Wooden Boat Who Couldn’t Find a Buyer

We Never Enjoy Scrapping a Wooden Boat

As a Boat breaking team we never enjoy scrapping a wooden boat. Purely because you see the craftsmanship that went into building them. And it seems like a dying art. The call to scrap the ‘Easter Maid’ felt like a footnote in nautical history. She wasn’t just another tired hull; she was an Elkins Carefree 25, a beautiful wooden sloop built by the revered E.F. Elkins—the yard responsible for the famous Laurent Giles Vertue class. Constructed from robust mahogany, oak, and elm, she was a high-quality, hand-built classic, lauded by brokers for her renowned sailing abilities.

The irony was bitter: this charming, practical piece of nautical history, a vessel built to draw attention wherever she went, was condemned to the breaker’s yard simply because her owner couldn’t find a buyer. And of course not to mention the small fortune in storage fees that can be expected along the south coast.

Harsh Economic Reality 

Her design was remarkably clever, making her a wonderful coastal cruiser. Her shoal-draught lift keel was easily operated, allowing her to explore quiet creeks and anchorages inaccessible to deeper vessels, drawing just 0.99 meters with the keel up. Even her practical details were sound: a regularly serviced Nanni 14 engine (although on inspection we’re not sure this was a runner), good sails, and a full suite of modern electronics, including a Garmin GPS and autopilot. Laid up ashore in Lymington, she was ready to view and sail, yet the commitment required for a classic wooden boat, even one this well-equipped, proved too much for the prevailing market conditions.

This harsh economic reality sealed her fate. Despite her pedigree and fair condition, ‘Easter Maid’ was booked for destruction. Our Boatbreakers team undertook the sensitive task of her final removal. It was a mournful job, carefully removing anything salvageable from the beautiful timber hull. However, even in scrapping, her quality shone through. The solid oak frames and rich mahogany planking were respectfully separated for recycling, ensuring that the legacy of this superb yacht lives on in smaller, terrestrial ways.