NeilB

That was Sealine. Hanse Yachts brought a couple of the moulds when Sealine went into receivership. Not sure if this would happen to Fairline as they do not have any relatively new designs like Sealine had at the time. The new 53 is just a re-hashed 50 and has received a few negative comments.

Sad news but not unexpected, they have been struggling for a few years now. Several people I’ve known for quite a long time have departed over the past couple of weeks, only one to a new job. I’ve lost count of the amount of CEO’s since Derek Carter left and there’s been 3 different investment groups involved who had no knowledge or experience of the marine world. 3i, Better Capital and lastly Wessex Bristol who’s not really a group, just a single person who no one has managed to speak to!!

Closest I could find Gracie !

I took my mum for a short break last year in the very similar circumstances. We hired San Francisco from Richardson's which is a 35ft centre cockpit and didn't have any issues. Depending on your mothers mobility a centre or rear cockpit boat may not be the best option as they will have internal steps. Do not be afraid of a single level forward drive as they can be very easy to handle single handed especially if you request stern ropes long enough to reach the bow. As you are helming from the bow it's very easy to judge the distance from the bank, grab both bow and stern ropes and step ashore. You can secure the bow rope quickly followed by the stern, once secure they can be adjusted to suit the mooring. Depending on location always ensure you moor against the tide and take account of the wind if it's strong. Personally for a short break I would stay up north. Some yards maybe a little concerned over singlehanded cruising but others have no problem plus it sounds like you have plenty of experience which helps. I'm sure whichever yard you use would be happy to show you a few single handed tips and tricks as they single handle all the time.

Thanks Gracie. Off to wake her up now to go on the school run, just as it starts to rain !!

My wife has been on a training course this week so I've been doing to school run and spending time with my 2 year old. Also cooking, cleaning, ironing etc. Piece of cake - not ! It's surprising how grumpy a 2 year old can get when they have a cold !! When she sleeps though I'm having a browse on this forum along with my other favourite Pistonheads.

There's going to be a 60's theme to this years London Boatshow although I've no idea what this entails yet. If I see anything else I'll let you all know. They have moved Sunseeker to the back wall which is good as the previous layout put a huge block halfway down the hall. God knows if Fairline will be there as they have just called in insolvency specialists and sent letters to all their creditors, including my firm. Clive is exhibiting 2 boats there this year, he's a bit close to the new indoor pool feature so I hope it doesn't spring a leak!! I will be there but only 2 days as it's a dealer show now, Southampton, Seawork and Hillhead are the main ones for us in the UK.

I'll be remembering all of them, in particular one granddad and two great uncles who lost their lives. The great uncles told their younger brother to join the navy as they thought they would not survive. One was killed in 1917, the other died of his injuries in 1919 after the war had ended. He followed that advice and served through both world wars to become the only granddad I knew. What staggers me is their age and the knowledge they could be going to their deaths.

Aquafibre Pearls, now your talking. Just need a few numbers on the lottery!

We had an Alpha 42 the exact same design and layout as Swan Rapid on the Thames. Quality wise I'm sure it's fantastic but in my opinion the design is very poor. The view from the lower helm is diabolical, one of the worst I've seen and I've seen quite a few. You cannot even put your head out of a side window for reversing as they tilt, not slide so are forced to use the outside helm most of the time. This was also poor as it gave me backache due to the position of the seat moulding and steering wheel, we had a few comments about it from hirers. If I remember correctly the folding windscreen hit the throttle when it was lowered, they also had sliding side screens which kept breaking. They didn't have any practical value so we removed the lot. If you stood up from the semi circular seating in the saloon you would bash your head on the ceiling. The saloon was huge but at the expense of sleeping cabin space.

Got a crotch strap on mine, luckily I've never had to test it myself but did watch someone else fall in. Once sure they were safe they had to deflate the jacket as it was restricting access to the safety ladder. Mind you he did have a full ocean spec 275NM jacket on the non tidal Thames. I've got a Baltic which is switchable from manual to auto although it's always left on Auto. The other thing I notice is a lot of people have the buckles very loose, combine that with no crotch strap and you will probably have to swim after your jacket!

Used to live just down the road from Hertford before moving to Warwick 3 years ago so I've had a few day trips on the Lee and Stort courtesy of a friends Seamaster 27. Lee Valley boats used to hire narrow boats but stopped a couple of years ago, now just day boats.

Sorry, searched for 45 for some reason ! 43 is the one next door - http://www.cfsformations.com/ Still looks a little odd though! V8-300 is a new engine and will be about £10K retail cheaper than a D3-200 which buys a lot of petrol !

The website is plastered with VP pictures, including one which finished production 5 years ago !! I can put you in touch with a few UK dealers but the exchange rate is not great so you may get a better deal closer to home.

I've never heard of them and Google is showing some odd results. The address is a mid terraced house, the one with the black 4x4 outside - https://goo.gl/maps/wJJpKWUYvT22 The website has loads of Volvo Penta pictures but they are most definitely not an authorised dealer. If your looking to re-engine your Falcon with a Volvo then try these guys below. Depending which engine / drive you currently have there may be a re-engine package available. Beta do not supply stern drive packages and only go to 150hp, Vetus go higher but have to use another manufacturers stern drive (Mercruiser). Imatech Marin & Industri AB Address: Klangfärgsgatan 4 B City: Västra Frölunda ZipCode: 426 52 Business: 46 31-388 10 00 Fax: 46 31-69 30 72 Email: info@imatech.com

I also hate the time changes. My 2 year old woke up early this morning, 5-30, except it's now 4-30 on a Sunday morning A few, (well 20), years ago this would have been bed time!!

Used to be 5 years on those but was increased to 7 a while ago. I've never heard of one failing but you may find your insurance company insisting on it being changed every 7 years.

I think White Champagne was built in the late eighties, it may have the original engine but probably rebuilt a few times. I wouldn't rely on an hour meter fitted to a hire boat. When we removed, rebuilt and refitted an engine the hour meter was not touched, if it was even fitted. We normally had a rebuilt engine ready and waiting to go in case of a major breakdown during mid season. These were often fitted over the winter and another engine rebuilt in it's place, sometimes even a new engine or two. Towards the end of my time the old Perkins and BMC's were gradually being replaced with Nannis rather than rebuilt.

These are even cheaper!

Wildfuzz, I'll match your 4, and raise you another 4 outboards !!

Hi and welcome, are you the lakesailor from the MBY forum?

Certainly be good to see all 3 airworthy Lancs in formation at some point.

This is the 2nd time I've missed out on one of these trips! Visiting friends that weekend. I'm sure someone will be along shortly though.

Most of them are single engine boats, the US often prefers separate controls for throttle and gears. Or what's left of the gears after treating them like that anyway!

I might have a small bottle of beer but that's about it during the day. Have a few in the evening but I never over do it as you've still got to get back onto the boat at the end of the night! One of our customers fell off the back of a boat late one night in Windsor and sadly drowned, it's always stuck in the back of my mind. Main problem I used to get when single handed was forgetting to visit the boys room before setting off!!