Westerly Jouster Collected from Hamble Slipway
Westerly Jouster Recycling
Our boat recycling team were at the River Hamble to remove an abandoned Westerly Jouster for the Parish Council. We were first contacted back in the summer of 2024 by the council as they had some problem boats. The issue they had was that the boats were abandoned on moorings that they needed to remove for safety reasons. Due to the moorings being fairly cheap in comparison to other moorings on the river they had been left as a dumping ground.
With the boats in danger of sinking and causing even more costs or headache for the council they needed to go. After a number of months we finally had the call to get this Westerly Jouster away. The boat had been listed for sale for £1 but as they had no luck it was definitely a boat to be scrapped.
Challenges to Overcome
One issue we had is that the council were reluctant to get the boat moved to a yard and pay for a lift out. So they wanted the boat removed from a slipway. This can represent a challenge as Hiab trucks can’t always operate the crane if on a slope. We identified what we thought was the best option in the area. A large slipway with plenty of room for us to set up for a lift.
The plan was for the boat to be towed in and then tied up in a position we could reach her. Then when the tide dropped our lorry would be on site to lift and remove for recycling. On the day of collection things didn’t initially go to plan. The boat was pulled round as promised but where she ended up would have been a struggle for out lorry to reach. Her swing keel had already run aground so there was no chance on manually pulling her in by hand.
With some tide still there we decided to act quickly. Our team attached a tow rope to the boat and to our van. Then gently we towed the boat up the slipway and onto the flat ground. This was above the point of high tide. So there was no danger in the boat floating back off. Our worry was that if the lorry couldn’t reach and then the tide came back in the boat could drift away. Which ultimately could cause damage to other vessels.
Relieved to See Her Go
Luckily as she was a swing keel the boat tipped gently to her side and slid along nicely. The team then removed any loose items from the deck, and cut up the mast to be recycled. Our lorry then arrived and was able to load with relative ease. We are sure that the parish council staff were relieved to see the boat go finally.
If you have an old boat that needs to be removed then fill in our contact form and our team will do the rest. Like we did for the council we will try and keep the costs and headaches to a minimum.
Written By: Luke Edney
Luke completed a journalism degree in Brighton University and fortunately for us uses this in his communications, Facebook posts, Tweets and emails to tell all our enquirers and followers what we are up to. Without Luke we would be lost, he runs the office, keeps us organised and is like a terrier and never lets a tricky boat disposal job go un-photographed or Tweeted about.
He also manages all of our enquiries passing them to whoever in the team is the best suited to deal with it. We are teaching Luke how to drive a motorboat or sail a yacht so while he’s learning we suggest you keep out of the Solent!
When he’s not at work he’s a massive football fan (his Dad used to play for Portsmouth FC years ago) and seems to know everything there is to know about any player, anywhere. Next time you ring and he answers, think of a tricky football trivia question and ask him
Date Published: January 20, 2025
Last Modified: March 13, 2025
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