1930 Berthon gaff cutter

Full specification

Wooden ships comments on this 1930 Berthon gaff cutter

 Planked in pitch-pine all copper rivets and bronze screw fastened to sawn oak frames at approx 3’ centres with 2 x steam bent timbers between.

Heavy oak floors with some galvanised strap floors.

Long external lead keel.

Transom hung iroko rudder.

Teak deck over a ply sub deck.

Varnished teak coach-roof coamings.

Sheathed ply coach-roof deck.

Varnished teak sliding entrance hatch, fore hatch and toe rails.

The cock-pit has been rebuilt recently with heavy varnished iroko seat lockers each side.

Bridge deck in ply opens to access the top of the engine.

Twin doors to the cabin entrance.

Gaff cutter rig on varnished mast and spars.

Solid Oregon pine mast,stepped on the keel. Stripped to bare wood and seen with a sealer coat of varnish. Fitted with cheeks and bolsters at the hounds and a sheave in the mast head.

Solid Oregon pine boom with original bronze roller reefing gear and bronze outer end fitting, stripped to bare wood and seen with a sealer coat of varnish.

Solid pine gaff fitted with bronze leathered saddle, stripped to bare wood and seen with a sealer coat of varnish.

Solid pine bowsprit.

20’ bearing out pole with bronze fork end.

Running back-stays on bronze Highfield levers.

Substantial boom crutch on bronze poles.

Sails

New mainsail in red terylene, appears unused.

New staysail in red terylene appears unused.

Selection of old sails which may well be the originals in wonderfully soft, cutched red canvas and probably not a lot of use.

Galvanised wire standing rigging, appears to be new.

Terylene running rigging.

Original varnished wooden blocks.

Pair of tufnol sheet winches on the cock-pit coamings.

Machinery

Beta 10hp diesel engine seen removed from the yacht.

This engoine was bought new in 2000, fitted in the yacht but rarely run.

Fuel tank to stbd of the engine under the cock-pit seat.

Sea water filter.

New electrical switch-board

Accommodation. Currently fitted with 2 berths.

Fore peak.

Blake sea toilet partitioned off to stbd. Locker to port.

Bulkhead with central aperature to saloon cabin.

Port and stbd settee berths.

Galley in the after port corner with Taylor gimballed paraffin cooker.

Chart desk in the after stbd corner. Engine controls and various instruments above the desk.

Steps up to the cock-pit.

5’7” head-room.

The interior joinery appears to be largely modern and incomplete.

Equipment.

New galvanised anchor and chain

Nav light boxes in the rigging

We are fortunate in having a fairly well documented history of this yacht.

She is Part 1 registered and the registration is still current.

She was bought by the previous late owner in 1974 then lying in Dover and moved to S Wales.

On that owner’s retirement to the Isle of Wight he moved her to Cowes.

A survey in the autumn of 1995 revealed some serious problems so the owner set about a major refit with the assistance of Cowes boat builder Eddie Richards.

Study of several survey reports from the refit period and the invoices we have identified the following work completed:

The yacht was almost completely refastened above and below wl with all new copper nails and roves and bronze screws in the hood ends and garboards.

New ends have been scarphed in to quite a few planks both sides, forward and aft above the water-line, The keel was dropped off and rebedded,

The stern post and after dead-wood were replaced.

All new galvanised m/s floors and engine bed gusset supports.

2 new stainless steel fuel tanks.

A new engine was fitted.

A new deck was laid in teak over a ply sub deck. The coach-roof deck has probably been replaced as well.

New sails supplied.

New galvanised wire standing rigging.

Between 2000 and 2010 the yacht does not appear to have been sailed very much at all while the owner pottered around himself on the internal joinery to little effect.

Following the owner’s death the yacht lay unused on her mooring for 2 years

She was bought recently in order to save her, secure her and give the yacht the time required to find a new owner to continue with the refit and get her back into commission.

He put her ashore in Cowes, had her cleaned and covered. The masts were stripped and sealed and properly stored.

In October 2013 he had her transported to Devon for further work scheduled for next spring if not sold previously.

Disclaimer:

These particulars have been prepared in good faith from information provided by the Vendors and are intended as a guide, Wooden Ships cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. The Purchaser should instruct his agent or surveyor to validate all details as necessary and satisfy himself with the condition of the vessel and its equipment.