Maid of Conway Project Completed & Testimonial

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This month saw the completion of the restoration of a 1960 Wooden Classic Twin Screw Crossfield Motor Cruiser (UK Flagged and on the National Historic Ships Register) for the Selwood family. The owner was kind enough to provide us with a write up of their experience of the project and at Gweek Classic Boatyard, which you can read here.

“Having bought the Maid of Conway on the 13th April 2021 we set out an ambitious plan to get her back into the water by the 14th June 2021. And with very long hours, help and advice of a lot of people that plan was achieved.

Previously The Maid of Conway had been laid up at Gweek for a very long time. So long that people had forgotten how long she had been there  for (So probably she had been out of the water between 7-10years).

The previous owners had completed the vast amount of the project but had finally run out of drive to finally complete her. So it was down to us to complete and bring her back to the high finish standard that she deserved.

With well over 900  man hours put into  the project in 2 months we would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to:

Gweek Classic Boatyard. A big thank you to All at Gweek for their support and guidance. 

In particular to Louise for her ability to find spare items when we had tried all avenues with out success (UK shortage of International Toplac paint) and to the Yard Crew for their lively banter and a very successful launch and recovery on the 14th June. A big Well-done.

Ian Gowland-Jones (Paint Contractor). Ian came to the Project about 4 weeks before launch. With his band of Merry helpers (Issac/Steve/Ian and more) he proved that he was more than just a paint contractor. With his eye for detail and his supervision/organisational skills of getting the right people onto the project at the right time, is a true credit to his start up company. We wish him all the success for the future.

Sol Stainer (Boat Surveyor) The value of getting a  professional boat surveyor onboard (which we should have done earlier on the project) was paramount. Sol provided us with a plan of A and B actions to be taken before the boat could be launched. (Major points being the Portside Garboard, Stbdside Rudder fairing plate/ 3 x redundant through holes). All points were completed with the help of Ian Gowland-Jones team.

A big thank you to Sol. 

Other Credits for their advice and service go to: 

Mr Cornish (Shipwright)

Mr A Cox (Marine Engineer)

Mr P Morgan (Previous Owner)

The Boatyard Cafe

RMS Boat Transport

Finally the ultimate credits go to my wonderful family, my wife Tracey and our sons Harvey and Oliver, for their dedication to the project and the hundreds of hours spent getting to the beautiful standard she is today. If anyone has any questions about the project please don’t hesitate to contact us.”

You can find out more about Maid of Conway and her adventures on Instagram and the National Historic Ships Register.