Not so Perfick ................

reedham · April 22, 2014

Time for an update on our boat 'Perfick'! Bad news is that she's still on dry land in our yard and still some way from being ready to go back into the water. The good news is that both engines and drive legs appear to be OK so mechanically she doesn't need much work however the inside is a very different story. Basically we had a panel that came adrift so thought no problem we'll just screw that back on, however it turns out there wasn't much to screw it to. On removing the panel the wood behind it was basically dust and the same on the next panel, and the next and so on. It looks like all of the windows had been leaking for a very long time and all of the wood above waist height was gone. After much stripping out she now looks like this

There is some new wood going back in now but we've still got quite a lot of work. I've completely ripped out the 12v system as being a complete tech head we're going to have something pretty special going back in, think media centre, wifi, 3 / 4G connectivity, remote tracking and fore and aft external cameras that can be viewed from anywhere etc. We've also got a reconditioned 5Kw diesel air heater which will be getting fitted to the engine compartment to keep the noise in the cabin down. All of the windows are out being refurbished at the moment and we're even having a new roof cut for the cockpit area.

One thing I'm pleased about is how the wood band (it probably has a proper name!) around the outside has come up. We had to replace a couple of small sections however the rest was simply sanded back and looks fantastic now. I also bought some nice deep blue anti-foul at the boat jumble the other week and managed to pick up a brand new cream leather drivers seat!

Very much looking forward to getting her back on the water and enjoying my first ever boat holiday hopefully in the next couple of months. I think driving it's going to be a challenge as so far the biggest boat I've driven is a day boat out of Wroxham! Thankfully the very nice people that run the marine company down here have offered to come out with me on the first couple of trips.

MauriceMynah · April 22, 2014

That "wooden band" I know as a "Rubbing strake". Good luck with the project.

SPEEDTRIPLE · April 22, 2014

It`s always nice to see old boats being restored. I saw an old Seamaster 25 (circa 60s) which was for sale, and had literally been fully dismantled with a complete new interior. It looked absolutely stunning inside and out, and this was reflected in a high price, but then it did look just like a brand new boat.

As for being worried about it being a big boat to handle first time, i`m sure there are RYA approved motorboating coarses available on the broads (anybody have any info?) where they can give you full instruction on your own boat, so why not book one of them?. It might even help to reduce the cost of your insurance too.

Regards to all .......................... Neil.