Wooden Ships

30/01/2025

Spey Beam is one of the few 40' Spey Class Ketches built to this G.L. Watson design and was the last of the design launched. She is now in a state of disrepair after her owner passed away, laid up afloat under covers and the family are looking for a new home for the boat. She will be given away for free to the right buyer but this is a considerable project and should not be taken on lightly. The yacht is afloat but has rot damage to the coachroof coamings.

She has a Kelvin R4 60hp diesel engine which is a very smooth and economical engine.

Anyone interested should contact us directly on [email protected]

24/01/2025

Port Saint Louis de Rhone where the Rhone meets the Mediterranean Sea. Quick trip to Port Napoleon and the impressive boatyard facilities they have.

15/01/2025

Great film about life aboard Bessie Ellen. This ship is currently for sale with us as a turn key charter vessel. One of the finest examples in the UK traditional charter fleet.

https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/westcountry-trading-ketch-bessie-ellen/

09/01/2025

Recently featured on our page with some teaser photos, this superb yacht STELLA is now officially on the market with full details available in the link below.

This is a magnificent yacht in every sense, designed, built and maintained by a master shipwright in Germany, the passion and pride that has gone into this yacht is evident at every turn when you look about. Cruised extensively by the husband and wife owner with voyages to Norway and the Med, she is a well proven cruising yacht and totally set up and ready for her next custodian to head for the horizon.

This is a very high quality yacht in excellent condition being offered at a sensible asking price. Located in northern Germany.

https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/spirit-of-tradition-bermudan-cutter/

04/01/2025

18/12/2024

Pegasus is a 56' Pilot Cutter inspired gaff cutter designed by Ed Burnett and built in 2008. Pegasus is known a yacht known to many, since launch she has been sailing commercially with the Island Trust out of Plymouth, offering sailing opportunities to disadvantaged young people. Sadly the Trust have decided Pegasus is surplus to their requirements and she has been up for sale for sale. The Trustees have now decided to reduce the asking price to an extremely attractive £250,000 inclusive of VAT. If being bought by a VAT registered business then the VAT can be claimed back on the purchase. This is a very low price for a pilot cutter of her size and quality. The MCA commercial licence was renewed in November 2024 so she is absolutely ready to sail away, either for commercial or private purposes. Link below to her full advert, a superb opportunity!
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/56-ed-burnett-pilot-cutter/

10/12/2024

We are currently moving the Wooden Ships business archives to a new store, thousands of boat files going back to the 1970’s which are a valuable resource to the modern day business. We are hoping to find a way of digitising this information to preserve the details and photos.

06/12/2024

A little teaser of a stunning yacht soon coming on the market. This beauty was built by her shipwright owner in Germany, the culmination of a lifetimes experience building and repairing wooden boats. Inspired by the West Country working boats and built to a very high standard, she is a well proven and very elegant cruising yacht in impeccable condition. Full details coming soon.

06/12/2024

Another launch from Nick Smith well underway. This is identical to the 16’ Isla we sold earlier this year, one of Nicks previous builds.

05/12/2024

Recent article on Yachting World by journalist Nic Compton about our own boat, a Nordic Folkboat

Despite low headroom, spartan accommodation and a potentially wet ride, the Folkboat remains one of the most iconic yachts of the last 100 years

21/11/2024

Porth Penrhyn, north Wales this morning in between the snow showers

20/11/2024

Ex RNLB 'Samuel and Marie Parkhouse' is a Watson Class lifeboat built in 1938. She served as the Salcombe lifeboat from 1938 -1962 and is currently berthed in Salcombe where she is a treasured part of the local boating community. Fitted with twin Gardner 6LX engines, she has been returned very close to her original exterior appearance. Down below she has a sleeping cabin and saloon up forward containing 4 berths and a small heads compartment. Shipwright owned, this boat is a regular visitor to classic boat events and RNLI gatherings, cruising around the south coast every summer.
https://woodenships.co.uk/motor-yacht/ex-rnlb-watson-class-lifeboat/

