1926 C & G Press River Cruiser Class - £13,500

Status : SOLD

Lying : Norfolk Broads - Viewing strictly by appointment through Topsail

(Please scroll down to the 'Images' section below for more photos.)

General Specification

Builder : C & G Press, Belaugh
LOA : 8.53m (28ft 0in)
LOD : 8.53m (28ft 0in)
Beam : 2.74m (9ft 0in)
Draft : 0.76m (2ft 6in)
Keel : Fin

Construction

• Wood carvel construction
• Mahogany and larch on oak
• Privately commissioned (but later in hire for a time)
• Sister yacht to "Pearl" which was part of Press Brothers hire fleet
• Full length lifting cabin roof
• Major professional renovation April 2016 to August 2018, including:
  • New keel
  • Hull completely re-planked in mahogany (apart from sheer planks) including having cove line reinstated
  • Hull interior primed and painted with bilge paint
  • Area of rot in starboard aft deck replaced and new lino fitted on aft deck
  • Repairs made to bulkheads where rot was detected
  • Interior doors re-hung and heads door converted to open as two narrow doors (i.e. like cupboard doors)
  • New floor boards in the heads compartment
  • Plus much more - see below
• Wintered ashore annually since 2018
• Hull repainted and antifouled 2021 (antifouled in black to match original tar varnish colour)
• Exterior re-varnished 2021
• Interior varnishwork all in good condition

Rigging & Sails

• Gaff rig
• Wood mast/spars
• Counterbalanced mast stepped in wooden tabernacle
• Stainless steel standing rigging (2018)
• Running rigging all in good order (some new halyards 2019, new mainsheet and jib sheets 2021)
• New Barton "T" Track Bullseye Slides, etc. (not yet fitted) to enable standard jibs to be used as alternative to self-tacking jib
• Mainsail
• Self-tacking jib
• 3 x further jibs of differing sizes including storm jib
• Sail bags

Mechanical & Electrical

• 5hp Suzuki 4-stroke outboard (2011, serviced regularly, low hours)
• Remote fuel tank (2021 including new piping)
• 2 x 12V batteries (2018, one in forepeak, one in cockpit locker)
• Rewired 2018 including new fuse board, USB charging sockets and 12V sockets (one intended for use with portable fridge in locker under aft deck)

Accommodation

• 4 berths in 2 cabins
• Red leatherette foam mattresses for all berths
• Galley with Origo 3000 spirit/meths stove (2 burners)
• Various pans, crockery and cutlery
• Heads compartment with Baby Blake toilet (completely refurbished, stripped back to bare metal, repainted, new seals, etc. 2018, no holding tank)
• Cockpit table
• LED cabin lights (2018)
• Full length lifting cabin roof providing good headroom

Equipment

• Boat Safety Scheme certificate to July 2026
• CO alarm (2018)
• Low profile automatic bilge pump (2018)
• Period brass bilge pump completely overhauled (new seals, valve ball, etc. 2018)
• Full length awning (2014 by Stormforce Covers)
• Quant pole
• Mop
• Pair of rhond anchors
• Mudweight
• Mooring warps
• Set of fenders (new 2021)
• 2 x spare Baby Blake toilet bowls, plus other spare parts
• 4 x gimballed oil lamps with smoke/heat shields (refurbished 2018, only one re-fitted)
• Burgee (replica of original C & G Press burgee design!)
• Full comprehensive history file including original log book record of all early voyages to 1954 and photographic record of recent renovation

Remarks

A painstaking and sympathetic restoration was commenced under the stewardship of the previous owner (1997-2016), undoing such modifications as the installation of a bowsprit, with the aim of restoring Kenmure as closely as possible to her original design. It was this owner too that researched and uncovered much of this special yacht's very comprehensive history. The current owner has taken matters a step further, undertaking a major professional renovation, safeguarding Kenmure's future, whilst continuing to keep her fantastic history very much front and centre at all times.

Kenmure is now reluctantly offered for sale due to the owners relocation of some distance away. She is ideal for family cruising, and it's believed that she's never been raced. This Broads yacht has undoubtedly brought huge amounts of joy and pleasure to her numerous previous owners, and thanks to the utmost care and attention to detail invested in her by her most recent custodians, she will continue to do so for many years yet.

A quick sale is desired and this yacht is priced to sell, with mooring paid until the end of October!

History of Kenmure: This River Cruiser Class yacht was commissioned by Capt. John Muir Donaldson MC on 5th November 1925 for the princely sum of £400 and named Kenmure after the house in Kenley, Surrey, in which he was born. She was launched in early March 1926, with a registration fee of 2/6 (or 12.5p!), river toll costing £1 per annum and insurance with Commercial Union costing £7 per annum. Her maiden voyage was from Wroxham to Ranworth on 24th April 1926. She is thought to have been the first yacht on the Broads to have had an electric inboard motor, probably installed in 1928, though sadly no longer present, thanks to Capt. Donaldson's involvement in the electricity generating and distribution industry. She was at that time known as 'The Ghost Boat of the Broads' thanks to her mysterious ability to be able to move when there was no wind! The last recorded voyage under Capt. Donaldson's ownership was on 25th May 1953, and by 1954 she had been sold to Trumans where she was used as the family boat before going into hire with Trumans and then later with Eastwood Whelpton. She was subsequently sold back into private ownership in March 1977 and was purchased by the current owner in March 2016.

Please follow the link to the blog post Kenmure - The Continuing Restoration for more details on all the works she has had done.