Pearly Miss Classic Aluminium Speedboat - Rare 1957 Model

Rare 1957 Windboats of Wroxham 'Pearly Miss' for sale. Always admired, only 2 survivors of this special model are known to survive. In these models, the aluminium deck extends all the way around the boat, with a full foredeck, enclosed splashwell and Windboats branded deck corners. These were the only models welded, as well as riveted. Pearly Miss were built and marketed in Norfolk, by Graham Bunn - Windboats of Wroxham, from an American design, initially in 16 guage war surplus aluminium.

This one was a wreck found in London, and had last been registered for use on the Thames in May of 1983. The boat was restored by me (CMBA member & Pearly Miss enthusiast and expert) and has been subject to re-riveting and extra leaks fixed / maintained as and when they appeared. Luckily it hadn't been painted by any owner in the past and no one had covered it in fibreglass, mastic or bitumen..I have owned it for almost 9 years and as a family we have had tremendous fun with it; it gets used in the sea as well as on rivers and has been the standby boat for boating trips to Lake Como. These boats have a lovely soft ride and remarkable sea-keeping abilities, even when it gets bumpy. The transom and front seat are marine plywood, both are cherry-faced and factory epoxy coated, the back seat is just ply and varnished.

The transom will need stripping and re-varnishing / or epoxying at some point, but is sound. The seat bases are covered in blue Dunlop Trackmark. The entire deck was covered in red Trackmark originally, but I have polished the deck instead. NOS Trackmark is available sometimes, should you wish to revert it to original. The boat came without it's original screen and now has a new Broom Gemini shape with 3mm polycarbonate & NOS Taylor Made external deck angles.

And windshield corners. Steering is Teleflex rotary system with a 45 degree rake. The original moulded aluminium steering wheel and cable steering sytem and 4.8mm cable will be included in the sale. The original wheel is a heavyweight cast ali copy of a Ford wheel popular at the time; similar to that used in Albatross boats. Due to their age and construction these boats do seep / leak, but leaks are easy to find and fix.

The original lumps of polystyrene bouyancy were thrown out and enough new bouyancy fitted under boat seats and in the transom to prevent the boat from sinking. The boat is also fitted with a 360 Rule bilge pump and an automatic / manual float switch, which copes easily with any water ingress. The trailer is a used older galvanised bunked version, with central rollers that support the transom and hull properly. It is rated to 750kgs and weighs 150kgs, with new 500x10 6 ply tyres and recent hubs. It had a bearing service (with renolit aqua grease) done 04/08/2019, so it can be towed safely.

The boat weighs in at around 200lbs (90kg) without a motor, so the trailer is overkill. No outboard motor is supplied. The boat is outboard rated to 50hp (old power-head rating). I have run many motors on it; from a 1960 35hp Mercury to 60's 55hp Chrysler. An ideal period motor is a 40hp Johnson or Evinrude BigTwin classic outboard, if you want speed and torque.

Maximum hull speed rating is around 34mph. I have used it on the Thames many times and thought a 5-8hp 4-stroke would be ideal for pottering around rivers and canals. The late 50s classic Airguide speedometer comes with the boat as well as the old OMC dash plates for the ignition switch and overheat light; these held my kill switch and push button ignition. More pics are to follow. The boat can viewed near Coleford, GL16, viewing is recommended.

Please be aware this is a 62 / 63 year old boat and it comes with all the dings, dents, scratches and patina of many owners..