What is this craft please?

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kgarla
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:02 pm
CMBA Member: 143

What is this craft please?

Post by kgarla »

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Pic 1
I have been contacted by a potential new member who has a What is this ? Question. So Eyes down please and suggestions as to the Hull origin.

I obtained your contact details re the CMBA website and I hope you do not mind me contacting you?

I am trying to identify the builder of a boat that I recently purchased which is a 14 foot mahogany? runabout/speedboat, built I would guess sometime in the 60s? She is mid-engined with seating fore and aft and in pretty reasonable condition, bearing in mind she has not been used for years and simply stored. She was described as a Thames River Boat when for sale, which seems a miss-description as the hull appears to be designed for high speeds and looks similar to the design of some of the Healeys . I cannot find any makers identification and at some time she has been re-engined with a Ford Essex V6 plus Hurth gearbox (The engine cover has UK Ford Motor Company plates on either side). Also it would seem that the rear seating was added at a later stage as well, including smoking and fuel cut off warning signs in English/French/German/Italian (I would have thought that the original engine was possibly a BMC B series or similar?).

I previously was told that the hull may be a Sabena Sapphire, however I discussed this with Peter Sabberton the original builder of Sabena boats, who said no as the engine positioning was not as per his boats.

Any help at all would be appreciated and I have attached two JPEGS.


Hopefully pictures are attached. Kgarla
Attachments
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Pic 2

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