Bowling and Clyde boats

I cannot qualify the MTB yard under the football fields on the west side of Woodyard Road on the west side of the Leven, But in about 1962 my dad bought an ex-RAF hull from the maintenance yard between Woodyard Road and the Leven. I believe that this must have been part of MU 213, which according to a Web entry: -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Maintenance_units#No._201_Maintenance_Unit_%E2%80%93_No._300_Maintenance_Unit

incorporated both RAF Dumbarton (marine craft) and RAF Greenock (Flying Boats)

At the time I would be 10 or 11 and was tasked as dogs body to help get the hull seaworthy, and spent some time playing in the yard, which even by then had become overgrown with trees, bushes and brambles. However, there were still numerous complete boats, hulls, and wrecks in the the yard which still had 4 of the 72 ft class boats moored against pilings in the Leven, I believe that one sported torpeedo tubes! Ashore there were numerous 72 and 42 ft hulls and boats a number of which 'vanished' between weekend visits to the yard.

The site was about 150 yards long and 50 yards wide at its widest, bounded on its 3 landward sides by high brick walls. There was a building roughly in the centre of the site near Woodyard Road, with an entry gate to the south of the building, I think that this building can still be seen in the satelite maps of the area, and appeaars to still exist as a private house, though the site has now been leveled and is a park.

There was a slipway into the Leven just to the North of the building, and I can remember trout fry sheltering in the slack water inside the slipway before being swept into the Clyde and then sea by the fast flowing Leven.

I can remember that the upper floor of the house had Link Trainers installed and there were piles of scrapped electronics chassis - including Link Trainer parts - piled round the house.

My memories of what was at the bottom of the site, between the south of the building and the brick wall that divided the site from Denny's Boat and Ship Yard are rather vague, since I was seldom allowed to venture that far down the site. I believe that there was a second large gate into the site at this wall, but I could be confusing the one beside the Building.

The Hull my father bought was a roughly 40ft class boat - but not an ST1500 one - variously described as a Target Towing hull, but it had no superstructure, engine, wiring or stern gear when purchased. The hull was also very narrow being of less than 10ft beam. From memory the hull appeared to be unpainted, and was a dark greyed weathered mahogony colour. It took several attempts at stoppering oiling and red leading to get the hull roughly watertight. There were the remains of both a fore deck and side decks, and two bunks behind the stem bulkhead below which was some sort of rigid dark reddy brown rigid foam, which, since I was still reasonably small, it was my job to strip out. The area was a 'black hole', so must have been completely covered by the fore deck. There was also more of this material further back in the hull.

Internet searches indicate that the site was finally emptied and returned (to the Council?) in 1963. I believe that the hull was finally launched into the Leven in early 1963, and moored in the river below the supermarken carpark.

I have photos of the hull there. it having a number of distinctive features - firstly a straight stem unlike the scymitar profyle of the ST1500 hulls, the deck line was not straight (as with the ST1500s), but had a significant down curve to the deck starting from about 12 ft aft of the stem, which ment that the stem must have 4 or more inches below the position if the deck line had been stright. Finally and interestingly, the boat had a peculial stern, although flat, the lower profile was concave, with with the outer corners of the chines at the stern being noticeably lower than the keel. This again must have been a few inches, and begs the question if the hul was one which had been extended from a shorter design when being built. The hull was of the usual Double Diagonal bottom, with single diagonal side over oak frme construction, typical of all of the inshore launces.

Over the next 2 or 3 years the hull was converted into a 6 berth cabin cruiser with P6 engines and Torqueflyte gearboxes. The stern gear came from the Balloch Sea Scouts written off ST1500 class boat, which had been damaged when the crane lifting it on shore had overballanced falling across the boat, breaking the hulls back. Yes, it was the 'dogs body's job' to burn all of the chopped up parts of the hull and riddle the ashes to recover the copper rivets and bronze screws. I always went home rater grubbier than I arrived!

Now back to Bowling, the Hull became 'Gilhickie' and overwintered at Bowing Basins on three or four occasions, whilst being converted, and for re-painting. In fact the engines and sterngear were fitted at Bowing basin with the boat lifted out of the water just to the Clyde side of the railway bridge, with the boat being moored over the winter in the canal at that position whilst the Engine installations were finished and commissioned. The boat had a white hull, light green decks and a mahogony wheel house in the middle.

The boat was sold in the early 70s and last seen in a poor condition (I believe with a damaged bow) in Bowling Basin in the mid to late 70s.

Any information anyone has of the boat would be appreciated.