When he says the "keel is bent" !

[Caraway]

I used to be in a yard where the old guys would turn up at the weekends to get away from the wives and do the odd job on their mostly wooden boats and drink lots of tea.
Many of the boats appeared to be capable of a short trip but never untied and their owners had little to no experience at boat handling.
Was nice times.

 

[Blueboatman]

Last of the summer wine but with boats?

Anyone had to visit care homes where they all sit in a circle wit a telly flickering unheeded on a wall all day long??

Just looks heart renderingly awful to those of us lucky to be cognitively unimpaired .
Enjoy fettling , pottering , voyaging

 

[Tranona]

The last 2 boats I looked at buying were being sold by the family of the owner who was in a care home. Both boats had been in long term ownership. One was built for the owner in the late 1980's and launched in the early 90's, never rigged although the beautiful mast and full suit of sails were still there. It was used as a weekend cottage until about 5 years ago when it was lifted and stored because the owner was no longer well enough to use it. Needed relatively little work to get it going, but unfortunately the design meant the interior was unworkable by today's standards.

Still for sale with a substantial price reduction.

 

[prv]

One was built for the owner in the late 1980's and launched in the early 90's, never rigged although the beautiful mast and full suit of sails were still there. It was used as a weekend cottage until about 5 years ago

That's crazy!

I can understand the "old men in sheds" pottering with knackered old boats, but to have a brand new one built and then never once sail it in thirty years is just unfathomable.

Pete

 

[Davy_S]

Another boat left to die at Skippool creek

 

[Bilgediver]

I like the quote" needs a little TLC"

Blow torch and patience , soon have it facing the right way

 

[Wansworth]

My late uncle used to live in Itchenor, before it became insufferably posh, and I used to come and visit during my summer holidays. The mud berths next to the sailing club always had some old boy tinkering away under a mildewed tarp on some old boat that probably never saw the sea again. I'm certain, finishing the project was never the point, but, more likely to keep a dream alive that had slipped through one's fingers as one was preoccupied getting on with life.
In my unsolicited opinion, it surely beats spending the rest of my days in a retirement home playing rummy.

"In the end everything will be perfect; if its not perfect, its not the end." from The best Marigold Hotel.

I nearly bought a wreak from those mud berths in 1969

 

[Wansworth]

I am sure my dad would have lived longer and happier doing up a project and quite seriously contemplating a world cruise?

 

[Caraway]

Yes, I think there is a great deal of pleasure to be gained from fettling. I enjoy it as much if not more than the using. But, in truth they are different pleasures and can each be appreciated individually.
I can see that some people get much more from using a boat, car, lawnmower, whatever, than working on them. But that supposes that relying on others to maintain the item of desire is acceptable.

 

[Tranona]

That's crazy!

I can understand the "old men in sheds" pottering with knackered old boats, but to have a brand new one built and then never once sail it in thirty years is just unfathomable.

Pete

Yes, it is real, though. Boat was built by students in Lowestoft to a pre war design over a period of 8 years for the owner. Fantastic example of traditional boatbuilding including an incredible hollow spruce mast. If only the boat were a bit bigger such that I could live with the inside (including using the loo!) and a survey confirmed my view of its condition, it would probably have been mine by now.

 

[C08]

In the early 90,s I tried hard to buy an old Macwester Wight that was well settled in 6ft high weeds in a boatyard in Cheshire. The old chap that had it enjoyed his conversations with me about the boat but in no way was he selling. It was his bit of peace from home and he would turn up every sunday and sit in the cockpit and smoke his pipe totally at peace with life.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

The parish wharf at U*** is full of decaying wrecks taking up space and never fit for sea. However some are clearly viable if the owners actual did something and stopped simply scratching their a*** and gazing skyward.

My 1/4 tonner second boat is still there after I sold it 13 years ago. It only needed a new outboard radio and foresail due to unfortunate issue on the moorings, plus of course a good scrub, but we wanted a bigger cruiser.

I would now love it as a semi daysailor but present owner has removed rudder, winches and through hull fittings over the last 13 years and it will never see water again despite his declared intention to sail it to his old homeland of romania