Leda - A Mk II Based Picnic Boat

The original buyer kept this boat on the Thames where, perhaps due to the rich mahogany woodwork and regal maroon soft furnishings she won the "Tom Jones Challenge Shield" during the Thames Jubilee Rally for best boat over 25ft. Much of what you see here is the product of a full professional refurbishment executed between 2008-2009 which included the new galley and teak flooring. The photos were taken 10 years later by a broker.

A conventional windscreen and pulpit, typical on a Jones boat.

A single aft door seems to have become the norm on MkII boats.

Entering the boat from the aft door you encounter the galley to the left. To the right you can make out the hinges of the single aft door.

One of the advantages of an aft galley is that floor covering you encounter on entering can be designed to handle muddy shoes without needing special cleaning.

The toilet compartment in this example is larger than that of Snapdragon, the example built on a MkI shell. The extra area comes at the cost of a loss of cupboard space in the galley, but it does allow room for a shower, useful if you plan more than day trips.

In the picnic boat the engine is found behind the panel which holds the towel rail. It would appear that accessing the engine may not be as simple as lifting a cushion and the board underneath as is done in a conventional Hampton Safari.

He we see the panel holding the towel rail lifted away to reveal the engine, a 1,500cc BMC diesel, along with the associated hydraulic drive unit.

Beyond the galley the cabin widens. Aboard Leda there is an L-shaped settee to starboard. Forward of it is a lift-up screen built into the bulkhead that would enable the cabin to be separated for sleeping.

To port, rather than a further settee there is a range of cupboards. You also see a bi-fold door to fully separate the cabin from the saloon. Just beyond the threshold strip the floor rises. This is in keeping with the original Hampton plans for the Safari.

Unlike some, perhaps all, of the Picnic boats based on the MkI shell, Leda does not have freestanding furniture in the saloon. Instead, she has an L-shaped settee and table mounted on a Desmo leg, rather than one that pulls out from under the foredeck.

With the table dismounted we can look aft from the saloon. Here we can see the additional upholstered seat immediately behind the helm's stool.

Photos that show other fit-out arrangements for this variant of the Hampton Safari, and the stories behind them, would be welcome. Please use the Forum to supply any information you have.

All Weather River Cruiser

At home on the Norfolk Broads

Leda - A Mk II Based Picnic Boat