HamstersAHOY! is a boating and liveaboard project platform dedicated to practical seamanship, boat building, refits, and real-world marine problem solving.
Founded and administered by Jack Allen, a former Royal Navy seamanship rating and professional boat skipper, the site documents hands-on experience from the HamstersAHOY! Project — the ongoing conversion of a derelict 48ft steel trawler into a modern 60ft liveaboard cruiser, based in Stourport-on-Severn, UK.
Unlike theory-led boating blogs, HamstersAHOY.com focuses on work carried out under real conditions, with real constraints, and real consequences. The emphasis is on:
- Practical seamanship and vessel handling
- Steel boat construction and refurbishment
- Liveaboard systems and design decisions
- Safety, compliance, and project management
- Lessons learned from active marine work
The Project
The vessel was originally built for working life rather than leisure. This project did not begin as a restoration exercise or an aesthetic upgrade, but as a practical attempt to convert a neglected industrial boat into a functional liveaboard capable of extended use in UK coastal waters.
The work is being carried out incrementally, largely using DIY labour, within the limits imposed by weather, time, access, and finite resources. Progress is documented as it occurs, including misjudgements, revisions, and periods of enforced pause. The intention is not to present an idealised narrative, but an accurate one.
Many of the challenges encountered are typical of older working boats: hidden corrosion, missing structure, improvised past modifications, and systems that no longer exist in any coherent form. These are treated not as exceptions, but as expected conditions — and planned for accordingly.
As the build progresses, the site will develop a growing body of reference material derived directly from the work itself. These articles are not presented as prescriptive guides, but as contextual observations grounded in real decisions made under real constraints.
The vessel is being converted primarily as a family liveaboard, with sufficient robustness to support secondary uses such as diving. All design decisions are informed by UK operating conditions, regulatory requirements, and long-term maintenance realities.
This is not a project driven by novelty or speed. It is driven by durability, serviceability, and the belief that doing fewer things properly is usually better than attempting everything at once.
The boat is not finished. The project is ongoing. What follows is simply an honest account of how far it has come — and what that has required.
Meet the Admin
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Jack Allen Cert(NatSci) ... is a former Royal Navy seamanship rating who specialised in underwater sounding and sonar operations, professional boat skipper, boat builder, Project Manager, Construction Site Manager, co-founder of Project HamstersAHOY! and founder of HamstersAHOY.com. He brings together experience in Marine operations, Operations Management, Project Management, Construction Site Management and formal training in the Natural Sciences of Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, Ecology, Environmental and Planetary Science gained at the Open University through University of Manchester and Sussex University. Jack is a prolific writer, publisher and author. He used mainframe computing skills before the internet dawned and controlled cutting edge underwater systems aboard the UK's very first computerised guided-missile destroyer. As the Operations Manager of one of the UK's foremost investigative agencies, Jack worked throughout the UK and in Europe and it is true to say that his experience really has been there and done that! As a life-long learner with numerous certifications to his name including RYA Day Skipper and SMSTS, Jack demonstrates a safety-first, structured, and professional approach to complex marine work and if all that isn't enough, then he is also a fully qualified Electrician and Alarms Systems Engineer through Openshaw Technical College, Scaffolder, Heavy Plant and Telehandler Operator ... and the list goes on and on ... (phew!) Jack writes extensively about seamanship, vessel refits, liveaboard systems, and the practical execution of long-term marine projects to mention but a few. |
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Esmeralda Gonzales ... is a gonk of the highest order. Frequently observed tripping out alongside nationwide railway embankments, she plies trade and expertise primarily along the Prestatyn to Scarborough line which, it is reported, is her stomping ground of choice. "Esmi" is a legend and a true naturalist. Like the unmitigated professional she is, she has an unyielding and odd affection for animals of the furry kind. In particular, she has a strange attachment to a hamster called Pedro. Literary accomplishments abound and include the freakish ability to write her own name, in ENGLISH, which is a feat that has drawn admiration and respect from peers and primary school teachers alike. In 2024, Professor Pheobe Plucket of Plucket & Fukit fame presented Esmi with the "Lauriat of Stepping Hill" award whilst openly professing her adamant disbelief. Esmi never faltered and, quick as a flash - whilst live on stage in front of a worldwide audience - she produced the undeniable evidence of a single dinner ticket. Prof Plucket collapsed and has not been seen since. Her reputation is in shreds. Esmi will be forever lauded by her peers. In the summer of 2025, she was noted as the wonder of the modern age. She is identified worldwide as "Queen of the Buckets" and she can be relied upon to spread horseshit absolutely everywhere at a moments notice. Passers by hand paint brushes to Esmi at their peril. She has talents worth more than her weight in gold ... and she is a member of our crew ... so there! |
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Lady in Waiting, Dame Twinkles Toothpick III Cert(NatSci) ... is the Co-founder, Project Purser and Principal Slush Fund coordinator for Project HamstersAHOY! A serious penchant for boots, shoes and all things frilly ensures that this lady will tread all over anyone who gets in the way of the vessel containing closets. A firm grounding in the arrangement of dodgy financial dealings bolstered by the family potato bog business ensures that "Twinkie" is never caught short. Often going by the public pseudonyms of Lilly Crabtree or Spud Wilson in order to divert the distress of the locals whilst offsetting official scrutiny, Twinkie is a force to be reckoned with inside any phone box. Twinkie has made a successful career within the finance sector. She is a qualified RYA Day Skipper. She is a certified Natural Scientist. She is an internationally qualified Beautician. She has language skills that mere mortal sailors can only dream about, and she says that she wears size 5 shoes, if you're buying ... Contrary to popular misconception, the wig is not sexual. It is a direct consequence of the activities of Port authorities and Interpol agents, who work tirelessly to track her movements. Warrants have been issued. Task Teams deployed - but so far to no avail because Twinkie evaded them all. Twinkie ... or Lilly ... or Spud ... depending on the day you choose, will continue to assess the books for some time to come ... even if she has to do so from a cell. |
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Prudence Fishwater ... joined the crew of HamstersAHOY! back in 2024 and rose quickly to become First Mate in the dockyard. Following on from a magnificent, if fleeting, boat building and welding career that lasted for ages, ... like one day ... she said, "Sod that!" and promptly buggered off to Wales. Pru's forte clearly lies in Sales and Marketing even if she does not yet know it. In her position (or any other position. for that matter) I would have been a millionaire by 25. Pru, however, has a firm intention to Skipper her own flotilla whilst commanding from the poop deck with a Pink Gin in hand, and that will keep dockyard matey's buzzing around like flies for some time to come. |
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The Invisible Man? Yep, that's right. At least one invisible partner who does not like or seek publicity exists. Ooooooh, how ghosty is that? |
Independence, Collaboration, and Sponsorship
HamstersAHOY! is independently run and free from fixed commercial affiliations, allowing for honest, experience-led content.
The site provides documented, real-world exposure to tools, materials, techniques, and services used throughout a long-term liveaboard conversion, offering partners authentic visibility within a technically engaged boating audience.
HamstersAHOY! welcomes readers, collaborators, and responsible sponsors who share an interest in practical boating, craftsmanship, and life afloat.
We are an ideas led bunch of swamp rats! If you have an idea that you would like to explore further, contact:
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