25′ Laurent Giles Vertue designed by Laurent Giles and built by Stebbings of Burnham on Crouch in 1951. She was built for the Festival of Britain exhibition in 1951 as an example of top class British boat building and craftsmanship, there are black and white photos of her being exhibited with her original varnished hull. She was named ‘Festival Vertue’ when launched.
After this she remained in the same family for over 50 years, based in Essex, where she was very well maintained and had a major professional refit in 2005. She then moved to Devon where she is now based and has been kept up to a very good standard by her diligent owner with professional help where required. She benefits from a very smart recently made winter cover that fits around the mast and protects the whole boat.
This is the short doghouse model giving a slightly larger cockpit and a bridge deck, ideal for weekend and day sailing. The interior offers 2 comfortable berths and 6′ headroom plus a heads and galley, everything you need for local cruising and long weekends aboard.
This is a very smart example of the Vertue in really ready to go condition with a nice pedigree and history.
Benefitting from a Nov 2022 Survey, the Surveyor concluded “Virtue Fidelis was generally found to be in very good order, particularly in view of the fact that the vessel is more than 70 years old.” and valued her at the price of £22,000
May 2024 hull gloss painted, primed and antifouled with Sea Jet 33, all preseason minor repairs carried out, deck painted, 4 coats of G4 and 4 coats of International Schooner varnish applied ready for a new owner in 2024.
Refit History in Current Ownership
2018
- Refurbish saloon table legs, new Blakes engine sea cock, New Steaming light housing, Bulwark repairs – £1326
- Rebuild external mahogany coach roof and dog house coamings/joints plus all mahogany beads – £2613
- Rig Check – all ok – £215.00 ( 1 new back stay fitted) – £161
2019
- Rebuild, make good and finish , cabin sides, fore hatch, rebuilt inner frame to forehatch, new dorade box built, strengthen transom quarters with stainless steel, rebed samson post trims – £3102
2020
- Strip, refurbish and paint baby blakes heads – £230
- Supply and fit Raymarine ST2000 pilot plus wireless remote, fit 2 new batteries – £1514
- Purpose designed high quality supplied and fitted overall winter maintenance cover with windows, zip doors and vents in heavy duty “Topgun” material – To be sold by separate negotiation, cost new £3000
2021
- Sails and covers clean and add 3rd reef to main sail + add V40 insignia – £302.00
- Fit new transducer and NASA reader casing, service sea cocks, make new storage box in cockpit, refiited new lever deck pads.
Remove grab rails burn off and revarnish. Remove sliding hatch, burn off and revarnish – £1236
- Supply and fit new Nassa Clipper depth Sounder – £254
- Refit of whole Bulwark outboard and inboard and refurbish deck finish. (9 coats, 3 primer, 3 pre-kote, 3 topcoats) all repairs as required.
- Below water line small areas of repair 4 no graving pieces fastened.
Refit new king plank, remove bit post and refit, remove and make good all deck fittings and pads – Total £3886.00
- Rebuild and repair shaft log around stern tube (see photo) 44 hours work. Remove and rebuild starboard side transom and new oak frame. – £2648
2022 – September 16th to Relaunch 11th November
- Un-step mast and all rigging and standing rigging.
- Refit anti chafe covers to spreaders
- Rig Report carried out by Lee Rogers Rigging – See separate Report
- Complete mast refurb back to bare wood with 9 coats of protection, re-painted steelwork as required.
- New mast wiring and fixings for mast head light and VHF ariel fitted.
- Bumpkin rigging shackles upgraded to load tested SS Shackles.
- A total of 11No Keel Bolts drawn and inspected.
- 3 No small Bronze false keel bolts checked in perfect condition – refitted in false keel.
- 8 No new EN8 (High Tensile strength Medium Carbon) Steel Spun Galvanised Ballast keel bolts machined and re-refitted with Linseed Oil/Red Led powder mix with Caulking and Sika at top and bottom of each keel
- Hull planking refurbished as required with small, localised repairs refit with graving pieces, plugs, red lead putty. Sacrificial timber keel timber of iron ballast keel rebedded screwed and plugged.
- Make repair to one area of underside of false keel area as required elm pieces.
- Hull – 2 coats of Sea Jet Primer No 15 and 2 coats of Sea Jet Anitfoul No 33 Applied
- Sea Cocks all checked and working.
- Mast base timber plate refurbished, primed and painted.
- Bumkin timber refurbished 6 coats of Epifanes
- New anode fitted plus new aft inboard anode support pad replaced.
- Deck repainted with Hempel Grip deck paint.
