Why buy a 120-year-old A-Rater when you could have a brand-new boat with no upkeep?
On paper, it makes absolutely no sense. And yet… it makes perfect sense.
If sailing were purely about efficiency, performance per pound, or minimising time with a paintbrush, we’d all be in identical GRP hulls fresh from the mould. But sailing—especially on the River Thames—has never really been about that.
Here’s why an old Thames A‑Rater can still be the most rationally irrational boat you’ll ever own.
1. You’re Not Just Buying a Boat — You’re Buying History
An A-Rater built in the early 1900s was designed in an era when:
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Designers had slide rules, not CFD
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Builders relied on craftsmanship, not moulds
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Boats were expected to last generations, not product cycles
Every rib, plank and fitting tells a story. You’re not the owner so much as the current custodian. Long after modern production boats have been recycled or scrapped, an A-Rater—looked after properly—will still be sailing.
A new boat arrives with a manual.
An old one arrives with a past.
2. The Way They Sail Is Still Extraordinary
Yes, modern boats are lighter, stiffer and technically faster around a course. But A-Raters offer something different:
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Long, slender hulls that slip through the water
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Enormous sail plans that reward finesse, not brute force
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Motion that feels alive, not clinical
On inland rivers like the Thames—where shifts, gusts and flow matter more than raw speed—an A-Rater is still devastatingly effective in the right hands.
You don’t drive an A-Rater.
You negotiate with it.
3. Restoration Is a Feature, Not a Bug
“Yes, but the upkeep…”
Absolutely. Wooden boats demand:
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Varnish
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Paint
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Winter jobs
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Thought, care and patience
But that work creates something modern boats rarely do: connection.
When you replace a plank, re-bed a fitting, or steam a rib, you understand your boat at a level no warranty ever gives you. You know why it behaves the way it does on the water—because you’ve had your hands inside it.
For many of us, that winter shed time is not a chore. It’s therapy.
4. They Turn Heads — Even Among Sailors
Turn up at the slipway with a modern dinghy and you’ll get polite nods.
Turn up with a 120-year-old A-Rater and suddenly:
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People stop what they’re doing
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Stories start flowing
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Someone always says, “I learned to sail in one of those…”
Classic boats don’t shout.
They command quiet respect.
At places like Upper Thames Sailing Club, they’re part of the river’s visual and cultural fabric.
5. Sustainability, the Edwardian Way
Ironically, an old wooden boat can be more sustainable than a new one:
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Built from renewable materials
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Repairable indefinitely
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No embedded carbon from modern composites
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No landfill at end of life—because there is no end of life
The greenest boat is often the one that already exists.
6. Because Not Everything Has to Be Easy
Modern boats are brilliant.
But they are also disposable, optimised, and anonymous.
An A-Rater asks something of you:
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Skill
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Care
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Time
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Respect for wind, water and tradition
And in return, it gives you something rare in modern life:
a sense that some things are worth the effort simply because they are beautiful.
So… why buy a 120-year-old boat?
Because sailing isn’t just about getting round the course.
It’s about belonging—to a river, a tradition, and a story that started long before you and will continue long after.
And if that means a bit more varnish and a few splinters along the way?
That’s not a downside.
That’s the point.
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