18/11/2024

Inisaig is one of a small number of 50' motor yachts built by the yard of Philip & Son in Dartmouth, launched in 1967. An elegant boat with 7 berths in 3 sleeping cabins and a large aft deck. Twin Perkins 6354 diesels in good condition. Professionally maintained by Stirling & Son of Plymouth in recent years, this is a fine pedigree motor yacht in ready to go condition. Detailed photos and video tour on the web site advert, see link below:
https://woodenships.co.uk/motor-yacht/philips-50-motor-yacht/

13/11/2024

Another boat that will be condemned to the chainsaw if not saved in the next month. Roskilde was designed by Kiwi John Russell and built by McGruer & Co. in 1974. She is a clinker planked double ended bermudan sloop and was built to a very high standard by a yard known for quality boat building. Sadly she has been neglected by her owner and has now been seized by Exeter City Council who manage the Exeter Canal where she is berthed. We hold a lot of detail and information on the boat so any buyer will have a lot of history to go with her. She is a very interesting yacht and needs to be saved. The boat has been put up for sale by sealed bids, the deadline for any bids in 20th December 2024. The boat needs to be moved by the end of January 2025, there is space on the canal for a hiab lorry to access the waters edge and lift her so transporting her away will be relatively straight forward.

Currently her mast is lying on deck in 2 pieces so will need replacing. She has a Yanmar 3GM30 engine but it is not known when it last ran.

Follow the link below to the council advert for the boat, all enquiries should go to Exeter City Council but we are happy to assist a buyer in the future by providing the historical paper work.

Someone please come forward and save this special boat from the chainsaw. We suspect she will be sold for nothing, the council need her out of their way and would prefer to give her away than pay to have her broken up.

Link to the council listing here:
https://exeter.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/sport-and-leisure/exeter-port-authority/vessel-for-sale/

13/11/2024

My Alice is a well known and respected vessel in the East Coast Smack fleet, racing regularly over the years and known to be a fast boat. She had a total rebuild that was completed in 2003, and has since had more upgrades with the installation of an engine and twin hydraulic driven legs, new interior and new taller rig with recent sails. Sadly due to ill health she is being put up for sale at a sensible price given the huge amount of investment she has received in recent years. The Smacks have an active racing fleet in and around Brightlingsea with boats of various sizes turning out regularly to race. My Alice is certainly one of the fore runners in this racing with her powerful rig and elegant hull lines, so a new owner could step in and take part in this active and social racing program without any further significant investment in the boat. Full details, photos and video in the link below:
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/kidby-oyster-smack-ck348/

08/11/2024

The Kidby Oyster Smack My Alice under full sail. This superb east coast smack will be coming in the market very soon with us priced at £98,000.

04/11/2024

This is a lovely 27’ wood epoxy gaff cutter that is shortly going to be cut up if a new owner is not found. She can be had for virtually free and is an excellent boat with a lifting centreboard. Known to be fast and very seaworthy. Some areas of delamination of the sheathing in isolated areas but certainly not a wreck. It would be a shame to have her disposed of. Currently ashore in Plymouth.

Contact the broker Liberty Yachts if interested

https://www.libertyyachts.co.uk/brokerage/

24/10/2024

Tethys is a 28' steel gaff cutter built by the owner and launched in 1997. The design concept was developed by the owner, then refined with the help of professional naval architect Dave Marsh, formerly of Dixon Yacht Design. The result is a huge volume and very capable cruising yacht, built to a high standard and nicely maintained over the years with none of the usual signs of trouble in a steel boat. New Beta 20hp engine in 2017. Large aft double cabin with full size double berth. Excellent headroom throughout and plenty of storage for long distance sailing. A lot of boat for the money, she is currently based in Falmouth and will shortly have a new insurance survey inspection which will be available to potential buyers. Very easy to see the next owner sailing off over the horizon in the boat on a long distance adventure.
https://woodenships.co.uk/sailing-yacht/28-steel-gaff-cutter/