The HMS Endeavour is one of history’s most famous boats. The 368-tonne, 32-metre-long vessel was the ship upon which British explorer Captain James Cook set sail on his three-year expedition to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia.
Now, naval history buffs — or buyers seeking a very unusual property — are in luck: one of two surviving replicas of the boat is for sale with Nationwide Business Sales for £2 million.
The Endeavour replica, constructed between 2001 and 2002, is a reproduction of the original built to around 40 per cent of its size. Moored in Whitby, where Cook’s boat departed from in 1768, it has been a tourist attraction since 2018 when its previous owner, a former naval officer called Andrew Fiddler, bought it at auction for £155,000.
According to Classic Boat, Fiddler spent more than £750,000 transforming the boat into a visitor attraction, appointing design specialists to faithfully recreate the original vessel.
The original HMS Endeavour was sunk by British forces during the American War of Independence in 1778. The other replica, built in Australia in 1988, has sailed around the world, and is also open to the public.
The Endeavour replica was purchased by its current owner in 2022, who has kept the boat in Whitby and runs an onboard experience centre for visitors.
The boat spans 4,306 square foot over three decks, with capacity for 250 people. On the bottom deck is a hospitality area with a commercial kitchen, bar and seating for up to 100 people. The main deck currently houses the visitor attraction — featuring a replica of the original captain’s table — as well as a bar and seating area.
Above, on the top deck, are three masts, the tallest some 12 metres high. Beneath the rigging is an outdoor seating area with capacity to install another bar, according to the agents.
The boat is docked in Whitby, and although it is seaworthy it cannot sail and does not have a motor. As such, it will need to be towed or transported to the buyer’s desired destination.
In 2018, when Fiddler bought it, The Endeavour had to be craned over the lock gates at the Tees Barrage. But thankfully the cost of transport is included in the asking price, says Simon Burbridge, head of sales at Nationwide Business Sales.
Despite its size, mooring the boat is “not actually that difficult,” says Burbridge, thanks to the vessel’s relatively moderate clearance allowing it to be moored in shallower waters and its vertical stabilisers, which make it suitable for a tidal estuary.
“You’ve got a huge amount of space inside,” says Burbridge. “You’ve already got a commercial kitchen, toilet facilities, water and sanitation in there. There’s a loft space inside, and the decking area could be used as an entertaining space — almost like a garden. You don’t get many boats of that size. It’s so significantly different to other houseboats or even restaurants. It’s really fun and quirky.”
The current owner is selling to concentrate on other business interests, meaning that The Endeavour is now on the cusp of a new voyage, with a new owner. Burbridge believes it could be used as large, one-of-a-kind houseboat — “you probably couldn’t get a house of that size internally in the places where you’d be able to moor it”— converted into a novelty holiday let, or continued as a tourist attraction.
Other suggested uses include a travelling restaurant, party boat, wedding venue or casino.
“It’s got a lot of interest,” says Burbridge, who has received enquiries — both private and commercial — from around the UK as well as abroad. These include two UK councils, who have expressed an interest in acquiring the boat as a tourist destination.
“It’s the visual impression that people get - there’s only one other boat like it in the world, and that’s in Sydney,” says Burbridge. “I think it’s a good, fun opportunity – it probably won’t go to your average homebuyer.”
