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Old 27-03-2012, 13:21   #1
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Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards?

hi there was wondering if anybody on this forum has bought and done up an old 50th scottish ex fishing boat as a long term liveaboard? ive been looking at a few of them and they can be bought for very reasonable money even with alot of work already done to them. my ideal one would have a 6lxb gardener engine in it and then the plan would be to convert with sail if thats possible, ive been told it can be done but not very clued in when it comes to what sail would work for a large wooden boat like this any help would be great
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Old 28-03-2012, 13:43   #2
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Re: old scottish fifty footers as liveaboards???

Older wooden boats can be purchased for "very reasonable money" in many places. There would be a concern for the expense of maintaining a large wood boat and particularly if you had any plans to cruise to warmer climes where Toredo Worms & microbes would have an interest in the wood. Some with skills and tenacity do well with wood boats. 'not for me, but for an exclusive, hard working minority.
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Old 29-03-2012, 12:13   #3
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

well i know that there can be alot of up keep on a large wooden boat, however i grew up with these type of boats and fished on quite a few of them when i was younger and feel that they have lovely lines and are great in bad weather. there is a nice one for sale on www.findafishingboat.co.uk she is under the non commercial section and is in the isle of man worth a look ....
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Old 29-03-2012, 13:00   #4
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

True, but the owner had an interesting experience with his previous boat, so I am surprised he bought another trawler. Do you know David by chance?

IT'S SO GOOD TO BE ALIVE - SURVIVOR CAPT DAVID FAULKNER; 8 days adrift in a lifeboat.. one Mars bar to eat.. battered by 40ft waves..no sleep.. about to drink their own urine.. - Free Online Library

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Old 29-03-2012, 13:38   #5
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

no i dont know david im new to this site
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Old 29-03-2012, 16:46   #6
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

Hi,

My friends converted a (Welsh, I think) fisher into a yacht and sailed her from the UK to NZ.

I think the only thing the boat did not do well was sailing close hauled.

http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoser.../120445098.jpg

If you contact them, they may share some priceless know-how.

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Old 29-03-2012, 17:17   #7
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

Quote:
Originally Posted by nagrom snoyl View Post
well i know that there can be alot of up keep on a large wooden boat, however i grew up with these type of boats and fished on quite a few of them when i was younger and feel that they have lovely lines and are great in bad weather. there is a nice one for sale on www.findafishingboat.co.uk she is under the non commercial section and is in the isle of man worth a look ....
How abouta dirrect link to the boat. There are a few hundred to look thru...
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Old 01-04-2012, 18:30   #8
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

I think there was an old Scottish whaleback trawler featured in Wooden Boat once that was circumnavigating... she looked stunning and really comfortabe inside.
I can't remeber where this was but I saw another pic of a large converted trawler with a fish-hold conversion that featured a full on large brick fireplace. Really nicely done in a very rustic "old-school": style consistant with the vintage of the trawler.
If I were to switch to power that would be my direction. Lots of possibilities though I dunno about the fish smell ???
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Old 11-04-2012, 12:26   #9
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

i tried before to post pictures of that fifty footer i was talking about but could,nt, since i was here last the price of her has dropped again so if anyone wants to have a look and see what they think she is on the second page half way down of the non-commercial/pleasure section of findafishingboat.co.uk and her name is catherine and john she is blue and red in colour
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Old 09-02-2014, 10:48   #10
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards ???

I have lived aboard a Scottish trawler now for 10 years and say you should go for it! They are hard work but what isn't that's worth a jot?

I bought mine as a wreck and spent 6 hard years bringing her back to seaworthy condition. Sure it was hard but these boats are worth saving. If you can work with wood (or are even just keen) its all possible. They can be fixed piece by piece - unlike a lot of other builds which need large parts replaced at once. Wood an be sought locally and much can be salvaged for free. Fittings are usually cheaper than yachts - at least on the second hand market - as not many folks want larger items. You will need a chainsaw and a lump hammer...its not rocket science.

I rigged South Star as a gaff rigged ketch. (main mast was £40 tree in forest, mizzen a BT telegraph pole). Although built as a motor boat, these craft shape evolved from the sailing fishing boats and do sail well. I lost count of the ney sayers over the years who told me I was wasting my time. They were wrong. We have sailed 60 degrees off the wind and 7+ knots.

We sail all summer in our trawler. Sure we don't point like a yacht. But we love the space, wood warmth and great comments we get wherever we go.

If you have the energy and resourcefulness then go for it. These boats are seriously tough.
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Old 20-02-2014, 14:16   #11
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Re: Old Scottish Fifty Footers as Liveaboards?

I been on ships and boats most of my life. I live on a large wood boat now. I think it's better to live your dream than spend your life wishing you did. Wood boats take more maintenance, but if you use good materials and practices, you can get a wood boat to the point where it's not much more work than a steel boat. You get more boat for the money than with steel of fiberglass. Sometimes it is easier to make major changes in wood. But it's more work to bring back a poorly maintained wood boat than some other material. Most people will tell you boats rot from the top down. That's because fresh water seeping thru decks causes dryrot. And salt and salt water (w/o marine organisms) is a preservative. Especially in old commercial wood boats you often find salt boxes all along the insides, right under the deck. Moisture condensing under a curved deck runs into these boxes and then over time runs down the inside planking and into the bilge, preserving the wood. I have seen oak so hard from age and salt, in a remodel, I had to trim it with a steel cutting blade. If you have salt boxes, keep them filled. I also keep salt in the bilges. Where I live we have some large wood commercial fishing boats and tenders that are over 100 years old still working daily.
In all big wood boats I make a low volume venting system that draws air down the inside planking into the bilge and then out, now thru a solar powered vent. No mildew or mold smell when you walk into the boat. My insulation leaves a space the width of the ribs so this air flow is possible.
As for conversion to sail, most slow speed boats trace their history to a sailing design. Before I spent a lot of money I would check with a professional. There are a lot of home made sail/hull setups that don't sail. Also, fix the hull, decks and outside cabin first. Over the years I've seen many boats scrapped because the owners spent their time decorating while the hull rotted.
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