A rare chance to own a real piece of working maritime history. Built in 1972 by John Tyrrell and Sons of Arklow, St Nessan was the pilot boat for Cork Harbour from 1973 to 1996. She was the back-up boat and lightly used. After being sold out of service, her first owner extended the wheelhouse and made changes to suit her new life, but she remains solidly built with iroko planking, stem and keel on oak frames. The plywood deck is covered with epoxied fibreglass matting.

The current owner bought her in 2017 and has used her for day trips and long weekends around the Firth of Clyde, through the Crinan Canal and round the Mull of Kintyre. She has proved reliable and seaworthy.

The Gardner 6LX was overhauled by Seaward Engineering in 2018, oil and filters have been changed regularly, and the reverse gear hydraulics were refurbished by Tangent Engineering in 2022. New deep cycle leisure batteries were fitted in 2023. Powerful engine-driven bilge pumps are fitted.

The wheelhouse has been re-fabricated in stages, with the port side and an extra door in 2023 and the starboard side in 2024. The forward part of the roof is still to do. The wheelhouse, topsides and rubbing strake were repainted in July–August 2026, when she was also antifouled, a new anode fitted and various small repairs made before refloating.

Down below there is a solid fuel (wood or coal) stove for cold nights. The engine's heat exchanger provides hot water, and there is an immersion heater on shore power. The shower drains to a tray emptied by an electric pump (the pump is currently not working but the owner will diagnose and fix this issue), and the Lavac Marine toilet has recently serviced sea cocks, seals and pump diaphragm.

As with any wooden boat, maintenance is ongoing. The deck still needs repainting, the inside wheelhouse panels need refitting, the wheelhouse peak needs repair, and the radio and GPS could be upgraded (the owner uses an iPad with Navionics). The fridge and gas cooker both work but should be replaced. Her fastenings are galvanised, so rust streaks will reappear on the hull, which is a continuous job for any owner.

She is a fundamentally sound and seaworthy vessel with plenty of potential. Her use is adaptable: continued leisure, work boat or live-aboard.

She is currently afloat at Rothesay Dock, Clydebank. The owner may later move her to his swinging mooring at the head of the Holy Loch, Dunoon, Argyll, which could be available by separate negotiation.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJsCkmYYwtg