Frederick Parker 32ft Motor Yacht

Had a trip down to Tollesury on Friday to Woodrolfe Yacht Brokers. They always have some lovely old classics on the books.

Galley of Lorne was of carvel planked wooden construction in mahogany on steamed oak wood frames and copper fastened. A long keel with two smaller bilge keels. Her interior has four berths in two cabins. Constructed to a design relevant to the 1960's. She is a product of the era of the tall sided majestic looking Motor Yachts designed specifically for estuary and coastal cruising.

She was originally built for George Campbell, cousin to the 11^th Duke of Argyll. She was built to Lloyds 100A1 standard.

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

Positive response for Broads Authority in Boat Owners' Survey

Boat owners have given the Broads Authority the thumbs up for its performance in managing the waterways and believe it offers good value for money with its services.

The results of a survey of Broads toll payers showed 65% felt the Authority did a good job compared to 63% in 2009 and 55% in 2005. 83% felt the Authority offered them value for money, the same figure as in 2009.

The availability of free moorings, more dredging and better water quality were shown to be boaters’ highest priorities for future spending.

Boat owners also felt the Authority was listening to their concerns more and keeping them informed of what it was doing.

Chief Executive John Packman said: “We are very pleased with the results of the latest survey of our toll payers. Across the board they seem to feel we have either maintained our performance or improved it which is very encouraging, especially in the light of the staffing cuts we were forced to make last year as a result of the Government’s spending review. The areas highlighted as top priorities for boaters are already some of our main objectives for investment in the coming year so we hope boat owners will continue to see that we are listening and acting on their wishes.”

Everyone who completed the survey was entered into a prize draw. The winner, Malcolm Halsey from Braintree, was selected at random by the survey company and will receive £100 towards the cost of his toll plus a lifejacket as part of the Authority’s new ‘Wear It’ safety campaign. Two runners-up, Michael Richardson from Reedham and Matthew Clarke from Grays in Essex, will also receive a lifejacket each.

Wherries On Wroxham Broad.

11 Months, 3000 pictures and a lot of coffee.

Regal 2860 with the FasTrac hull

I was working down at Broadland Boat Centre today. This is a modern and up to date service centre owned by James Fraser of Norfolk Yacht Agency.

This Regal 2860 stock boat I was Surveying had the high performance ‘FasTrac’ hull.

The principle behind the hull is to reduce the surface tension while the boat moves through the water. The full-beam step forces air beneath the hull to reduce drag and friction while inverted strakes cause the boat to track straight and turn tight. With a reduction in friction, the FasTrac hull is able to achieve higher speeds and better fuel economy than boats of equal size and propulsion.

Twin Volvo D3 diesels...

"The step design improves handling and control by reducing the hull's wetted surface, making it move through the water more smoothly and efficiently."

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at:
steventruss1@aol.com

Oil Analysis Tests

If you instruct me to carry out an oil analysis test on the vessel's engine, it could highlight potential engine and equipment problems before any serious damage is done to the unit and provide added security to those purchasing a vessel. Once I have taken the oil sample, the turn around time from receiving the sample to you obtaining your report should be 48 hours. This report can be e-mailed or posted.

The analysis will show:

• The actual wear pattern of the equipment.
• The condition of the fuel injection equipment.
• How well the maintenance has been carried out.
• In a twin-engine set-up we can run a comparison between the two installations.

In addition to preventing damage and expensive repairs by taking early action, a clean bill of health via oil analysis would also add value to any customer wanting to buy or sell a boat. A report may be used to demonstrate that the boat has no long-term problems or any nasty surprises months after purchase.

The basic cost of a sample would be £90:00 this will include VAT and all handling.

Broads boaters encouraged to double moor

Broads boaters are being asked to moor side by side at certain Broads Authority moorings to meet the demand for mooring space.

Responding to feed-back from boat hirers that they sometimes have trouble finding moorings the Authority has identified 20 locations in the northern and southern Broads which are suited to double mooring.

Five free 24 hour moorings are being trialled in the northern Broads, and 15 in the southern Broads. They include Great Yarmouth Yacht Station, Norwich Yacht Station and Reedham Quay.

The moorings have been selected by taking into account the river width and strength of tides and new signs have been put up to encourage boaters to welcome others alongside.

