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Hi Rory,
Welcome to the tribe. Delighted to hear that you’re actively looking for one of the boats. I have over the years, owned a Titania, a 31 and now A1 (and no, she’s not for sale!). I spent several years gradually bringing the Titania up to scratch, sailing her during the summer months and working on her during the winter. I was working full time then, but she took me far and wide from north east Scotland where I lived at the time – including trips to Norway and Holland. Great boat if you’re not in a hurry. The 31 was a project and took two full years to bring her up to where she could be safely sailed. I bought her as a bare shell with a defunct engine and no rig. She needed pretty well everything, but we got there in the end and I enjoyed two good seasons with her, including a circumnavigation of the UK with the Cruising Association in 2005.
Then four years ago, I decided to restore A1 “Atalanta” which had been languishing in an Essex car park unwanted and unloved. She was launched last August, the first time afloat for almost 30 years.
You could say I’ve “form” when it comes to the marque. Other just shake their heads in pity! But once bitten…………
If you’ld like to chat, please let me know. Meantime, best of luck with the search – you won’t regret it!
Best regards,
Mike (Dixon) Commodore
Seems to be a lot of springs in there Doug. Not sure what they’re all supposed to be doing. Would echo Nick’s idea of having a comparison look at one of the other hubs.
Cheers, Mike
Despite my own technology problems in linking up with you at the bar, can I just say a huge thank you to Nick – for coming up with the idea in the first place, his perseverance with the trial runs, the event itself – and of course, the brilliant ongoing work with the website.
Cheers Nick!
Mike
Good trip up to Windermere and, for once, the weather good! Arrived in time to ‘have’ a sail, launching at Ferry Nab, round Belle Isle on the west side, round the top of the island and back down through Bowness Bay. Landed for old times sake at Fallbarrow – just south of the boat museum.
Forecast for tomorrow looks cloudy, but ought to stay dry. Look forward to meeting up.
Cheers, MikeSo pleased we can all meet up. Sheila and I will be ‘travelling’ up to the Lakes on Friday, towing “Teal”. We have a B&B organised for the weekend and will be launching “Teal” from Ferry Nab. So we’ll ‘have’ two boats there on the Saturday all being well. Fingers crossed for a good forecast, though knowing my luck in the Lakes………….
“Teal” is just about ready for the trip north. Picture taken in the front garden just before the B***** lockdown….
Cheers, Mike
What’s in a name – or colour for that matter?
This thread co-incided with an article I was reading last night, written by Tom Cunliffe. He was expounding on a trip in fog and relates that all mariners need to heed the five “L’s” – latitude, log, leadline, lookout and not to be forgotten, trust in the Lord!
So with this in mind, I guess it does no harm whatsoever to appease the Gods, so changing a boat’s name or painting it green (and other bits of folklore) are probably best avoided.
Having said that, I was forced to change the name of the Titania (to Gellie) as the previous owner wanted to keep her name for his new boat. When I sold the boat, the new owner chose to change the name again, so I elected to change the name of A31/4 to Gellie.
As to colour, Atalanta was originally painted green by Faireys and I have chosen to repaint her in the original colours. Only time will tell, but as she started out pained green all those years ago, she isn’t doing so badly so far.
As to big ships – the best one I ever sailed on was pale eau de nil green. The most depressing ship I ever sailed had a black painted hull and as far as I know, never changed her name.
Dom – we need to swing the lamp sometime!
Mike
Thanks “AOA Keymaster” – I’ve watched the youtube – useful variation on the Will Sterling method – but needs three people instead of two. Not sure if I can get a third person right now!
Thanks again,
Mike
Thanks Nick,
I’ve had a look at the two websites you mention. Teamac fine but short on detail. Classic Boat article by Will spot on and do-able except I don’t (strictly speaking not allowed to at the moment) want to get the dingy’s bottom wet. All right for loo roll, but the bottom is bare wood.
Any more ideas out there?
Thanks
Mike
Be great to see you both. Nick’s given the current list of names. Only addition I have is a positive response from Bill K in Fife. So it’s beginning to look like it’s all coming together!
