Wooden Ships Comments on this Gaff Cutter Golden Vanity
Built in 1908 by Sanders and Co, Galmpton on the River Dart. The design was known as the Mumble Bee class of Brixham Sailing Trawler but unlike many of her sisters who went to sea as fishing vessels, she was launched as a yacht for the marine artist Arthur Briscoe who used her as a floating studio, recording working lives at sea in the early 20th century. Briscoe had a very recognisable style in his art work, his pictures providing a snap shot of life at sea for men on the sailing trawlers and other working vessels.
Through the 1970’s her then owner sailed her across the Atlantic a number of times, including taking part in the 1972 OSTAR single handed trans-Atlantic ocean race.
In the early 1980’s she underwent a major 5 year rebuild after being bought by the newly formed Golden Vanity Trust. She then worked as a youth sail training vessel taking part in several Tall Ships races, working as an RYA training boat and introducing all manner of young people to the work of traditional sailing.
Sold to the present owners in 2019 she has continued to be used as a commercial vessel providing sail training, holidays and adventure around the Solent, West Country and English Channel.
She underwent a very thorough refit in 2020/2021 as detailed below, her commercial licence was renewed to category 2 and she is now presented in very smart condition, fully equipped and ready to go as a commercial or private yacht.
Her length, coupled with her generous volume and space below decks mean she would make an excellent private yacht, providing a relatively easy to handle platform with lots of living space and separate berths.
She is listed on the National Historic Ships Register.
Length on Deck 39′
Length Overall 53′
Length Waterline 36′
Beam 12’2″
Draft 6’8″
Thames Tonnage 21TM
Refit work
- New mast
- New standing rigging
- Chain plates refurbished and new chain fitted
- New running rigging with various new blocks
- Hull, covering boards and bulwarks stripped to bare wood and re-painted.
- Some areas of the hull re-caulked
- Deck largely re-caulked and re-payed
- All old internal iron ballast removed, bilges cleaned and new lead ballast installed with 20kg prisms.
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- Pulled out. Cleaned, repainted
- Engine bay degreased, painted
- New s/s drip tray fitted
- Racor filters fitted
- Solenoid fuel cut off fitted
- All pipes changed
- Stern gland repacked
- New engine start panel
- Fire proof and sound insulation fitted
- Fully rewired
- Hot water calorifier fitted
- Heads space gutted and refurbished. New heads and new sink.
- All sea cocks replaced
- All hosing replaced
- Beading round coachroof fitted
- Various bits of metal work taken off and zinc treated
- Plumbing all renewed
- Keel shoe stripped and zinc treated.
- New galley cooker
- New fridge
- New cabin lighting throughout. (LED)
- New Nav lights (LED)
- Capstan removed, refurbished and refitted
- New water tank
- All electronics and electrics throughout replaced.
- Webasto cabin heating fitted
- New mainsail, staysail and sail cover
Construction
- Planked in Oregon pine on sawn oak frames fastened with galvanise nails.
- All planking was new in the 1980’s refit.
- Sawn timber and iron floors across the centreline
- Internal ballast of lead ‘toblerone’ shaped blocks, all new in the refit. Bilges cleaned, painted and repairs done where necessary.
- Straight laid pine deck on oak deck beams, caulked and payed with painted covering boards. Most of the deck has new caulking and paying.
- Bulwark on stanchions mounted through the cover board in the traditional way.
- Coachroof with mahogany coamings and straight laid pine coachroof deck. New beading fitted around the coaming-deck joint.
- Self draining cockpit with mahogany coamings.
Rig
- Gaff cutter rig on a keel stepped hollow wooden mast new in 2020.
- Varnished wooden boom, gaff and bowsprit. New bowsprit 2019. All spars varnished every year.
- Galvanised wire standing rigging with dead eyes and lanyards to external galvanised chain plates. Standing rigging all new in the refit by Traditional Rigging of Bristol. Parcelled and served wire.
- Chain plates stripped back, repaired or replaced and zinc coated then painted.
- Running backstays on 2:1 tackles.
- Mainsail 2023, Jib 2015, staysail 2023 plus topsail, flying jib, No.1,2,3 jib and new mainsail cover.
Machinery
- Beta Marine 75hp 4cyl diesel.
- Engine pulled out in the refit and overhauled where necessary.
- PRM Newage gearbox to a port side offset fixed 3 blade bronze propeller.
- 2 steel fuel tanks, 1 under each quarter berth with total capacity of 315 litres.
- 4 x 105ah 12 volt batteries for engine starting and domestics.
- Shore power system with a Victron 12/25amp Blue Smart Charger.
- Calorifier connected to engine for domestic hot water plus a new pressure pump fitted in the refit.
- Webasto diesel cabin heating system installed in the refit.
- 180 litre water tank under saloon berth.
Accommodation
- 9 single berths in a cavernous interior.
- Interior has been refitted with all new varnish work, upgraded galley and heads.
- Steps down from the companionway with a quarter berth either side
- Chart desk to port can be used with a small seat or standing. Lifts to access ample storage.
- Galley to starboard the full length of the saloon. Single stainless sink with pressurised hot and cold fresh water. ENO2 burner cooker with oven and grill. New oven and gas system in the refit. Top loading 12 volt fridge has a custom made stainless lid that can be used as extra work top space.
- Saloon with U-shaped seating around a dropleaf mahogany table. Large pilot berth to port under the side deck.
- Starboard side passageway going forward with large heads compartment to port. Jabsco manual sea toilet, discharges directly overboard. hand basin with pressurised hot and cold water. All plumbing, fixtures and joinery in the heads is new.
- Large forward cabin with 6 single berths. Steps up to the forehatch.
Equipment
- Steering compass
- ICOM IC-M801 DSC VHF – New 2021
- Raymarine Plotter. Hybrid Touch. Axiom Pro 9s. Radar and AIS – New 2021
- Raymarine Echo sounder display – New 2021
- Handheld VHF Standard Horizon HX300
- Clock and barometer
- 14 lifejackets
- Jackstays
- 2 Lifebelts, lights, drogues
- Danbouy
- Torches
- Smoke alarms
- Fire extinguishers
- Fire blanket
- Carbon Monoxide alarm
- Gas alarm
- Cat C medical kit
- EPIRB
- Auto electric bilge pump
- Whale Gusher Titan manual bilge pump
- Manual anchor capstan
- 20kg CQR with 70m x 10mm chain
- 10kg Danforth kedge anchor with 10m x 8mm chain + 45m x 16mm warp
- Mooring warps
- Fenders
- 4 x 105ah batteries – new 2021
- Victron 12/25amp Blue Smart Charger
- Calorifier connected to engine
- Webasto diesel fired cabin heating system – new 2021
- Mainsail – 2023
- Topsail
- Staysail – 2023
- No. 1 Jib
- No.2 Jib
- No.3 Jib
- Flying jib
- Spare mainsail
- Spare staysail
- Mainsail cover – 2023
- Bunk and berth cushions
- ENO 2 burner gas cooker with oven and grill
- Top loading 12 volt fridge
- LED internal lighting
- USB sockets by each bunk
- Jabsco manual sea toilet
- Galley equipment
