NELSON 18

Overview

Nelson Motor Yachts is led by Nelson Boat Owners Club historian and enthusiast, Steve Brenner, and trusted, time served shipwright Andrew Oliver – who both share a passion for boats and boat building. After revisiting the origins of the Nelson brand; a ‘Keith Nelson & Company’ classic, designed by John Askham (1962), Nelson Motor Yachts Ltd was formed. Restarting the production of the ‘Nelson 18’ also included a unique opportunity to use the original Halmatic GRP mould tooling.

---

---

---

The 18 foot long launches were soon in great demand and when John Askham joined Keith Nelson & Company (and later, ‘TT Boat Designs’) as Commander Thornycroft’s Naval Architect in 1961, one of his first jobs was to re-design the ‘Keith Nelson 18’ so that it could be reproduced in, the then very new, GRP (polyester) material. Both companies ran alongside one another, under the Commander’s control.

Halmatic produced the first GRP hulls and later a GRP superstructure. The demand was such that Tyler Mouldings were asked to produce the same hull, although with a slightly different, more rounded, superstructure. The two moulders of Nelson vessels were Halmatic and Tyler, both of which became synonymous with the ‘Nelson’ brand.

---