Australia builds Fairmile boats

I had no idea that these were built here

www.wrightsons.com.au/world-war-ii-the-fairmile-story/

I remember as a kid in Perth about 1956 going across to Rottnest on a Fairmile. I believe the company had a number over the years. As he says in his story they were rollers. Lots of people got sick.

Forever in my mind is going down to the little cafe and seeing 3 Greek Orthodox priests with beards and black robes lying on the table projectile vomiting. 70 years later I can not unsee that sight.

Norman .R.Wright is an iconic name among boat fans .........they built some of the best wood boats ever .....down at Wynnum marina is a Wright built 72ft Harbour Defence Launch from WW2 ,origunally with two 6L3 Gardners ,but now with much later Detroits ........These boats are much heavier built than a Fairmile ,and naturally a lot slower.

The most common Army boat of WW2 was the 40 foot Army Workboat. All the big names like Halvorson and Wright built them but General Motors were the biggest suppliers. There are still many of these Grey-Marine powered boat all over Australia and PNG - most converted to comfortable bay cruisers. Over 400 were built. The Navy still has 3 on Sydney harbour 80 years later!

www.boatregister.net/WW2_ArmyWorkBoats.html

 

 

 

I had forgotten this thread on the forum with lots of info.

  www.hcvc.com.au/forum/oldjunk/20102-aust...my-workboats?start=0

I remember years ago when I was looking for a wooden boat to restore/modify, most ex army and navy work boats were built using the double diagonal method.
These days with newer glues and technology there usually won't be any problems with the hull but all these boats from the 40 and 50s had canvas between the layers which would rot quite badly over time. It was almost impossible to replace without pulling the whole hull apart.

From looking over thousands of boat for sale, the best larger wooden boats are built using carvel construction. Steam bent timbers over ribs, stringers and caulked. 
Hartley boats NZ were big on plywood construction.

I guess that's what was so good about the old ex navy/army stuff they were really only built to last a certain time in service.

I think it depends on the medium used to seal the canvas between the diagonal layers. There are still many of those workboats in various reincarnations around - I would not be surprised if it was well over 100. I am pretty sure they used white lead as a seal and theoretically it should last forever. All the rigging and wires were often white lead coated with a canvas wrap say around turnbuckles etc . Not kosher today with all the environment stuff going on.

One of the great myths of supply in WW2 is that things were just made to last for a short time. Nothing could be further from the truth regarding vehicles, aircraft and ships and most other essential equipment. Front line stuff was the best and latest that money could buy. All major equipment had continuous modifications to keep it at its peak as faults became obvious in service. Complete new models of everything came out on what seemed a daily basis.

A really common comment is landing barges were made on the cheap to be driven ashore and left to rot. The Allies did over 40 amphibious landings in the Pacific using up to 300 barges each time. If they were not built to the highest standard for maximum longevity to be used over and over again it would have destroyed the American (and Australian) manufacturing industry trying to keep up. The same goes for Jeeps - if you look at them they are the most technically advanced, purpose focused, mass-production vehicle of the 40's with hundreds of regular mods and updates to keep them at the top of their game.

They may have had crap uniforms and poor standard of rations at times but their gear was the best the government (all governments) could produce with the resources, both financial and industrial capacity,  available.

The greatest engineering and scientific advances have come out of war going back to the Romans.

What a way to lose a war by giving troops paper plates while the opposition were dining on silver service. Cheap weapons jam, cheap vehicles break down, cheap vessels fail to perform = battlefield defeat.

In times of shortage say at the start of the war all sorts of vehicles and major equipment ware pressed into service but it was all gone replaced with modern gear as soon as possible or at worst relegated to low level support units far in the rear.

Rotted canvas was common in every one I looked at, it was especially common around the gunwales where the canvas was tucked in under the deck beams.Most were built with red lead contact with the inner sides of the diagonal planking.

The ones we looked at were really worked hard allowing the decks to break away from the hull sides. We later decided on an ex Huskinson trawler for the hull.

Love this plank on frame round bilge ex navy.

 

 

What a pretty little boat. I think the Poms may have called it an "Admiral's Barge". The RAN did or does have an Admiral's Barge quite similar in style to this boat.

 

A nicely modified one recently sold.


 
 

Got to be a bargain. Almost totally original, still floating. GM replaced by a running Ford Lehman with running spare.

If I lived in Sydney I might well own it!