Wooden Drascombe

Name: Jessika

Type: Lugger

Builder: T. Hoedemaecker, New Zealand

Year: 1975

Owner: Douglas Bain

Quote from Doug Bain:-

"I purchased the boat in December 2007 and spent the spring / early summer 2008 tidying her up – some photos attached. She was originally built in 1975 in New Zealand by builder T. Hoedemaecker for a Royal Naval Surgeon – Patrick Pallin.

At some stage, it was shipped back to the UK, complete with aluminium trailer. Ownership transferred to a person based in Oxfordshire but was sailed in the Channel Islands.

In the mid 90’s it was taken down to Plymouth where it was sailed as a family boat for 10 years. The boat came with the original instructions provide to the builder by Tom Watkinson (reputedly) – although the instructions are a very old photocopy and lacking the actual diagrams.

The boat has teak Maori carvings added to each side of the bow. Teak was also used for the 7 cleats and rail. These have been varnishing many times since. I am now in the process of stripping off the many layers of varnish and treating the finished wood with oil. I have some work to do to fix a leak – hopefully just an o-ring around the centre keel bolt. While I am fixing it, I need to see the condition of the wood inside the centre casing. The keel also has a split. Hopefully this does not indicate rot inside the rudder slot! The boat is kept in a garage near Stirling, but sailed in the Moray Firth off Fortrose in the North East of Scotland." Photos

Last updated: 14 March, 2009

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