Innehållsförteckning för June 2015 från Practical Boat Owner

More than a decade after the first Sadler 290 was launched, this Stephen Jones-designed twin-keeler is making a comeback. She won’t be in full production, but the first of two new boats is due for completion this summer by former Sadler employee Andy Middleton. Those with long memories will recall that, back in the 1980s, Sadler Yachts were succeeded by Sadler International and later by Starlight Yachts before the involvement of Rival Bowman. After Rival Bowman’s demise, the Sadler Yachts name re-emerged in a collaboration with Rampart Yachts and Ocean Quay Yachts that saw the launch of the new Sadler 290 in 2003 (see the test report in PBO February 2004). By any standards this was a remarkable yacht, offering extraordinary stiffness and a vast amount of space below decks.…

STEP BY STEP Our Jeanneau SO 36i Albatross is a getting a bit full of junk (ie important sailing equipment and spares). To make matters worse, the boat is not wellendowed with cockpit locker space. Also, with so much stuff in the port-hand locker she has developed a list to that side. The heaviest and bulkiest item in that locker was the liferaft. I decided to solve all these problems at once by repositioning the liferaft (in its valise) from the locker to a canister on the starboard pushpit. A canister would cost £50, a cradle to hold the canister would cost another £100 plus, and the fittings to attach the cradle to the pushpit… well, who knows? Furthermore, the whole thing once constructed would be bulky, look awful and…

There’s no question about it: modern gaffers are go. Almost wherever you look around our shores, the number of boats sporting bowsprits, gaff rigs and tan (or perhaps cream) sails is on the increase. The appeal of these classic-style designs with a modern twist is easy to see. They combine echoes of traditional charm with modern convenience and, in many cases, surprisingly good performance to boot. More often than not, people who own boats like this have never sailed with a gaff rig before but enjoy its practicality apart from anything else. With boats of a trailable size, trailing and rigging is generally simpler than with a Bermudan rig because of the shorter spars, lower rig tension and absence of spreaders. The gaff rig’s centre of effort is typically lower,…

According to Vitesse Marine’s Paul Cleverly, the only adhesive that effectively bonds the rubber flanges of aluminium-framed Vetus opening windows is the highly specialised Ergo Zwart 5880. Made in Germany, it costs £35 plus postage, and that’s for just a tiny 20g bottle. Before you cry ‘how much?’, rest assured that Mr Cleverly appears to be correct. Sikaflex and similar PU adhesive/mastics might bond reasonably well to aluminium – and I use the word ‘reasonably’ advisedly – but they ignore flange rubber completely. Two of my Golden Hind 31 Keppel’s window flanges were no longer effectively attached – hardly surprising since they’ve endured 15 years of continual exposure. Therefore, I had to bite the bullet and use the proper stuff. It was that or two new windows, plus the fag…

In the repertoire of sailors’ knots, the monkey’s fist (along with the Turk’s head) is one of the most decorative. It is also one of the most effective ways of adding weight to the end of a rope to be used for a heaving line. In theory, it’s also a relatively simple knot to tie. First, make three or four vertical coils near the bitter end of the rope. These need to be about 20 times the diameter of the rope. Next, an equal number of horizontal turns are made around the middle of the vertical turns. Finally, make another equal number of vertical turns around the horizontal turns but inside the first set of vertical turns. All that then remains is to insert a small, hard, spherical object into…

Mornflake Hot Top Porridge Pots The new ‘Mornflake Top Porridge’ pots feature instant porridge oats with a top hat lid, containing either a single-portion pack of Nutella hazelnut spread or Lyle’s Golden Syrup. All you need to do is to add boiling water up to the line in the main pot, stir, replace the lid and leave for three minutes – then they’re ready to eat. Our testers found the porridge to be ‘creamy, tasty’ and ‘not too runny’. The portions were a good size. The little pots of syrup can be a little messy to open and the Nutella requires a spoon to get it out, but overall this would be a convenient product on board because all you need is a kettle and a spoon. Mornflake Top Porridge…

Have you ever wondered what the result might be if you were to free up the boat designer of a major multi-million-pound boatbuilding corporation from the world of focus groups, market research, spreadsheets and emerging trends, and instead hand him a pencil and paper and ask him to just design a nice boat? The craft you see on these pages is pretty much exactly that. Adam Greenwood was design director for Fairline Boats Ltd, responsible for six- and sevenfigure high-performance yachts. But in 2012 he set up his own company in conjunction with Alan Bowers, himself an ex-Fairline finance director. In a further twist of Fairline synergy, the company’s 12 staff operate from workshops at Oundle Village Marina that were once Fairline factories. But despite the links, the aim was…

