Well, wonders will never cease: my kid sister, a pleasing young lady of good disposition, called and asked if I was gong to the London Boat Show… She was going up with friend Steph for a chat with two flotilla organisations, in readiness for September and next year when my little sister hits 60 too! Yes, that’s right, I went too…
The good mate came along too, only because she could have a bit of a natter to the girls: on the whole, apart from a few stands she couldn’t see what it was all about, there again, neither could I really.
I did go aboard a couple of craft – one is shown below. She’s a modern skimming dish with one of those keel types that are currently under investigation. I didn’t like the chine … or the fit of a bow thruster: the hull pad sat proud of hull line with a ‘gap’ all round – a turbulance spot, surely! You can just see it in the picture…
New boat, I don’t think so. On the way aboard, over an opening wide enough and close enough to the double wheels, just right to accidentally jettison a hoard of little children, I showed my bilge paint marked hands to the little flipity gibit holding the fort – she asked what we had … I explained … then about having ballast keel bolts done… My mate, in the background called out, “She’s a proper boat…” Well, what could I have possibly added!
The girls were looking at this boat because they have plans to do a bit of scampering around the British Virgin Islands again… The company they’ve used before uses this class of boat…
On the way to this stand we’d stopped off at a retailer flogging GPS machines. Now my old thing has been problematic in that the back connections are ‘iffy’ and it goes dead just when you don’t want it to. Sailing oboard my friend Richard’s fine Westerly 34 in the autumn on a run down from Woodbridge, I was impressed with the contraption he has mounted by his big stainless steering wheel, especially when the world closed in during some heavy drizzle… So I’ve been doing a bit of homework – mate seemed happy…
We wandered, here and there, but generally to a plan worked out over a coffee before we went in. We passed a number of pretty little motor boats – little potterers.
This is an Intercruiser 28 – didn’t have a price tag on view, but looked the business for river and estuary pottering.
Now this little thing with a simulated clinker seemed made for our son, his aunts confidently stated, giggling a little!
It was about this time that we ambled away from the mass of shining plastic to find a wee libation, just one, I hasten to add. I was asked what I thought of the GPS’s I’d had a play with… “Still thinking…” I said, grinning.
On our wander round towards one of the charter desks we passed a few lovely sailing tenders and day boats … I had to stop and take them in: here were a few real boats, even if some had GRP hulls – they were oozing with varnished wood and sex appeal.
Tofinou 9.5, I believe. What a super looking thing. Just the job for a geezer looking for a return to a little of his boyhood thrills again – with a younger crew, what a thing to play with…
Ah, now here’s my sort of thing entirely – part of the crabber range, so expensive! She’s a 12 footer or was it a 14… The Crabber 24 was around £95,000 – think I’ll keep my trusty Finesse 24 which does actually have decent accommodation, including a separate toilet compartment!
Now this is a thing of beauty. She was on the same stand as a Dauntless Motor Boat (No connection to the old Dauntless Company – just the yard). She’s an International 12, constructed of Larch on Sapele with a sapele top plank. This boat was available for £7000 – a boat show saving on the normal price of £9250…
Here is a cracker from Anglia Yacht Brokerage – The Roach Dinghy… She’s 3m or 10′ with a nice lug sail – not unlike my own tender. Loved it! At £2950 inclusive of the VAT, for the basic boat she’s good value. There were various extras including floorboard and oars… This is where it starts to rack up…
Oh yes, that first stand. I did go back and today a little parcel arrived…
Mate got in (just now) and said, “Oh, I see your new toy’s arrived…”