This is aimed at those who’d love to live in houseboats, own their own liveaboard, maybe run their own boat charter or have their own sea-going fishing boat.

This post is slightly unusual as a Manchester friend has asked me to see if you’re interested in his pride and joy, a 20 metre 14 berth launch.

So here goes…

The Osprey Liveaboard

The boat is an ex-RAF launch called Osprey. My friend is an ex chief engineer who loves to make things work exactly right. So he’s taken a long time making it into a comfortable liveaboard for divers and he’s run Osprey as a boat charter operation.

He got the boat approved in early 2005 and she chartered in the Western Isles, in Scotland, during that season and was due to return for the 2006 season.

Unfortunately due to serious health problems in the family he wasn’t able to take the Osprey out in 2006 and she was moved to Yoker, Glasgow where’s she’s been cared for ever since.

The family’s health issues remain unresolved and as he’s now reached retirement he and his wife are reluctantly putting the Osprey onto the market.

Some Liveaboard photos

View Full Album

A Bit Of Boating History!

The boat was built in 1959 by Saunders Roe in Anglesey for the RAF as a rescue target towing launch.

She was stationed in Portrush (Northern Ireland) servicing the North Atlantic until 1968. She was then transferred to the Royal Navy as a fast despatch craft for the Commodore of the Clyde.

She was stationed in the Grand Harbour, Greenock, until 1984 when she was sold and converted into a dive vessel, with dive platform at the back and accommodation for 12 divers, plus crew and captain. You can see the layout and accommodation in the picture below:

Liveaboard Layout and Boat Accommodation

The boat is 20 metres long with a beam of 6 metres and a draft of 1.7 metres and weights 43 tons.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the boat, including equipment  email me at Osprey at acornservice dot com. Alternatively just leave me a comment!