Before considering any bids on my boat, you must carefully read this description. If you are unsure about any detail, please message. Firstly, the story:We bought a riverside house along Castle Pill, in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, which if you don't know it, is in Wales. This was 2007 and we sold the property in January this year.Castle Pill is a tidal inlet. Members of a local boat club keep many small to medium launches and yachts moored in the main channel or tied up on the riverside.Our house fronted the Pill and directly below us was a large boat under a scaffolding framework.Upon talking to the owner, he explained that it is an ex-SS Canberra ocean liner lifeboat.
He'd moored it there several years previously and wanted to convert it into a houseboat to live on.To this end, he had started with an open boat, then closed the deck in, built a wooden superstructure which he was covering in fibreglass.The chap worked on it occasionally, for a few years, until becoming ill and unable to be in contact with the volatile fibreglass process. Upon hearing he was considering selling up, we bought the project. More so, to avoid some other boat aficionado replacing it with a rusty hulk, and cutting with an angle grinder all weekends. Having a mooring adjacent to our house appeared to be an asset.The buyer of our house did not require space for a boat and was not interested in taking the project on. We now live seventy miles away and have decided to pass it on to another enthusiast or historian who can do the boat justice.
Secondly, some background:Before buying the boat, we did some homework. Obviously a claim like ex SS Canberra could simply be a fisherman's tale to bump the price up.Looking online, there is the fascinating history of the liner involving many trips across the world, including use as a troopship in the 1982 Falklands war and starring in the James Bond Film, Diamonds are Forever in 1971.The lifeboats were not simply for emergencies, but used as tenders for passengers when visiting the many ports. Each could hold around 50 seated and many more standing. Most of the boats were open whilst a few had part roofed cabins. It is likely that our project was one of the open types that was powered by a noisy Ford engine, and know to the sailors as Growlers.
(This information gleaned from Facebook SS Canberra sites.)The Canberra ended up being scrapped in India but various sources claim that many of the lifeboats were sold off by P and O (the cruise operator). To back this up there is a web story of a restoration and photos of converted boats, some of which worked as ferries in Scotland, Harwich and Chichester. One was being used to live on in Bristol harbour. On inspection of hull shape, prow, stern and keel, to our minds the boats are identical. (If checking, note that some of the Canberra's lifeboats had flat sterns.
Those seemed to be roofed. Ours has the typical pointy both ends that are associated with lifeboats, and which formed the majority of the Canberra's twenty odd boats.I couldn't find out if the boat had a name whilst on Canberra. The previous owner called it Laura Jaye. Asking around the boat club about it, we were informed that the boat had been around the local Pembrokeshire area since the late nineties, (Fits in as the Canberra was scrapped 1997). Another owner kept it moored in nearby inlet, using it as an open fishing boat.
Engine trouble had it laid up and repair cost leading to a forced sale. We were told the original engine was rebuilt and still sitting available at a Milford Haven repair shop. For a period the last owner worked on it at the Milford marina until bills encouraged him to have it towed to Castle where the potential mooring fees are in the very low £ hundreds compared to the £ thousands currently by MH Port Authority. Thirdly, the description.Fibreglass hull which under the grey paint can be seen to be white.Haven't measured it exactly but approximately 38 foot (11m) long and 12 foot (3.8m) across the beam. Built, I believe in 1961.Kept upright on the foreshore by a scaffolding steel framework, sitting on a few railway sleepers.Was covered by green and blue tarpaulins which unfortunately have been blown off by recent years' wind and weather.The Castle Pill river is tidal.
At low/medium tides, it sits at the angle of the foreshore, tied to the posts of the adjacent concrete quay. At higher tides the whole edifice floats.The wooden superstructure is mostly intact and of good construction. Several windows are missing/never fitted. The main cabin is to be at deck level. The previous owner planned sleeping bunk in the bow with adjacent chemical toilet area.
Large storage area underdeck where engine was.There is no engine or steering gear. The plan was to make a non powered houseboat. There is no reason why the necessary parts could not be refitted if you have sufficient skill. The propeller hole is fibreglassed over.Some water build up in the hull will obviously need pumping out. Fourthly, the classifieds board photosThere are some recent ones, some when bought by us a few years ago, some in use on Canberra and some later converted versions.If you can't work out which is which, you really shouldn't be bidding!
I haven't any more interior views. See viewing below. Viewing:As with vehicles, it's best to view before bidding. If you decide to bid unseen, fair enough, but no changing your mind if you win.The lifeboat may be viewed at any time at the bottom end of Beach Hill, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire SA73 2QN. At low/medium tide it may be walked around.
Bring study shoes. Free car parking is adjacent on the Castle Quay. INPORTANT: If you clamber up the scaffolding to check the inside, it is purely at your own risk! I do not intend to make any visits to show viewers around. It is seventy miles away from me!
Bidding:Remember. I cannot guarantee this is Ex-Canberra. There is no car equivalent log book. All I have is a receipt from previous owner. You must do your own research. Please message with any questions.There is no reserve.
You win, you buy! If you have less than 10 feedback and are an classifieds board member less than 1 year, you must message me to identify yourself, otherwise I may cancel your bid.I have also advertised elsewhere so reserve the right to end the auction, if another taker offers enough. On Winning:The buyer is responsible for any securing, insurance, future contracts with Castle Pill boat club and/or any future mooring fees. (N.B. We have never paid fees to have the boat where it is).It will be up to the winner whether to move it to another location to work on. All costs etc involved will be down to the winning bidder.
The scaffold certainly needs some attention and new tarpaulins are a must! We will expect an immediate £100 deposit via paypal. The balance to be in cash at a meeting by the boat within 10 days to be arranged. A receipt will be given. You will not own the boat until this point.
The deposit is non returnable and will be deducted from the winning bid.
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