Wooden Vertues seldom come on to the market. When they do expect to pay between £12-25,000, depending on condition. At the time of writing there were, unusually, two on the market, Vega of Bosham and Tom Thumb, built in teak, originally to Lloyds A 1, by Kimbers. Hong Kong-built, teak, Cheoy Lee Vertues are highly sought after. Scantlings in all cases are massive, by today's standards; the Vertue is probably the heaviest cruising boat for its size ever built.
Pre war examples, despite being over 60 years old, have fared well, as the timber chosen -mostly impossible-to-obtain longleaf pitch pine was premium grade and the craftsmanship superb. Immediately after the war, timber shortages and high wages conspired to reduce quality overall, but there are exceptions. When good wood reappeared, quality returned, and the 'never had it so good' 1960s saw a final flourishing of traditional boat building, before the slide into glassfibre. Pitch pine on oak is a classic combination that, with bronze floors, keelbolts and lead keel, will endure virtually for ever, if maintained. Teak examples are equally durable, but heavier. A good combination is teak above and pitch pine below the waterline. Mahogany is much more common. A few have been built in steel and a handful in epoxy/strip planking.
Surveyor Eric Adams remarked some years ago of the class: '. ..they are extremely well designed structurally, using the best boatbuilding practices at the time of build. Naturally, older boats will have suffered some deterioration of perishable items such as he canvas-covered decks and coach roof tops.' He suggested checking hood end and garboard fastenings for signs of dezincification and drawing a keelbolt or two, along with a chainplate fastening. 'The construction,' he concluded 'was very sound with all scantlings and fittings of adequate size to pass the test of time. You do not often find fractured timbers or signs of planking working on a Vertue.' |