- Bulwark and covering Boards repainted with 2 coats Hempel white satin topcoat.
- Coach Roof, Coamings, Hatches, Handrails and Bulwark capping all varnished.
- Interior – Underside of T&G decking repainted with 2 coats of Zinsser sealing/priming paint and 2 coats of Antimould Paint topcoat.
- Insurance Survey Carried out 7th November 2022
Construction
Planked in Honduras mahogany all copper rivet fastened to steam bent oak timbers.
Mainly grown oak floors across the centreline with a few galvanised straps in the ends of the hull.
External iron ballast keel of just over 2 tons. Galvanised steel keel bolts last drawn in 2010 when a few were replaced as necessary.
Sheathed T&G Red Cedar decks, finished in deck paint. Decks sheathed in original canvas, recently re-painted. Bulwark taken back to bare wood in 2021 repainted with 9 coats of primer, pre-kote and top coat.
King Plank, Sampson Post and Bow Stem fitting removed new king plank fitted, finished with 2 Coats Bonda Seal, prime, undercoat, top coat of Hempel
Stainless steel pulpit and stanchions with the usual Vertue bulwark all round, this was removed and refitted in 2021. All deck pads, cleats and grab rails removed taken back to bare wood and revarnished in 2021.
Very smart cockpit with varnished mahogany slatted thwarts and scrubbed teak sole boards.
Varnished mahogany coamings with bronze framed windows. Coamings and doghouse overhauled in 2018 and 2019, stripped to bare wood, new beading fitted and re-varnished.
Transom hung rudder with varnished tiller.
Rig
Bermudan slutter rig on a deck stepped solid varnished wooden mast mounted in a galvanised shoe on the coachroof deck.
Varnished wooden slab reefing boom and varnished spinnaker pole. Small bumpkin carrying the standing backstay. Boom sits in a gallows across the aft of the cockpit with a double tailed mainsheet.
Stainless steel standing rigging new in 2011, to stainless rigging screws. Rig professionally checked in 2018, new backstay fitted.
Stainless steel internal chain plates replaced new in 2013.
Running backstays on galvanised levers with new wooden base pads.
2 mast and 2 cockpit winches.
Full suit of sails including a cruising chute new in 2001. All sails and covers valeted in 2021 with a 3rd reef added to the mainsail. Her original sails are still with the boat
Machinery
Yanmar 1GM10 single cylinder 10hp diesel installed new approximately 1997. Regularly serviced and well maintained.
New Stainless Exhaust Elbow fitted 2020
Vetus Water Strainer added 2020. New Water Pump 2021.
Vetus water exhaust lock checked and serviced 2021
Single lever controls with a centreline fixed 3 blade bronze propeller.
Shaft log and stern tube rebuilt in 2021. New Blakes engine sea cock fitted 2018, all other Sea Cocks serviced 2021.
5 gallon stainless fuel tank under the aft deck
5 gallon plastic water tank.
2 x 12 volt batteries charged from the engine alternator. Batteries new in 2020.
Accommodation
Simple layout below decks with 2 berths, heads and galley.
Steps down from the entrance hatch with galley to port and chart desk to starboard.
Galley has an Origo spirit stove, storage cupboards and a single stainless sink with manually pumped fresh water.
Typical Vertue half height curved bulkheads separating off the main saloon.
Settee berth either side with lee cloths and trotter boxes at the forward end.
Centreline door into the forepeak with an aft facing Baby Blake sea toilet which was stripped and refurbished in 2020. Space for stowage of sails, fenders etc.
Equipment
Plastimo steering compass
Hand bearing compass
Husun VHF
Garmin GPS 72
NASA clipper sounder, new 2021
Walker trailing log
Raymarine ST2000 tiller pilot new 2020
Clock and barometer
Engine space fire extinguisher
Plastimo safety ladder
Kim MOB sling
Horse shoe life buoy with light
Electric bilge pump
Manual bilge pump
Radar reflector
20lbs CQR anchor
45m 5/16″ galvanised chain
10lbs CQR with 90′ of chain and warp
Gowan mainsail
Gowan Yankee
Gowan No.1 staysail
Cruising chute
Large genoa
1972 Mainsail
1972 No.2 staysail
Original sails from 1952, storm jib and No.2 staysail in Egyptian cotton.
Mainsail cover + spare
Full winter cover in Topgun material, new 2020
Cockpit summer cover
Forehatch cover
5 large fenders
Selection of warps and lines
Bunk and berth cushions
Laurent Giles saloon table
2 cabin oil lamps
Yanmar 1GM 10 diesel engine
2 x 12 volt batteries, new 2020
