Classic wooden speedboat build , sink, search for, recovery and rebuild.

AndyBoBandy · 28-01-2023 8:18pm

Brilliant News. Absolutely Brilliant.

So she’s finally been found.

^~^~^~^~^~^ Chapter 4 ^~^~^~^~^~^

HazeDoll · 28-01-2023 8:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170607#Comment_120170607

Classic wooden speedboat build, sink, search, recovery and restoration.

luna11 · 28-01-2023 8:36pm

There was a good team from athlone sub aqua with a wealth of experience that made the wreck easier to find below the surface. Finding it is one thing on a side scan but using search methods taught make a huge difference to the success of finding things in Lough ree when you are dealing with very low visibility. It's even more difficult as you can't touch the bottom or it's a cloud of silt all around you similar to a pint of Guinness settling. So fair play to all the experienced lads that help increase the success rate.

fergal.b · 28-01-2023 9:05pm

Thanks for the video Luna11.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCI3TVkeL1A

dulpit · 28-01-2023 9:29pm

This is great news for a Saturday. Congrats/well done to all involved...

L1011 · 28-01-2023 9:39pm

Of all the long runner threads on the site, this is the one I most wanted to see a conclusion to, but also never thought we would.

My grandad had a commercial boatyard, much bigger vessels than this though (half decker trawlers), and I always want to try buy one back and try restore it, but I don't vaguely have the skills. So your works let me live vicariously to an extent

Packrat · 28-01-2023 9:49pm

Wow, just found the thread and read it all over the last couple of hours.

Congratulations on finding her!

Can't wait to see her out.

New Home · 28-01-2023 10:31pm

HURRAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!

Standard Toaster · 28-01-2023 10:56pm

Well, that's made my day! Absolutely brilliant, delighted for you Fergal.

Original post where she went down.

How will 7+years under water affect the boat?

Not knowing anything I'd imagine it'd be a write off.

Best of luck getting it to the surface, certainly will be following along.

😀

Just watched the video, by God it's pitch black down there. Fair play.

HeidiHeidi · 28-01-2023 11:01pm

Jeepers, I cannot believe it's been 7 years 😱

Doe Tiden · 28-01-2023 11:15pm

Delighted for you to have found it Fergal,

I have regularly checked this thread for updates only to have my hopes dashed when new posts turned out to be someone asking if the was any update!

Best of luck with getting it recovered

check_six · 28-01-2023 11:16pm

Amazing news! I knew your persistence would pay off in the end. There were so many false dawns finding all the other submerged vessels that looked so like yours. Terrific work from the subaqua lads too. They really are highly skilled. How many other wrecks did you find in total? And is there any chance that there could be a mysterious locked safe under your boat to keep the suspense going?

Thargor · 28-01-2023 11:21pm

That's incredible tbh, you'll be on tv for this when you get her home, I thought you hadn't a hope, congratulations.

New Home · 28-01-2023 11:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171334#Comment_120171334

I was just thinking, "How is it even possible that it's covered by so many shellfish after only a couple of years? The water must be very clean."... but 7 years?!? I'm gobsmacked.

Tow · 28-01-2023 11:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171444#Comment_120171444

Invasive species:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_mussel

embraer170 · 29-01-2023 12:45am

Great news. I'm thrilled. Great work by all involved. Can't wait to read about how this continues...

Hifive · 29-01-2023 1:13am

Fantastic news Feargal, thought I saw a smile on your face when you passed me in Lakeside a week ago😀 I think I still have some electrical gubbins from my spare 5.7 in the shed. Maybe only a harness and and possibly a CDI unit. I’ve since used the spare starter on my Searaay 190 and I gave away the alternator, I’ll have a look tomorrow.

fergal.b · 29-01-2023 1:20am

Was that your handy work with the power washer , might need you 😉 the mussels look so bad it will probably be a full rebuild so I shouldn't need anything just fix everything.

thereitisgone · 29-01-2023 9:34am

I am totally amazed and happy with this news, i have followed this story from the beginning of the build

So happy for you Fergal

Onto the next chapter

WildWater · 29-01-2023 6:23pm

Wow! Amazing stuff. Congratulations and well done to all involved. I can’t believe I’ve been following this saga for 7 years. Roll on the next chapter.

Lewis_Benson · 30-01-2023 10:32am

This is the greatest thread on boards, ever.

Purely on the news this weekend gone.

Delighted for you Fergal, looking forward to the lift, if its on a weekend I might spin up in my boat to watch the lift.

vincenzolorenzo · 30-01-2023 10:45am

This is just fantastic. So many times I'd see an update on boards but no progress. Logged in this morning and when I saw 48 new posts I started to get excited! Brilliant story, brilliant thread, really looking forward to following the recovery and restoration.

Well done Fergal, divers, and everyone involved!

biketard · 30-01-2023 11:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120176413#Comment_120176413

Same here! Saw the posts and thought "Could it be???". Really happy for you, Fergal! Congrats to everyone involved in the search!

