Boat history

Nice to be able to find out a bit about our boat, speaking to Sheridans today and happened to ask him if he had any history on our boat Lynwood Lass , he passed me over to someone who had known one of the previous  owners , it was based in Windsor, , told me it had a lot of money spent on it , this particular owner used to get a company in to polish it until it looked like new at quite a considerable cost , still has kept it's good condition looks, until we bought nit that is! Anyway nice to find a bit of background

My boat is called Zeteo and is a mk2 22. I bought her two weeks ago. Was wondering if anyone on here had owned her before and moved on to a bigger Freeman. She's a beautiful little boat! I am keeping her on the Nene but I think she was kept somewhere else years ago.
Jo

My present Mk I is Shardeloe (because the first boat I ever owned 1979, Andrews Day launch, was called Shardeloe II - and now named Cristobel II) but was called 'Come on Kitty' moored in Henley by the previous owner who had bought something bigger. 
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My very first Freeman Mk I purchased from Val Wyatt's was then called Azzizi but became Shardeloe too, cheekily renamed Shardeloe III by the believed current owners up-river. And incidentally the only Freeman 22 I've ever seen with a pushpit rail. Any one else seen one? (See photos). Sorry if too greatly oversized ...




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No, not seen rail before on a 22. do you think it was a freeman made part or made specially? 
BTW that looks like Shiplake lock, just up from Val Wyatts.
Val Wyatt used to be a Freeman dealer. I remember going there with my dad to look at lots of shiny new Freeman 22s for sale!
Up until 1993 Val Wyatt had tons of Freeman bits out in the back shed and then they had a massive clear out and threw a lot out...

It is Shiplake lock indeed, approx. 1989 where the fine old Keeper had once shown me how to put a boat through single-handed that I employ to this day. The poor gentleman drowned in his own lock one night ...
I never realised Wyatt's had spares for Freemans. In those days they had a paint shop and the first thing I did with them was to have Shardeloe painted and re-chromed to be the finest on the River. After I sold her she languished unused for very many years, just to reserve the space, outside a riparian property and beneath a willow above Boulters lock and went completely downhill before being sold again. Criminal, I kept thinking each season.
That rail had every appearance of being original and perfectly matching the detail of the pulpit. Never occurred to me then that it wasn't. But I never thought to query it either, being new to the marque.

It could have been original. As Andrew S will tell you, Freeman's were up for doing "specials". After all, most of their customers were very wealthy. To quote him....the Freeman 22 was a premium product that was "half the cost of a London semi-detached house". For sure you could visit the factory and choose your upholstery so I don't see why you could not have asked for a specific addition.
Talking of specials...last year I saw a Mark 1 twin prop hull in Chertsey marine that needs saving from oblivion by someone with lots of skill, time and money. I don't think there are many twin engine Mark 1 22's around.

I’ve seen a few pushpit rails on MK I’s including some with a gap in the middle so you can get off when stern on mooring

Very observant of you!

Until a few years ago there was a Mk 1 twin moored on the Wraysbury side that had the amusing name of Boosy. Apparently twins had two different engines where the one turned 'tother way. Double the potential for favourite theories when something goes wrong! A boat for the competent ones amongst us - eh, Prof?

Attention to detail goes with the day job