Maritime record MAB702 - FINDHORN BAY

The remains of at least 35 large wooden fishing boats were recorded by SCHARP/NAS survey in 2015 scattered along the Culbin edge of Findhorn Bay.

The remains of at least 35 large wooden fishing boats were recorded by SCHARP/NAS survey in 2015 scattered along the Culbin edge of Findhorn Bay. Manyare rare examples of the once common Zulu herring drifters (only one of which survives today, in the Scottish Fisheries Museum). The survey recorded the long wooden keels of several vessels surviving amongst mounds of ballast. Some of the keels measure up to 60 feet (18m). Other structural elements visible included dead wood risers, iron shoes, dead eyes, futtocks, gudgeons, knees and floors. One of the larger 50-foot keel boats was of clinker construction, probably a rare early example as only the very earliest Zulus were clinker built. Further photographic recording was carried out as part of the by the SCAPE project Community Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (CCZAS) in June 2022. The boat 'graveyard' developed over the early years of the 20th century as sailing drifters were superseded by steam and later motor-powered boats, and the start of the First World War disrupted the fishing industry and brought an end to the use of sail power for herring fishing.

SCAPE, 2017, SCOTLAND'S COASTAL HERITAGE AT RISK PROJECT: FINDHORN BAY BOAT GRAVEYARD: DSR, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB1783.

SCAPE , 2023, COASTAL ZONE ASSESSMENT SURVEY MORAY: CULBIN TO CULLEN, ID 12824 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4861.

Record last edited

Feb 12 2024 12:39PM