Helping to bring a historic wooden boat back to life while providing veterans with the chance to learn traditional boat building skills:

A traditional motorboat is undergoing major restoration at Turn to Starboard. 

‘Tudora’ is a Rampart 48 built by the Rampart Boat Building Company in 1964. The elegant 25-tonne cruiser was kindly gifted to the charity by a generous supporter in July 2018, yet requires extensive repair to its wooden hull planking and general repair work.

Restoration was able to begin thanks to a grant for half of the required funds from The Lest We Forget Association. The organisation has kindly donated £15,000 towards the project to help veterans in the region, with further support from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group, Woodstockin Falmouth, Axminster ToolsandBradfords Building Suppliesin Penryn. The charity is also seeking further sponsorship from grant providers, local companies and individuals.

Once completed, the charity aims to relaunch the boat to either provide motor cruising courses for wounded veterans, or sell the boat and use the funds towards providing further sailing opportunities.

Turn to Starboard CEO and founder, Shaun Pascoe, said: “We were astonished when one of our long-standing supporters decided to generously donate his beautiful Rampart 48-foot motor cruiser to the charity. However, there are some issues with the planking within the hull which require some work before the boat can get back on the water.

“We could have considered hiring a team of boat builders to take on the project, yet in line with our charity theme, we decided to offer the opportunity to veterans who have been affected by military operations who will be able to learn traditional and valuable skills and potentially start new careers in the marine industry.

“What we aim to achieve, in conjunction with a boat builder and boat surveyor, is to expand our small team of veterans to help replace about a quarter the planks on the hull to restore her back to her former glory. The project aims to be fun while offering the chance for volunteers to meet new people, make friends, learn useful skills and help bring a historic wooden motorboat back to life.”

Although there is no definite time frame for completion, it is estimated the project will be completed by mid 2020.