Boat Breakers Scrap Former German Lifeboat Hull Yacht

Boat breakers were out in Chichester Harbour this week to collect and scrap an old steel hull yacht. The yacht’s steel hull was a former German lifeboat hull. In recent years the boat had been a live-aboard in Birdham Pool Marina. It was actually a boat we had been asked to look at a few years back.

Since then the boat had changed hands a number of times. It seems that the various owners all had grand plans for the yacht’s steel hull. However, eventually the last person to own her abandoned her on a mooring in Chichester Harbour.

Consequently as Boat breakers were then asked to remove the boat after the Harbour Board had tried to sell her in an auction. In truth even trying to sell the boat was a mistake as when we got on to her the wooden topsides and deck were rotten.

Firstly the team removed the sails, a tiller and some various smaller items. Although when a boat has been left out in the elements on a swing mooring the chances of getting any decent bits is fairly slim.

Our plan for collection was just like any other yacht. The Harbour Board offered to tow the boat around to the point of lifting. We had chosen Emsworth Yacht Harbour as it’s a yard we have worked with regularly. Their team had boat in the slings ready for us to jump on. The Boat breakers team had to cut some a couple of parts that would have made the boat too tall on the back of the lorry.

Luckily nearly all of the wood work was rotten so it only took a matter of minutes. Once we had lowered the cockpit roof section the boat wasn’t much higher than a Westerly.

It’s always a shame to see the end of an old metal boat with history. We’re sure as an ex German lifeboat it would have had plenty of stories to tell. As the boat is a steel hull luckily it will almost all be recycled. It makes a change to be able to recycle the majority of the boat.