Tuesday 20 November 2012

Seamaster 8 metre refurb



Please feel free to offer any comments, positive or negative, as they are all welcome and i will endeavour to reply to them all ASAP.

SeaMaster 8 Metre

The devil makes work for Idle hands is how the saying goes, and on an Autumn weekend in 2012 he fulfilled his promise in the WillieNelson household.

Sat in the cockpit of our beautiful Freeman 26 I had the strange notion that all the work planned for our cruiser had been done and all that was left was to keep on top of the previous work with cleaning and polishing etc.
The idea of a canal boat is to relax and let the world whizz by at whatever speed it wishes whilst we sit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings, but that is rarely the case.
For most boaters, either a cleaning cloth or paint/varnish brush is never far away, and the smell of canopy cleaner or boat wax fills the air on most weekends.

Having stated that I was in danger of getting bored and I was in need of a 'project', some friends of ours, (we'll call them Candy Cane and Rusty Nail), saw a boat for sale in the next marina to ours that looked like the term 'project' was designed for.
While she was obviously loved by the previous owners for 11 years, a growing family had forced the owners into (I think reluctantly) selling her on.
We had a look and while the structure appeared sound and the engine in good order, the whole thing simply needed a lot of TLC and some elbow grease.
Two weeks later and Cavalier, (a SeaMaster 8 metre), was ours and the work could begin in earnest.

This blog is to chart the 'improvements' as we go.


Here is our previous Freeman 26 in all her glory. 




And her is our 'new SeaMaster 8m feeling very sorry for herself.
Cavalier, as we bought her





After three weeks and many bottles of Dilunet and many sheets of wet & dry, the nasty blue deck paint was finally removed, along with Mrs Nelsons finger tips.
A number of leaks in the cabin were found and repaired, a gentle dip in the blue bow line was added but the hull was badly letting her down.

On our maiden voyage it became apparent that she had an aversion to turning left, having three left turns into her berth, mooring her was a feat in itself but we persevered and success followed, (without hitting anything), it was obvious the rudder needed checking.
There was nothing else for it but to have her out to check the rudder for damage and the hull for structural integrity.


Out she comes














The rudder and steering needed no more than adjustment, presumably due to a previous whack on the rear end but as for the exterior, cleaning, buffing and polishing was in order.

Father in Law kindly added the exterior wood for us to my own design based on the SeaMaster 27, corner fenders added, hull repainted with antifoul, blue lines repainted to the darker 'Brittania blue' and the name added to the stern.






Slightly altered bow line drop as per Mrs Nelson's instructions






Interior


Inside the boat things didn't look too bad, the cockpit seating was very old and in need of replacement and the old, inoperable fridge was simply in the way, making the large cockpit feel smaller.



Having done away with these, and replaced with new Navy Blue little numbers, the pale blue carpet was removed and replaced throughout with a good quality dark brown coloured carpet, cut to each floor section for engine/under floor storage access, and a good quality sound insulation added.
Perkins 4107's are solid and reliable but a bit noisy with the canopy up.



I installed a Waeco iu152 battery conditioner/management system with remote control enabling me to locate it under floor and still see the battery conditions at a glance.  A great system that works very well even over the cold winter months.

An invertor installed for the weekends out of the marina, and an Ebespacher night heater fitted for heating when electric is unavailable.

Three very simple jobs which took approximately 10 hours each!  You don't get a second chance when drilling holes in boats, so it's better to measure twice, or three times, and cut once.

White vinyl upholstery probably looked clean and fresh when new but the years had taken their toll.
Vinyl is cold to sleep on and time has removed all padding from the foam.  All cushions removed and sent to the upholsterer for refurbishment.  Due back any time soon.






Curtains were yellow originally but in need of a freshen up.  Also removed and awaiting replacement.




Next on the list is to return her to the water and replace some damaged wood on the cockpit sides, along with new side plates that originally came in white plastic but we have gone for a more modern stainless steel set, not cheap to buy but should show a huge improvement when fitted.










5 comments:

  1. Hi dad I think you are doing a great job on destiny and I look forward to cleaning it with you!!! I think the back cabin looks amazing and I think the front will be Evan better!!!

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  2. Dad I think you have done a great thing and I hope you love destiny it's amazing

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  3. Hi daddy im sad to hear she's going but the memories are stilling our hearts

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  4. Hi, just stumbled across this (my wife and I are looking for a Seamaster 8m). Coincidentally our little dog is called "Destiny", sad to complete a project and sell it so soon. Best wishes David

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  5. Is it for sale or breaking up regards seamarster 8 meter my email address korgroland2@gmail.com regards

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