It's home

[Geoff]

As the pre Offshore Outlaws forum members all know,  my project is not a fixer upper, but a new build 18' fast fisher that I started in the early days of Christendom. I have been working on this boat on and off for the last 6 years. The boat was laid up and kept in the yard at my friends fibreglass works. He has just sold his workshop and is moving into smaller premises. Rather than take my boat there I decided that that I would get it home as all the FG work is finished (and has been for a while). The boat is now sitting on its trailer on my driveway. When the weather gets a bit warmer work on her should restart. Watch out Pete - I am sneaking up on you. Geoff.

[Andy135]

Well done Geoff! Now that she's on your drive I bet you'll find it so much easier to plug away at all those little but important jobs to get her finally finished.

See you at the boat meet in July then 😉👍

[Geoff]

27 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

Well done Geoff! Now that she's on your drive I bet you'll find it so much easier to plug away at all those little but important jobs to get her finally finished.

See you at the boat meet in July then 😉👍

Fingers crossed. Geoff.☺️

[Saintly Fish]

Go for it Geoff. 👍🏻

[Geoff]

I did say last year that I would not post any more pics untill I had the boat finished Jon. I will see if I can find a couple to post tonight, and get a couple of up to date pics after I have pressure washed it. I suppose I should post in the show us yer thread, but will leave that until I am water ready. Geoff.

[Geoff]

Found a couple of older pics which have been posted before on the old site and will try to take a couple of new pics at the weekend if nice weather. Geoff.

[Geoff]

I just took a couple of late (wet) afternoon pics of boat and trailer safe and secure (hopefully) on my drive. Geoff. ☺️

[Andy135]

She's a good looking tub Geoff 👍

[Dicky]

What is it? looks like a modern Icelander

[Geoff]

Thanks for your comments Jon. You are quite correct, it is a Fenlander. In answer to the question by Dicky, what is it.  I bought the moulds from a gang of four chaps from Morecambe bay who made the patterns and moulds for an 18 footer and made themselves a boat each. I was really impressed by what they achieved - especially the superb (IMHO) floor matix (my avatar). The boats were designed to take an inboard or outboard motor/engine up to 225 hp. After I started to build the boat I decided that I did not want the engine box of an inboard, and that the outboard well took up far too much deckspace - the solution - a pod mounted outboard. The boat had a small low level windscreen and I felt that it would be far nicer with a semi enclosed wheelhouse. The boat had a self draining cockpit which I thought was great, but it did mean quite a high floor and low freeboard, so I made raised cockpit side and transom coamings. I raised the helm position by about 100mm which enabled me to move the helm forward by 100mm increasing the deck area further. I reduced the double folding door width by 200mm which allowed the passenger seat pod to be moved forward in line with the helm seat. I also made a new raised door hatch cover which slopes and gives a small chart area. I made two other pods in the WH, one for a small dual side seat and the other as a small kitchen pod. The pods are all fitted to the deck with turn bolts and can be removed in a few minutes if desired. I also made a removable rear seat that goes right across in front of the transom and will open out to form a sunbed fro SWMBO.  I designed (had made by titan covers) the canvass WH covers such that they can  all be completely removed to give a nice open boat feeling, just have the sides fitted without the canvass bulkhead with roll up door, fit the bulkhead if cold or overnighting. There is also a tonneau cover which zips onto the rear of the side screens and runs from the top of the WH roof down to the transom and completely encloses the cockpit. I have made various other alterations to the original design, but I am extremely happy with the variations  made to what I thought was a super "must have" boat when I bought the moulds. One of the chaps that has one of the original boats (inboard Mercruiser diesel) saw some pics of my boat and asked if we would  modify his boat to give him the advantages of the WH roof and raised coamings. his boat is partway to being a Fenlander!!! Sorry to have gone on at such length, but I thought it might be of interest to some of you. Geoff.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Geoff

[suzook12]

I would be tempted to remove suspension units if its going to sit there for some time mate

[Geoff]

It's been sitting on them for nearly 5 years now Steve - even when floated it will still live on the trailer. Geoff.

[suzook12]

I mean to stop it going for a drive that doesn't involve you!!

[Geoff]

23 minutes ago, suzook12 said:

I mean to stop it going for a drive that doesn't involve you!!

I see what you mean Steve, thank you. A very fair comment. My friend up at Morecambe bay had his rig stolen from his front garden. He was lucky, the police found it about a week later in a front garden 30 miles away. I do have a wheel lock which I will fit over the weekend and I will think about better security for it. I may remove the tow hitch - the boat is at the end of my drive, close to the road - in fact it backs up to the bus stop!!! Thumbs. Geoff.

