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Freedom - Shetland Family Four (1978)


PatrickMullin

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First boat, which has already subjected us to several heart-stopping incidents:

  • Trailer tyre blow-out bringing it from Somerset to East Kent
  • Breaking mooring chains in Broadstairs and playing pinball with the fishing boats in the Harbour
  • Engine failing when moving it to Ramsgate, resulting in a beaching and a lot of swearing

Now safely moored in Ramsgate, and cannot wait to get the damage to the gelcoat repaired and a new engine to actually try fishing off it.

 

It is the cream one with the Shetland 536 decal 

20200922_185647.jpg

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10 minutes ago, PatrickMullin said:

First boat, which has already subjected us to several heart-stopping incidents:

  • Trailer tyre blow-out bringing it from Somerset to East Kent
  • Breaking mooring chains in Broadstairs and playing pinball with the fishing boats in the Harbour
  • Engine failing when moving it to Ramsgate, resulting in a beaching and a lot of swearing

Now safely moored in Ramsgate, and cannot wait to get the damage to the gelcoat repaired and a new engine to actually try fishing off it.

 

It is the cream one with the Shetland 536 decal 

20200922_185647.jpg

Thanks for sharing. Every day is a learning curve with boats. It becomes addictive. 
nice little boat the Shetland , I used to own a 570. I hope you’ve had the transom checked ?

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Just now, Saintly Fish said:

Thanks for sharing. Every day is a learning curve with boats. It becomes addictive. 
nice little boat the Shetland , I used to own a 570. I hope you’ve had the transom checked ?

Transom looks solid to my untrained eye. Will ask the mechanic fitting the new engine to check it with his more experienced eyes though.

Will just be glad to see the relaxing side of boat ownership before too long 🙂

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3 minutes ago, PatrickMullin said:

Transom looks solid to my untrained eye. Will ask the mechanic fitting the new engine to check it with his more experienced eyes though.

Will just be glad to see the relaxing side of boat ownership before too long 🙂

Just check that any old screwed holes etc have been filled properly. They have a reputation for rotting transoms. 
I have a mate who’s just bought a family four this summer, he went down yesterday after 3 weeks and found 2 inches of water in the cabin !! 😬

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1 minute ago, Saintly Fish said:

Just check that any old screwed holes etc have been filled properly. They have a reputation for rotting transoms. 
I have a mate who’s just bought a family four this summer, he went down yesterday after 3 weeks and found 2 inches of water in the cabin !! 😬

Ours seems to gather a couple of inches in the bilge over a week, but seems to be mainly fresh water, so a new cover will be on the shopping list in the not-too-distant future.

Have seen reports of sodden foam under the deck flooring, but not had the courage to cut a hole in ours to check yet. Was hoping to get it to a weighbridge when it is out of the water to see whether it is heaver than it should be first....

A job for next summer may be to investigate under the deck, and to drill a hole in the bulkhead separating the open bilge from the under-deck area so that any water can escape and be pumped out.

 

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4 minutes ago, PatrickMullin said:

Ours seems to gather a couple of inches in the bilge over a week, but seems to be mainly fresh water, so a new cover will be on the shopping list in the not-too-distant future.

Have seen reports of sodden foam under the deck flooring, but not had the courage to cut a hole in ours to check yet. Was hoping to get it to a weighbridge when it is out of the water to see whether it is heaver than it should be first....

A job for next summer may be to investigate under the deck, and to drill a hole in the bulkhead separating the open bilge from the under-deck area so that any water can escape and be pumped out.

 

Do you have a drain plug on the transom ? 
maybe an idea to put on a trailer with blocks at the front so the stern is as low as possible. See what water runs backward . 
@Suzook12 is a knowledgeable chap he has about 12 shetlands and not much he doesn’t know. Also @Geoff is a very knowledgable guy, even if a bit sloth like ! 

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2 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

Do you have a drain plug on the transom ? 
maybe an idea to put on a trailer with blocks at the front so the stern is as low as possible. See what water runs backward . 
@Suzook12 is a knowledgeable chap he has about 12 shetlands and not much he doesn’t know. Also @Geoff is a very knowledgable guy, even if a bit sloth like ! 

There is a drain plug under the transom, which allows for the open bilge to be drained out. My main concern is what lies under the deck, as I cannot see any drain from there, and it does not seem to drain into the open bilge.

The section directly below the engine well is the open bilge:

20200922_142101.jpg

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That's a great starter boat. Good purchase.

Some good suggestions there by Fishy, just take it one step at a time. You'll have plenty of support from the members here and we do love a good boat re-build thread 👍

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May be in the market to remove your old engine for you??

Shetlands too new for me, mine are all single skinned 535's, all one of them lol.....

Still, good starter boats....... Weighbridge will give you a good idea of the under floor state, but transom wouldn't necessarily show. Try hanging on the outboard leg when raised, and try lifting it, if the transom deflects at all then its shot and will need redoing (you would be redoing floor at same time....)

 

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2 hours ago, suzook12 said:

May be in the market to remove your old engine for you??

Shetlands too new for me, mine are all single skinned 535's, all one of them lol.....

Still, good starter boats....... Weighbridge will give you a good idea of the under floor state, but transom wouldn't necessarily show. Try hanging on the outboard leg when raised, and try lifting it, if the transom deflects at all then its shot and will need redoing (you would be redoing floor at same time....)

 

Thanks for the tip regarding the transom. Will give that a go when it is out of the water.

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1 hour ago, Maverick said:

I used to love the Shetland Family Four, great boats.

How come yours has Shetland 536 decals on the side?

No idea. Was sold as a 536 but the plate on the helm says Family Four. It is an early one so keeps the 536 shape and I think the place we bought it from made the obvious assumption.

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