From the multitude of names, makes and brands inhabiting the marine ecosystem, few attract such universal acclaim as the Nelson hull. Much loved by pilots, port authorities, the military, police, commercial operators and leisure boat owners alike, this semi-displacement masterpiece has been making waves (literally and figuratively) since its creation in the early 1960s.
The man behind the original design was Peter Thornycroft, a third-generation member of the family whose eponymous company eventually became part of British Shipbuilders. Following a distinguished career in the British Navy, Peter Thornycroft formed two companies, Keith, Nelson & Company Limited in 1955 and, a decade later, TT Boat Designs. Incidentally, the Nelson name has nothing to do with the one-armed chap in Trafalgar Square – it comes from Arthur Nelson who, together with Keith…