Penn-Jersey Commuter Motor Yacht, SIENA

Broker’s Comments

We are privileged to introduce this exceptional vessel to the market.

SIENA has enjoyed a varied and fascinating life. She is believed to have been built at the Penn-Jersey Shipyard in Maine, US, in 1932 – so she is likely a spritely 90 years of age. Originally named MOJA, she was used for a little illicit rum running between Cuba and Florida during Prohibition, assisted by her low draft, sea-sure destroyer forward sections and that rakish plumb bow, and original twin Chrysler petrols; she was arrested by the US CG, and so begins another chapter that saw her shipped to our shores…

Under Lend/Lease at the outbreak of WWII, she was transported from the US for the MOD, and was stationed at a covert commando training base (No.1 Combined Training Centre) at Inveraray on Loch Fyne in Scotland. She was based here from 1942 until the end of the conflict and after the war was purchased by Commander Campbell, RN, who had commanded her during naval exercises, and then embarked on a refit. Sadly, Commander Campbell never saw her complete as he passed away before she left the yard. John Thaw of the Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club bought her, and cruised her about the Scottish and Irish coasts until 1963, when she was passed on to a syndicate headed by Andrew Ritchie. This gentleman, who it is believed berthed her in Scotland, set about changing her interior to allow six berths forward in lieu of the saloon and crew quarters, and re-making the galley/deckhouse bulkhead to open up her accommodation. During his tenure, her engines were renewed – with twin Mermaid 6-cylinder diesels at 125Hp apiece, and more improvements made. MOJA then headed South.

In the new ownership of Barry Willis, she had new decks fitted, and then moved to the River Avon near Bristol, where she stayed until 1987. Jim Johnson then bought her and headed south, crossing the Bay of Biscay twice to and from the Mediterranean, on an extended cruise, pitching up in Marbella during 1991, and moving her back across the Channel to the UK, and into new hands – those of Keith and Janet Cockell. With the harsh Mediterranean sun having taken its toll, her decks were replaced by Freebody’s of Maidenhead, with a period of extensive works during the next five years being undertaken, including the installation of a new, lush mahogany interior and restoration of her brasswork. At the end of their ownership, she passed into the care of her last owner – who ran her on the Thames and employed Colin Messer of Old Windsor to maintain her – including new mahogany skinning to her cabin sides, addition of the upper exterior helm position and fitting of a useful bow-thruster. As you can see, she has been in continual use and has been continually maintained. However, the current chapter led to MOJA becoming SIENA, and a further extensive renovation being undertaken by her present owner, under a carefully managed refit at Dennetts Boatbuilders in Chertsey.

These recent works passed through 2021, ending in Spring 2022, and include:

Interior

• Supply, fit and commissioning of twin Nanni N4-140 diesel engines, with customs panel wiring and looms, fitted on re-modelled engine beds, with new R&D couplings, trays, shafts, propellors, controls, exhaust systems, glass-top filters and bronze inlet skin fittings.
• Engine room and lazarette cleaned, scraped, re-painted, defunct skin fittings removed, plugged and capped.
• All tanks opened, cleaned, re-sealed & new copper-piped fuel lines fitted, with new filters/water separators.
• New generator mounting pad built and Northern Lights generator and control loom installed and commissioned.
• 1 new generator, 2 new engine cranking, and 4 new domestic service batteries fitted.
• New Mastervolt Easy View panel fitted, new Mastervolt Combi Mass Charger/Inverter, Mastervolt CZone new remote battery isolators, BlueSea Voltmeter, VSRs and new Marinco shore inlet & 32a cable.
• Two new twin-coil Sigmar calorifiers installed and plumbed abaft of gearboxes.
• Water system re-configured with new pump, enlarged bores, new accumulator and Eberspacher Hydronic MII D8W marine heater fitted (with new controller, fans and matrix) and commissioned.
• Climma air-conditioning fitted and commissioned with three independent Vega Mk.II control panel at saloon, forward and aft cabins.
• Replace and improve aft heads floor, re-engineer supports and space, re-line shower in English Oak, replace WC basin, mirror and shower (including drainage and new pumps) and varnish/paint compartment, with bilge cleaned, scraped and re-painted.
• Re-model aft double berth, build TV surround and varnish/paint compartment, bilge cleaned, scraped and re-painted.
• Saloon renovated, with new custom dining table (to seat six), new TV installed into chart table, opening sliding sunroof added and roof re-built and painted.
• Galley area re-configured and improved with new sink and fittings, two new ovens (Russell Hobbs microwave in eye level cabinet, and Panasonic combination below the counter), new Neff ceramic hob ice-maker below sink, with galley cabinetry receiving 10 coats or AwlWood MA Gloss varnish, and paintwork sanded and painted.
• Forward guest heads fitted with new wc, re-painted/varnished as required.
• Forward guest triple cabin re-painted/varnished as required, with new TV to forward bulkhead, with bilge cleaned, scraped and re-painted.
• New Simrad linked electronic navigational suite fitted, including NSS EVO3S plotter, Simrad autopilot control head and Icom VHF set.

