1937 Classic 68' Silvers Twin Screw Motor Yacht

Wooden Ships Comments on this 68′ Silvers Twin Screw Motor Yacht

Built by James Silver & Co, Rosneath, Scotland in 1937 to a design by John Bain. Bain was the resident marine architect and subsequently became MD of the yard. He is well-known for his distinctive motor yacht designs which made the yard’s reputation.

This is one of 3 built to the same design and one of the largest vessels built in the yard.

She was an advanced design in her day with very modern lines and still has that enduring appeal of the period motor yacht.

The vessel has typical lines of her period with a long keel, raked stem and canoe stern.

Spacious aft deck with raised midships superstructure.

The vessel has been ashore in a dry dock for a number of years and has more recently been given an overhaul in present ownership, work which has now sadly come to a halt. Work has included refitting the deck and topsides with full detailed invoices available.

Her interior retains the same basic original layout as when she was launched and some mahogany joinery remains in the boat, however certain areas and cabins have been ripped out and altered. A new owner would take great pleasure in designing the interior to suit their own specific needs, retaining as much of the original as possible but creating a yacht fit for the modern world.

She has a pair of modern Perkins M135 diesels with very low hours.

This a superbly elegant yacht with a huge volume interior that could be refitted to an incredibly high standard and would look the part in any harbour around the world. A vast amount of time and money has gone into the boat in recent years, but a new custodian is now required to continue that effort and get her back to sea.

Described in the yachting press at the time of her launch as ‘one of the finest pleasure craft built on the Clyde’ she really is very special and has the potential to be a superb private yacht of the perfect size.

Length on deck: 68’

Length Waterline: 63’

Beam: 15’2”

Draft: 6’

Thames Tonnage: 60TM

Construction Hull

Planked in pitch pine, fastened with copper and bronze fastenings to sawn oak frames with 2 steamed intermediate timbers.

Mix of grown oak and ferrous strap floors across the centreline. All ferrous straps have been replaced.

Copper sheathed below the waterline.

External lead ballast keel with bronze bolts. Various bolts drawn and checked recently.

Topsides stripped to bare wood, repaired as necessary, re-caulked and painted.

New stem fitted above the waterline.

Decks

Swept teak decks, recently refurbished and in good condition.

Laid on oak deck beams.

A solid deck with no plywood sub deck, caulked and payed.

Decks have been completely recaulked with new paying and totally refastened with bronze screws.

Superstructure

Varnished teak raised topsides midships with teak wheelhouse.

Machinery Engines

2 x Perkins M135 6cyl naturally aspirated diesels.

Believed to have been installed in 2000, they made a passage from Gibraltar to Ireland and have done very little since, so the engine hours are very low.

Tanks

Steel fuel tanks under the lower saloon sole, capacity unknown.

Plastic water tanks each side in the engine room.

Accommodation Berths and Headroom

Headroom between 6’1” and 6’4” throughout the interior.

Owners accommodation aft has 49 cabins with berths in total.

Forepeak cabin with 2 berths.

General Description

The interior has not been worked on during the recent refit and will need a lot of consideration by the next owner.

There is some original mahogany joinery in the boat and her layout is that of the original design with owners cabins aft, large saloon and crew accommodation forward.

So as to facilitate the stripping of the underside of the deck and interior of the hull to waterline, parts of the interior have had to be removed particularly the aft accommodation. New cabin soles and supports have been fitted.

Galley

Galley layout looks to be original and is a good sized space that could be refitted to modern standards.

Heads

2 separate heads compartments with space for a 3rd back aft.