A skipper shouts: ‘it’s an old converted ship’s lifeboat,’ as we glide serenely past. Our skipper shouts back, ‘oh no she isn’t !’ The eagle-eyed sailor is referring to the Fairey Fisherman Tuan Mac: the giveaway is her voluptuous curved bow and stern, the flapping slooprigged sails doing little to hide her heritage. However, our story originated nearly 80 years ago when Girl Pat, a careworn 75ft trawler, slipped her lines and set sail out of Grimsby: but instead of making for the Dogger Bank and the busy fishing grounds she turned to starboard once clear of the Humber estuary, heading south. Her errant skipper, ‘Dod’ Osborne, and his makeshift crew were beginning an adventure which culminated in their arrest off Georgetown, the tale making headline news in 1936. The…

It can be nigh impossible to locate (let alone recover) a person who has fallen overboard, but technology is coming to your aid with the proliferation of PLBs (personal locator beacons) in recent years. There’s also been an increase in other products which use AIS to show your location to the vessel from which you’ve just fallen. PLBs and EPIRBs (emergency position indicating radio beacons) are, on the face of it, the same thing. They work in exactly the same way, by sending a coded message on the 406 MHz distress frequency which is relayed via the Cospas-Sarsat global satellite system to the relevant maritime rescue co-ordination centre – that’s Falmouth Coastguard in the UK. The beacon can be located to within 5NM from its initial transmission, but will then…

Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far We pay for your published cruising stories and harbour updates. Email pbo@timeinc.com or write to the address at the top of page 5 When cruising on the north-west coast of Scotland, one of the attractions is getting away from it all and enjoying the freedom of cruising among the Inner and Outer Hebrides. After a few days or weeks of the remoteness which can still be enjoyed among these islands, most people have to start heading home, needing something repaired or simply wanting to stock up on provisions, and they head towards the facilities offered in Tobermory Harbour. Tobermory’s location on Mull, at the northern end of the Sound of Mull, is superb for stopping off whether you are on passage from north, south,…

Two legendary sailors, Jon Sanders and Les Powles, have been elected Honorary Members of the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC). Members attending the 10th OCC annual general meeting voted unanimously to approve Australian sailor Sanders and British sailor Powles for the honour. Events are planned to celebrate their elections in Australia and the UK. Round-the-World sailor Sanders OBE made it into the Guinness Book of Records for his 1981-82 double circumnavigation west to east via the Southern Ocean. In total, he has completed nine circumnavigations, finishing his ninth only a few weeks ago in Fremantle at the age of 75. Powles, an OCC member since 1997 and now aged 90, has sailed the world on the proverbial shoestring. After completing his third solo circumnavigation and returning to the UK, he has…

Email pbo@timeinc.com or write to us at the address on page 5. Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited. Bright spark ■ I enjoyed your Frances 26 article (PBO March), and own the 1996 cutter-rigged Victoria 800 version. Just a note on engines: yes, most were 10hp Volvo or Yanmar, but they were only designed as a sailing auxiliary, never a prime mover against wind/tide/waves. While I understand the fitting of 12/14hp engines and possibly larger to the Frances 26 (aka the Morris 26, Victoria 26, Victoria 800), I have to say there is little engine space and indeed no room for a larger prop in the aperture. This is partly why I converted my Victoria 800 to electric propulsion a few years back. I’m now coming up to my…

Michael Schmidt is one of the most remarkable boatbuilders to have hit the European scene. His career has been varied and successful – and he’s still going strong. When asked how he got under way, Michael replies: ‘I started boatbuilding with C&C yachts in the mid-1970s, where we began production for Europe. In the early ’80s I bought my own boatyard and started building the first prepreg carbon-fibre Admiral’s Cuppers. Our race boats like Düsselboot, Rubin, Pinta, Outsider and Tina-I-Punkt were successful offshore racers and won the Admiral’s Cup and Sardinia Cup. I sailed several times for Germany in the Admiral’s Cup.’ Thereafter, Michael was a successful Westerly dealer for several years. When the Berlin Wall crumbled at the turn of the 1990s, Michael was quick off the mark and…

Great ideas and tips from PBO readers Email your projects and tips to pbo@ipcmedia.com or write to us at the address at the top of page 5. We pay at least £30 for each one published Yanmar GM engines are common and reliable, but one weakness on the rawwater-cooled version is the exhaust elbow, where seawater is forced into the elbow at the engine manifold. Problems occur when hot exhaust gases are mixed with seawater: this is a very corrosive mixture. The elbow has a concentric tube welded inside the outer tube, which forms a water-cooled jacket around the exhaust passage: this weld is very prone to failure. Regular examination and replacement of the elbow is necessary to prevent major engine damage. Failure of the weld at the join of…

