Broom 35 Survey for Sale Carrick on Shannon

Today i was on the South Broads Surveying this classic TSMY (twin screw motor yacht). The 35 European was one of the earlier models to utilise the, now classic, Broom layout of forward guest cabin, midships saloon, aft owners' cabin with en-suite toilet and shower, and the helm on the aft deck. The galley, partly open to the saloon, and a second toilet are between the forward cabin and saloon.

All boats have an internal helm on the port side of the saloon and can sleep from five to seven people, depending on layout variations and the size of the people, with two or three single berths in the forward cabin, two singles in the aft cabin and a single or double on the convertible settee in the saloon. In addition to the door onto the aft deck, the saloon has sliding doors on both sides giving access to the side decks.

Most earlier boats were fitted with twin Perkins H6.354 diesels of either 115hp or 145hp, the latter being turbo-charged, whilst some had 120hp Ford Mercrafts. This example had the 115HP diesels laying on their sides. Most later boats, from 1978(?), were fitted with twin 140hp Volvos which, because they were taller, required the saloon floor to be raised several inches with a consequent change to the saloon roof, which is noticeably more 'cambered' on these later 'Mark 2' boats.

If you are after a Marine Surveyor in Ireland please email me

Maxum US Sports Cruiser for survey

I had this Maxum American Sports Cruiser to take a look at today.

KAD44 Volvo 250HP diesel gives 30mph plus.  

Damaged paint surfaces to stern drives should be sanded down to bare metal and touched up with a suitable primer and top coat, this will help prevent corrosion. I recommend that all sacrificial anodes are checked regularly, failure to do so may cause serious corrosion problems. 

Maxum come from the same stable as Bayliner. They are good boats considering they are built so quickly on a production line. The 2700 is a classic 4 berth american sports boat, 4 good berths with a V in the front which also serves as your dining area and a mid berth under the cockpit separated usually by a curtain.

Maxum tend to use high gloss wood compared to the Bayliner, and are generally considered to be slightly higher quality, but this only really applies to the interiors, and now Bayliner have upped their game, they are pretty much on a par.

With the 2700 there are a few things which are a must. The Radar arch is an option (the big GRP hoop above the cockipt) but the boat looks so much better with one, plus it means the covers work much better when it's rough.

In general, good starter cruisers. 

Stelco 27 for Survey in Horning.

A trip to Ferry Marine this morning and a pre-purchase survey on this Stelco 27. An unusual boat built by the old Stelco team in Norwich on this Falcon hull. A great little weekender, and im surprised there were not more built. 

Wroxham Marine are now located in the boat shed used by the old Falcon Yard, then Stelco, and some of the old crew work at Ferry Marine in Horning.

She is a stylish boat with a surprisingly roomy interior and offers great accommodation for a couple to cruise the Norfolk Broads. She was well built and the systems were typical of the Falcon build. Stelco UK in Norwich un-doubtably employed some good craftsmen at this period who have constructed the boat into something of a prestigious Cruiser.

Haines 350 for Sale River Shannon

Another Haines built cruiser to look at today. The 350 was a successful model from the local boat-builders. Offered as either a river or a full coastal cruiser, with great sea going abilities. Semi displacement hull form, single and twin engine options, en-suite fwd and aft island double berth cabins, and Haines endless degree of choice.

The upgraded 280HP Nanni diesel for sea work. 

Haines Marine are now one of the most respected boatbuilding companies in the UK – indeed throughout Europe.

Aquafibre Opal 28 for survey at Norfolk Yacht Agency

Today i was Surveying this Aquafibre Opal 28 at Norfolk Yacht Agency. She was one of their stock boats. NYA stock vessels are pre inspected by their Service Centre and then prepared for sale.  In most cases their preparation will include a polish, antifoul and engine service where necessary. After handover, the engines and gearboxes are warranted against major faults for 3 months.

Aquafibre were a prolific manufacturer of boat shells - these were then outfitted by a variety of boatyards, including Brooms of Brundall. Unfortunately Aquafibre ceased trading in 2009, marking the end of an era in Norfolk boat building. Aquafibre have been producing Broadland craft since the late 1960s, evolving from designs by Bourne Mouldings, although prior to the wholly fibreglass boats, they were producing Elysian hulls with hand built wooden superstructures. You will often also notice Aquafibre craft badged with different names depending on the outfitter. You will notice firstly the earlier designs only have a length figure, whilst the later designs have 'class' names, and secondly the majority of the designs were produced in two sizes.

Bounty 40 Motor Cruiser

I had the morning at Sutton Staithe Boatyard today Surveying this Bounty 40ft Motor Cruiser. New in 1990, a well laid out 40ft x 12ft centre cockpit, with up to eight berths. Most were built to the standard layout. This included an aft cabin that could be set out as two singles or a double, a twin cabin, bathroom and galley opposite. The raised saloon has a large settee which converts to a large double at night. The forward cabin featured a double with en-suite. The central canopy slides down to make them ideal for all weathers.

As with most models the engine is located aft, on hydraulic drive to minimise noise or needing the cabin layout to accommodate it.

Most recently the model has been produced as the “Silverline 40”, by Silverline Marine of Brundall in spacious 4 berth or original layout design.

Dragon Fly in the sheds for her paint job at Sutton Staithe Boatyard, beautiful.... 

