Our Boat breaking team were in Swanwick this week to collect a wooden boat for disposal. It’s always a shame when a wooden boat is sent for scrap. Mainly because you can see the craftsmanship that had gone into the making the hull. There’s just so much more character compared to a GRP hull that’s been popped out of a mould. The boat in question this time was a Rampart 38 hull. Sadly she was a project boat that had been completely stripped back and now was too much work for anyone to want to take on.

Our boat disposal team suggested to the owner that we gave the boat a month of listing. Just to see if there was anyone out there who might save her. She was listed as free to a good home on the Lonely Boats site. But as anyone in boats knows, wooden boats are anything but free when it comes to the repairs or maintenance. The team had discussed with the owner before listing the scrap price if there was no takers. Her owner’s insurance was due to run out in December. With the boat in her current condition there was no chance she would be re-insured. This meant her owner was keen to get her moved on one way or another.

The wooden boat was housed inside a large tent at the boat yard. Before we could get the marina to lift her out we had to partially take this down. It was an interesting experience getting the plastic wrapping down. Especially with the wind trying to help the tent set sail. But the wooden boat disposal couldn’t go ahead without the tent coming down. So the team quickly cut away any plastic they could reach. Our team also had to clear the large piled of wood underneath the boat. Some we managed to pass on to another boat owner in the yard who needed it for his own boat. There was also some mixed piles of scrap metal which we removed.

With the framework exposed and the front of the tent down the marina team could get under the boat. The wooden hull was then slowly driven out of the tent and across to the hoist. When our low loader arrived the marina team set up the strops and loaded her.