THE EARLY YEARS
In the early 1930s, following up on his son’s huge enthusiasm for boats and passion for the sea, Commander Rex Richardson sent the young Mike Richardson from Herefordshire, where he had grown up, to the British Power Boat Company in Hythe, where he was to serve an apprenticeship.
Owned and run by Hubert Scott-Paine, who himself broke the world water speed record in 1933, The British Power Boat Company was responsible for the development and construction of high-speed craft for both civilian and military use. Mike spent five or six years here, ending up in the drawing office working on craft such as MGB’s MTB’s. As a good boat handler, he also had the job of training flying boat crews and to carry out high-speed trials of the torpedo boats before they were handed over to the Navy.
Once qualified as a naval architect and draughtsman, Mike’s first job was spent in reserved occupation at Fairmile Marine in Surrey, well known during the Second World War for its design of fast motor launches, including the legendary Fairmile ‘B’ and Fairmile ‘D’ that had proved very successful in anti-submarine warfare. Fairmile had an office in Fareham, and Mike was posted to Carisbrook nearby as a draughtsman.
Whilst working at Fairmile, Mike met Laurette, they married and found their first home, ‘Rose’, a 65ft prewar ocean racer moored at Moody’s Boatyard on the River Hamble, from where Mike had already spent many happy weekends sailing before the war.
In 1951, a quiet patch of land on the riverbank at Bursledon came up at auction. At this time Mike was working in aircraft design at drawing office in Hamble. His wife Laurette was determined to get it, and, against the odds, won a fierce bidding war to secure what at that time was one slipway – and a lot of mud.
This was the very beginning of what was to become the Elephant Boatyard.
Mike converted a brick 3-storey yacht store into the family home, and henceforth their four boys (Tom, Simon, Julyan and John) were brought up with the yard and river as their playground and, particularly in Tom’s case, education.
A FAMILY YARD
The fledgling family boat repair business was named after HMS ELEPHANT – a 74 gun warship (commissioned by the Admiralty) which was built and launched from these shores by local shipwright George Parsons in 1786. She was to be used in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 and was specifically chosen by Lord Nelson to be his flagship.
Most yards on the river post-war were still involved with Admiralty work, however in the late 40’s and 50’s sailing for pleasure began to pick up and from 1955 onwards boat building started to take off on The Hamble as the sailing industry grew again. Mike capitalised on this and started a sailing school from the yard to support the business in the summer months. It was only the third sailing school in the country at the time and as such was featured in a major Sunday newspaper article. Thereafter students flocked to the yard.
In those days, the boatyard workforce consisted primarily of Mike and his 4 boys who, alongside two or three staff, inevitably became involved in most aspects of yard life from hauling out and launching to painting and carrying out hull repairs such as replacing canvas decks and planking.
In 1960, eldest son Tom began his 5-year shipwright’s apprenticeship locally at Moody’s Boatyard (now Premier), which at the time was one of the biggest and most respected shipyards on the river – an easy choice given his growing passion for wooden boat building and sailing.
Tom had been racing as a teenager on the Solent since the late 50s and went on to join the offshore racing world, competing in the Admiral's Cup, the Bermuda and Trans Atlantic Races for many years in what is now referred to as the Golden Age of Yacht Racing.
By 1967, and in between races, Tom formally joined his father working in the boatyard which by now was well established with a trusted foreman and a team of shipwrights and apprentices. Yachts were starting to visit from all over the world, often wintering at the Elephant, and as a result of the boom in yacht racing in the 70’s the yard was starting to turn out racing yachts in cedar and epoxy to the drawings of the up-and-coming wave of new designers. These boats were able to compete against and frequently beat the composite boats that were fashionable at the time. The yard was building quarter and half ton racing yachts and went on to build Admiral Cup winning yachts before moving into the world of cruising yachts up to 70ft as well as fast motorboats.
A GROWING REPUTATION
The Elephant’s reputation for artisan craftsmanship grew, and the traditional skills of the yard were also in demand for lofting and constructing the wood tooling for the moulding of the GRP yachts. The Elephant worked with a lot of GRP manufacturers such as Sigma, Marine Project and Huntsman. Throughout the 70’s, fibreglass construction was becoming more prevalent, leading to an increase in boat ownership thanks to the ability to mass produce this type of boat.
When Mike retired in the early 80s, Tom took over the running of the business, and despite the dip in wooden boat demand that the rise of GRP inevitably led to, there still remained a staunch group of wooden boat enthusiasts and, in time, a growing appreciation for the importance of keeping classic yachts alive.
Quieter times provided an opportunity to develop the site, and during such periods foundations were laid and new sheds sprang up to keep the existing staff gainfully employed whilst ensuring the yard and its facilities remained operational.
THE '80S & '90S
Later in the 1980’s the Elephant Boatyard hosted the BBC’s hit drama ‘Howards Way’ which was set amongst the south coast sailing community. The yard was a key location in the show, representing the fictional "Mermaid Yard" and serving as a backdrop for the main characters and their boat building /repair work. Somehow the ever-changing demands of a filming schedule were accommodated alongside ongoing ‘real world’ work, and during the making of the series the 45ft ULDB ‘Barracuda’ was also built for Bob Fisher who was technical advisor on the show whilst Tom ensured that other yard business carried on as normal.
In the 1990’s a resurgence of interest in classic vehicles, vintage clothing and design also saw the trend extended to boats. The craftsmanship and unique character of older boats marked a valuable contrast to the mass-produced GRP boats which played to the strengths of the Elephant Boatyard. People began to appreciate again the craftsmanship of classic wooden boats, restoring pieces of history became popular and then the ’new classic’ yachts were created using wood with modern technologies and materials.
OUR LOVE OF SAILING STILL RUNS DEEP
It’s 30 odd years later and a third generation of Richardsons’ now runs this unique and respected boatyard. Bustling and friendly, a dedicated team of exceptional shipwrights, engineers and yard operatives ensure that Mike and Tom’s legacy of expert, traditional craftsmanship combined with innovative design and friendly customer service continues.
As Nigel Irens, close friend of the yard and accomplished naval architect, recently commented:
“Fifty-three years ago, I had the luck of finding myself working in the Elephant Boatyard. I soon realised I was surrounded by a whole family of people who were not just involved in building and caring for boats, but also in a deeply shared understanding of sea-going culture as a whole.”