Also can't believe how long it's been down there. If someone had asked me, I would've replied with, "Erm... somewhere around when lockdown started."

loyatemu · 30-01-2023 11:28am

brilliant news, really brightened my Monday morning to hear that she's been found after all this time!

fergal.b · 30-01-2023 4:57pm

The word is out, might also be on Shannon side later 😎

https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2023/01/29/missing-boat-located-in-30-foot-of-water/?fbclid=IwAR0JOYBz8qgpOihGT3crtOSIT7AR50eliAZ_bK7oyNUCaxxrYld9NOwoj0w#ldipxaec70ij1zbpra

fergal.b · 30-01-2023 7:14pm

He gave me a big head and a good plug for Boards 😁

https://www.shannonside.ie/podcasts/lets-talk/listen-missing-vessel-discovered-8-years-after-sinking-on-lough-ree-218230

HeidiHeidi · 30-01-2023 10:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120178840#Comment_120178840

Great interview. They didn't give you half enough praise!!

If yer man doubts your ability to get that boat up and running again, can I just refer him to the story of your cruiser! I will never forget you posting the first pic of that!!!

Packrat · 31-01-2023 10:26am

There are very very few things which give me lump in my throat - massive wrong or injustice to children or the weak, superhuman endeavour or persistence against all odds, that type of thing.

Congratulations you've brought a tear to this hardened old bxxtards eye.

Unknownability · 01-02-2023 11:08am

https://www.shannonside.ie/news/eight-year-search-ends-for-speed-boat-in-lough-ree-218236

Congratulations, I've been following this since the start.

42inchchest · 01-02-2023 2:06pm

My first time logging in years just to say congrats Fergal, this cheers me up no end. Always kept an eye on this thread.

SCOL · 02-02-2023 10:01am

When is the big lift expected ?

fergal.b · 02-02-2023 10:19am

That will be a top secret mission 😎 this news has gone crazy and spread like wild fire with interested parties all wanting to be there for the lift so for the safety of the divers I will not be announcing when it's going to happen , but as I had such a loyal group of followers over the past 8 years any news will be posted here first.

AndyBoBandy · 02-02-2023 11:38am

You're better off Fergal.

As much as it would be very exciting & interesting to see and be involved with, a salvage is still potentially a very dangerous operation for those involved, especially the diving team, and the only people that need to be there are the only people that should be there...

That last thing anyone wants or needs is a flotilla of spectator boats in the area only adding to the already high levels of pressure that no doubt everyone will be under.

Thargor · 02-02-2023 4:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190744#Comment_120190744

Will you try and have a dedicated camera operator there on the day for video?

fergal.b · 02-02-2023 4:41pm

I'm sure I can work out something to tickle your fancy 😉

AndyBoBandy · 02-02-2023 5:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120192667#Comment_120192667

Definitely have to strap a GoPro to Old's Cool before the lift starts....

fergal.b · 03-02-2023 12:19pm

My head wont fit in the boat soon😎

You can download it here for 2 euros if you want to read it. https://skerriesnews.ie/product/february3rd23/...

😎

New Home · 03-02-2023 1:18pm

All praise is well deserved, @fergal.b, no big head in sight. If you had an inflated ego you could use it to lift the boat, but you definitely don't, so you'll have to resort to the usual means.

Stheno · 04-02-2023 3:30pm

Absolutely delighted for you Fergal

Congratulations to all involved

Thud · 04-02-2023 5:37pm

Congrats Fergal, definitely work getting a few cameras involved, I'm sure there are some production crews that would be interested

Standard Toaster · 05-02-2023 12:05am

We need to update thread title 😁

fergal.b · 05-02-2023 12:09am

Could turn out to be the longest updated thread on boards 🤔

MrMusician18 · 05-02-2023 12:29am

How does one raise a boat with a lot of wooden components from a depth of 30ft and has been submerged for 8 years, without it breaking apart?

How is that approached?

funkey_monkey · 05-02-2023 12:50am

Can you design out the problem that caused it to sink?

Are you planning to rebuild it as it was before or do you intend to make any tweaks?

fergal.b · 05-02-2023 8:35am

First question, she is coated in epoxy resin inside and out so hopefully the wood is not saturated and still has some strength , the fact that she is upside down is a good thing as she won't be full of silt and hopefully the oil will be sitting in the top of the engine instead of the sump. She is in a very wide part of the lake so very little movement under the water just a gentle flow down stream, if she does fall apart as long as I can get the hardware back I can rebuild the rest.

I will have to wait and see the hole to know if it was pushed in by hitting a log or something or pushed out by something in the boat like the motor stringer. Don't think I would change the design she is a racing boat so I will just put it down to a racing accident 😀 I will probably change me and have my phone in a zip lock bag but then again when I put the coordinates of where she sank 53.30 into Google it comes up nowhere near her more like 50.50 so I don't think Google history would have helped. Maybe make sure my backup boat has a GPS.