In 2007, a fatal accident inquiry report was the trigger for the RNLI’s marine safety manager, Peter Chennell, to instigate a programme of research that would ultimately provide the first conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of crotch straps and be used to influence global standards for lifejacket design. In August 2006, the yacht Ouzo was involved in an incident with a car ferry off the Isle of Wight in which all three crew died. The fatal accident inquiry considered it likely that all three crew members would have been able to survive far longer in the water if they had crotch straps attached to their lifejackets (MAIB Report No7/2007). The Marine Accident Investigation Bureau (MAIB) also made an important recommendation that the British Standards Institute should consider whether a crotch…

There’s more to using a simple hand wood plane than first meets the eye. It’s not just a case of screwing a knurled knob in or out to adjust the blade depth. But by following these few basic tips for setting up your plane properly you’ll be able to achieve the finish you want. To work easily and effectively, the plane blade – or iron – needs to be super-sharp (see ‘Sharpening chisels and plane irons’, PBO April, for how to do this). You’ll also need to ensure the workpiece is securely clamped or against a bumpstop to prevent movement. Common types of plane and their uses WOOD BLOCK PLANE Old but remarkably effective for removing a lot of wood quickly. Lighter to use than a steel plane, but unlikely…

STEP BY STEP The stepped profile of clinker-built boats is immediately recognisable and has been a popular method of construction for over 1,000 years. In more recent times it has been predominately used for small wooden dinghies. However, the method has also been used for an interesting selection of larger vessels including the 7.9m (26ft) Whitby motorboat Le Bateau and the mighty Norfolk Wherries. In a clinker-built boat the planks run fore and aft, with the lower edge of one plank overlapping the outboard side of the upper edge of the plank below it. The planks are fastened to the timbers of the boat and to each other with copper nails which are clenched over washers called roves. A clinker-built boat is comparatively easy to repair because a damaged plank…

Farne Islands The Farne Islands, or Farnes, are a group of 15 to 20 islands (depending on the tide) off the Northumberland coast. This nature reserve, owned and operated by the National Trust, has large seabird and grey seal colonies. Landing on Inner Farne, Staple Island and the Longstone is only permitted for licensed visitor boats from Seahouses. None of the islands can be landed upon by private craft. One anchorage, The Kettle, can be found to the north-east of Inner Farne Island. Be prepared for some tricky pilotage. In good conditions it is a better north-south route than keeping outside the whole group: but the stream runs at 3 knots at Springs, and with strong wind against tide there is rough water. Inner Farne is the most accessible island…

The variety of deck shoe styles has increased dramatically in recent years, with choice now ranging from traditional leather moccasins to sporty trainer styles, canvas loafers and rubber air-vented shoes. Shoes that promise to mimic the barefoot feel are on the rise. Technological advances have enabled shoe manufacturers to claim greater breathability, grip, water drainage, comfort and lightness than ever before. While the traditional deck shoes tend to favour a razor-cut (siped) sole to prevent aquaplaning, many of the new trainer styles encompass this plus waterdispersing channels to free water trapped underneath. Breathable mesh is becoming a common feature as it both airs the shoe and provides water drainage. PBO group test We took to the waters of Weymouth Bay to test 22 pairs of deck shoes from a dozen…

Cruising sailors are rallying together to help the South Pacific island nations left devastated by Cyclone pam. The category five storm hit Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands on 14 March, bringing wind gusts of up to 300km/h (185mph), torrential rain and leaving death and destruction behind. In Vanuatu, the emergency triggered international aid, and many planes have been arriving with supplies. Temotu, the easternmost province of the Solomon Islands, has been as badly affected as Vanuatu, but its smaller population has not triggered an international aid effort, leaving them with little help. Randall Donofrio described via the Bluewater Cruisers Association what it was like to weather Cyclone Pam: ‘Nothing prepares you for 130 knots of sustained winds for a few hours. The wind skipped through the “shrieking” phase and went…

No fewer than 320 sailing venues across the UK will be opening up their doors this May for an extended version of the Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) Push the Boat Out. This nationwide event will see clubs and centres offering free or low-cost sailing and windsurfing taster sessions to encourage people of all ages and abilities to get on the water. This year, Push the Boat Out (PTBO) is expanding to run over nine days instead of the usual weekend. In 2014, the nation’s sailing clubs gained more than 1,000 personal memberships through Push the Boat Out, with more than 500 families also becoming members of the clubs they visited. RYA club support advisor Jackie Bennetts said: ‘We’re delighted to have so many clubs and centres signed up for this…

