Clacton fishermen rescued from £9 homemade boat

Blackleaf

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Two fishermen who went to sea in a homemade boat they built for £9 had to be rescued when their oars broke.

The pair, in their 20s, became stranded in the 8ft vessel about 650ft off the Essex coast at 14:30 BST on Monday.

Clacton RNLI said the boat, made from insulation boards, had been "held together with coat-hangers" and glue.

One of the men said it had been "a successful fishing trip" before they had run into trouble.

Clacton fishermen rescued from £9 homemade boat


7 April 2015
BBC News

Two fishermen who went to sea in a homemade boat they built for £9 had to be rescued when their oars broke.

The pair, in their 20s, became stranded in the 8ft vessel about 650ft off the Essex coast at 14:30 BST on Monday.

Clacton RNLI said the boat, made from insulation boards, had been "held together with coat-hangers" and glue.

One of the men said it had been "a successful fishing trip" before they had run into trouble.

The 27-year-old, a self-employed builder from Jaywick, said the pair had caught two or three cod and some crabs before they were rescued.

"The boat didn't leak," he said. "I'd do it again."


One of the men, who only wanted to give his first name, Jamie, said cod had been caught



The boat, which cost £9 to build, was later destroyed

The men, who were unhurt, were given safety advice and the boat was destroyed.

Volunteer Joff Strutt said the pair had been fishing in the boat all weekend but had run into trouble near Jaywick when the weather turned.

It was "a bit of a project that went a little pear-shaped", Mr Strutt said.

The vessel, built in two days from eight sheets of board, was "not something we've ever seen before", he added.

"[They] are very lucky they were spotted or things could have been a lot worse."

Mr Strutt said it was vital that people only sailed using the correct equipment.

"Neither of the men had lifejackets and one of them couldn't swim," he said.


More on this story from BBC Radio 4's Six O'Clock News.



Clacton fishermen rescued from £9 homemade boat - BBC News
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Two fishermen who went to sea in a homemade boat they built for £9 had to be rescued when their oars broke.

The pair, in their 20s, became stranded in the 8ft vessel about 650ft off the Essex coast at 14:30 BST on Monday.

Clacton RNLI said the boat, made from insulation boards, had been "held together with coat-hangers" and glue.

One of the men said it had been "a successful fishing trip" before they had run into trouble.



Good. Now they'll go on to breed another generation of mental defectives, a.k.a. Brits.

Sorry, Darwin.
 

Curious Cdn

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You should look after your ships more. Don't blame anyone else for your national naval incompetency.


She's 46 years old! Now THAT'S taking good care of your ship by doubling it's lifespan. WE do that with all of our ships. The RCN are experts at keeping really old gear functioning without support from the people of Canada.
 

Curious Cdn

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It is called a sidewinder. Used for booming logs. There is no rudder, the downdrive has continuous rotation. Done right it can make bronc riding look pretty tame. Comes with seatbelt.
They're almost like a carnival ride ... or like one of those toy blow-up clowns with the weights at the bottom. You can't flip them over.