A rare opportunity has arisen to become the next custodian of Charles Dibdin, a historic former Deal and Walmer lifeboat built in 1904. The 17-metre vessel is currently berthed at Portland Marina in Dorset and is being offered for sale at £37,500.
Converted to a motor sailor in the 1930s, Charles Dibdin carries more than a century of maritime history. The sale particulars also note a Dunkirk plaque commemorating the vessel’s connection with that defining chapter of wartime maritime heritage.
Vessel particulars
- Built in 1904 and formerly the Deal and Walmer lifeboat
- Honduran mahogany on oak construction
- 17 metres overall, with a 13.5-metre deck length
- Displacement of approximately 28 tons
- Potential for eight berths, currently arranged as a comfortable four-berth vessel
- Shower, bath and heads
- Galley with electric hob, air fryer and fridge
- Saloon with a log burner
- Twin New Holland diesel engines, reported as having approximately 200 hours
- Completely re-rigged in 2025
- Registered with National Historic Ships UK
A 25-year restoration
The seller reports that Charles Dibdin underwent a painstaking 25-year restoration, completed in the early 2000s, with approximately £300,000 invested by her previous owner. The work is extensively documented in photographs and was intended to preserve the vessel’s character while returning her to a condition in which she could be lived aboard and enjoyed.
She remained with her previous owner for more than 40 years. A full survey completed at the end of 2024 is described by the seller as very favourable and is available for inspection. The present sale is described as a reluctant decision made necessary by health problems.
Further information is available through the Portland Facebook Marketplace area where the vessel was advertised, on the Charles Dibdin website and in the National Historic Ships register entry.
The price and vessel particulars above were supplied by the seller and have not been independently verified by the Wartime Vessels Association. Prospective purchasers should confirm the vessel’s current availability, condition, documentation and survey findings directly with the seller.