# Two Clinkier built lifeboats for THPV Bembridge



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

Hello, 

I decided to make a new thread to underline a real subject. 

We are looking for two clinker built lifeboats for THPV Bembridge 1938. There are two demands only - British made and with length 18-21 foot. 

They should be the same or from the same vessel. We need them only for display - so they do not need to be in perfect condition, they do need to float!!!. We will slightly restore them, they will be painted black and covered by white tarpaulins.

We can order a new ones in India or buy something similar but to keep a style we need an old one made in UK. We do not want to make a fake one from plastic.

We were trying long time to find them - we were searching first of all something from TH fleet - like for instance old life boats from light vessels. We almost found them but ... we were too late. Today owners do not want to sell them. 

If we will find such a boats than we will slightly convert them. Bembridge was the last one in TH fleet with life boats having a "flat" sterns. In the same way like our pilot boats.

I was always convinced that we will be not able to buy a pilot boarding boats. But is looks our clinker built life boats are more difficult to find.

We need them to complete our project. 

Who can help to our project? 

Great thanks in advance for any help, info or advice!!!

Best greeting from THPV Bembridge Rafal


----------



## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Plenty of fine wooden boats still being built in the UK! First stop would be http://www.ibtc.co.uk/ If you want a good boat of any type you will need to pay for it. On the Norfolk broads there still are several private boat builders who know their stuff such as : http://www.swallowtailboats.co.uk/ speak to Colin and get some sound advice. The materials cost of wooden boats is not to bad. A recently built 28ft traditional wooden craft down here cost around £30,000 for the materials. The big cost is the labour/time, that might be offset by using a boat building college.. best bet, apply for lottery funding if you don't have the money. Many old wooden boats are simply 'a pig in a poke' and it could easily cost you more to renovate than to build new.......Its an expensive old game.


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

Dear Nick,

Thank you very much for your good advice. Definitively we are not looking for a new boats. We know already some places in the world where you can built a new boats even for ca GBP 3 000 - 5 000 + container freight (built according to original planes) - but is is not our intention to built a new boats. We need them not for sailing, they do not need to be afloat even. We need them to be in good shape - so not deformed as on attached pictures - you can see 2 life boats ex SS Ryde from IOW. Both of them have flat bottoms and both are out of real shape. 

We need boats to be cleaned only and painted black. White tarpaulins will cover boats from the top - so inside we can make our job later on. So they will be permanently on the stands and dry. 

We prefer a boats with certain history - so used at sea before. 

Apart from above we can built in Poland such a boats for less than GBP 10 000. 

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## NoR (Mar 24, 2008)

The IBTC might be able to oblige, the trouble is that they take about a hundred years to do anything, better to go to a proper commercial builder. Maybe you should consider clinker ply construction with sufficiently heavy timbers for hoisting in davits. Clinker ply looks identical to traditional from without and is stronger, lighter cheaper, and quicker to build. Of course the purists will howl at this but you have to be practical.


----------



## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Thats a good idea a lot cheaper...........mind you if the boats could be built in Poland for £10,000 thats a bargain


----------



## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Rafal, there are a number of Magazine's in GB that are dedicated to the traditional Wood Build of all type's like "Classic Boat's", an e-mail to their Reader's letter page (s) may prove fruitful.


----------



## duquesa (Aug 31, 2006)

*Two clinker built lifeboats*

Check out this website and maybe give them a call. They have all sorts of stuff lying around their yard.

www.bristolclassicboat.co.uk/


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

*Great thanks to all of you*

Ok, great thanks. I will try to make a contact with all advised sources. I am more than happy to have your support. 

One day we will find them for sure. If any - I will let you know. If any of you will see such a boats - we will be more than happy.

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## John Dryden (Sep 26, 2009)

Hello,Rafal,I know it is a long way from Bembridge home port but to me, living in the north of England, I have always thought that Scotland was the home of wooden vessels and traditional boat building.Have you had a look up that way?


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

Hello John, yes I know it. I heard a lot from Seb Evans - guy who sold us our two pilot boarding boats. He is a carpenter and he told me about Scottish makers and history. He is trying to help us too. 

There is one main problem - I am here in Poland and I am looking two British made wooden clinker boats. So in normal way I should take a car and drive to some interesting places. But ... there is no chance. The best way is to ask people here on SN. I am more than sure that somewhere there are two boats which are not floating anymore but which are still in good conditions for display, not for sailing anymore. For instance our pilot boats were strong on the on the buttons - only decks and top "crowns" were rotten. Skeletons and clinker planking were perfect - of course you know mahogany wood is lasting for ever. Both were born in 1960 and 1961 and their engines too. Today they are looking as a new ones and both engines are working perfect. On the pictures you can see them in UK when we bought them and during the most heavy works.

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

*I beg on my knees for any help, PLEASE!!!*

Hello,

We have already contacted everybody who could help us.

No success. 

We have our EU founds only till the end of June. When we will not buy these life boats than we will lose a money and possibility to made a boats back on her deck.

Tomorrow morning in Sunderland we are loading on truck two sets of columbus davits their winches and steering boxes. Additionally stands for life boats. They are coming from presently scrapped Steam Ferry Manxman. 

