Muldonich 

An Invited Friend of the Harrison Butler Association 
Design by Albert Strange & GL Watson 

  
 

Muldonich, c2001

1930 Classic on the Verge of Restoration 
Jamie Clay, is the custodian of Firefly, an Albert Strange design modified by Harrison Butler. He recently wrote the following about Muldonich, one of his other boats.
   “Muldonich, to remind people, is the boat which a former owner of Venture, Dr DK Chalmers, commissioned G L Watson & Co to design for him in 1929. He asked them to obtain the plans of Venture in order to make what appears to be a very close development of Venture. My speculation is that he loved Venture but wanted to have auxiliary power, which, with the large and heavy motors available at that time, would have spoiled her. Muldonich seems a little fuller in the quarters and with a little more beam (but still notably slim). A copy of Venture's lines does indeed reside with those of Muldonich in the G L Watson archive. To my astonishment, she appeared from nowhere on the river Blackwater just when we were doing the sea-trials on Venture after her restoration by us in 2003. To cut a long story short, a few years later, following a chance phone call, I ended up removing her from the marina where she was going to be burned. Fortunately I was able to store her at the farm of a sympathetic friend, and some years rolled by during which I came to realize I was not going to tackle another major restoration. I contacted a boatbuilder friend, Joe Irving of Draughtsman Yachts at Barton upon Humber, whose work I admire, and who I thought might also be able to help us with Tally Ho. After a fascinating visit on the way home from the ASA weekend in Scarborough in March 2017, he not only offered us free storage for Tally Ho if we could get her there, but also thought he might have a customer for Muldonich. This turned out to be the case, and Muldonich thus found new hope of a new life - all being well, work will start in about 18 months”.

Classic Boat, 2013
Muldonich gets a mention in Classic Boat, January 2013

Muldonich Statistics
Built : 1930 by J MacDonald, Oban, Scotland
LOA : 30' 0"
LWL : 22' 0"
Beam : 6' 7"
Draught : 4' 6"
Displacement : 4 tons TM
Lloyd's Register : N° 161928
Signal Letters : MPWQ

Muldonich, 2013
Muldonich on the road to Barton upon Humber, April 2017
Photograph by Jamie Clay

Muldonich Custodians & Home Ports 
Jamie Clay (c2006-c2016) Barton-on-Humber, England
Alexander C Smith (1979-1985-?) Glasgow, Scotland
Robert McLennan (1962-1978) Glasgow, Scotland
William Rankin (1961) Gare Loch, Scotland
Ian W Forsyth (1958-1960) Glasgow, Scotland
Dr Lowell Lamont (?-1954-1957) Glasgow, Scotland
J Sellers (1952-?) Glasgow, Scotland
WEG & Mrs EM Muir (1949-1951) Glasgow, Scotland
Hugo J Patten (?-1947-1948) Glasgow, Scotland
JR Gifford & Hugo J Patten (1934-1939-?) Glasgow, Scotland
JR Gifford & HM Jamieson (1933) Glasgow, Scotland
WK Chalmers MB ChB (?-1931-1932) Glasgow, Scotland

Muldonich, old
Archive photograph of Muldonich
Courtesy of GL Watson & Co

Muldonich Links
Muldonich For Sale in 2001 by Eastern Yachts
• Yachting Monthly, August 1931
• Gaffers Log Jan 1982, March 1984

Page last updated : June 2017

 
  

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