Exterior

• Two-inch thick, 18’ bilge keels fitted.
• Planking inspected and replaced as necessary, with some 30 planks of solid Iroko scarphed and bonded with epoxy resin.
• Hull heavily sanded and abraded, loose filler removed, re-faired with microlight fairing, spot primed (x3) as necessary, undercoated (x4), two-component gloss painted (x2), new boot-top painted in gloss burgundy and bottom antifouled in Jotun Professional system.
• Wheelhouse re-built with two layers of epoxy-bonded new 12mm marine plywood, sheathed with fibreglass cloth, faired and painted, with new handrails, mast, lights, searchlight and helm re-configured.
• New Simrad linked electronic navigational suite fitted, including NSS EVO3S plotter, Simrad autopilot control head and Icom VHF set.
• Varnishing of kingplanks and deck margins (x10 coats), complete exterior re-varnish in Epifanes traditional varnish (x2 coats), varnishing of transom, sand and water-proof all external decking.
• Supply and fit period davits, with new supports, to aft deck are, and supply console, aft raised deck, winch, deck-hatch and all-over covers.
• Re-condition, re-wire and prove motor (new bushes & lower bearings) in bow windlass – with independent new 24V battery charger, new high capacity batteries (x2) and associated cabling.
• Supply and fit new Davey & Co. boathooks in new blocks.

During the Summer of 2023 she came ashore, was surveyed, and then had the following improvements carried out by a classic timber specialist and his team of shipwrights:

• Both Garboard planks removed to allow full inspection of the keel, deep-floors and frame structure for structural assessment.
• The latterly-added bilge keels were removed, and both planks replaced, with one further plank ot the port-side bilge also being found to be damaged, and this was thus replaced also.
• Some keel, framing and supporting deep-floor structure was found to be compromised in areas between the forward crash-bulkhead and forward engine room bulkhead.

Remedial Actions:

1. Deep-Floors, Frames & Keelson
   The keelson, which provides a solid structure for providing a rabbet for the garboard planks to seal against, was completely absent from the top of the main keel. Therefore, repairs consisted of removing rot degraded floors & frames and poor historic repairs to be able to make & fit a new keelson. This was achieved by reducing the depth of the floors & frames by 35mm to enable the fitting of a full-length structural keelson between the floors, frames & original keel. The new 35mm IROKO keelson, which spanned the length of the keel between two main structural bulkheads, was fastened to the main keel with new, externally recessed galvanised bolts spaced between each of the main floors & frames.
   The floors & frames were then modified to fit the new keelson and, where required, the existing frames & floors were either repaired, or in several cases, the rot degraded floors were replaced altogether. On completion of the keelson, frame & floor repairs, new Iroko garboard planks were made & fitted. The new garboard sections were scarphed at each end and then fitted to scarphs cut into the ends of the existing garboard plank ends. The scarphs were then bonded with epoxy and fastened with bronze screws.
2. The Bilge-Keels
   These were fitted during the 2021/22 refit, were inspected and found to be structurally unsound. The keels measured approximately 18 feet x 9” x 2.5” thick and were only fastened to the hull with five half-inch stainless bolts, with one bolt spaced approximately every 3.5 feet.
   Inside the hull, the nuts and washers were attached to 6mm plywood backing-pads placed between the frames, which added nothing to the overall strength of the installation leaving the vessel vulnerable to extreme damage.
   The bilge-keels were removed and the planks they were attached to were also replaced. Removing the original planks was necessary due to the restricted space inside the engine room to be able to carry out repairs to the insides of each plank. A second, damaged plank adjacent to the port bilge-keel also had to be replaced.
   Sacrificial Oak Keel & Stainless Keel-Band
   With Siena ashore, it was noted that historically, the vessel would have been fitted with a timber sacrificial keel and metal keel-band, both of which were seen to be missing. This fact was evident by the existence of screws and bolts protruding below the bottom of the main keel.
   The old fastenings were removed and a new, 40mm x 100mm full length sacrificial OAK keel made & fitted together with a new 6mm x 75mm stainless-steel keel-band.
3. Port Propeller Damage
   Also noted with the vessel ashore was the poor condition of the two, four bladed bronze propellers. One blade of the port propeller was also seen to be damaged requiring repairs to be carried out. The damaged propeller was removed and delivered to Hamble Propellers for repairs, polishing and balancing.

In essence, therefore, one could say she is fairly sorted.

Offering far greater interior volume than the average Dunkirk Little Ship, she is immaculately presented by a truly fastidious perfectionist. On delivery from the Thames to Northney, her diesels thrust her along at a maximum cruising speed of 13 knots. Under way, she is very quiet indeed, and she is so very comfortable, with minimal vibration, and a very good turn of speed from her new Nanni diesels and drive-train. In a sea-way, her roll is kept modest due to her new bilge keels and aft underwater section, and her upright stem and fine forward sections allow her to drive into and through broken water, with hardly any water taken on deck. Her powerful bow-thruster ensures that she is high manoeuvrable even in confined spaces, and either at anchor, or alongside, her long mahogany wheelhouse is just perfect for entertaining – with sliding doors and windows to keep the breeze moving, in a highly relaxing atmosphere.

She is therefore no museum piece. She is fully up to speed in terms of navigational kit and machinery, with modern ventilation and climate control, yet she offers things that cannot be bought.
She is important. She is wholly unique. She is devastatingly pretty. Yet she can transport you, your family and your friends, to somewhere completely other.

And we challenge you to find anyone who, at first sight, does not fall deeply in love with her.

Sales Video

Owner’s Comments

A lovely classic Yacht with a great history, Siena has proved to be very seaworthy and is perfectly ready for any adventure. She is luxuriously comfortable and having owned many Yachts of all sizes, I can honestly say that she is one of the most enjoyable. Her condition is exemplary and she certainly turns heads!