MB Rock - off the market
This is one of those boats that you fall for straight away.
For starters the name is great. ROCK. The location is probably the most desirable south facing River Thames frontage in central London, and you would be part of a unique and vibrant co-operative of London boat owners that built, own and run their own mooring; Hermitage Community Moorings.
The ownership of this vessel includes a secure berth at Hermitage Community Mooring.
This houseboat has lots of accommodation, 7 berths, a huge wheelhouse for entertaining, a studio office with spectacular views and wood burner, a large saloon kitchen diner with high ceilings, opening roof lights and porthole views onto the River Thames, wrap around library & display shelving is a feature throughout, a large store area accessible from the saloon and more.
Serious offers will be considered.
Original Function: Cargo Vessel
Sub Functional Area: Coasting
Type: Medway Coaster
Builder: Richard Dunston of Thorne
Build date: 1961
Length overall: 91.9 feet (28 metres)
Tonnage: 78.17 (Gross Tonnage)
Depth: 9.6 feet (2.9 metres)
Beam: 20 feet (6 metres)
Primary Propulsion: Engine
Engine: Kelvin K4
Generator: Lister
Galley: 5 Burner Stove, Electric Oven, Fridge Freezer, Dishwasher, Stainless Steel Countertop
Saloon: Open plan design with dining table
Wheel house: Large 8 seater dining table
Studio office & Library: Wood burning stove
Cabin 1: Master cabin double
Cabin 2: Twin Cabin
Cabin 3: Single cabin
Cabin 4: Bow cabin double
Bathroom: Bath, basin, wc & washing machine
Ensuite: Basin & wc
Broadband: BT
HISTORY
ROCK design drawings with her original profile.
Rock was designed by Richard Dunston Shipbuilders of Thorne in Yorkshire and shares many design features with Humber Keel vessels. She was built by the London & Rochester company at their Strood yard on the Medway in 1961. A distinctive feature of this smaller coastal barge fleet built by the company this period, was that the vessels were given names beginning with RO, such as Roan, Robust, Rodent, Roffen, Rohay, Rowena and Rock to signify their relationship to Rochester,
Rock was taken out of commercial service on the East Coast trading routes in 1990 and converted for charter and subsequently for residential use. Although she was undergone some external changes she still remains a rare and fully working 88 hp Kelvin K4 diesel oil engine by the Bergius Co Ltd. Glasgow.
She was initially equipped with a 66 hp Kelvin K3 engine and upgraded to a K4 during her trading life. Rock is one of a few surviving and fully operational Medway Coasters left in the UK.
CURRENT LAYOUT - not to scale
ROCK current interior space plan
Galley
The galley has a high ceiling, opening roof lights and portholes above the counter which look on to the River Thames. It is nicely equipped with a 5 hob gas burner and electric oven, dishwasher, fridge freezer and bespoke stainless steel countertop & sink.
There is storage above and below the counter and a shelf for display items. A large vintage wire mesh locker provides storage for crockery and pots & pans.
The hardwood flooring in the kitchen is consistent with the flooring throughout the boat.
Studio Office & Library
If you are a collector you will love the plentiful shelving throughout the boat for displaying and organising your books, art and treasured wares. A huge desk, mounted on 2 large A0 plan chests, overlooks the saloon and has direct views of Tower Bridge and The Shard through the portholes.
With a wood burning stove this also doubles as another cosy space for creating, reading or working.
Master Cabin
The master cabin is planned like a suite, with a walk-through-wardrobe and ensuite. The bedroom is light and relaxing with exposed beam, high ceiling, opening roof lights portholes, and visual connections through the porthole aperture to the main space.
Cabins
One of the two forward cabins is a double berth with its own ladder access with a sliding steel and wooden hatch to the upper forward deck.
The other forward cabin is a single bed and also benefits from the access to the foredeck.
The twin cabin below is located toward the stern of the vessel.
Back deck access hatch to engine room
View Lister generator and Kelvin K4 engine
Kelvin K4 engine and ladder access from wheelhouse
Ladder access to wheelhouse
Helm dashboard
Kelvin Duplex filter service instructions
Systems monitoring panel in accommodation space
Gearbox coupled to Kelvin K4
Easily accessed and serviceable systems
DC Power Distribution Board
Portside 240 gallon diesel fuel tank
Diesel fuel filter system
Victron energy invertor
Hermitage Community Moorings
Hermitage Community Moorings (HCM) is a co-operative which built, owns, and operates a mooring on the Thames in Wapping next to what used to be Hermitage Wharf, now Wapping Memorial Gardens.
The mooring provides berths for up to 23 vessels; they are predominantly residential live-aboard historic vessels, mainly river barges, plus there are a couple of visitor berths for use by any type of vessel, old or new, for up to two weeks in four. HCM provides well-managed river access for local people, including educational and recreational facilities.
Part of its ambition is to ensure traditional river craft (e.g. sailing barges, tugs and motor craft) remain part of the Wapping landscape for future generations – and to create a local landmark that promotes Wapping’s historic links with the river.
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