After reading recently that it costs more to own a wooden especially an old one. It seems to me that the writer was missing several points.
Firstly, does it take more money to maintain one. Particularly, if you’re not handy of course it will nowadays. Then the bills can be very high.
Secondly, though you might own this boat, it has loads of history. All you are doing is keeping in trust for the next owner.
Thirdly, old yachts are normally far more beautiful than modern designs. Or as a fine lady that I coached with in Scotland for many years called Charlotte. Said, “Hi John, saw that you’re coaching on that old plastic tub this week”. It’s typical that she was right. She does sort out the many GRP yachts that are around our waters here in UK and aren’t always brilliant boats.
If you own any yacht, it should be your passion, and this isn’t a given for that many folks. My parents during the mid to late 50’s and 60’s knew that for them owning a boat was much better than having a car. Naturally they were all wooden back then. And were much cheaper to maintain than now. But wood is a much easier more friendly material to work on than plastic…
My late wife Janet and I owned a lovely Dutch yacht for fourteen years together. Whilst we were trying to grow up our kids. Money was always tight for us, because I never made enough as a pro-sailor etc. But we loved our tiny Dutch Classic 26 ft’er. Made in Kampen in 1956 designed and built by G.A. Kroes.
Once she was sorted out. She was no more difficult to maintain than ‘a plastic tub’! She was composite with iron frames to make sure her mast stayed stiff whist racing in the North Sea. Although years later I met George Kroes (then 94!) on the Hamble by perchance. He told me she originally was called ‘Apollonius’ and that the iron cadges round her mast area weren’t necessary. Which would have saved me a lot less work on her refit. ‘Blauwe’ was often a much better sea boat when we cruised her offshore each summer. Often making comfortable miles quickly for her size. She was very slippery and far more fun to sail, than a more modern yacht.
Obviously, there are downsides to owning any boat. But if you’re capable doing practical repairs with your boat. It’s going to be much better because you’ve done it yourself. Then know it’s been done right. With a lot of the varnished bright work. I saw how to save time from other pals that owned old yachts. My pal Mark Fishwick owed Edward Allcards yawl called ‘Temptress’. He used to paint out in white some of the places like inside the toe rail etc. Janet and I began to do this kind of stuff as well. With her being an artist, she did do this extremely well and beautifully. Our motive was she must look as good as we can maintain her. If, we can’t do it perfectly due to our lack of time and money. She’ll have work well and be at a working boat standard. Which naturally is how a Leigh-on-Sea boy thinks anyways having grown up on a Lowestoft Smack.
When we moved up to the west coast of Scotland. I got involved with a lovely MacGruer an eight-metre cruiser/racer called ‘Kelana’ built in 1946. But designed before WW11. She was owned by a Glaswegian property lawyer called Jamie. But his family weren’t interested in his boat. We had good fun racing this boat. I knew that this boatyard had built beautiful yachts when I was in Essex. They were in competition with the yards I was involved with back then.
Jamie and I began to have fun together with his boat. Firstly, in club racing in the Clyde, but every year his boat looked even better as he spent more money on her. Then we began to start winning things more often. It wasn’t serious racing for me or him, just a break away for both of us.
We upped our game every season and raced at Crinan which was a gathering of old Scottish wooden boats. Then unfortunately this was finished. And could tell Jamie was upset by this. Until we won a couple of the feeder races for the Scottish series into Tarbert. Then we decided to try and race in that series and West Highland week.
We had aboard now often some very fine crews. But as the only wooden yacht didn’t do that well on Loch Fynne in this high-level series. Doing much better at West Highland Week which is much more of a mixture of more passage racing and less short round the cans. Managing to win our Class at the second time of asking but only just…
There only a few photos that I love, and this is recent photo in B & W of ‘Kelana’ coming into to Tarbet and winning. Because she’s going as fast as she can with her tiny quartering wave at the stern. She’s only roughly 24ft on the waterline. But Beken of Cowes took some photos of her back on the Clyde in 1946. And I’m probably the guy on the deck eating sandwiches which had only just been thought about back then.
How times have changed from using Cotton Sails, rope made from natural materials (the Beken’s pics. Show that they are using wire-rope on her headsail which is difficult to use!). Stainless Steel rigging rather than galvanised and without wooden blocks.
But those old photos make you realise you’re owning a church or something a lot better. Perhaps like my sister’s 16th century thatched cottage in Cambridgeshire which can be expensive when re-placing the roof, or re-building an old Classic car…
