Welcome to the Web site of Wooden Ships.

We have been traditional wooden boat brokers since 1975 and are based in beautiful Dartmouth. With a good variety of brokerage boats and sensible pricing, we are the first place to come. In the event that you are coming from Europe, we also speak French.

Featured Boat 33' Ray Hunt 1969 £12,500 Ray Hunt designed power boat, 33' x 9'4" x 3'3".  Built by Soutars on the Isle of Wight in 1969 for the yards Finance director.  The boat remained in his ownership until 1999 when it was sold to Cornwall. Ray Hunt was the designer behind the famous Huntsman, and this boat has his trademark deep V hard chine hull, flared bow and reverse sheer.  This is effectively a bigger, faster version of the Huntsman. This boat had a major rebuild in 2007/08.  Large areas along the top of the hull either side were replaced due to rot caused by water ingress down the end grain.  The whole superstructure was sheathed in epoxy, with some areas replaced in new marine plywood.  The aft deck, coamings and hatch lids were renewed, as well as new electrics, plumbing and a new starboard engine. Built of 5 skin diagonal 1/8" mahogany, cold moulded with resorcinol glue, screwed to hardwood diagonal stringers inside for strength and larch beamshelf.  Marine plywood superstructure sheathed in epoxy, painted with 2-pack epoxy paints. Mid-ships helm position with wheel to starboard and navigator to port, both with sprung Viking seats.  Helm area covered with blue canvas on a stainless stell frame mounted on the windscreens, allowing for open top cruising in the summer and cover in the rain. Deep well type cockpit behind helm with lockers.  Large aft deck over engine space with non-slip rubber deck.  Large hatch doors give access to engines.  Side decks have noon-slip patches on.  Large forward well for storage of fenders, warps and anchor.  Perspex skylight forward,  smoked perspex windows in the coachroof sides.  Machinery Twin Ford Sabre 210hp, 6cyl turbo diesels, Borg Warner gearbox on Velvet V-drive to traditional shafts and high pitch bronze propellors give 32 knots.  The V-drive's allow the engines to be turned around and situated right aft above the shafts, giving much more space in the cabin.  The starboard engine was completely seized when the boat was purchased, so a new donor engine was sourced, comletely rebuilt and all the old ancillaries refitted to the new engine.  This engine has done less than 100 hours.  Port engine is on 1600 hours, fitted in the early 70's to replace her original twin 400hp petrol engines. Twin Morse single lever controls at the helm.  Twin 120 amp alternators with Adverc charge regulator system charge the independent start batteries and large domestic battery bank.  Copper fuel lines, new in the refit, from 2 seperate tanks with large racor pre-filter/water seperators.  Ball valves enable both engines to be run off either tank. The original tanks are constructed down the centreline under the floor, built into the hull and sheathed in GRP.  The current set up utilises the aft one of these original tanks, plus a newly rebuilt tank in the bow, lined with 4 layers of epoxy sheathing. Hydraulic steering with new copper pipes, connected to twin bronze rudders.  Accomodation Port and starboard quarter berths under the helm and pilots seats.  Galley to port with sink and 2 burner meths cooker.  Storage under.  Heads to starboard with new Jabsco sea toilet, shower and sink.  Forward of this is the main saloon.  Currently it comprises a large work desk across the forward end, but it would be very easy to return it to the original layout with a sette berth either side, plus a pullman berth where the backs hinge upwards and suspend from the deckhead. The capability of this vessel is not to be underestimated.  She regularly ran from Cowes to Plymouth in under 5 hours, and can comfortably sustain 25 knots in a force 6.  This is a superbly designed sea boat that will out perform its contemporaries time and time again, at a fraction of the price of the hugely rated Huntsman's.