A motorboat that was registered as a historic vessel is actually a lot younger than first thought
A 35ft motorboat recently added to the National Register of Historic Vessels (NRHV) has caused a stir after it was discovered that it is 15 years younger than previously thought.
Sulair was placed on to the NRHV register last month and was awarded certificate No 2351. At the time of registering it was recorded as being an ‘ex-RAF seaplane tender…..built in 1946’.
To qualify for the NRHV boats must be at least 50 years old. However, far from being a nearly pensionable 64 years old, Sulair has been revealed to be a rather more sprightly 49 years old.
Nor did Sulair turn out to be a Royal Air Force seaplane tender, but a 35ft Medium Speed Motor Boat (MSMB) built for the Royal Navy.
Her naval identity was Small Boat Number 5909, meaning the ninth Admiralty small craft ordered in 1959, and she was carried for a period on the Royal Navy depot ship HMS Maidstone.
