Vancouver yachts

[Wansworth]

F Hacket might like this,but very interesting account of the boatbuilding industry in the Uk

 

[fredrussell]

Enjoyed that, cheers.

There’s not enough pipes being smoked on boats these days.

 

[veshengro]

That was a trip down memory lane for me Wansey. My home port! I knew Simon Thomas very well, my steel Gaff Cutter was built in the yard next door to his Boat Sales Yard. Nice bloke, helped me with various gear purchases through the Marine trade when I was fitting out. Steve Wyles the deck fitter for Vancouver Yachts lived up the Brighton Road in Newhaven, he was renowned for walking home covered in wood dust, and I mean covered!!



In this photo taken when I was having the Ford Watermota taken out of my Nic 32, just to the left of the suspended engine is the big shed where they built the Vancouvers. Last time I was down there it was a Charity Furniture Warehouse and Cantells Yard closed down even before I moved to Wales.

At 15.55 in the You Tube video when they are launching "Strider" for the German customer, the big arch roof shed in the background is where my boat was built..A lot of faces familiar to me in that video. In the Boat Yard across the river from Simons yard is ? (was) a lovely early Vancouver 27 covered up by a shredded Tarp, slowly rotting away

 

[Bouba]

I’ve decided to build my own boat from some free plans I found on the internet….

 

[Wansworth]

That was a trip down memory lane for me Wansey. My home port! I knew Simon Thomas very well, my steel Gaff Cutter was built in the yard next door to his Boat Sales Yard. Nice bloke, helped me with various gear purchases through the Marine trade when I was fitting out. Steve Wyles the deck fitter for Vancouver Yachts lived up the Brighton Road in Newhaven, he was renowned for walking home covered in wood dust, and I mean covered!!



In this photo taken when I was having the Ford Watermota taken out of my Nic 32, just to the left of the suspended engine is the big shed where they built the Vancouvers. Last time I was down there it was a Charity Furniture Warehouse and Cantells Yard closed down even before I moved to Wales.

At 15.55 in the You Tube video when they are launching "Strider" for the German customer, the big arch roof shed in the background is where my boat was built..A lot of faces familiar to me in that video. In the Boat Yard across the river from Simons yard is ? (was) a lovely early Vancouver 27 covered up by a shredded Tarp, slowly rotting away

Pleased you liked it,quite a find on YT

 

[Wansworth]

I’ve decided to build my own boat from some free plans I found on the internet….

A medical rep gave me a kit like that I guess to curry favour……the moulded got it

 

[mrming]

I just finished reading Sailing to the Heart of Japan by Nicholas Coghlan which features a Vancouver 27 called Bosun Bird. A great way to learn about Japan in a boaty way.

 

[Wansworth]

That was a trip down memory lane for me Wansey. My home port! I knew Simon Thomas very well, my steel Gaff Cutter was built in the yard next door to his Boat Sales Yard. Nice bloke, helped me with various gear purchases through the Marine trade when I was fitting out. Steve Wyles the deck fitter for Vancouver Yachts lived up the Brighton Road in Newhaven, he was renowned for walking home covered in wood dust, and I mean covered!!



In this photo taken when I was having the Ford Watermota taken out of my Nic 32, just to the left of the suspended engine is the big shed where they built the Vancouvers. Last time I was down there it was a Charity Furniture Warehouse and Cantells Yard closed down even before I moved to Wales.

At 15.55 in the You Tube video when they are launching "Strider" for the German customer, the big arch roof shed in the background is where my boat was built..A lot of faces familiar to me in that video. In the Boat Yard across the river from Simons yard is ? (was) a lovely early Vancouver 27 covered up by a shredded Tarp, slowly rotting away

Shoreham ,by sea is a bit out the way from main stream yachting but it is a very interesting harbour with a deep water locked dock which serviced the coal fires power station and gravel extraction ,up the river is a well known Sussex yacht club and on the West Bank a collection of houseboats.Its probably all changed now as on my last boat hunting trip to the UK the beach on the east bank was home to quite a few wreaks and possibly salvable wreaks

 

[veshengro]

Lady B yard at Shoreham was a busy little place. Norman Wisdom kept his boat there in the late 1960's, a big Motor Yacht, I remember. I sailed out of there in the Home Trade. Shoreham to Paris...yep..up the Seine. We used to load bulk wine in big casks at the Gare Du Nord Railway Station, they hauled it up by rail from the wine region to the Station.

