"Cresta" (FY16) Percy Mitchell (Mevagissey Tosher) gaff rigged pilot cutter

The Mevagissey tosher was a one-man boat, designed for

plummeting for mackerel in the spring and summer. The

bigger luggers were often laid up during the plummeting

season, and were fitted out again in the autumn for lining for

dogfish, or for herring drifting from Plymouth. During the

1920s and 30s the Mevagissey and Looe luggers came to

Newlyn for the summer pilchard driving in Mount's Bay and

around the Wolf Rock.

 

A plummet was a cone-shaped lead with a homemade

bright metal spinner. A spinner could only catch one fish at a

time, but a tosher would tow three lines - two from poles on

each side and one over the stern. There was a short line

fastened to each of the lines that were towed from the poles,

which enabled them to be hauled in. The tiller was let go

when a line caught fish so that the port side propeller would

drive the boat round in a circle, hopefully keeping her on the

shoal of mackerel.

 

Many toshers were built in the 1920s by local boat builders

Roberts, Frazier & Percy Mitchell. In his A Boatbuilder's Story,

Percy Mitchell recalls Roberts building the Mavis, Swan, Ena,

Chu Chin Chow, Verona, Nancy, Rosana and Morvina while he was

an apprentice there. Percy Mitchell's own yard at Portmellon

built seven toshers for the 1927 season alone, and Fraziers

built an equal number. Among those built by Percy Mitchell

were the Sea Belle, Melody, Pauline, Cresta and Charmaine.

In the1920s these boats cost £53 10s. In 1936, Fraziers were building

toshers at £65.

 

The tosher's length was 20 feet, with a beam of 7 feet and

a draught aft of 2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet 6 inches. Their beam

was carried well aft and their length was limited to 20 feet as

longer boats paid higher harbour dues. They were carvel

built with pine planks on closely spaced Canadian rock elm

timbers, which were steamed into place. The keel, garboards

and bilge planks were of English elm. The transom, stem and

stern posts and floors were of oak.

 

Toshers were usually powered by 3 ½ hp Kelvin

petrol/paraffin engines, or sometimes 6 hp engines. The fuel

tank was in the foredeck and there was an aft locker. The

tiller worked through a hole in the transom. There were three

thwarts, and the mast was stepped behind the forward

thwart. Its sail was stowed with the gaff against the mast,

with the gaff jaws facing upwards. They carried about 15 to 18

cwt of iron ballast.

 

In recent times some toshers have been rebuilt as leisure

sailing boats, with lead keels and large gaff rigs. They are

reported to be exhilarating to sail.

 

 

Lugger. Built by Percy Mitchell of Mevagissey, Cornwall in 1927 as a Tosher, a small half decked fishing boat found in every Cornish port. The lug rig was the favoured rig for smaller inshore vessels with it’s effeciency and simplicity, earlier examples of this type were rigged with a single standing lug while later boats adopted the more modern gaff rig. Length on deck 20? Lwl 19?9? Beam 7? Draft 3?6? The boat was found in Plymouth by the present owner in 1992 in poor condition but he traced the history of the little boat and determined to rebuild her. Work did not start until 1999, all carried out by Plymouth boat builder and surveyor, Bruce Isaacs and the boat was launched in 2002. The larch planking of the original hull was found to be in remarkably good condition but the steamed timbers were badly deteriorated. The keel, stem, transom and fashion pieces and many steamed timbers were replaced. A pair of stainless-steel angle ring frames were set forward and aft of the mast with gusset knees to the corresponding deck beams The garboards and several planks in the topside were replaced. A high level stringer was fitted about 3rd plank down A new beam shelf was fitted backed up by a heavy rubbing strake on the outside to give a strong edge to the deck. The planking was then overlaid on the outside with a layer of ¼? cedar planking set diagonally using epoxy glue to give a totally fair, continous surface and adding enormous strength to the hull. Long external 600kg lead ballast keel cast by Iron Bros of Wadebridge, Cornwall. Small quantity of internal trimming ballast. Stainless steel keel bolts new in 2002 supplied by Iron Bros.. Floors formed as originally built by running the steamed timbers right round across the centre-line in one piece. Transom-hung rudder with cord-bound iron tiller fitted with varnished hand grip. The deck is straight-laid in iroko over a ply sub-deck over t&g pine on new, laminated oak deck beams. Varnished king plank and cover-boards. 9? iroko bulwark varnished inside and painted outside with a scribed caveat line, carried on oak through-deck stanchions with wide, varnished iroko capping rail. The heavy structural iroko rubbing strake on the outside is also varnished. The very tight deck seams are payed with black epoxy/graphite and the deck is sealed with Coelan with non-skid patches masked off showing a mat finish. Pair of heavy oak Sampson posts at the after corners of the cock-pit and another Sampson post on the fore deck take the mooring lines. Massive galvanised iron stem-head fitting with chain roller to stbd Bronze fair leads forward and aft. Bronze mushroom vents on the fore deck and the aft deck to vent the fore peak and the lazarette. The coach-roof is built with varnished mahogany coamings morticed to separate corner posts with epoxy-glass sheathed ply roof, edge trimmed in varnished mahogany. Grab rails on the top. Sliding hatch in a varnished garage and wash-boards to the cabin entrance from the cock-pit. Separate varnished mahogany fore hatch on the fore deck with fixed light in a bronze bezel. The cock-pit is formed by heavy varnished mahogany edging with a seat/locker below each side fitted with varnished slats allowing the crew to sit well down in the boat, sheltered by the coach-roof or sit up on the side deck. Manual bilge pump under the side deck to port. Engine controls to stbd. Locker door to lazarette. Iroko laid, lifting sole board, finished in Coelan with matt non-slip. T&G varnished pine after bulkhead. Low level step/bridge deck against the cabin entrance with entrance sill at seat level. Standing lug rig on keel-stepped varnished built pole mast by Noble Masts, Bristol who build masts and spars using the bird-beak method of seam jointing. Stain

Done