GL Watson 46 ft Gaff Ketch Motor Sailer 1936 - Sold

Seaworthy is an understatement for this incredibly strongly built motor sailer, owing all of course to her origins as a life boat - so commissioned to cope with the very worst of conditions. In contrast to her early working life her current owner of some 33 years has clearly made the most of her other qualities of spacious and versatile accommodation for some amazing cruising experiences World wide and notable both for their distance and variety. You could not wish for a better guardian for such an enterprise.

As an ex RNLI lifeboat her abilities as an outstanding versatile seagoing vessel and her pedigree are reflected in over 150,000 cruising miles during the last 32 years including 3 trans Atlantic, a 86,000 mile circumnavigation, a North Atlantic circumnavigation plus 5 trips to and fro in the Mediterranean, a transit of the great lakes and Mississippi river and other voyages speak for themselves.

Most of the SWN Y MOR voyages are well documented as well as detailed ship logs being available – along with numerous articles from the yachting press.

The construction of this former life boat is very complex compared with even the most sophisticated yacht and it is not possible to cover every aspect of her construction here. Needless to say strength and sea worthiness were the priorities, which make for an incredibly strong vessel with a very high level of safety factor. More detailed information on the construction is available along with detailed large scale drawings on request. The principal features are
- Burmese teak keel and hogs
- English oak stem, stern post and knees
- Stem and stern post below WL encased in iron shoe for launch, recovery and grounding protection
- Canadian rock elm frames
- Hardwood and galvanised steel floors
- 2 x Layer diagonal mahogany and teak planking caulked linseed oil and white lead soaked calico
- Planking layers fastened with c 25 copper rivets every square foot
- Larger bronze dump rivets fasten through the frames
- Double diagonal laid mahogany deck
- Bronze screw and bronze ring shank nails fasten deck to the CRE and mahogany deck beams
- Deck planking is fastened together as the hull
- Laid teak top deck set in epoxy
- All hanging and lodging knees are galvanised iron fastened with copper
- Engine beds Burmese teak
- The 2.5 ton iron ballast keel is fastened with 11 x bronze 1 inch keel bolts
- Deck furniture, Cuddy etc mahogany and teak
- Wheel house and coach roof riveted and welded aluminium

From aft
Lazarette accessed by hatch stbd side aft deck
- Generator right aft, fenders lines and general chandlery
- 2 x Bronze opening ports
- 2 x Occasional berths available to port and starboard

Cockpit
- Helm wheel monitor steering lines connecting
- Stowage under side deck and grid benches
- Flap water freeing scuppers both sides outboard
- Gas and petrol stored under side deck

Wheelhouse
- Helm Wheel operates via rod and duplex chain into steering gearbox (RNLI)
- Instruments
- Two seats port and stbd
- Dinette area and pilot berth to stbd with oak folding table
- Occasional folding seat for dining or navigating to port
- Stowage for up to 400 charts in drawers under chart table
- Ample stowage
- Force 10 heater
- Low energy lighting white and red
- Large capacity aft of wheelhouse under shelves fitted for storage boxes or large items
- This area accessible through hatch in wheelhouse floor

Engine compartment
- Mech & E section for equipment details

Head to port
- De luxe baby Blake WC
- Locker outboard
- WC discharges overboard or to a 60 litre waste tank via a macerator pump
- Tank can be emptied via a deck fitting or discharged overboard
- Sink in the head empties into the WC bowl.
- Under the sink in the heads is a 24 V electric fridge 2011

Galley to starboard
- Shipmate stainless 3 burner cooker with grill and oven
- Plenty of stowage
- Large stainless steel sink with mixer tap
- Cutlery and crockery for four people

Saloon
- Settee to port converts to double berth
- Dresser and locker fwd and stowage outboard
- Seating starboard with single berth up and outboard
- Bookshelf aft and dresser fwd
- Upholstery in drum dyed cream leather deep buttoned on backrests with elm buttons
- Mahogany drop leaf folding table on centreline with storage for drinks and glasses
- Dickinson Diesel heater
- Pictures in saloon go with the boat unless the new owner does not want them
- Flat screen television and DVD player
- Bulkhead and doorway offset to port fwd

Fore cabin
- Fore hatch and canopy over
- 4 x Single berths forward in staggered tiers; 2 each side
- The 2 bottom berths with stowage under can be converted to double
- 2 x Lockers to port
- Shower compartment and hanging locker to stbd
- Watertight bulkhead
- Chain locker in fore peak

Services
- Hot and cold pressure water supply to sink in the galley and heads
- Hot only supply to dedicated shower compartment
- Hot water from a Rinnai gas water heater 2012
- 24 V Lighting circuit

Varnished Douglas fir spars with mainly bronze and stainless steel fittings
- Mainmast from old growth Douglas fir 1991 made in San Francisco after dismasting
- Main boom old growth Douglas fir 1982
- Mzzen mast 1976
- Mizzen boom 1981
- Main gaff 1981
- Mizzen gaff 1976
- 2 x ‘Spinnaker’ poles 1983
- Cargo pole 1976
- Foresail boom
- All stainless steel standing rigging

