FIND ME A: CLASSIC CRUISER

£110,000 ● Quality heritage Classy styling Modern cruising ability

Four classic craft that you can still enjoy today without it costing an arm and a leg

Early in the 20th century, the Philip & Son boatyard on the River Dart turned out everything from Trinity House lightships to tugs and tankers. In the early ’60s, before Princess, Sunseeker and Fairline had even been thought of, this once-prolific yard turned its tools to luxury motor yachts. Going straight in at 50ft, the twin-diesel Philips 50 was constructed using laminated Iroko frames planked with teak below the waterline and mahogany above. The superstructure was varnished teak with a sheathed plywood coachroof deck and wheelhouse roof. Launched at £20K, six were built of which four remain – two of them on the Dart. This is one of them.

INTERIOR

An aft-cabin layout creates space for three separate sleeping cabins, the master cabin aft with twin bunks, one each side. A large and well-lit saloon sits forward of the wheelhouse with the galley on the lower level forward, but what’s impressive is the heads opposite, which features an actual (if half-sized) bath! Varnished teak gives the interior a warm period feel.

EXTERIOR

An L-shaped seating area dominates the aft deck, with plenty of room to walk around the outside of it. With its wide side decks, there’s room to walk round the outside of the whole boat.

PERFORMANCE

Twin Perkins 6.354 140hp shaftdrive diesel engines mean speeds are stately rather than speedy. MBY tested the very first Philips 50 to hit the water, recording an admirably precise 9.91 knots in pre-gps times. Eight knots is a comfy cruising speed.

SEAKEEPING

I experienced this boat’s sister ship out of Dartmouth, and it’s quite different compared to modern planing 50-footers. Very much a gentleman’s motor yacht, she’s slower, obviously, but rock steady. It’s boating for the pleasure of being at sea rather than racing to the next port in a ball of spray.