London-Paris Line, the Anjou, sliding under the Paris Bridges...
Mast, Funnel, Boat Davits even the bloody wheelhouse all laid flat..It was a real eye opener to a deep sea man, I was convinced Coasting men were barmy..


First time I'd been to sea in a ship where the man at the wheel had to duck !!


Good job for the summer though, I lived just along the coast at Newhaven. Mrs and kids took a while to get used to the strange bloke with the sun tan who kept appearing every few days...instead of every few months..

 

[Wansworth]

I joined my first ship in Shoreham a dredger .Expecting as you do officers in uniform I came across the captain arguing with the cook on how to fix the TV Ariel in place they both looked like they bought their clothes in a jumble sale! I signed on as cook / deckhand ……a steep learning curve

 

[Blueboatman]

I enjoyed that.
One thing that comes through really well is the time old precariousness of British boat building and the impact of government fiscal changes, not always good.
25% vat on luxury yachting, ouch!

I believe that the French take a more consistent invested interest in supporting French boatbuilders and their huge contribution to exports, domestic employment and ancillary businesses too.

I liked Pheon and their boats.

 

[Wansworth]

I enjoyed that.
One thing that comes through really well is the time old precariousness of British boat building and the impact of government fiscal changes, not always good.
25% vat on luxury yachting, ouch!

I believe that the French take a more consistent invested interest in supporting French boatbuilders and their huge contribution to exports, domestic employment and ancillary businesses too.

I liked Pheon and their boats.

Heath was a yachtsman he should have realized it wasn’t a luxuary sport for the majority of sailors.Ithink in that period boatbuilding was moving away from draughty damp wooden boatbuilding sheds next to the water to industrial estates where GRP construction was put on a more industrialized footing no doubt Tranaona knows the historybetter

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Thanks for that, a few faces that I knew including Kevin Seymour. I owned one of the last 27s if not the last one a V274 produced by Pheon and the first Vancouver 34 classic produced by Northshore alongside Kevins 32 Islander 11.
I bought both out of the Northshore brokerage the 274 having been built for an Italian surgeon that sailed it to where he lived in the Yemen and eventually back to the UK for sale obtaining the VAT certificate for it in Rome. When I was working on the boat I found a roll of banknotes stuffed up the back of the chart table, at first glance I thought they were US dollars and my luck was in. They turned out to be Kenyan shillings proving that the boat had been down the African coast. The 34 I came across by chance looking for a 32, she had been put on the hard and up for sale following a fraught sail back from the Caribbean, she was green and unloved lying under some trees. The owner had locked her up and walked away an interesting chap ex RN commodore. The sale was interesting as well. Mike Hinks the Northshore broker who I had got to know quite well was glad to see the back of us I think only taking a reduced handling fee on the 34 and telling us to sort out the details between ourselves.
Both boats took me reasonable distances and never missed a beat on the water.

 

[Nina Lucia]

F Hacket might like this,but very interesting account of the boatbuilding industry in the Uk

Thank you! We were looking after our Vancouver 27 Shamaya for more than fifteen years! Still miss her!

 

[davidmh]

My Vancouver 27 is a 274 built at Newhaven and launched October 85 at Christine T, now Quicksilver. Had her since 1999 very pleased wth her, still have te original Bukh 20,. A previos owner fitted a add-on mainsail furler, it was dreadful to sail took off the furing kit anf refitted to old main, She sailed so much better.
David MH

 

[jonic]

Thanks for posting....

