Wooden Drascombe

Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax,
Of cabbages and Kings,
Of "Snave" and J.L.W.,
And other Drascombey things

by Chris Evans

"It looks like a Lugger but what is it?" A common question asked whenever Snave takes to the water and Drascombe "experts" look on. Well the most accurate answer is that she is a much modified Mackerel Boat originally designed by John Watkinson in 1962 and, according to the Drascombe history in the worthy "10/30", one of three built by John's company Kelly and Hall in 1963. To be honest I can only remember two being built while a possible third owner walked around the corner to Dave Pooley at the Yealm Boat Company and ordered a rather angular and graceless Yachting World Bass Boat. Well we can't all have perfect taste!

The first of twin Mackerel Boats was built for the T.V. naturalist Tony Soper while "Snave" was built alongside but probably a week or two behind. There has been long running correspondence in DAN about longest continuous ownership, oldest bills, ugliest wives etc. On the first two points I think the Evans family probably steal the prizes. Snave was bought in 1963 by my Father and my winter labours on maintaining the varnish work over ten years probably soothed the transfer of ownership in that time. In 1973 when John `Drascombe-ised" her, I paid for the work sealing the formal transfer of title.

Last updated: 19 January, 2007

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Wooden Drascombe

Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax, Of cabbages and Kings, Of "Snave" and J.L.W., And other Drascombey things

by Chris Evans

Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax,
Of cabbages and Kings,
Of "Snave" and J.L.W.,
And other Drascombey things