b'Consuta - a steam powered umpires launchLOA 51ft 6ins. Beam 7ft 8in. Draft 1ft 10ins.Designed and built in 1898 by S.E. Saunders at South Stoke. Four layers of Mahogany planking, copper sewn Consuta patent construction. Teak and Mahogany fit-out. Hull rebuilt 1998. Fit-out rebuilt 1999/2000.In 1898 the arrival of this steam launch pioneered a wealth of timber engineering techniques from boat hulls, to flying boats, to house construction and eventually to the glued plywood we know today. Sewing four layers of planking together produced a very lightweight and complex hull shape which, combined with a 100hp steam plant, enabled Consuta to achieve 27.5mph. However, by 1998 when Consuta came into our yard, she had undergone a number of various attempts to rebuild the hull, leaving her misshapen and incomplete.When we took on the project to restore her we started with researching the techniques and construction method that Saunders had developed to build the hull.Working with designer Andrew Wolstenholme we were able to employ the craftsmans eye and the intelligent use of computer aided design programs to force the hull back to its original form. By studying archive material and contemporary photographs the original layout of the decks and fit-out was also faithfully re-constructed.Consuta is owned and operated by The Consuta Trust, a remarkable small organisation that keeps a remarkable steam launch in operation for the public to enjoy.34'