Mike
Doug (and others),
There are as many ways to remove a trailer, so as to remove keels, as there are trailers. Rather than give a definitive course of action, please be guided by the good points made in several articles. Stating the obvious I appreciate, but the boat weighs in excess of two tones; you can’t be too careful. If it all goes pear shaped, not only could it kill you, but at the very least it would seriously spoil your day. Some questions…………..
Can the boat be lifted from above, in slings, using chain blocks slung from strong rafters/beams?
Can you get side access with a suitable fork lift truck?
Will the use of beer barrels provide a safe and secure platform at ‘each corner’?
Can you get to both sides of the boat and can you perform the lifting operation without EVER going underneath the boat?
Can you ensure that the lifting operation is done in small incremental lifts, one end at a time, such that the boat remains more-or-less level fore and aft – and more crucially – side to side?
Can you ensure that there is a back up supports, so that if the (for instance) beer barrel slips, the boat will only drop a very small limited distance?
Are the scantlings up to the job – i.e. jacks, beams, supports etc? Remember the two tons?
Once the boat is up to the necessary height, build really good sturdy pillars to support the weight of the boat. You are going to be working on the keels, inside and up on top of the boat and the last thing you need is for the boat to be wobbling and teetering about whilst your up there working. A1’s pillars were built beneath the two main bulkheads at either end of the keel boxes and were offcuts of oak, approx 15 x 15 cms in section and 60 cms long, stacked in pairs with each layer at right angles until the height had been achieved. There were four pillars, with a very stout beam between each pair. Don’t forget wedge pieces between the beams and the hull so the boat remains upright. I also placed two sturdy posts, with suitable wedges, beneath each end of the boat, one propping up the skeg and the other beneath the fore foot. Beer barrels won’t cut it.
As to height –
a) For general maintenance, the higher off the ground the better. Removing paint/anti-foul from underneath is not the best job in the world – lying on your back makes it even worse. A1 was approx 75 cms off the ground; I modified one of these plastic chairs by removing the legs and using the bucket seat and back. With my legs stuck out in front, I had a seat to sit on (albeit just about on the ground) but importantly, a rest to support my back.
b) For removal of trailer – make sure there is adequate clearance, particularly the after trailer chocks. Don’t be tempted to think “that looks all right, I’ll give it a go.” It just needs one snagging and potentially the whole edifice comes tumbling down. Wouldn’t be the first time……………
c) For keel removal, a metre ought to be fine, probably less
d) If you’ve jacked the boat up to give good clearance for trailer removal, then the boat will be high enough for keel removal and general maintenance.
A final thought – my experience is that one knowledgeable assistant is excellent. More than that and you end up with the old conundrum of too many chiefs etc……………….
Good luck – take it slowly. I don’t think we’ve lost anyone yet……………..
Mike
Hello Stephan,
I’ve fitted a Beta 14 to A1. I could have fitted a Beta 12, but as it’s exactly the same size as the 14, I chose the latter. The 14 revs higher – hence the greater HP output. Run for the first time last Tuesday – seven hours, sweet as a nut. Hard to tell just yet, but appears to be just a tad over one litre per hour at 1800 revs through a 2:1 gearbox. This gave us 4.5 knots through the water. No doubt that higher revs more than possible – higher fuel consumption but 6 knots easily.
Cheers, Mike
Hi Fraser, Agba veneer: Robbins will supple 3mm and 4mm thick ex stock. I have used both extensivley in the retoration of A1. I juggled the thicknesses so that I had the correct end thickness, fairing off the final (outermost) veneer to the same thickness as the surrounding sound original veneer. The original veneer was thinner than when the boat was originally built, as it had been rubbed down over the years and ‘lost’some of its original thickness. Has worked out well. I chose to add an extra layer of veneer over the whole deck area inside the toe rails – a) to cover up all the repairs I had carried out, b) to alleviate the sponginess and bounce in the deck, and c) because the entire deck area was varnished originally and I wanted to bring the boat back to its original state if possible.
I have not heard of 2mm thich Agba having beed used on Atalantas; it would have been imperial measurements anyway. Most likely the outer veneers had been rubbed away as previously suggested.
