Solent Boat Yards - with lots of old boats

Vic, that series of posts was fantastic!

that was the next best thing to walking around myself

wonderful

D

Sort of bitter sweet seeing all those old outboards and thinking of the excitement thy must have given their owner when purchased.

Sadly in many ways things have changed enormously since the earlier photos in that series were taken.

All the old boats have either gone to new owners or been broken up. The owner of the Minstrel (or is it a Liberty) reclaimed it but has now sold it to someone who has spruced it up and got it afloat again

Nearly all the junk has gone ... the pile of old outboards and parts ( more boxes of parts than I have shown) were sold to an old chap who keeps a boat there.

The new trolley ( "Hercules" ) means that craning in/out is no longer necessary and the event that was craning day is no more

The field has been covered with rolled hardcore topped with limestone chippings. No stinging nettles but unpleasant to walk on and uncomfortable to lie on.

The toilet

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57046389.jpg


-----------------is going to be replaced, I think with separate "ladies" and "gents" and a shower installed ... A shower .... !


.
 
Sadly in many ways things have changed enormously since the earlier photos in that series were taken.

All the old boats have either gone to new owners or been broken up. The owner of the Minstrel (or is it a Liberty) reclaimed it but has now sold it to someone who has spruced it up and got it afloat again

Nearly all the junk has gone ... the pile of old outboards and parts ( more boxes of parts than I have shown) were sold to an old chap who keeps a boat there.

The new trolley ( "Hercules" ) means that craning in/out is no longer necessary and the event that was craning day is no more

The field has been covered with rolled hardcore topped with limestone chippings. No stinging nettles but unpleasant to walk on and uncomfortable to lie on.

The toilet

----------
57046389.jpg


-----------------is going to be replaced, I think with separate "ladies" and "gents" and a shower installed ... A shower .... !


.

liberty - of course

ah well... another good boat yard gone to hell in a basket

blimey I have used some truly terrible loos on my journey

Aldborough and Berwick were classics

not as good as the one in your snaps which looks absolutely epic

A great collection of snaps

we are so lucky to have the web

D
 
Thanks for posting those pics Vic, happy days they were. The place has been sterilized, and I am sad to say , ruined. It's unique sole carted away with the old owner.
Aside from that, you could have included a picture of my Boat!!!

Ps, why would anyone want a Centaur? Wobbly keels and rudders, headlining that fall down. Unless they are top dollar everything needs doing.
 
Thanks for posting those pics Vic, happy days they were. The place has been sterilized, and I am sad to say , ruined. It's unique sole carted away with the old owner.
Aside from that, you could have included a picture of my Boat!!!

Ps, why would anyone want a Centaur? Wobbly keels and rudders, headlining that fall down. Unless they are top dollar everything needs doing.

Boat yards change - and that is a good thing

others will take its place

winteringham has a special atmosphere

I agree with you about Centaurs - awful caravans - virtually valueless I believe
 
Thanks for posting those pics Vic, happy days they were. The place has been sterilized, and I am sad to say , ruined. It's unique sole carted away with the old owner.
Aside from that, you could have included a picture of my Boat!!!

Ps, why would anyone want a Centaur? Wobbly keels and rudders, headlining that fall down. Unless they are top dollar everything needs doing.

Sadly I dont have picture of your boat unless .....

.

.

DSCF0454.jpg
 
You didnt include a piccy of my boat either...still I have only kept my boat there undwr the new ownership and would say that the yard will take on a new charachter As it is now its a pleasant place to keep a boat and I look forward to making more friends there........nowt wrong with a shower,better than a cold tap.
 
Kemp's, Quayside, Dryer's, Ocean Quay, Itchen Marine Towage (maybe), Smith's Quay, Merlin Quay, Lauren Marine.

Basically, cruise along the river with Google satellite view (and street view to look at name signs) and look for the white lozenges.

Pete

Yes. I used a rather more basic technique a few years ago. I drove around the area looking for forests of masts and working out how to get there down the lanes. I certainly found Thornam in that way and one right at the top of Wareham creek.
 
Not just the outboards but all the old boats. I have no difficulty envisaging how fabulous they all must have looked at one time.
Yes, but I have a thing about old outboards. I think it stems from my mid teens when I sent off for a brochure for an Ailsa Craig 4hp. I spent hours pouring over that brochure and lusted over getting one. It seemed the most exciting thing imaginable (must have been before puberty I suppose !)
View attachment 37893
Still looks quite modern even now, 40+ years on
 
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The main thing is the yard is still working and giving good service ,unlike yards such as Combes that had to stop trading as the townies who moved in next door objected to the yard working,yet another bit of ourhistory gone.
 
Liverpool marina yard, even though it never had the heritage of those mentioned above has also been cleaned. I suppose it is much more professional but in the old yard you could always find useful bits of stuff for doing jobs, bits of hardwood, metal etc.
 
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What's this one? it's beautiful!
Nice tree, shame someone's dumped a derelict boat in front of it!

If you like to see wooden boats that are actually being worked on and that will actually be sailing at Easter, look around the gardens and driveways around Chichester harbour.
You will find x-boats and other racing boats tucked away for the winter.
In Portsmouth, the victories are being worked on, and boats ranging from pre-war to GRP replica will be racing next year.
Alas there are one or two decaying ones which are lying around, likely to be beyond repair in a few years.
 
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