Locally Restored Slipper Launch Wins Best Boat of the Year

A local vintage slipper launch, restored by Henwood and Dean, was awarded Best Boat of the Year 2022 last month by the Thames Vintage Boat Club. M.L.Greyhound is a 25ft slipper launch, built by Andrews of Bourne End in 1952 and now owned by mother and son, Lindsay and Rory Hunt.

M.L. Greyhound was built to be Andrews’ exhibition boat for the 1st Empire Boat Show. She was purchased by Rory and Lindsay Hunt in June 2020, and the restoration process began in winter that year. Rory explained, “As a vintage boat, [restoration] is an ongoing process to keep her in perfect condition. She is back up with the boatbuilders who restored her (Henwood & Dean) at the moment getting ready for the new season. The restoration took around 6 months of work plus plenty of research etc. to ensure what we were doing was accurate and authentic for the boat’s original conditon.”

M.L. Greyhound still has a Morris Vedette petrol engine (much the same as you’d find in an original Mini) and the restoration was designed to return her to as original a condition as possible with no modernisation.

M.L. Greyhound was entitled Best Boat of the Year for 2022 (any type) by the Thames Vintage Boat Club on April 1st at the associations AGM. The win comes off the back of another major success at the Thames Traditional Boat Festival last July, where the launch was awarded the Andrews Trophy for Best Slipper Launch.

Speaking about the win, Rory said, “My mother and I were shocked and delighted to win both awards. Whilst we have done our best to restore her there are so many boats that are restored and maintained to a high standard. We also use her a lot – covering c2400 miles since we bought her, she is well used and well loved!”