CRAFTSMANSHIP
DEVON
Provident returnsSTORY GREG GOULDINGInsurance underwriter turned carpenter Toby Slater transformed
his life by taking on the mammoth project of his family’s 53ft
(16.2m) Brixham Trawler Our Boy from 1933. She was bought by
his father after falling in love with the boat 30 years ago. Toby
lives aboard with his girlfriend Sarah to allow all funds to go on
the project. “It was great over the summer, but without heating
or water tanks the winter was more difficult,” said Toby.
Our Boy was one of four built and designed by JW & A Upham at
the Brixham Upham Yard intended as private yachts. The war’s
progression into steam-powered vessels meant that sailing trawlers
were no longer required, but with the Upham yard knowing only
how to build one vessel, it instead built for the pleasure market.
When the Slater family took ownership, Our Boy sailed, but
needed a new interior, so was moved to her new home of Maylandsea
in Essex for a fit out. As the interior was stripped back, more
problems became visible and it escalated into a total rebuild. While
Toby refuses to calculate the cost to date, he did once estimate
spending around £20,000 in fastenings alone. Near the end of the
build, a fire set progress back 12 months, with Toby explaining, “The
smoke did more damage than the fire itself. The smoke was ingrained
into all the wood, which required sanding back or replacing. There’s
one section of beautifully crafted wood in the galley that I couldn’t
fully repair, but I’ve accepted it as a part of Our Boy's history.”
Once finished Toby and Sarah will live aboard Our Boy and
offer charters to keep the lifestyle going, although Toby doubts she
will sail before 2017. “She looks great, but the remaining jobs are
expensive, so we are doing everything ourselves and buying
parts when we can afford them.”C/O TRINITY SAILING FOUNDATIONGREG GOULDINGDEVON
Our Boy for our boy
After a year of looking rather forlorn,
with her mast and other deckware
removed and seemingly abandoned on a
swinging buoy, the 1924 Brixham sailing
trawler owned by Trinity Sailing
Foundation has returned to active duty.
Many thought the boat had died
floating, but in fact, she was waiting for a
new engine, which has now been fitted,
as well as associated engineering and
other works. The new engine, a Perkins
215C, replaces an elderly Gardner of
unknown vintage. Provident will be
sailing at regattas this summer.OUR BOY
SPECIFICATIONS
LENGTH
53ft (16.2m)
BEAM
13ft 2in (4m)
DRAUGHT
7ft 8in (2.3m)
BUILT
1933
BUILDER/
DESIGNER
JW & A UPHAM