It’s a laborious job – I used approx 6 off 8ft x 4ft sheets in total – but now really sound – and finding out next week when the boat is due for launching after almost 30 years!
Good luck with the repairs
Mike
Dear Stephan, Lots of really good advice from Nick, Trevor and Chris which I’m not going to repeat – but only to endorse the theme running throughout – namely the Atalanta is a lightweigh boat and adding weight will seriously affect performance. Which may be perfectly acceptable?
We took our boat (not an Atananta) to the Med and fitted just about all the equipment you mention. As a rough calculation, the additions probably added in excess of half a ton to the displacement. Not so much of a problem when the displacement was 11 tons to begin with, but as an Atalanta starts out at 2 – 2 1/2 tons, adding any weight ought to be carefully considered. Just as us carrying excess weight weight around doesn’t do our bodies much good!
I hope you get some thoughts from Alistair (MARY) – he took his boat doiwn through the French canals to the Med. In any case – very best wishes!
Mike
Builders’ plaques update. I have taken delivery of a modest number (only 5) of replica plaques. They are not identical, but as they’ll never appear alongside the originals, a blind man on a galloping horse etc etc………….. They are not cheap, but then I didn’t expet them to be given their exclusivity. I’ll contact those who have said “Yes please” and see if they are still interested.
Aye, Mike
Hi Simon,
Don’t have the plaque to hand – away at the engravers. Will let you have the dimensions when I can.
Mike
Thanks to Nick, the pattern is with the engravers at the moment, but with no date for delivery. Will be in touch!
Mike
Hi Ray, Well done on buying an Atalanta – it will probably bring you pleasure and frustration in equal measures – but that’s the joy of owning such a unique boat!! Good to have you on board – don’t hesitate to get in touch if needs be.
Mike
Hello Robbie,
Just to say that serious moves are afoot to have a small number of replica Builder’s plates manufactured. Don’t know what the cost will be, but are you still interested?
Mike
Hi Doug – very pleased to hear that acquisition is getting closer! Regarding “shed within a barn” suggest you give me a call – number in the year book. Email address ought to be good too – I notice the entry in the yearbook has been underlined which might give the impression that some or all of the email address is underscored. It isn’t! Hear from you soon.
Mike
Hi Doug – the short answer is no – but……………….you must have a large waterproof shelter. When I say large, you’ll need as a minimum of three feet clear round all sides and ends of the boat plus a good clearance overhead as well as beneath the boat. Then you’ll need room for tools and “stuff”. Having a tarpaulin structure will be fine, but security issues will have to be considered. The other major consideration is power – yes, you can achieve all repairs etc using battery powered tools, but there’s nothing to beat having mains power available for lighting and, in the depths of winter, a bit of heat. But access to a secure barn like structure will bring peace of mind. I’ve rented a ‘barn’ for A1’s restoration at a cost of £100 (including power) per month – worth every penny!
Good luck! Mike
Thanks Nick for your input.
The electrical bonding solution seems to me to be the way to go. The three books on boat electrics all seem to advocate this approach as do a couple of magazine articles. I must admit that I hadn’t come across the inclusion of sea cocks, but it does seem to make sense – but I wonder that if the sacrifical anode is at the after end close to the propeller, will that self same anode also protect the head’s sea cocks 20 or more feet away?
I look forward to getting further views. Once I have made up my mind on what solution to adopt, I’ll let you know. I must say though, that my knowledge of the physics involved just about copes with the elecrical bonding solution, but eyes start to glaze over when stray currents, lightships and galvanic isolators are introduced.
Mike
To coin a ‘yooff’ phrase – awesome. I fear that my efforts pale into insignificance – so, no, I’m not about to get into the whole camera, video etc thing. Nick and I have had tentative talks about what I could do though. Mike
Truly great to be there even though it was just for the Saturday. My thanks to Richard and Dom for their hospitality on board “Colchide”, to Nick for the considerable general organisation and to Mike and Sarah for the delightful evening at the Scout Hut.
And not least, to the owners and crews of the four boats who made the trip to West Mersea. Whilst not a record, having the four boats there demonstrated that the decline in numbers has been halted and possibly just reversed.
Mike
