Harbour directory
Lorette - Police Launch PL502
Specifications
- Boat Length
- 31" (78.74 cm)
- Motor Type
- Brushed
- Drive Type
- Direct
- Props
- Single
- Battery Type
- LiFe
- Battery mAh
- 286 mAh
- Prop Type
- 312
- Prop Size
- 329mm
Photos
About this boat
I managed to intercept just before this hull was going to the tip. Originally made by a friend with help from his father some 50 years ago, I transformed this Vic Smeed design first into a work boat, then into a police launch which is how I run it now. It took a year to get all the running gear and electrics right !😉
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Last one I saw was being shipped if to the USA - sold in EBay by a colleague. If I had known I would have bought it.
In my case the answer is no !
Last week PL502 went out in rather strong winds. 25 - 50 mph no less. After successfully leaving the harbour and travelling to the windward end of the reservoir she turned and headed for home, but when turning to enter the harbour the wind simply flipped the boat over. 30 minutes later the upturned hull was discovered 150 yards away on the far shore, but alas, the superstructure was not with it, and a careful search both on that day, and a few days later, found no trace.
I am not devastated by the loss but it will take many weeks to replicate, and it will now have to wait pending completion of another boat currently on the chocs. So PL502 may not see water again for some months.
That policeman skipper should have known better ! 😉
Someone local should have pointed this out to you, although I can sail over it with my TID tug my Rapier wouldn’t clear it 😎
I also rescued my Lesro Rapier that was built in the 1960’s (not by me) and was saved from a skip and rebuilt during lock-down.
It was twisted and poorly built and had been badly abused, but after cutting away the deck and repairing some bulkheads it gained a lot of new wood and has been used most weeks on the Southport lake since then.
I was running it last Sunday.
Nice boat.
Regards Bill