Wooden Ships Comments on this Laurent Giles Vertue V40 The Vertue is one the most iconic British yacht designs of all time, examples of which have voyaged the world and proved themselves as incredible sea boats with capabilities far beyond their size. This particular boat, Laurent Giles Vertue V40, is a very nice example, that has benefited from a regime of continuous maintenance and light use. 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 owners with professional help where required. She has had only 4 fastidious owners since 1951 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. Annual refits have been carried out each year for the current owner by a professional shipwright keeping her in good overall order. (Schedule is available) 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 This is a very smart example of the Vertue in ready to go condition with a nice pedigree and history. November 2022 survey available. Length on Deck 25’3″ Length Overall 27′ Beam 7’2″ Draft 4’6″ Thames Tonnage 5TM Refit during 2025/6 under cover for 18months as follows: New Standing Rigging New Running Rigging New VHF Electrical wiring all checked with new deck connections and cable to mast head. All deck timber work taken back to bare wood with 9 coats of Varnish to finish including mast. Hull repainted Repairs to transom as required Engine winterised. Approximately £20,000 spent during this period Refit during September to November 2022 as follows: Unstep 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 refit back to bare wood with 9 coats of protection, re-painted steelwork as required. New 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 refurbished as required with small, localised repairs refit with graving pieces, plugs, red lead putty. Sacrificial timber keel forward of iron ballast keel re-bedded screwed and plugged. Repair to one area of underside of false keel using 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. Independent professional survey carried out 7th November 2022 – Available on request. Construction Planked in Honduras mahogany all copper rivet fastened to steam bent oak timbers. Hull splined from new as she was originally varnished. 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. 11 new keel bolts were drawn in November 2022, 3No bronze bolts to the false timber keel were in perfect condition and replaced with new bronze nuts. 8 No Ballast Keel Bolts have been professionally replaced with Galvanised EN8 (high tensile strength) steel. Sheathed T&G Red Cedar decks, finished in deck paint. Decks sheathed in original canvas, the canvas is in excellent condition and deck maintenance is a simple task of occasional deck repainting. Bulwark taken back to bare wood in 2025 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 2025. 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 2025, 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. Mast stripped to bare wood and re-varnished 2025. Varnished wooden slab reefing boom with refurbished small bumpkin carrying the standing backstay. Boom sits in a gallows across the aft of the cockpit with a double tailed mainsheet. All standing rigging professionally replaced in 2025 plus running rigging Stainless steel internal chain plates replaced new in 2013. Running backstays on galvanised levers with new wooden base pads. 2 Halyard and 2 cockpit winches. Full suite 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 New VHF in 2025 and cabling Garmin GPS 72 NASA clipper sounder, new 2021 Walker trailing log Raymarine ST2000 tiller pilot new 2020 plus remote controller 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 Cockpit summer canvas cover Forehatch cover 5 large fenders Selection of warps and lines Bunk and berth cushions Laurent Giles gimballed saloon table 2 cabin oil lamps Yanmar 1GM 10 diesel engine 2 x 12 volt batteries, new 2020