Trudi Wakelin, Broads Authority Director of Operations, said: “New moorings can be very expensive and complex to get permissions. So one of the options we looked at to ease the pressure on mooring was to see which of our 63 moorings met our byelaw criteria for double mooring. We would encourage all boaters to be helpful and considerate to those who haven’t found a bank side mooring space and welcome them alongside.”

The trial follows the Environment Agency’s successful campaign on the River Thames to encourage boaters to moor alongside others.

Tony Howes, Secretary of the Broads Hire Boat Federation, said that his members have been constantly reminded by hirers of the difficulty in finding mooring places at busy times on the Broads.

He said: “This development should be very helpful if all boaters are made aware of the new rules. We will shortly be distributing a notice for use at handover and in Skipper's Manuals to advise hirers of the opportunity to moor in this way - and the "etiquette" involved.”

Richard Card, chairman of the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association(NSBA) which represents private boaters, said: 'The NSBA's recent survey of members identified shortage of moorings as a major problem. It is being addressed but the solution will take time. The Broads Authority's initiative in identifying locations where double mooring is possible is to be welcomed as a short term mitigation of the problem. We would encourage skippers to behave considerately by maximising the capacity of popular moorings while treating fellow boaters with courtesy.

MOT'S for boats

Is your BSS certificate about to expire. I can carry out a new test at the same time as the Survey at a reduced cost: £4 a foot inc. ( I can post date the certificate up to 3 months). I am a member of ABSE, and one of a number of examiners on the Broads, but unlike the majority of them I am not connected with a marina or marine engineering business and therefore I don't offer any remedial engineering work as part of the examination. This means that the owner can do any work himself, or choose his preferred engineer to effect any repairs

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

Norfolk Broads Cruiser

Yesterdays assignment was to Survey this locally built Broads Cruiser for Insurance.

When you want to insure your boat, or have to renew an existing policy, your insurance company will need an Insurance Survey in order to determine its insurability for the intended use. This type of survey is often referred to as a Condition and Valuation Survey.

The scope of an Insurance Survey approaches a Pre-Purchase Survey, but its focus is on structural integrity and safety and it is less detailed. An assessment of the boat's Fair Market Value is part of this type of survey. An Insurance Survey requires several hours, depending on the complexity and condition of the boat.

Johns Yard at Wayford bridge is becoming well known for its refurbishment work, with plenty of boats being stripped out and rebuilt. Wayford Bridge provides an extensive building and repair service and John has staff that are fully experienced in traditional wooden boat building methods. They also offer a well-established and professionally supervised facility for the DIY enthusiast. Literally everything is available from materials, lifting gear, marine hardwoods, paints and fixings to one off items.

There is now a second shed built for the DIY owners..

John and the crew pulling one of many boats out..

This little cruiser is a product of the era of the tall sided majestic looking wooden Broadland Motor Cruisers designed specifically for hire on the inland water ways. Designed by Arnott Fowler on the South Broads.. Anyone know the Builder?

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

Insight Marine Surveys release new website

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Freedom 30 Ketch

I had a day in Lowestoft yesterday Surveying this ‘Cat Ketch’ at the International Boatbuilding College via Boatshed Yacht Brokers.

Both the hull and decks are built of fiberglass composites with balsa wood core and the masts are built of a carbon fiber composite.

A chief advantage of free-standing rigs is that there are no rigging shrouds to clutter up side decks and a secondary advantage is that there are no chain plates to maintain or worry about leaking.

For those of you who feel that sailing is just too complicated and that you’ll never be able to master all its intricacies, here is an alternative to conventional stayed rigs that offers old salts and new sailing enthusiasts alike ease of handling, solid construction and performance that is likely to surprise more than a few.

　
Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at:
steventruss1@aol.com

Stuffing box!

On yesterdays Survey I came across this Stuffing Box.

(a stuffing box, or packing gland, is used around a propeller shaft at the point it exits a boats hull underwater. It is the most common method for preventing water from entering the hull while still allowig the propeller shaft to turn.)
It looked like they had been leaking for years and were in a very poor condition.

Removing the packing from one of these deep awkwardly placed stuffing boxes should be done with a special tool… so employ a professional, screw drivers and other substitutes may not remove the last few turns of packing.


Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com