Weird & Neglected Gallery

Wherever we are, if there is a dock nearby, we'll walk it, usually with camera in hand! We just love checking out the boats, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the local flora and fauna so to speak. We enjoy meeting people in the 'hood and learning 'who is who in the zoo'! We are always trying to gather more information about boating in general, and sailing in particular, and there is no better way than dock walking to find out if that double ended main-sheet design you were planning is really viable or whether the convenience and simplicity benefits of a stem tacked asymmetric spinnaker outweighs the versatility of a pole hoisted symmetric one?  

On our various strolls around we have seen and recorded many sights, some which might be considered fit for publication, others....not so much, but one thing that we do often see and feel to be worthy of   publication are vessels that might accurately be described as weird and/or neglected. 

Now, we do realise that one man's weird and neglected is another man's normal and acceptable so the contents of this post should be viewed accordingly, but we are always interested by unusual vessel features and configurations and saddened by neglected and abandoned boats. The sight of moss and mold, piles of bird guano, peeling varnish, split and rotted canvas, frayed rigging, cracked and broken port lights and corroded hardware always depresses us. Wouldn't it be interesting to discover how they got to be where they are? A dream abandoned,  a priority changed after job or family loss, a change in circumstances, an underfunded project, a toy once worshiped now overshadowed by new priorities, whatever the reason there are literally thousands of boats languishing in marinas and at moorings around the country. Here are a few weird and neglected vessels we thought were worthy of note, we will add to them from time to time as appropriate.

We called this one 'Bug Boat' as it evokes images of  one....a grasshopper or Praying Mantis perhaps? The owner must agree because the 'eyes' are purely cosmetic, serving only to enhance the entomological air!

The boat in the next two photos really surprised us. Why would anyone pay significant monthly slip fees for a vessel that receives no attention?

What was once some deferred maintenance that could have been dealt with at the slip with a little elbow grease is now a yard job and major refit.

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The next two shots show a sailboat rig that must surely be the epitome of 'weird'....perhaps the boat name tells the story?

With the mast on a frame over the cockpit, a single, monster self-tacking sail on a furler and a sort of boom/gin pole arrangement to stabilise the mast at the stern must give this puppy some extraordinary handling characteristics.

This next one certainly isn't neglected and, technically, isn't weird either but the yellow, green, white and red colour scheme secured a spot for it in the post!

Is it a junkamaran or a catamajunk? Either way, definitely weird!

Its been a loooong time since this satin was white!

Another badly neglected monohull. Shame. Note the current  (as of photo date) registration decal.

We called this one the 'Maritime Sandford & Son'.....if we don't have it, you don't need it!

The next few pics show the fate of a couple of  small keel boats, abandoned in their slips here in Marina Bay. Sad.

Mussels anyone......from the bottom growth it's clear this one had been sitting around for years!

It's amazing what can be done in half an hour with a 'Sawzall' and some elbow grease!

Next stop the landfill....

December 2012, L'Hydroptere, the Worlds Fastest Trimaran (51 Kts) stopped by at our marina. The thing is huge.

Hydroptere again and........

...........again. Definitely a weird beast and wicked fast. Go to the links below to see it in action. Amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgNtPETcta4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNo7mLER0xA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2boayPZ3GbE

5-19-13, We were walking along the Bay Trail near our Marina when we saw this old Fairliner cabin cruiser sitting on the beach. Evidently it had drifted ashore after breaking free from its mooring or perhaps breaking down on the water. By pure chance it had landed on the only rock free piece of the shoreline for miles! Another shot below.

5-19-13, Surprisingly the damage appeared to be minimal. There were temporary mooring lines attached indicating an attempt to stabilise it, possibly  with a view to a refloating attempt.












2-11-14, Interesting prototype/test bed for a new wind powered ferry design being developed by Wind+Wing Technologies.

2-12-14, Recently arrived at Marina Bay is WANDA a beautiful 90 foot classic 1922 wooden motor yacht from the Gatsby Era. Extensively restored and up for sale at a cool $795K.

2-12-14, Another view of WANDA. To think, we moan about the time we spend on our teak finishing. Can only imagine what the cost of maintenance and general upkeep of this puppy must be!