Sails and covers
- Mainsail Duradon 1990
- Mainsail Duradon 1982 slightly smaller
- Topsail Polyester 1997
- Boomed foresail Duradon 1997
- Jib Duradon
- Yankee Polyester 1982
- Yankee Polyester 2005
- Running sail (yankee) Polyester 1984
- Running sail (yankee) Polyester 1984 set as a pair in trades
- Jib topsail Polyester
- Mizzen staysail Polyester 1984
- Drifter Polyester 1992
- Covers for sails – new 2015, cuddy, skylights, aft hatch, cockpit wheel
- Cockpit awning,
- Large awning and rain catcher awning

From aft: Lazarette, cockpit, wheelhouse, foredeck
- 60 lb CQR main anchor
- 45 lb CQR kedge
- 52 lb stainless steel Northill stern anchor complete with stainless chain
- 127 lb Swarbrick storm anchor never used
- 25 lb CQR lunch hook
- 50 fathoms half inch chain
- Lofrans Falcon electric anchor winch 2006 with remote control plus deck mounted switches
- Large Anderson SS self tailing anchor handling winch c/w fairlead and roller on aft deck
- Various length of 3/8th inch chain
- Three lengths circa 100 feet each of 1 ¼ inch multiplait
- Various lengths of 26 mm Braidline up to 200 feet
- Large assortment of spare lines of all sizes in excellent or new condition
- Deck fittings all bronze
- Spare blocks wooden and Tufnol
- Working blocks mainly dragonfly elm bronze strapped or teak shelled with SS strapping
- 2 x Antal 2 speed sheet winches
- 2 x Barlow sheet winches
- 1 x Lewmar halyard winch
- 2 x Barlow halyard winches
- 1 x Murray halyard winch
- 2 x Harken halyard winches
- Avon Rollaway inflatable dinghy with oars, seat and pump
- 8 HP Mercury outboard with fuel tank
- 4 HP Evinrude outboard with fuel tank
- 8 x Good size fenders
- 2 x Boat hooks with bronze fittings

- 2 x Ford Mermaid Melody fresh water cooled custom built diesel engines 80 HP each 1994
- H D 3:1 reduction PRM gearboxes driving 2 ¼ inch phosphor bronze shafts.
- Propellers in tunnels are 21 inch diameter by 29 inch pitch.
- Shafts run in white metal bearings oil lubricated
- Extra heavy flywheels and special bell housing to commercial specification
- All pipe work including the injection pipes chromed at the factory
- Large Leece Nevill 70 A 24 V alternators
- Steering by wheels in cockpit and deck house direct drive to quadrant linkage
- 1600 W Honda 240 V genset in the aft watertight compartment
- 24 V DC and 12 V DC circuits. Used for power tools etc. and emergency battery charging.
- Manual clutched Jabsco pumps on both engines can pump bilges via a selective manifold
- Either pump can act as an emergency raw water pump for either main engine
- Each engine has independent fuel supply but they can be cross linked via a balance valve
- Fuel passes through Lucas waterstop alarms and separators
- Electric deck wash pump Fitted again this can be used as an emergency raw water pump
- A variety of engine spares, belts, filters, injector pipes, impellers etc
- Complete set of engine gaskets including head gaskets
- 1st 2 x 120 Ah Varta maintenance free .battery bank coupled to give 24 V 2015
- 2nd 2 x 145 Ah Varta maint free battery bank, sealed, coupled to give 24 V 2015
- Zantec 25 A multi step 3 output battery charger
- 120 W solar panels 24 V output
- 120 W Ampair wind generator 24 V output
- Wired for a shore supply direct or through an isolating transformer
- The transformer can step voltage up or down as required e.g. 110 V ac in the USA
- Ammeters and voltmeters for control and monitoring the supply
- 12 V supply from a 24 V to12 V solid state converter unit
- Workshop area in engine room with tool racks and vice etc
- Comprehensive range of tools
- 2 x black iron fuel tanks each 155 UK gallons outboard of engines each side
- Tinned copper fresh water tanks 60 UK gallons each alongside cockpit well below decks

- Seafarer anologue/Digital echosounder
- Fishfinder chart echosounder
- Raytheon log
- Nasa wind speed and direction
- Nasa ssb radio with weatherfax software
- Seavoice 550 VHF radio
- Horizon DSCVHF radio
- Seatrek autopilot with electronic compass display
- World wide portfolio of paper charts and pilots
- Furuno GPS
- Garmin GPS
- Stowage for 500 charts
- Garmin HD radar connected to a Garmin touch screen MPD chartplotter

- 408 EPIRB
- 125.5 EPIRB
- 4 Man valise life raft needs service
- 2 Emergency canisters with flares, emergency food,water etc
- 2 Life rings
- 2 Auto life jackets
- Throw line
- RNLI search light enables signalling
- Hand held searchlight.
- Deck floodlights
- Red lights in wheelhouse
- Forward crash bulkhead with dogged watertight door
- Aft water tight compartment
- 4 x Life lines with safety clips
- High, extremely strong deck rails and lines
- Dual Klaxon / horn
- High capacity RNLI deck mounted bilge pump