Naja 30 in for Disposal
Our latest yacht in to the boat scrapyard was a Naja 30 from Davis’s Boatyard near Poole. In her day the Naja 30 would have been a beautiful boat. Most wooden boats are but as you will be able to see from the pictures this one had a particularly stunning interior. Whilst researching the boat before scrapping we had found pictures of the boat from 10 years ago. The owner confirmed that the boat pictured on YachtsNet was in fact the boat we would be collecting. We have included some of these pictures in the article which are all credited to YachtsNet.
The team’s first thought was, could this be a potential Lonely Boat? A beautiful wooden boat that just needs a bit of love and care to get her back on the water. We had been told that the Naja 30 just needed a stanchion repairing on the deck and some TLC. We arranged to visit the boat so that we could measure up and take a look at the boat in person. If a boat is not too far away we will always look to see the boat in person.
When we arrived the boat didn’t seem too bad. We measured her length and height and took pictures so that we could work out how we could transport her. It was only when we got up onto the boat that the true condition of the boat was revealed. The broken stanchion had been caused by a waterlogged cover adding too much weight. But that turned out to be the least of the owner’s worries.
Worst Boat We’ve Ever Seen
Sadly the boat was one of the worst boats we’ve ever been inside. Everywhere we looked there was wet and rot. Usually when a boat has had water getting in it is worse in the bilges. But this boat was awful everywhere. As you can see from the pictures we’ve taken compared to the older pictures the Naja 30 was in a sorry state.
Amongst the rotten wood and waterlogged cushions there were some nice bits we managed to save. The Heater, some Harken Winches, the Genoa sail, the Tiller, and the anchor with plenty of chain.
We explained to the owner that it would cost him tens of thousands to get the boat back in working order. She would have needed a new engine, interior and deck at the very least. Plus the owner would have had the ongoing storage costs whilst any work took place. Realistically she would have needed to have been completely rebuilt.
Scrapping an Obvious Decision
Scrapping her became the obvious decision and we quickly got a plan together. The boat yard dropped the mast for us and added it to their scrap pile of metal. Then we removed the items that were worth saving and drilled plenty of drainage holes. We were amazed at how much water came out of the boat as we drilled the holes.
Our Hiab was sent down and plucked the boat out of the yard. Hopefully now the yard can use the space to house another boat owner for the winter and future boating seasons. The owner will no longer have the ongoing worry and costs for the boat which was never seeing the sea again. And finally our Boat Scrapyard members will have some bargain recycled bits to use on their boats.
