Arbroath Harbour, Mackay Boatbuilders

NO64SW 147.00 centred 6438 4060

Formerly entered as NO64SW 147 at cited location NO 6438 4060.

For Arbroath Harbour (centred NO 6418 4044), see NO64SW 28.

Not to be confused with Messrs Gerrard, Boatbuilders (on NW side of the harbour, centred at NO 6412 4055), for which see NO64SW 149.00.

Boatbuilding Yard [NAT]

OS (GIS) AIB, April 2006.

This boat yard was founded in 1969 with an additional workshop in Bank Street ( ) which was also used as the frame loft. The boat frames are constructed on a platform located above the boats keel. This yard produces fishing boats and pleasure craft. The yard also has the equipment to build, repair and refit all types of boats. The slipway is operated by the Arbroath Harbour Authority and is hired out (see NO64SW 148). The yard employed 9 people on the date of visit.

The yard consists of a former office block (NMRS MS/744/210/39, item 1), office (item 2, wooden framed, wood clad walls and corrugated sheet metal roof), workshop and store (item 3, same construction as office) with cement asbestos roof and concrete floor, slipway (item 4), steam box (item 6) and boiler (item 5) and a further workshop (item 7).

All the machinery on the first work shop (item 3) is electrically driven and is predominately for woodworking. The tools include a pillar drill, bench mounted grinder, circular saws (for metal, made by SIP Ltd, Leicester), and wood (marked Dewalt), a band saw (all iron) with tilting table, a planer (all iron), an all-iron saw bench (extension in SE of shop, maker W McLean of Dundee), a hand powered morticing machine (Alex Mathieson & Sons, Glasgow), a range of hand and powered hand tools, and gas and electric welding equipment.

The steam box boiler is located in what was the former boiler house for the slipway haulage engine (NMRS MS/744/210/39, item 5). The steam box boiler is wood fired, upright type working to a pressure of 40 psi. It measures 1.10m in diameter, 2.60m in height and is made by Fred Watkins, engineers Ltd, Coleford in Gloucester, England, The remainder of the boiler house is used for general storage. The steam box (NMRS MS/744/210/39, item 6) is of welded steel and measures 0.54m in width by 0.75m in height by 1.5m in length.

The workshop and store (NMRS MS/744/210/39, item 7) is a 2-storey, slate roofed building with rendered rubble masonry walls. The ground floor is of concrete and the upper floor is of wood with external masonry steps to the upper floor. At the NE end, there is a wooden framed, plywood sided, and sheet alloy roof extension used as a creel store. The upper floor is used as a fishing gear store. The workshop is generally used as a machine and mechanics shop. There are elctrically powered machine tools such as a pillar drill (capacity 3/4 inch), a floor mounted grinder with two stones and an iron boby marked 'Union'. There is also a power saw with all geared head stock (maker Dean Smith and Grace). The centre lathe has all geared head stock. There are also a set of portable bending rolls, a small pillar mounted grinder, a small milling machine (maker, Archdale), a guillotine (marked Edwards, Verrina), a large quanity of hand tools both hand and powered types, and gas and electrically powered welding equipment. The workshop is heated by a solid fuel stove.

The yard's mobile crane is an Albion truck wth a hydraulic crane with a lattice girder jib. The crane unit is made by 'Hydrocon'.

Visited by RCAHMS (GJD), 18-20 May 1992.

NMRS MS/744/210/39.