[Andy135]

Take a wheel off if you don't take the suspension arms off. Only four bolts but they can't get away without it 👍

[Geoff]

Thanks Andy. Sad that even in a quiet village like ours these steps need to be taken. Geoff.

[Andy135]

3 minutes ago, Geoff said:

Thanks Andy. Sad that even in a quiet village like ours these steps need to be taken. Geoff.

Yep, totally agree. Last summer we had our itinerant friends turn up on our village green. I was glad Apache wasn't on my drive at that point...

[GPSguru]

On 2/5/2021 at 11:23 PM, Geoff said:

I see what you mean Steve, thank you. A very fair comment. My friend up at Morecambe bay had his rig stolen from his front garden. He was lucky, the police found it about a week later in a front garden 30 miles away. I do have a wheel lock which I will fit over the weekend and I will think about better security for it. I may remove the tow hitch - the boat is at the end of my drive, close to the road - in fact it backs up to the bus stop!!! Thumbs. Geoff.

It doesn't matter what you do Geoff, if the Pikey's want it then, the Pikey's will find away of taking it !. However, making life difficult for them tends to put them off and also stops the opportunist thief.

Mine is parked in the driveway with the Jeep parked in front of it, so the drawbar is under the front of the Jeep. The hitch is locked (a feature of the later Knott couplings) and also a wheel clamp is fitted. Additionally, a WIFI CCTV camera keeps a 24/7 eye  on it. I live at the end of a private road with no street lighting, so I also have PIR floodlights in the drive and around the bungalow.

Edited February 6, 2021 by GPSguru

[suzook12]

On 2/5/2021 at 11:27 PM, Andy135 said:

Take a wheel off if you don't take the suspension arms off. Only four bolts but they can't get away without it 👍

These days they will come with a spare(s), which is why I said take the suspension units off 6 or 8 bolts if indy's, jobs a good un. As said, it's about making it difficult to take..... Especially in a small village

[Odyssey]

As we say here....

If a pikey wants it and it’s chained down they’ll take the chain too! 
 

I’m quite glad my boat is not in Cardiff at the moment. As it’s not that hard to get access and have a rummage on boats....

At least Milford haven is manned 24/7 with people who live aboard in the Marina too. 🙂 

[Geoff]

Now that the weather is getting a bit better and the days a bit longer I am trying to do a few jobs and I have spent half the day trying to separate some Carling switches from each other. They are in a row of seven - 5 middle holders and 2 end holders. each holder has a couple of dovetails to the next. they seem to be solid and I cannot remove them and I cannot see any lugs/tags to depress. Does any one have any experience with these switches please as I wish to use them rather than the Chinese panel that I have installed at present due to panel fade. The Carling switches are a far better quality and I would prefer to use them if I can. Thanks Geoff. 

[GPSguru]

 

Here you go Geoff, they are pushed together and can be quite tight

 

[Geoff]

18 minutes ago, GPSguru said:

 

Here you go Geoff, they are pushed together and can be quite tight

 

Thanks Ian. I really pushed hard today, but they seem solid so I thought there was perhaps a tab to depress. I am able to get the switches out, but whilst I could not find anything stopping the holders from separating I just could not shift them. Geoff.

[GPSguru]

10 minutes ago, Geoff said:

Thanks Ian. I really pushed hard today, but they seem solid so I thought there was perhaps a tab to depress. I am able to get the switches out, but whilst I could not find anything stopping the holders from separating I just could not shift them. Geoff.

 

The old trick was to place them on the edge of a table with the one you want to remove hanging over the edge. |Then gently tap to holder to be removed using a a small pin punch right at the join on the table edge ...............

However, in comparison to the price of the switches, the holders are cheap to replace.

You will not find a better switch 👍

 

[Geoff]

Thanks again Ian, I am sure that I could get it apart the way that you have said. As I am swapping a deep narrow panel for a wide shallow panel I had thought that I would run the switches in two shorter tiers. I will have to cover the hole left by the Chinese panel. I have now decided to leave the 7 wide Carling panel as it is and mount a vhf radio (if I can get one at a decent price - new or used) and make a carbon fibre panel to fit them into and cover what is left of the existing hole. I may well fit new activators (switch tops) as they do seem to be available. Geoff.

Edited April 4, 2021 by Geoff