Name St George

ST GEORGE, built in 1935 by Bolsons of Poole, originally as GONDOLIER PRINCESS. The vessel was a Poole Harbour trip boat from 1935 to 1939. Taken over by the Admiralty 1939-45. 

After the war, she was re-named ST GEORGE and moved to the Thames, where she ran river trips from Tower Bridge until the late 1960s. Subsequently, she took the public for fishing trips in the lower Thames Estuary until she was bought by the current owner in 1977 and converted to a pleasure boat.

One highlight of her long life was being one of the 670 vessels that took part in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012.

LOA 45ft, MB 12ft, DR 3ft 6in, 17 tons deadweight. Hull is carvel built with oak frames at 6in spacing, and 1.25 inch pine planking which was ferro sheathed in 1982. Hull is fastened with copper nails and roves. Has pointed bow, plumb straight stem and cruise stern. Has two timber masts ketch rigged with gaff sails. Currrent engine is a Ford 4ooD, 4cy, 62bhp made in 1969. 

Due to illness, ST GEORGE has suffered from neglect in recent years, and is now in a poor state of repair. In 2024 she took on water through the stern gland, which required all the carpets and soft furnishings being removed. Then in November 2025 she took on more water, and she was down by about 18inches until early January 2026, when she was refloated by a team from River Canal Rescue. That team could not find any obvious water ingress and thought it likely that rainwater had got between the ferro cement hull and the original wooden hull. Since than she has been covered by tarpaulins and has remained dry inside. 

Update: April 2026: Vessel for sale, for free, as a project.