New lease of life
Mel Farley introduces the 16ft drinks bar that reefs in a blow!
Converting a cruiser into a bar!
The Hartley 16 is well known for transforming sailing culture in Australia and New Zealand by making the pastime accessible to everyday families. New Zealander Richard Hartley designed and built the first plywood multi-chine boat in 1959 along the lines of a small New Zealand mullet fishing boat. More than 6,000 plans were sold globally to amateur boatbuilders.
It’s a familiar sight on coastal and inland waterways around Australia. Far less so in the Queen Victoria Gardens at the centre of Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct, where sail number 699 temporarily took up residence as a mobile bar in an urban activation project known as either / oar.
But either / oar is more than just a bar. Once again, the humble Hartley 16 has become a vehicle for societal change, with this particular boat encouraging communities to gather in disused spaces, reclaiming industrial and urban sites. The idea came from urban planner, Bryn Davies, who first had the idea of a pop-up bar housed in a timber sailboat while living in Berlin. At the time he was working as a furniture maker using recycled wood.
“Berlin has many beautiful lakes within easy travelling distance of the city centre and the boats were cheap and plentiful,” Bryn explains. “Berlin was also awash with vacant spaces, many of which had a rich story to tell of the city’s colourful past.”
Bryn’s fascination with nautical memorabilia continued once he returned home to Melbourne. It was while buying a pair of wooden oars from a Gumtree seller that he was introduced to the Hartley 16 and realised it was the perfect boat for his passion project. Now he just had to find one.
Like many would-be buyers searching for that elusive first boat, Bryn found that over the next few months he was either beaten to the sale or boats were priced out of his reach. Recognising the popularity of the TS16 on Melbourne’s Port Philip Bay, he wrote to the commodore of every bayside yacht club, describing his vision and asking if they knew of a Hartley 16 for sale. Which is how he was eventually introduced to Hartley sailors, Charlie and Gillian Horvath.
Multiple generations of the Horvath family have sailed TS16s. The family cruised and raced together, accumulating boats as the years went by. Captivated by Bryn’s vision and enthusiasm, they were delighted for sail number 699 to be repurposed by
Bryn for new voyages of a very different kind.
Much of 699 remains unchanged, with one notable exception; the cockpit floor has been removed to accommodate the bartender behind the ‘bar’ (the port side cockpit seat, newly topped with a gleaming timber veneer that was the original sole). Bryn hopes to eventually install brass taps on the gunwales, with the lines leading back to kegs discreetly housed in the cabin.
But while her future journeys will be landbased, the boat’s rigging and sail plan remain key to her suitability for use in crowded urban areas. A risk management plan was required addressing her stability in the event of wind gusts: either / oar is now the only bar in Melbourne to rely on ‘reefing to reduce sail area’ to manage the impact of strong winds!
With sails hoisted and fairy lights entwined through her rigging, either / oar is a stunning sight against the city skyline. With COVID-19 restrictions easing, 699 and the urban activation project can set sail once more, and introduce a new generation of potential sailors to the beloved Hartley 16.
Have you converted a boat into something unusual? Let us know by emailing us at pbo@futurenet.com