We will have soon davits for life boats. Soon we will have all ends of vent pipes - we are calling them in Poland headphones.

Only one missing elements soon will be a life boats. 

We need boats only for dispaly - they must keep a shape, they will be painted blacks and covered by tarpaulins. Only one condition they should be 18 - 22 foot long. They can be a bit longer too. 

Please help us to restore Bembridge - to be once again THPV Bembridge as in 1938.

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

*How she was looking before*

Hello, we passed a long way.

You can see on 4 first pictures her hull as a wreck in April - June 2009 and than her picture as a last one presenting her in November 2009 when she was in her half way to be restored.

So, only life boats ... and we will be ready or we will see the end of her restoration on our horizon

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## John Dryden (Sep 26, 2009)

''There is one main problem - I am here in Poland and I am looking two British made wooden clinker boats. So in normal way I should take a car and drive to some interesting places''
Hello Rafal,been thinking about your mission so just wondered if maybe Greece had any such boats.After all, the Greeks did buy a lot of British ships in that era.
And you could drive there!!


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

Dear John,

Greece is really a big country - if anybody can help me over there or point any boats - that it will be great. Just to drive and try ... it is not so easy...

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

*lifeboats*

hi Rafal, to be honest when u found the 2 boarding boats u had more chance to win the lottery, that was pure luck in the extreme to find 2, most lightships lifeboats were replaced years ago with fiberglass ones, and they are only 16 feet long, everything you have done to THPV Bembridge has been 100 % perfect , as good as new, i think the lifeboats should be to the same standard, , even if they are not used, the chances of finding 2 clinker transom sterned boats that are identical are extremely bad,, only trawlers or small coasters would have them, if you found one you would be lucky,most are double ended anyway, 2 built in india to original plan sounds the best idea, they would be identical, 99 % of her is british built , why worry about the 1 % of the lifeboats, if you find wooden lifeboats that are old they will have rot in them, unless removed and new planks and ribs are replaced it just spreads, most lifeboats were built of Larch Wood, not as good as Mahogony let the lottery buy them for you, ? just my thoughts, best wishes , Stores, tony.


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

Hello Tony - good news - I received yesterday a nice e-mail - there are two life boats from ca 1955 of 18 foot long, clunkier build, wooden and with flat sterns !!! They are in one British port. They were used by many and many years to assist during a mooring of all vessels - just to transport the mooring ropes from a vessel to a berth. Both have engines - so we can remove their engiones - but better is to keep them with engines. So on Monday I will know a prices and possibilities. When we will finalise everything - than I will show their pictures here. 

They both are the same and in really good conditions. Made from exotic wood - so now you know why they are in so good shape and conditions. 

As you see impossible things we are doing at once, mirracles a bit later.

Whole stuff ex Manxman arrived - on Monday all her davits and winches will have an inspection and within 2 weeks Bembridge will have her columbus davits working with winches and electric steering boxes.

Soon I will know more about davits for a life boats.

Later on we will slowly but consequently continue with smaller elements. 

So... stupid people are always lucky...

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

Fantastic, Rafal, fantastic! Will there ever be an end to this saga!


----------



## A.D.FROST (Sep 1, 2008)

Columbus davits were fitted to Blue Star Lines CANTERBURY STAR class 1960-65 so the lifeboats would not obsure the Funnel colours.(BOT sports were a P.I.A.!)(Ouch)


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

Dear Hugh, to the end of this Saga there is still a loooong way 

And especially for A.D. Frost:

Here you can find more about this kind of davits and their famous producer so Samuel Tylor and Sons Company:

http://www.bembridge.pl/cms.php?pid=261 (just click on them on the list) and on the end here is a brochure about their product from ca 1960:

http://www.bembridge.pl/cms.php?lid=en&gid=50122

As far as I know this Company was stopped in 1968.

When everything will be ready I will publish many photos.

Best greeting Rafal


----------



## A.D.FROST (Sep 1, 2008)

Rafal Zahorski said:


> Dear Hugh, to the end of this Saga there is still a loooong way
> 
> And especially for A.D. Frost:
> 
> ...


Very interesting.Here is another one of thier ads.
View attachment 28008


----------



## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

*Lifeboats*

HELLO RAFAL, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN BORN UNDER A LUCKY STAR, HOW DID YOU FIND THEM, ? MUST BE AS RARE AS 3 HUMPED CAMELS ! BEST WISHES , STORES, tony.


----------



## Rafal Zahorski (Jan 29, 2009)

Thank you A.D.Frost. Really interesting page. I am still looking for more drawings of Mr. Taylor davits. 

Dear Tony, first of all I will be able to confirm these two boats only on Monday. It is not a matter of luck. Because of Bembridge we have so many FRIENDS (like for instance Tony) in UK that to find anything is much easier like you think. Recently I counted almost 300 people - most from UK involved in our project.

I have a confirmation from a polish correspondent of BBC that after EURO 2012 BBC will come to visit Bembridge - so I hope soon she will be a Queen in British Television. 

Best greeting Rafal


----------

