Shipwright John Buckley’s black sheds stand on
the quayside at Southwold in Suffolk facing the
staithes of visiting yachts which pack the
harbour in season.
The firm started in the mid 1970s in Lowestoft,
but as the business grew, John, 48, moved to his
new yard which enjoys 10,000sq ft of shed space.
When we called in, there were three classic motor
launches, from the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s under
restoration and a delightful 12ft Herreshoff being
replanked (CB June May issue). His 20-strong
staff includes designers, riggers, shipwrights,
fabricators, mast-makers, marine and electronics
engineers.
John said: “Traditional boatyards offering full
facilities have almost completely disappeared
over the last 20 years to be replaced by marinas
with many different companies operating within
them or by smaller yards using sub-contractors.”
His yard, to the contrary, offers everything,
barring sailmaking, under one roof.
As well as restorations, the yard also builds new
craft in timber, GRP or aluminium.Harbour Marine
ServicesShipwright John BuckleyCLASSIC BOAT OCTOBER 2016 37LADY OF HAMFORD
winches and Lewmar 16s for the spinnaker sheets.
Down below the fit-out is stunning. Stepping down her
two sets of companionway ladders, I felt as though I
was back at the Earls Court Boat Show circa 1964,
my father leading me through the dream boat he
would never own!
The internal paintwork is a subtle off-white eggshell.
The brutalist ‘hospital-like’ white lead paint of the period
has gone. Today the varnish-work of cabin sole, coach
roof and cambered coach roof beams would have been
approved of by Steinway.
The galley, to starboard, has been redesigned and the
quarter berth on that side dispensed with to allow for a
fridge and a much-needed cockpit locker. The old
Taylors paraffin stove has been replaced with a gas oven.
She still retains the quarter berth to port, which together
with the two settee berths in the saloon and two berths
in the foc’sle, gives her five berths comfortably.
“I’m not going to race her,” says David. “We’re going
to cruise the West Country and France, so the loss of the
sixth berth will not be missed.”
A calorifier, beneath the chart table to port, now
provides hot and cold running water and the boat has
been completely re-wired, with a drop-down instrument
panel over the chart table for access to fuses.
She has a roomy head with a forward facing loo,
disapproved of by many who believe ablutions are
better suited to rolling than pitching, but which will
not bother David, who’s going cruising. It also creates
a roomier space.
The engine, a Yanmar 30hp diesel, not the
original Coventry Victor 9hp petrol engine, was
comparatively new and only required reconditioning
before being reinstalled.
The restoration has cost £100,000 on top of the
original £50,000 purchase price, but the sale of David’s
in-laws’ home has helped and within that came a
delightful touch of serendipity.
“My in-laws’ home was called Murree House,
named after a hill station in Pakistan, formerly in the
Punjab Province of British India. By coincidence I
discovered that Murree House was also where Lady of
Hamford’s first owner, David Clarabut, was born!”
said David with glee.
Boatowners are a superstitious bunch and such
historical dovetailing – as David, who keeps a memento
of his lost friend aboard, knows – is a good omen.
Above l-r:
cruising
performance is
up to par
post-refit; ready
for launch