That’s were they are…..

[Keith 66]

David Feltham ,yacht designer had a lot to do with that area and he went on to design the Cobra and sea wolf craft

I knew Dave as he was a member of BYC for many years, a modest man & real Gent. When you think about it there were probably more boats built to his designs than most other designers of his time.

Jaguar Yachts was owned by Eric Birch, I worked there for a while, another good guy. He passed away about a year ago. Probably the most knowledgeable fibreglass guys i ever met. Apart from the Jaguar range he also did contract moulding for Prouts.
One of his moulders Eric Adlam was a real drinker, at lunch time he would go to the pub & neck five pints come back a couple of hours later & get stuck into laminating. After work & dinner he would go to the pub again for lord knows how many. Eric Birch never pulled him up on his long lunches as he said "He is the best laminator i have got!".
The moulder/ laminators at those places spent their days in a fog of styrene fumes, the factories were heated but there was little attempt at extracting the fumes. There was usually a big old radio blasting Radio Caroline or later Radio 1 & they were a mad lot. Im sure the fumes had driven most of them quite a bit crazy.

 

[Wansworth]

I knew Dave as he was a member of BYC for many years, a modest man & real Gent. When you think about it there were probably more boats built to his designs than most other designers of his time.

Yes I knew him briefly at sea wolf yachts at Littlehampton,nice bloke and as you say very prolific…….yor don’t remember Andrew Sankey Smith who worked with him,I lost touch back in the late 1980s

 

[Keith 66]

Dont think i ever met Andrew. Dave Feltham passed away a few years ago. Always remember him back in the 60's helping my dad move the centreplate from Dads 18ft national, Dave dropped his end on his foot & hopped about on one leg for some minutes!
When i got made redundant from Thames marine in 1980 i moved down to Old leigh, Mikes boatyard & then Johnsons & Jago, Southend Engineering was still running its foundry in the old town & the timber ship Contact was still running up to the timber wharf. I doubt she would get near the wharf now, certainly wouldnt be able to turn round! I was lucky to work there & see the old town as a working fishing village.
Today its an industrialised mess & yuppified beyond recognition.
Good times & never out of work!

 

[Wansworth]

Dont think i ever met Andrew. Dave Feltham passed away a few years ago. Always remember him back in the 60's helping my dad move the centreplate from Dads 18ft national, Dave dropped his end on his foot & hopped about on one leg for some minutes!
When i got made redundant from Thames marine in 1980 i moved down to Old leigh, Mikes boatyard & then Johnsons & Jago, Southend Engineering was still running its foundry in the old town & the timber ship Contact was still running up to the timber wharf. I doubt she would get near the wharf now, certainly wouldnt be able to turn round! I was lucky to work there & see the old town as a working fishing village.
Today its an industrialised mess & yuppified beyond recognition.
Good times & never out of work!

Thanks