 

[E39mad]

Thanks for that, a few faces that I knew including Kevin Seymour. I owned one of the last 27s if not the last one a V274 produced by Pheon and the first Vancouver 34 classic produced by Northshore alongside Kevins 32 Islander 11.
I bought both out of the Northshore brokerage the 274 having been built for an Italian surgeon that sailed it to where he lived in the Yemen and eventually back to the UK for sale obtaining the VAT certificate for it in Rome. When I was working on the boat I found a roll of banknotes stuffed up the back of the chart table, at first glance I thought they were US dollars and my luck was in. They turned out to be Kenyan shillings proving that the boat had been down the African coast. The 34 I came across by chance looking for a 32, she had been put on the hard and up for sale following a fraught sail back from the Caribbean, she was green and unloved lying under some trees. The owner had locked her up and walked away an interesting chap ex RN commodore. The sale was interesting as well. Mike Hinks the Northshore broker who I had got to know quite well was glad to see the back of us I think only taking a reduced handling fee on the 34 and telling us to sort out the details between ourselves.
Both boats took me reasonable distances and never missed a beat on the water.

I worked at Northshore from Nov 1990 until April 1996 and knew Mike Hinks and Kevin Seymour well. Prior to that I was a young yacht broker for Ancasta in Gosport the Hamble. I set the Northshore brokerage a year or so after joining as they used to sell their own make part exchanges through Chichester Yacht Brokerage - crazy idea. Mike took the brokerage over and I carried on with selling new boats (Southerly, Fisher and Vancouver). Kevin lent me Islander II on a number of occasions. His 32 was one of the last built and part exchanged for a 36 for a couple I am still in contact with. Amoret (your V34) I remember too and it's local owner Colin. They were mostly great times and I loved the products and location but daft senior decisions meant that I could not see myself there without getting frustrated so I got out of the industry for good.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I worked at Northshore from Nov 1990 until April 1996 and knew Mike Hinks and Kevin Seymour well. Prior to that I was a young yacht broker for Ancasta in Gosport the Hamble. I set the Northshore brokerage a year or so after joining as they used to sell their own make part exchanges through Chichester Yacht Brokerage - crazy idea. Mike took the brokerage over and I carried on with selling new boats (Southerly, Fisher and Vancouver). Kevin lent me Islander II on a number of occasions. His 32 was one of the last built and part exchanged for a 36 for a couple I am still in contact with. Amoret (your V34) I remember too and it's local owner Colin. They were mostly great times and I loved the products and location but daft senior decisions meant that I could not see myself there without getting frustrated so I got out of the industry for good.

The V36 was an aspirational boat for me and I was looking for one at the point my neck finally told me enough was enough. Had I known and realised how successful the eventual operation would be I would have hung on and probably bought a V36 which I thought was the best Vancouver made although they all were fine yachts. I still look to see if a V36 is on the market but they are gold dust.
Didn’t Mike move to Ancaster, I remember talking to him some time later at the SBS

 

[E39mad]

The V36 was an aspirational boat for me and I was looking for one at the point my neck finally told me enough was enough. Had I known and realised how successful the eventual operation would be I would have hung on and probably bought a V36 which I thought was the best Vancouver made although they all were fine yachts. I still look to see if a V36 is on the market but they are gold dust.
Didn’t Mike move to Ancaster, I remember talking to him some time later at the SBS

I loved the Vancouver 36 too - I think only about 11 were made before it was stretched to a 38. It had the problem of competing with the Bowman 40 in terms of displacement and almost internal volume but being "only 36 feet" was unfairly compared compared against the Rival and Rustler which were more competitors to the Vancouver 34. The 36 was the only British Vancouver not to be designed by Robert Harris but by Tony Taylor ex Camper and Nicholson hence the boat having some passing resemblance of a modern Nicholson 35.

I moved north after leaving Northshore and lost touch so not sure where Mike went afterwards although he was based Hamble way.

Thanks for the video @Wansworth . A really enjoyable watch. They weren't very specific other than cash flow about the failure of the business but if it was anything like many other brands (Southerly included) then the tooling for much larger boats without selling them in the numbers required could be the cause. In Pheons case the steel 38, in Southerlies the 57 (iirc 3 were build).

 

[Baggywrinkle]

This will probably horrify most here as it is so far removed from what the U.K. boat building industry was, in fact one might argue that this way of building boats took the soul out of them.

It is however what killed U.K. boat building, and even this form of yacht manufacture regularly goes bust and rises from the ashes with another injection of cash.

EDIT: Updated with the Bavaria Yachts original.