Nauticat Ketch Mk II

I had an interesting day at Haven Marina in Lowestoft on Friday Surveying this Nauticat 33 Ketch for Pre-purchase. It was noted that part of the skeg had broken off once she was lifted out of the water for inspection. It appears that she went aground briefly on a sand bank at some stage last year. A repair plan and some costs were quickly put together at Haven Marina so the sale of the boat could move forwards.

Another Nauticatt 33 was in the sheds at Maritime Support Ltd at Haven, so an exact mould will be taken from this skeg (see image below). This will then be scarffed into place and secured with steel straps (housed in), and ‘thu bolted’ and fiberglass encapsulated. The rudder will also be removed and the rudder gland checked and repacked.

 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

Ernest Woods Loyalist

It was a pleasure to Survey Loyalist again yesterday. Built all out of Teak in 1930 by Ernest Woods. ‘Loyalist’ is a fine example of this classic type Norfolk Broads Auxiliary Yacht. Ernest Woods un-doubtably had some good craftsmen in the 1930s, who obviously constructed the yacht as something of a prestigious boat. She is very rare, a real survivor, and has great charm and character.

Nearly all her sister type Yachts on the Broads are made from Mahogany... a lot less durable.

Surveyors comments: I suggest tapping the whole hull with a small hammer, good wood first, and then using that sound as a reference for more questionable areas. One rule of your "tap dance" is not to leave hammer marks on the hull--small, half-moon indentations. Marks can infuriate the owner!

High level visit to inspire Norfolk people to protect their rivers

A new campaign to raise awareness of the value of Norfolk’s rivers and broads is being launched at the second Broads Biodiversity and Water Forum in Norwich on 5 February.

Senior Environment Agency executives, who will be visiting the Broads for the first time, will launch the Broadland Catchment Approach to a wide range of organisations, businesses, water company professionals and conservationists.

Water quality in the Broads is affected by rivers which feed into them from across Norfolk. The campaign aims to inspire people living and working in the county to care for our waterways and wildlife.

Andrea Kelly, Senior Ecologist at the Broads Authority, said: “The campaign is a new partnership approach to working on a wider scale to improve the quality of the Broads. We are all connected to the rivers and the way we live affects their quality. Everyone in Norfolk can make a difference to the water and wildlife here by changing simple living practices. The Broads Authority and its partners can’t do it alone. We need to work together.”

A new Broadland Catchment Partnership Officer, co-funded by the Broads Authority, Environment Agency, Natural England and Essex & Suffolk Water, will help lead the campaign.

William Robinson, Water Resources Manager, Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “The Broadland rivers are an important source of water for our customers. Working together on river catchments can help improve river water quality which means that less water treatment is required. This ultimately reduces the need for chemicals and the amount of energy used. We are therefore pleased to support the Broadland Rivers Catchment Approach through our contribution towards employing the new Broadland Catchment Partnership Officer”.

The Broads Biodiversity and Water Forum, which has attracted 120 professionals with an interest in the Broads, is being held in celebration of World Wetlands Day.

The Broads is a globally important wetland protected by international designations and includes Ramsar sites, Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA).

The keynote speaker will be Jane Madgwick, Chief Executive of Wetlands International, who was formerly Head of Conservation with the Broads Authority. She will be speaking about wetlands in a global context, including examples of creating spaces for nature and people in the Netherlands.
 
Andrea Kelly will be updating the audience on the Broads Authority’s strategic partnership projects. She will focus on a project to reduce saline drainage in the Upper Thurne area, a management plan for Breydon Water - the 12th most important estuary in the UK for birds - and helping wildlife to cope with climate change.

There will also be talks on lake restoration in the Broads, protecting water by Clive Harward, Head of Water Quality and Environmental Performance at Anglian Water, and the value of water to businesses by Barbara Greasley, Chair of Broads Tourism.

To keep up to date with the event via the RSPB in the East’s twitter feed, please use #Broads and #getoutdoors and follow @rspbintheeast

31/01/13

Broom Crown 37

I had a visit to Johnson Boatyard in St Olaves on the Southern Broads yesterday to Survey this vessel for Insurance Purposes. Successor to the successful Continental, the Broom Crown was based on the same hull, but had a restyled superstructure and a significant change to the layout.

Twin v-berths in the forward cabin remained, but the aft cabin enjoyed a centreline double, whilst the settee in the saloon continued to provide an extra double berth. All boats continued to feature interior and exterior helms and sliding doors on both sides of the saloon giving access to the side decks.

Later Crowns replaced the longstanding Perkins engines with 148hp Volva Penta TAMD40As or 158hp TAMD40Bs. This one was unusual and had the Ford 2704-ETS ( 6 Cylinder / turbot’s).

Surveyors comments: Proper little ships these old girls. Layup is very thick so you may find the odd osmotic blister, but this does not usually effect the structural integrity or the value of the boat. Older Brooms boats suffer from window leaks! These leaks usually develop because the seal between the window frame and the fiberglass part of the boat has broken. The break in the seal can be so small that you can't even see it. This is because of the capillary effect, which draws water into the smallest of cracks and more or less acts as a water pump to keep bringing water in. Its also why water can enter at one point and be coming out somewhere else, perhaps two feet away from the source of the leak! To stop windows leaking you may have use a non-hardening caulking so that the caulking can move with the expansion. To deal with this problem, you may have to remove the frames, rebed them and refasten them less tightly than they were previously installeed.

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? Call Insight Marine Surveys Ltd. 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

Freeman 32 Mk II

I had a visit to Norfolk Yacht Agency Yacht Brokers today in Horning on the Northern Broads. They were selling this lovely old classic the Freeman 32 with those familiar rounded lines. There were over 100 built up to 1975, when the Freeman 33 was introduced.



Always worth checking for the original builders plaque behind the fuse board cover- should match the number on the back of most of the draws...

The guys at Ferry Marina are always friendly and helpful... just about to pressure wash the bottom ...

The boat sleeps six, with two berths in the aft cabin, two in the saloon (convertible dinette) and two in a forward cabin. The earlier boats had an open, amidships helm position but in 1972 the boat was restyled, losing the deckline step and gaining an open backed wheelhouse. Later still the wheelhouse became fully enclosed. This one is the 1973 model.

A shallow vee hull, with a long shallow keel, makes the boat suitable for both low river speeds on one engine and for semi displacement performance at sea. Twin diesel inboards of various powers were fitted-usually Ford as in this case or Thornycrofts. (A pair of Ford Sealions in this boat (120HP) should give a speed of 13 to 15 Knots).

Surveyors comments: I really like these old classics. This one had the added benefit of recently being treated for the dreaded OSMOSIS well talked about with the Freeman owners. ( that’s another BLOG!). Check the windows for leaks- they may have to come out and be re-sealed. Generally though- for caravan builders, a good solid boat and a nice 32 will always be sort after.

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? Call Insight Marine Surveys Ltd. 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