Rinker Fiesta Vee 342 for Survey at Norfolk Yacht Agency

Today's assignment was at Norfolk Yacht Agency in Brundall surveying this Rinker American Sports Cruiser. Rinker Boat Company is one of the oldest names in the US marine industry. They introduced their "Fiesta Vee" line of sport cruisers over 20 years ago in 1986 with the Fiesta Vee 250. This Fiesta Vee 342 continued the company's tradition of offering affordable boats with spacious interiors and an impressive array of standard equipment.

This model was introduced in 1998 as the 330 Fiesta Vee. Slight changes to interior arrangements resulted in a name change, to the 340 Fiesta Vee for the 2000 and 2001 model years. After retooling the deck mold, she became the Fiesta Vee 342 from 2002-2005. In 2006 Rinker dropped their signature "Fiesta Vee" from all their models and she became simply the 342 EC - EC indicating express cruiser. The model was discontinued at the end of the 2006 model year.

The 12-foot beam allows for a spacious and open interior with a few twists on more traditional arrangements. 

Surveyors comments: The hull of the 342 Fiesta Vee is constructed of a combination of chopped strand fibers, hand-laid woven roving fiberglass cloth and polyester resin. Structural member are fiberglass encapsulated wood. For interior components, Rinker uses a single piece fiberglass cabin liner which is set into the hull and secured using adhesive sealants. The decks are fiberglass composites with balsa core and the hull and deck are joined in a shoebox fashion with adhesive sealants and stainless steel screws. The method and quality of construction are typical of other manufacturers of production boats in this size and price range and the 342 Fiesta Vee can be expected to stand up well to normal service. That said, she may not fare as well as more robustly built boats in extreme use or abuse.

Bourne Cruiser for sale

Bourne 35 for sale in Acle. Asking 16k. The Bourne 35 was designed by R.M. 'Rip' Martinsin the early 1960's and built by a Nottingham firm called Bourne Plastics, after the work was turned down by Halmatic. The original order was for twelve hulls, six for R.Moores and six for Herbert Woods, the first hull being delivered in 1962. He then set up the name 'Griffin Craft' to market the hulls. Originally known as the Griffin 35, it soon became known as the Bourne 35^[1].

Aquafibre also moulded the 35ft hull, originally designed by Rip Martins which became the basis of the Aquafibre 35, and a number of old Bourne 35s have been renovated by replacing the wooden superstructure with a modern Aquafibre 35 design.

This example had been used as a live aboard for the last number of years and is ready to go. Email me at steventruss1@aol.com for more info...

Freeman 26 for Survey

I had a trip down to Loddon on the South Broads at Jonathon Greenways yard this morning to Survey this Freeman 26.

Using the same hull as the Freeman 25, the Freeman 26's superstructure was developed from the Freeman 22 Mk2. You can see the return of the step in the deck and the larger cabin windows. The Freeman 26 offers larger accommodation and together with the Freeman 22 Mk2 formed the back bone of what was generally known as the Freeman range.

These craft are essentially a stretched version of the smaller 22 and 23 model. Over 300 were built between 1965 and 1973.
A shallow V hull with long keel allows for easy, slow speed handling. 

Surveyors comments: Its well documented that many of the older Freeman models get some Osmosis. (blistering in the gelcoat below the waterline). Experience has shown that early treatment of osmotic boats tends to be less successful than treatment of vessels with more advanced problems. While this may seem to contradict normal precautionary practice, it has been found that breakdown reactions in GRP laminates take some time to reach their conclusion; and if treatment is carried out prematurely it is much more difficult to remove reactive or hygroscopic compounds from the laminate, with the result that a recurrence of osmosis is much more likely to occur. The overriding factor must always be the integrity and safety of the hull. Osmosis in its early stages is very much a chemical condition, which usually has very little effect on the hull strength. 

Thurne Restricted Class Sailing Cruiser for Survey

I had a trip out to Bungay this morning to Survey this Thurne Restricted Class sailing cruiser, a cabin version of the Yare & Bure One Design (YBOD) or 'White Boat'. They are known for her impeccable sailing performance, both single handed or crewed. With her GRP hull and timber superstructure, she combines the advantages of modern materials and low maintenance, with the grace and beauty of a traditional Norfolk Broads river cruiser. This example was featured in the May/June 1988 Classic Boat magazine article about the Thurne and White Boat classics.

It's understood that she could be eligible for admittance into the River Cruiser Class (subject to scrutinizing, etc.).  

Surveyors comments: Designed by Andrew Wolstenholme and built by Kingsley Farrington, enough said! 

Insight Marine Surveys - Training day in Portsmouth

A group of nearly 30 of us (small craft surveyors -the majority members of IIMS) met at Portchester Sailing Club on Monday 23 March for the first Small Craft Working Group training day of the year.
The agenda for this event looked rather different to previous ones and this was perhaps reflected by the numbers who turned up, in what was the largest such gathering for some considerable time.
The aim of the day was to mix some presentations about business management skills with more specific surveyor training and, judging from the feedback received at the end of the day, the format worked for the vast majority of delegates.

Nearly 30 of us were joined by IIMS head office staff at the SCWG training day, which was held at Portchester Sailing Club. 

It felt like my old Navy Days! A giant US aircraft carrier was anchored off Stokes Bay, Gosport on a five-day visit to the UK. Portmouth has changed so much, and is now very cosmopolitan. 

Pram dingy for sale

Any reasonable offers! 6ft long with oars, light plywood construction... Only been in the water twice! Lovely little tender.🚣