsor and Mr TooTs is to go to a new home to be lovingly restored at end of month. I haven't a clew about timber boats but do know a bit about timber so the next few months should be very interesting. The Mr TooTs we site will be up soon and I will be blogging the process with many photos and running commentary maybe even some video. A close friends son did a boat building apprenticeship and it seems at this point that people are very supportive by way of advice on this type of project. My family think I have gone off the richter scale of madness but to me it's just a huge billings boat.
Thanks for contacting and am I right in thinking that you once sailed Mr TooTs? If so then maybe you would like to attend the rebirth and be one of the first to sail in her. It will be about 2 years before Mr Toots is finished mainly because of cost as I have to pace my finances although I have been so lucky to get some 200 sq meters of African mahogany originating from the MOD which was going to be used some 50 years ago for ship building. It has been kept at 6% moisture content and is in beautiful original condition also got the oak from the same closing storage warehouse.
Fun times ahead all the best Mr TooTs

 

[mrtoots]

Mr TooTs at Taplow

Mr TooTs has made it up to taplow on the 23rd of October 2011 and is due to be lifted out sometime in the next 10 days. Weather was fantastic and many other boaters recognised Mr TooTs which was so nice. It took from 06:45 to 14:30 to do the trip from GC Adams Marine Ltd on Platt's Eyot to Andrews Marine at Taplow just near the famous Skindles Hotel and Cliveden. I have setup a site for Mr TooTs at mrtoots.co.uk and will try to fill it with all I know to date and keep a weekly diary of the coming months/years.

 

[sarabande]

hey, that is really encouraging news - but what a task you have ahead !. She is going to be a wonderful example of naval architecture when restored.

Keep up posting about your progress, and enjoy the restoration.

 

[Lady Campanula]

Yep! That's the 'Mr Toots' I knew and operated off and on during 81-82. The owner, Terry Clay of Nottingham, had little interest in seafaring but loved owning such a 'mega-boat'.

He bought her from a bloke who was 'well known' in parts of Souf Lunnun. She was moored at Barrier Gardens Pier 'cos 'his family had some connections there'.

The first time I moved her - akshully, the first time ever I manoeuvred a TSDY - was from the downstream/inside of the pontoon. She was facing upstream, and a spring ebb was running.... A small crowd of lightermen gathered along the wall.

Getting her back on again, some hours later and in the dark and rain, was even more interesting.

The boat had been bought with a 'book' of sea-angler bookings. What that meants was a fast drive from Nottingham on a Friday night, jump on the boat, take her downstream to some pier and embark a gang of 's-a's, their bait, their beer and their sarnies, then head off into the night to find a hole where the coalfish, cod and coley lurked.

The following afternoon, we dropped them, hosed down the deck and saloon, then embarked the second sitting. On Sunday pm, we hosed down..... moored her up again at Barrier Gardens ( don't think it was called that, then ), had a beer and some chips in the nearby local, then a fast drive back to Nottingham.

That wasn't the happiest boating I've ever done.....

 

[ErikBenson]

Restoration project

Try Richard Hellyer at the BMPT. . .they have a sad FMD come in. . .I am currently restoring one. . .why not you too ? !!