Worst MV purchase

[Terry Witiuk]

I think this happens with anyone who collects and has a passion for any type of militaria whether it be vehicles or something else. I've experienced feelings of regret for things that I've bought, feelings of regret of not buying and many feelings of no regret for things that I have or now enjoy. With regards to feelings of regret for not buying, back in the 80's, I was a Marine Engineer Tech (Stoker) in the RCN. Just after finishing some courses at the Fleet School in Halifax and as requested, I was posted to HMCS Mackenzie on the West Coast. Before leaving Halifax, I saw an ad in the Auto Trader Magazine...ex naval boat for sale...formerly HMCS Blue Heron. After a quick tour of the boat/ship, I was determined to buy and restore it. A big project but doable. I tried to have my posting changed but no luck and Blue Heron did not happen for me. In hindsight, I probably did not try hard enough to get my posting changed and often wonder how things would have turned out if it did happen. Feelings of regret for not buying seem to stay with you longer than feelings of regret for buying. No regrets about the Ferret that I now own. I paid more than what I had expected and more repairs than expected but, no regrets...tons of fun and full of history.

[Marc Montgomery]

Two stories..1- yard ape- . a nice looking XKE hidden in the back a ways... drivers door was badly damaged.engine gone...but unibody seemed straight..(likely the operative word "seemed"? anyway I wanted the front clip and frame from firewall forward. Knowing yard apes,- i specifically said.at least 2-3 times. DONT MOVE IT- came back the next saturday with tools...and they had moved it to "make it easier for me"..with a forklift..and of course badly bent the very parts i was after....
That yard and most of the others of my youth..now looooong gone..sadly

2) in my earliest days of MV, looking for a jeep.. I traced a rumour...with great difficulty... to a barn near Oshawa..I cant even remember now...sadly... and low and behold there were at least 10 maybe 12 jeeps in various states of repair, but my guess from looking ALL restorable. The deal was take them all and give back one restored one to the owner...
Of course at the time, I knew no-one in the hobby (I thought I was the only nutbar who wanted old green stuff), and also no resources to move them out of the barn...and no place to put them or work on them.. It was an all or nothing deal and no way he would part with just one...I really do wonder whatever happened to them...I dont recall anyone in the hobby thereafter mentioning the barn full of jeeps..so I hope they weren't scrapped..

[Marc Montgomery]

We built so many Fairmiles and Motor Torpedo Boats, what bappened to Blue Heron..and are there any Fairmiles left? dont think any of our MTBs survived.

[Jes Andersen]

There were a few ex RCMP Fairmiles out here on the west coast and probably more if you knew what to look for. Most were modified to the point of being unrecognizable. One was shortened and used locally for a dive boat but it disappeared a few years ago. Wooden boats... If you think that some rusty old trucks are a money pit, then just wait until you get a boat. Wooden, even worse. The bigger, the cheaper to buy and more likely to never get done. Around the west coast, Bay Class minesweepers are (were) cheap, the YFP series built on Gabriola Island are around and would be more manageable, but I recall that with original power, they burned 16 gal per hour at 10kt cruise or close to that. My pension would be spent just on moorage...
Just the same as Rob Love, I like pretty much every military vehicle I see and have a few I should have left where they were. Anyone need a couple of lovely M37s....

[Marc Montgomery]

Yeah, I saw a couple of YFPs for sale on crown assets just last year..tempting, but as I haven't won the lottery...tempting is all they were...
Anyone see the Top Gear show where they were touring an ex soviet satellite Romania (?) and accidently came across an abandoned air base with jets just sitting there. abandoned..

[Terry Witiuk]

Hi Marc. About Blue Heron...my guess is that she was most likely broken up or had sunk where she was anchored. At the time, a Taxi driver was using her as a live aboard and she was anchored in a small cove just outside Halifax. She was stripped of most equipment but all the finished wood/teak paneling, bunks and ladders were still there. Fuel and fresh water tanks were also still in place. Prop shafts were still there but without props and had been cut just ahead of the glands/fitting that allowed passage thru the hull. Engines, funnel/smoke stack and other metal fittings were known to be at a local scrapyard.

[charlie fitton]

There's a Fairmile project underway in Sarnia...

[charlie fitton]

I think this is her...but no promises..

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Sar...23ed2868f6f05e