Practical Boat Owner — January 2018

BUILDING A WOODEN MOTOR-CRUISER

The total build cost (including shed and
renting the site) came in at £45,000, but of
course that doesn’t account for the labour.
‘The economics are not good from a
commercial point of view,’ says Tom wryly,
before adding ‘But that was never the
point. It proves that you can achieve an
awful lot for a reasonable amount of
money. And with epoxy coating of the
wood inside and out, we’ve got the
advantages of a GRP boat but with the
character of wood.
‘We could have fitted out a GRP hull and
deck, but it would never have been exactly
what I wanted, and it would have cost
£26,000 for the hull and deck alone.’
‘Yes, we could have cut some costs,’
adds Lorraine, ‘We didn’t have to have a

an excellent sea boat, is easy to handle

and she’s economical. Top speed is eight

knots, with a cruising speed of seven

knots using two-and-a-half litres per hour.’

So far Thea hasn’t been further than

Salcombe, but the intention is to retrace

their favourite cruising route along the

south coast to the Isles of Scilly and then

on to Ireland.

The boat is already proving its worth as a

sea boat. ‘She holds the water really well.

Coming back from Salcombe there was

quite a big race around Start Point, and

she went through it like it wasn’t there.’

So is this it, or is there another boat to

come? Tom smiles. ‘I think we’ve done

enough boatbuilding for now. It’s time for

us to just enjoy some sailing.’

teak-laid cockpit, for example. But we

wanted it, so...’

Motive power is via a Beta 35hp

4-cylinder diesel, an identical motor to the

one that served them so well over 20 years

in Selene. Cleverly, the wheelhouse door

aperture is just slightly wider than the

engine, so in a worse case scenario the

entire motor can be removed from the boat

without dismantling either it or the boat.

Great expectations

So, the obvious question: how does it go,

and has it lived up to expectations?

‘For us, this is the perfect boat. She has

proven to be better than we’d hoped. The

Mk1 is always the one with the problems,

but she doesn’t appear to have any. She’s

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA 30ft 0in (9.1m)

Beam 11ft 0in (3.3m)

Built 2016

Weight 4.75 tonnes

Engine Beta Marine 35hp diesel engine

Cruising speed 7 knots

Fuel capacity 47 gallons (215 litres)

Berths 2+2

LEFT Thea is craned into

the water for the first time

BELOW Tom and the ship’s cat at the helm

Classy retro-style motor-cruiser

Thea looks a million dollars, but was

self-built for around £45,000