Fergus
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know anything about this? How many boats did they produce, when/why they went bust, when did they start building yachts?
Thanks for any info!
Thanks for any info!
South Hants Engineering history
- Thread starter Fergus
- Start date
jamesjermain
Well-Known Member
I don't have much detail, but SHE flourished from the late sixties to the mid-seventies. It was basically a light engineering company owned by a sailing enthusiast who founded a boat building company to further his hobby.
All the SHE models were designed by Sparkman & Stehpens and ranged from the pretty but cramped SHE 27 through the SHE31 range (including teh 9.5 Traveller), the SHE C32, the She 33 and the SHE 36. The SHE 31s were the most popular but the SHE 36 was, without doubt, the best boat. Production in total must have been around 1,000 but I have no detailed figures.
The company succumbed to the financial climate of the late seventies and competition from cheaper, faster and roomier French imports. For a while the SHE 31, much modified, was built as Delta 95 by Laird Adams. This was actually a very good boat but too late and only a few were built.
All the SHE models were designed by Sparkman & Stehpens and ranged from the pretty but cramped SHE 27 through the SHE31 range (including teh 9.5 Traveller), the SHE C32, the She 33 and the SHE 36. The SHE 31s were the most popular but the SHE 36 was, without doubt, the best boat. Production in total must have been around 1,000 but I have no detailed figures.
The company succumbed to the financial climate of the late seventies and competition from cheaper, faster and roomier French imports. For a while the SHE 31, much modified, was built as Delta 95 by Laird Adams. This was actually a very good boat but too late and only a few were built.
BobE
Well-Known Member
I worked for them for about 30 weeks being made redundent in December 78...
Derek Fitzgerald was the guiding light and partnered his brother whose name I forget... I had been production mgr at Sadia Water heaters in Salisbury and after working for Heatra Sadia in Norwich when production was moved there after the takeover by Heatrae .. I finally got away from the flat lands getting the job of Wks Mge with South Hants Eng..
They had an Earthmoving / Contracting / Garage business run bu Derek's brother, and an art shop run by his son in law. There was also an art shop in Cowes (I think)
Anyway they saw thro' me in the December. They continued for some time after my redundency... They seemed pretty stapped for cash when I was there and I never held a grudge against the Fitzgeralds.. It was just one of those things that didn't work out..
All the products were to Lloyds 100 A1 and all laminations were inspected, I think twice, but mebbe only once, a week by a Lloyds surveyor..
Funny I cannot remember an awful lot about the products SHE 36s were really nice... Sailed on one from Moodys on a demonstration with Derek F. and the foreman Mike ?something?? Also did the handover of one in Beaulieu which was to be sailed round into the Irish sea on her maiden voyage and heard no more so assume all went well....
All the boats built at that time were designed by S & S
I remember one had a modified deck moulding and maybe an increased hull freeboard called the SHE "Traveller" but not many of those were produced in my short stay...
They were, in those days always well thought of..But the designs were getting a biy dated and they were no longer in the top flight of solent and/or offshore race craft.
I guess the only innovation I managed to make was to have a small mezzanine floor put in which cut out almost all of the ladder work in the fitting out shop..
Sorry cannot give you more details I think the workshop ended up as a store for Golden Wonder Crisps!!
It's right behind a shopping complex ( Central Precinct ??) on the north side of the railway line in Chandler's Ford...by the Roundabout between Bournemoth and Winchester Roads...
Cheers BobE...
Derek Fitzgerald was the guiding light and partnered his brother whose name I forget... I had been production mgr at Sadia Water heaters in Salisbury and after working for Heatra Sadia in Norwich when production was moved there after the takeover by Heatrae .. I finally got away from the flat lands getting the job of Wks Mge with South Hants Eng..
They had an Earthmoving / Contracting / Garage business run bu Derek's brother, and an art shop run by his son in law. There was also an art shop in Cowes (I think)
Anyway they saw thro' me in the December. They continued for some time after my redundency... They seemed pretty stapped for cash when I was there and I never held a grudge against the Fitzgeralds.. It was just one of those things that didn't work out..
All the products were to Lloyds 100 A1 and all laminations were inspected, I think twice, but mebbe only once, a week by a Lloyds surveyor..
Funny I cannot remember an awful lot about the products SHE 36s were really nice... Sailed on one from Moodys on a demonstration with Derek F. and the foreman Mike ?something?? Also did the handover of one in Beaulieu which was to be sailed round into the Irish sea on her maiden voyage and heard no more so assume all went well....
All the boats built at that time were designed by S & S
I remember one had a modified deck moulding and maybe an increased hull freeboard called the SHE "Traveller" but not many of those were produced in my short stay...
They were, in those days always well thought of..But the designs were getting a biy dated and they were no longer in the top flight of solent and/or offshore race craft.
I guess the only innovation I managed to make was to have a small mezzanine floor put in which cut out almost all of the ladder work in the fitting out shop..
Sorry cannot give you more details I think the workshop ended up as a store for Golden Wonder Crisps!!
It's right behind a shopping complex ( Central Precinct ??) on the north side of the railway line in Chandler's Ford...by the Roundabout between Bournemoth and Winchester Roads...
Cheers BobE...
Fergus
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info!
Joe432
New Member
I have read the above but wondered if you have found any more information on the boats SHE built. Are there any owners clubs
