World's oldest floating boat?

Re: World\'s oldest floating boat?

Whilst Pioneer is a fantastic reconstruction of a deep sea oyster smack, she only contains one original part, a floor, which is not actually fastened, and serves no structural pupose. Its the vessels which are still sailing on the majority of their original structure that I find fascinating. Whether a rebuilt boat becomes a replica of an older existing vessel or is still the same one can be questioned over and over. As long as they are sailing and inspire others who cares!
 
Re: World\'s oldest floating boat?

I agree Seanick, but don't dare tell the Navy that Victory is 'only a replica' - apparently every timber in her has been replaced at least 4 times since she was first built! The current version apparently has very little timber more than around 70 years old.....
 
Re: World\'s oldest floating boat?

Your right there! When I worked at Combes we made new blocks in Elm for the Foremast, Bowspit, and about 80 gun tackle blocks (12" singles). We were hoping to keep some of the originals but lost interest when told they were copies of copies of copies.........
 
Re: World\'s oldest floating boat?

The barquentine 'Gazela Primeiro' (140' on deck) is relatively young in comparison to some of the grand old ladies mentioned above.
She was apparently built in 1883 in Portugal for the Grand Banks fishing trade and is still in active service with the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild.
More about her at http://www.gazela.org/ships/gazela/gazela.htm
They also have a very pretty old steam tug called Jupiter who was built in 1902.

The South Street Seaport Museum in New York has various vessels, including the fully rigged tall ship Wavertree who was built in Liverpool in 1885 - http://www.southstseaport.org/index1.aspx?BD=8993

and also the gaff schooner Pioneer who was also built in 1885 but in Pennsylvania - http://www.southstseaport.org/index1.aspx?BD=8997
 
Re: World\'s oldest floating boat?

The difference with Victory is that the timber has been replaced when necessary for a working vessel. She has never been put in a shed, completely deconstructed and rebuilt around a single piece of epoxy-sheathed timber, as so often happens with "restorations" these days. Of course, there's nothing remaining from when she was laid down in 1765, but then she was a front line warship for her first 50 years, during which time the French did their best to take as many lumps out of her as possible. Even though she is now dry-docked, she is still a working vessel, and the attitude to maintenance reflects this: you only had to compare going on board Victory and Cutty Sark on rainy days - Victory's decks are tight as a drum, whereas Cutty Sark always leaked like a sieve, particularly down aft. But I suppose that's the difference between getting the work done when necessary, rather than waiting years for a lottery grant. The other thing, of course, is that dry-docked or not, she still fulfils her original purpose - an admiral's flagship - rather than being regarded as an historic artifact to be "conserved".

Technically, Pioneer is still the same vessel from the 19th century, but her rebuild an interesting question: the remains of Darwin's Beagle were located recently, and seemed pretty much intact below the waterline. There has been talk about building a replica - but if some of the timber was used from the original hull, would this count as being the original vessel restored? Would this rebuilt HMS Beagle be any less original than Pioneer?
 
Re: World\'s oldest floating boat?

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Victory's decks are tight as a drum

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So does she get regular saltwater hosing? Or is there a full time gang of pitch-monkeys? I always wanted to know more detail about Victory's maintenance schedule. Sadly, I realise her masts are all metal and now rest on chocks cut through the keel, so she is no longer waterproof.

That's the point. She is still the flagship of the 2nd Sea Lord, but she is no longer capable of sailing. I bet, with some tweaking, she could float. That's the point. I've no real problem with replacing so much of the ship that she is no longer original - the human body replaces all its constituent molecules 6 times in a lifetime, so I am on my 4th body at the moment. (Can I have my third back please? There was less of it and it was a lot fitter).

I just think that All these ships would be a lot more used (if possible) if they could be sailed. Victory leading a future fleet review on EIIR's 60th Jubilee? Think of her, cutting a majestic swathe through Spithead, passing the Whole of the Royal Navy in line. One huge aircraft carrier, two destroyers and a rusty Pas boat...

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Re: World\'s oldest floating boat?

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Of course, there's nothing remaining from when she was laid down in 1765,

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Maybe not from 1765 but I recall that the quarterdeck planking where Nelson fell is preserved - in the midshipmen's berth AFIK. As a boy it gave me a thrill to touch the actual planks on which one of my boyhood heros had stood.

I reminds me of the story of a man who promised his wife "This will be the last yacht I ever buy." The yacht was wrecked in a storm and remembering his promise he searched for the largest remaining part he could find - the forehatch. He took this to Fife's yard and said "Just repair my boat please."
 
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