just to show, i was not only busy with aircraft my time in recent years, ( not much this year due to wife leaving me a kids 🙁 )
my friend and many others love is HMS Gay Archer, the worlds last surviving MTB of that class, it was in a hell of a state when he got it, but he has worked on it night and day for many years to get it to this standard,and still loads to do,
ive helped where i can, bit of painting, research, tracking down armaments,parts etc,,
but credit where credit is due, this man, my friend i take my hat off to him, not only has he worked constantly on the boat, but managed to keep a pietenpol aircamper flying, and slowly restore a piston provost , and restore his new home, phew… talk about busy 😀
any way, heres some pics i found on the net.. she is a beauty
1st pic is of her in service,
2nd pic is in the early restoration stages
3rd pic is pretty much how she is now.
years of work,
what say you chaps !!
By: ZRX61 - 4th June 2010 at 03:47
On my “must have when I win the lottery” list 🙂
By: Mark Hazard - 4th June 2010 at 00:07
Mark, very interesting.. would love to know more 🙂
Picked up a “Black Knight” folder from the H-B group at Duxford when Ormonde was still with us and I’m sure there was mention in there, have to try and find it (may take some time). There may also have been mention in that other Monthly Aeroplane magazine, but I’m clutching at straws.
By: merkle - 3rd June 2010 at 22:40
An old maritime saying:
Very Apt Badger 😀 .
By: Bager1968 - 3rd June 2010 at 22:31
An old maritime saying:
A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.
By: merkle - 3rd June 2010 at 13:30
be aware.. how much rot you will have to chop out.. mooring fees, marine ply,.. work, bogging.. paint etc.. .. this is before trying to aquire original kriegsmarine items.. … loads of money..
By: pagen01 - 3rd June 2010 at 13:18
Very nice, I wouldn’t say that the asking price is bad at all given what you are getting there.
By: merkle - 3rd June 2010 at 13:17
hi ashley
yes she is based in watchet..
anyone notice another beauty for sale in holland.. a luftwaffe pilots rescue vessel.. not cheap though ,lol
http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=52819&cat=38
as for a piccy of Gay lady.. try these people, they can surely help 🙂
By: daveg4otu - 3rd June 2010 at 12:29
EXcellent job…I remember when I was a kid back in the 50s there were several of the class mouldering away on the mud flats at the top end of Portsmouth Harbour…near what is now Port Solent .
While on the subject of “Gay” names…I am trying(have been for ages) to locate a pictre of the “Gay Lady”…this was an ML operated in 1941 (in the Portsmouth & Southampton area)by the No.2 Water Transport Company RASC..and on which my father served as “Mate in charge”.
If anyone has any ideas where I can get a picture please PM me(I have tried all the obvious places).
By: pagen01 - 3rd June 2010 at 10:46
I’ve just put Gay Class into the Google machine…..
….and it might be noteworthy that Gar Archer is actually the first vessel of its class aswel!
By: RPSmith - 3rd June 2010 at 10:30
Post about a boat on an historic aircraft forum? certainly found favour :diablo:
Not suprising – she is a thing of beauty and all credit to your mate for the restoration of the last survivor of her class.
One hopes that all the time, effort and money ploughed into the acquisition and restoration might find a little financial reward in film & TV work.
Roger Smith.
By: Ashley - 3rd June 2010 at 08:43
Hi merkle…was the third photo taken at Watchet by any chance? We saw HMS Gay Archer there last month when we were pootling through on the steam train – she looked fantastic 🙂
By: merkle - 3rd June 2010 at 01:03
Mark, very interesting.. would love to know more 🙂
By: Mark Hazard - 2nd June 2010 at 23:04
Besides the aircraft, didn’t the Haydon-Baillies have a couple of MTBs somewhere that were to be restored?
By: merkle - 2nd June 2010 at 17:22
problem is , they are huge, the gay class pictured above, has a 20 ft width, and 75ft length.
its cost him his home , he sold that so he could get this boat done, its a small fortune, and thats by doing all or most of the work himself, and a small team,
i noticed another MTB in the river By exeter last night coming home from work, but i thinks she is a later model,..there was a museum in southampton, the british powerboat trust, sadly, they were closed down and moved on,
but alot of there relics still survive, notably a PT boat at duxford :D.
i nearly got hold of one myself, a seaplane tender, at 42ft length, in a terrible state, but i left a letter on her deck, but shortly after she was broken up.. i never even got a call :(…. this was about 4 years ago
By: J Boyle - 2nd June 2010 at 16:45
I’ve always been interested in MTB..or PT boats (or their USAAF “crash boat” variants).
Pity not more are left, there are a few either static or sailing.
UK-designed Vospers were built in the US during the war, and one of them still sails out of Florida.
By: Flygirl - 2nd June 2010 at 16:29
Lovely stuff.
By: Fouga23 - 2nd June 2010 at 16:20
VERY nice!
By: Bomberboy - 2nd June 2010 at 16:14
Nice to see a bit of our coastal forces heritage being preserved.
Not sure what class it is but there is the MTB No.102 that recently took part in the dunkirk memorial and isn’t it Kevin wheatcroft who is resurrecting Schnellboot (E-Boat) Nr 130 to working condition even though it’s the sole survivor?
Bomberboy
By: mark_pilkington - 2nd June 2010 at 14:33
excellent to see she survives and is being restored, named after one one of Robin Hoods band of merry men I assume?
smiles and grabs my coat lol
Mark Pilkington
By: FarlamAirframes - 2nd June 2010 at 14:27
Lovely old lady.
Reminds me of when my father was standing by a merchantman being constructed in Japan.
Several of the design team were preoccupied with an issue on the construction of a small fleet of a new metal hulled fast “fishing boat” that the Japanese government were ordering.
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June 2, 2010 at 12:55 am