This is a classic wooden motor yacht that was built in 1933 and is now being offered for free to a good home. This vessel was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939 during WWII, and it’s now on the National Historic Ships Register in the United Kingdom.
Originally named Jenny, this 40ft motor yacht was built in Helensburgh, Glasgow, the project was led by shipbuilder W.G. McBryde. It has a Bermudan rig, an inboard engine, two decks, and a hull made from wooden ribs and planks.
This is a classic wooden motor yacht that was built in 1933 and is now being offered for free to a good home. This vessel was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939 during WWII, and it’s now on the National Historic Ships Register in the United Kingdom.
Just six years after Jenny was built, she was formally requisitioned by the Royal Navy and refitted with a Perkins P6 diesel engine. What this vessel was used for during WWII is not listed on its page with the National Historic Ships Register, though motor yachts of this time saw extensive use during the war, particularly during the Dunkirk Evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo.
In 1959, long after the end of WWII, the Ministry of Defence fitted a new engine, and at some point her name was changed from Jenny to Monya. The Register also notes that this vessel was owned by Major R. Yeld who served in both World Wars, for which he received an MBE.
More recently quite a bit of restoration work has been undertaken on Monya, 40% of her planks have been replaced, 20% of her ribs were replaced, and in 2001 a new deck was fitted. When the restoration stalled, marine conservation charity Blue Seas Protection stepped in to rescue the boat in 2018, and she is now based in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, Wales.
At the time of writing, Monya is standing in a shipyard on five pairs of yacht legs, storage is paid up, and a crane would be available at the end of March to move her if required.
She’s listed for sale for £1.00, though the listing explains that she is actually free to a good home. £1.00 is likely the minimum amount that a vehicle can be listed for on eBay’s platform.
The restoration job that lies ahead is significant for whomever undertakes it, Monya will need a large covered space before any work can begin to protect the wood from rain and weather. It’ll need a full inspection from the inside out, and once that’s done a plan for the restoration can be laid out and work begun.
More recently quite a bit of restoration work has been undertaken on Monya, 40% of her planks have been replaced, 20% of her ribs were replaced, and in 2001 a new deck was fitted. When the restoration stalled, marine conservation charity Blue Seas Protection stepped in to rescue the boat in 2018, and she is now based in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, Wales.
It’s probably safe to assume that plenty of woodwork will be required, along with a new diesel or rebuilt diesel engine, but given the classic good looks of the boat and its fascinating history, it would be well worth the effort.
If you’d like to read more about Monya or enquire about taking ownership you can visit the eBay listing here. The vessel is currently in Porthmadog in the United Kingdom, as noted above, and there’s a phone number listed that can be called any day between 9am and 5pm local time.
Images courtesy of the eBay Seller
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
