Yacht and Boatbuilders © The Elephant Boatyard Ltd

<body> <h1>Yacht and Boatbuilders © The Elephant Boatyard Ltd</h1> <P align=justify>The ELEPHANT BOATYARD, named after Nelson's Flagship H.M.S. Elephant, was founded in 1952 by Michael Richardson on the site of one of the old ship building yards at Bursledon. Since its conception the ELEPHANT BOATYARD has operated as a traditional family business with the aim of meeting the needs of local and visiting yachtsman alike. To this end the yard has, with a skilled team of craftsman, built up a reputation in wood and G.R.P., fitting out and other essential services required for the efficient running of racing and cruising yachts.</P> <P align=justify><A id=image href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/showpicture.php?image=thumb_DSCF1571.JPG"><IMG style="BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #000000; BORDER-BOTTOM-COLOR: #000000; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #000000; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #000000" height=90 alt="Click for larger image" hspace=10 src="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/images/thumbs/thumb_DSCF1571.JPG" width=120 align=left border=1></A>It is fitting that Bursledon with its long history of ship and boatbuilding should have a modern day counterpart. The ELEPHANT BOATYARD, in addition to its service facilities, has built and been involved in the construction of some forty yachts, both sail and power, many of which have been built in wood, utilizing the latest techniques for bonding and finishing. These yachts range in size from 24ft. to 55ft. constructed to their owners chosen specifications, to the highest standard of workmanship.</P> <P align=justify>The success of racing yachts built by the yard include the Doug Peterson designed 1/2 Tonner GREEN DRAGON, yacht of the year in 1979 and the Ed Dubois 1 Tonner DRAGON, one of the few yachts to represent Great Britain in the Admirals Cup twice, firstly in 1981 as a member of the winning team. More recently, HURRYCANE, also a 1 Tonner, designed by Peter Norlin for her swedish owner won the coveted Brittania Cup in 1984 and NAUSICAA, the Dubois 3/4 Tonner with her varnished mahogany topsides, brought home many prizes in the 1985 season. All of these yachts have one thing in common, they were all built in Western Red Cedar on Spruce laminated frames using modern glues and epoxy resins.</P> <P align=justify>The yard has also built a number of cruising yachts including the 52ft. fast cruiser HORUS;  a 55ft. power boat NAZCA, designed by Sony Levy and capable of speeds in excess of 35Knts; NTOMBIFUTI,  a yacht specifically designed for a short handed racing completed by the ELEPHANT BOATYARD from an alloy hull, was second in her class in the 1986 Two Handed Transatlantic Race</P> <P align=justify>Other interesting projects carried out by the ELEPHANT include the building of two 30ft. steam launches both fired by coal, one of traditional design, the other a modern fast launch incorporating a flashsteam boiler and an extremely compact power plant, developed by Dr. A. Moulton, of bicycle and Mini suspension frame.</P> <P align=justify>Masts and spars have recently been constructed at the yard for the brigantine featured in the epic film The Pirates.</P> <P align=justify>As a diversification the ELEPHANT BOATYARD has carried out the "tooling" for many now well-known production yachts on the market today. These include the SIGMA 33, 36, 38 and 42, the HUNTER 31, the PRINCESS 45 and the BARRACUDA 45.</P> <P align=justify>1986 saw the launch of the 45ft. BARRACUDA of TARRANT, the prototype of Sadler Yachts Barracuda designed by Tom Castro. Built in Cedar, she was the star of the BBC production HOWARDS' WAY.  The ELEPHANT BOATYARD was featured as the central location in the series.</P> <P align=justify>Also in 1986 the yard launched a new 6 metre class racing yacht designed by Ian Howlett. "St. Kitts", as she was called, embodied all the latest thinking that had been developed in metre boat racing, including the  now almost compulsory "winged keel". She was built using epoxy and unidirectional glass with a cedar core which results in an extremely strong and fair hull requiring little maintenance. "St. Kitts" took part in the 6 metre World Championships in America in September 1987.</P> <P align=justify>The ELEPHANT BOATYARD holds dear her historic past and the traditions that have been handed down over the centuries, but it is tempered with the ideas of today and the demands of tomorrow in the exciting and ever-changing sailing world.</P> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php" target="_top"></a><br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=1" target="_top" title="CONTACT US">CONTACT US</a>CONTACT US<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=2" target="_top" title="LINKS">LINKS</a>LINKS<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=3" target="_top" title="THANKYOU">THANKYOU</a>THANKYOU<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=11" target="_top" title="HISTORY">HISTORY</a>HISTORY<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=12" target="_top" title="PEANUT DINGHY">PEANUT DINGHY</a>PEANUT DINGHY<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=13" target="_top" title="FIND US">FIND US</a>FIND US<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=14" target="_top" title="MOORINGS">MOORINGS</a>MOORINGS<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=15" target="_top" title="BROKERAGE">BROKERAGE</a>BROKERAGE<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=16" target="_top" title="BOAT BITS FOR SALE">BOAT BITS FOR SALE</a>BOAT BITS FOR SALE<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=17" target="_top" title="KARI">KARI</a>KARI<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=18" target="_top" title="MOONSHADOW">MOONSHADOW</a>MOONSHADOW<br><br> <a href="http://www.elephantboatyard.co.uk/index.php?pages=19" target="_top" title="OHLSON 35">OHLSON 35</a>OHLSON 35<br><br> <center><small><a href="http://www.ittsl.com" target=_new>Website and Content Management By In Touch Technical Services - ittsl.com</a></small></center> </body>