A varnished mahogany Broads day launch
I first remember Ferry Lady on the Cookham reach of the Thames. Clearly a Broads boat originally when I had her for sale at Hambleden Mill Marina. She had a rather old petrol engine if I recall and the purchaser was attracted by the idea of silent cruising from his home mooring. While she has the same characteristics as an Andrews day launch with forward and aft open cockpit areas and a cabin in between, the shape is much more rounded and the proportions more akin to a Venetian water taxi.
Until autumn of 2021 I was never able to discover the identity of the builder although I was absolutely sure that she began her life in East Anglia. A chance email from a person browsing the web informed me that the boat used to belong to his family and was used for camping while attending regattas with the boat being used for towing sailing boats to various location for competitions. At that time the boat was called
"Arandora and had the broads registration A1. She had a 6 cylinder Gray petrol engine and would do about 10 knts dragging a lot of wash behind her. I used to borrow her to take my sailing dinghy around the regattas, she slept 2 and had all amenities" (thank you Tim Bushell)
Boats changed little in design between the nineteen thirties and the fifties as boatbuilders had their minds on other matters in the nineteen forties.
The current owner wanted to bring out the beauty of the wood and so had the hull stripped back to bare wood and varnished - a brave move. At that time a number of other tasks were completed for which we have invoices from Michael Dennett boatbuilders. There is a sink with a water tank, good cushions, long enough benches on which to overnight and you could certainly treat Ferry Lady as a weekender. The draft is just 1ft 7ins so she would also suit canal or lake use where draft could be limited.
The boat is now powered by a 48 volt 4.3 kw electric pod motor and comes with a BSS valid through to March 2023.
Disclaimer
