Cwmbran man turns old fishing boat into wedding hire bar

After spending weeks searching for his next project, former bar fitter Dale Hewings said he “fell in love” when he set eyes on a 50-year-old former fishing boat sitting in a Gloucestershire garden.

Hundreds of work hours later, and he is well on his way to transforming the vessel into a unique mobile bar for weddings and events around the country.

“I knew it was going to be a bit of work, but it’s turned into a full restoration,” Mr Hewings said. “I’ve had to learn how these boats were made – I’ve basically become a shipwright in recent weeks.”

The ambitious project comes after the pandemic struck and he and partner Tara Evans were forced to adapt their business model.

“Before lockdown I had a shop fitting company, I’d go fitting bars around the country,” Mr Hewings said. “Overnight that got pulled. Then I was making bar accessories.

“I fell in love with the idea of having a mobile bar. We’d been looking at different ideas. It seems everybody’s got a horse trailer. We wanted something really different, that we could tell a story with.”

Carpenter Dale Hewings works on the boat.

The restoration project has become a labour of love, with Mr Hewings determined to keep as much of the boat’s original fittings – and character – intact.

He has sourced paint from the original manufacturer, and the finished project will retain many of the features the boat had when it made its maiden voyage in Devon in the early 1970s.

Dale Hewings and Tara Evans, pictured here with their dog, Princess Leia, are restoring this old fishing boat and turning it into a mobile bar for weddings.

But 50 years of seafaring and, later, laying dormant have taken its toll on the boat, and Mr Hewings has his work cut out to finish the project in the coming weeks – his new venture, the Drunken Sailor, has already started taking bookings and the bar boat must be ready to launch again, albeit on dry land, by May.

“I bought it in September, and started work in January,” he said. “It’s been 300 hours of work so far, and I haven’t scratched the surface.

“I don’t want to lose anything of what she is, because she’s gorgeous.”

The team wants to maintain as much of the old boat's original fittings and character as possible.

He added: “Her time on the water is now sadly over but this new chapter in her life will see her swap waves for mountains, fish for sheep and bait for booze as she travels the land to attend many happy and joyous events.”

You can follow Mr Hewings’ restoration project on the Drunken Sailor Bar Hire Facebook page, and he is also planning to run a competition to name the boat once the work has been completed.