Send us your local news stories. Email PBO news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825, or write to the address on page 5 SOUTH BOATBUILDING BRANCHES The International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) at Lowestoft has opened a South Coast branch at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It follows a £3.75million National Lottery grant to restore the massive Boat House 4 as a boatbuilding centre, along with a viewing gallery and restaurant overlooking the harbour. The first course started in April in the smaller Boat House 5, and will transfer to BH4 when it is complete. Volunteers are currently building a scaled-up Iain Oughtred design – said to be the first wooden boat built at the dockyard in 50 years. A satellite of the IBTC is also being set up…

Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from PBO readers. Email or write to the address on page 5 and our experts will answer your queries SURVEY AND CORROSION Nip it in the crud? Q I always struggle with electrolysis and anodes, so I would really welcome guidance on the suitability of my Golden Hind 31 Keppel’s anode for the forthcoming seven-month season in seawater. The ‘before’ picture shows the anode I fitted two years ago. Since then it has spent 12 months in fresh water and six in seawater. The anode is encrusted in white crud (spent zinc?), but beneath this there’s a huge lump of crud-free anode. The close-up picture illustrates this more clearly. The ‘after’ picture shows the anode with the crud removed. It looks to…

After retirement, I decided I needed a yacht to keep me busy. I wanted a motorsailer, the 4x4s of the sailing world, and saw a Fisher 25 advertised for sale in the Channel Islands. It was just what I wanted and very reasonably priced. The photos on the internet showed a tired but sound boat so I bought it sight unseen, accepting that I would have to do a lot of work on the hull to restore it to good condition. I subsequently visited Guernsey’s Beaucette Marina to see the boat, which I renamed Daisy Duck, and arranged for a surveyor to inspect it. After a couple of weeks I returned to Guernsey with the intention of sailing the boat back across the Channel to the River Hamble, where I…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR After a boyhood spent punting and motorlaunching around Christchurch Harbour, Trevor Cherrett spent 30 years cruising England’s inland waterways before going back to the sea in his Bristol-built traditional harbour launch Morgana. The Solent is synonymous with more than a century of leisure sailing and boating. Big ports and small harbours fank some of the fnest inshore waters in the country, and thousands of boats criss-cross these coastal waters between Hampshire, Sussex and the Isle of Wight. We all know about the Lymingtons and Bembridges, the Yarmouths and Beaulieu Rivers: but what about Eling Mill or Woodmill, Ashlett Creek or the upper Hamble, Fareham Lake or Langstone Quay? By my count there are around 20 creeks and harbours on the Solent, and all have something a little…

The 4.9m (16ft) Singer Commodore speedboat Miss Singer III illustrates an alternative form of clinker construction, developed in 1930 by Eric See. The outside lapping edge of conventional clinker construction is nearest to the keel or centre line. The projection causes a lot of resistance and skin or surface friction as the boat moves through the water. While studying clinker construction in detail, Eric observed how water was trapped under the plank lands and did not clear the bottom of a conventional clinker motor launch. He realised that the amount of resistance offered by the hull of a clinker-built craft could be reduced by reversing the direction of the overlapping planks, so that the upper edge of each plank would overlap the lower edge of the plank above. The projecting…

STEP BY STEP My No2 boat is a Portabote, and I love its versatility. However, one limitation is its bow cover, which does not provide a lifting, stepping or painter attachment – so I set about producing an alternative. The challenge here was to achieve a reasonable pattern from the rather diffcult shape of the open bow. I quickly decided that a timber unit would be too diffcult, so GRP seemed the solution if I could make a suitable former. Making the cardboard former 1 I used an old cardboard box to wrap the bow, using duct tape to retain the shape with the objective of moulding over this later. 2 The next stage was to glue a stiffener inside with a strut so that I could laminate on my…

Sprayhoods and grab rails Original Boat Owner’s Sketchbook volumes 1 to 5 are now available to download from www.pbo.co.uk/sketchbook priced at £4.95 each. A limited number of printed volumes 3, 4 and 5 of the original Sketchbook series are still available from the PBO Editorial office priced at £3.75 each, or all three for £10. Order yours by calling tel: 01202 440830 or email: pbo@timeinc.com PUZZLE SOLUTION: A, B, C, E, F, G, H…