Delta's Tea-Break Natter (The Lighter Side) 2011

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by delta

I quizzed him about the engine a year or so later and he said he had replaced the engine with an electric motor.Whats all that about

Christ, he must have a long extension lead

[delta]

Gordon. When i was a retained fireman and drove the fire engine i was always leaving the battery charger plugged in. Would get out of the station all the blue'ies and siren's going then there would be a bang and the lead would come flying out. Happy days.Another story as the driver it was your responsibility to make sure the lockers were always locked down. I remember we got called away to a fire somewhere in Reading and this bloke turned up behind me with all the contents out of the rear locker. Very embarrassing

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Christ, he must have a long extension lead

Not only done for silence but more importantly reducing pollution! The Broads have a number of electric boats for hire nowadays and the catamaran that takes people on nature tours is also electric. Would prefer a steam launch myself!

Funnily enough wasn't really into powerboats in late 1960s into 70s as I was racing sailing dinghies, but Joe, we have talked about Albatross before- do remember them as were made in this part of the world! Wood however can look soooo much nicer than aluminium- witness the popularity of Riva and Chris-Craft made from it! My all time favourite is anything cold-moulded from Fairy Marine........

[Colin McKay]

Chris Craft is made of wood? Crikey, bio-engineering's come a long way since Pinnochio.

[compte deGraves]

When I was very young my mother (who was English) took me to the Isle of Wight to be taught to sail. 'Till the day I die I will remember the sight of two Bembridge Redwings as they came into view. Sheer unadulterated beauty and not an electric engine in sight.

[esper]

true on water nothing is better than wind and a sailboat. I wouldnt spoil my pleasure with a B or A series engine!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Colin McKay

Chris Craft is made of wood? Crikey, bio-engineering's come a long way since Pinnochio.

I was referring to 'classic' boats! All Chris Craft were wood until 1955 when they produced their first fibreglass hull. Last wooden one built in 1971.........

[delta]

All this talk of boats reminds me of a few years ago when i looked after Steve Nichol's race cars. He had gone back to McLaren to engineer who ever it was racing at the time. Anyway he took up sailing and bought this racing yacht,after having lessons and a few outing's he entered a race. As he said" had the biggest shunt of his life" when he T boned another yacht.
So that im afraid was the end of his racing in water. About a year later we went karting together and he poped off for an hour ,came back and said he had just bought a narrow boat.AFAIK he has not shunted this one.

[zefarelly]

you can't get a canal boat sideways can you?

THis is one of my favourite boats . . . I lived on one identical in the late 70's called The Marne

[Nick JM]

Looks like one of those modified MTB's or RAF launches. Very pretty.

What's the vote on boats chaps? Are you a rag and stick man or petrolhead?

[Al Weyman]

They have some funny rules on the Broads. A departed mate of mine had a cruiser on there with twin Volvo Penta petrol engines so as you can imagine it was juicy. He wanted to convert to LPG but was told he couldnt have a dual fuel configuration??

[zefarelly]

THere where loads of MTB's in Shoreham, all about 75ft, and half a dozen bigger ones at 115ft, nearly all dissolved now, a shame, there was one of only 2 or 3 mine layers as well, looked like a sub, made of wod, beautiful boats, made good houses too, in summer at least!

no garage or workshop on the river though!

[Mike Bell]

In 1970s when I started out on the housing ladder with a flat close to the river in Thorpe (Norwich), MTB102 languished just 'down the road' after an aborted attempt at conversion to houseboat. She was saved by a local scout group who eventually got her seaworthy again. There is now a charitable trust running the boat which I think is based at Lowestoft.

There is more to the story and the charity website is here

[Nick JM]

What a great story she has mike. Shame one of the engines seized after only about 5 years of being replaced - would that be due to lack of use I wonder?

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Nick JM

What a great story she has mike. Shame one of the engines seized after only about 5 years of being replaced - would that be due to lack of use I wonder?

Quite likely, or maybe poor installation. I remember the excitement locally when 102 was first restored but with twin weedy diesels could hardly reach the broads speed limit! Great to see that she now has some decent power although not quite what the 3 Italian jobbies gave!

And answering your earlier question- for living on would have a trawler yacht unless could afford a massive ocean racer to give similar accommodation. But for adrenalin rush has to be a racing dinghy planing flat out with just the noise of wind and water- plus your and crews whoops of excitement!

[gary396]

Originally Posted by compte deGraves

..... I will remember the sight of two Bembridge Redwings as they came into view....

For a moment there I thought the thread had moved on to bird-watching!

[compte deGraves]

Originally Posted by gary396

For a moment there I thought the thread had moved on to bird-watching!

Philistine!

[Peter Mallett]

Or industrial footwear. I can confirm that these are seriously comfortable.

http://www.redwingshoes.com/footwear/page-3/maxnum-18

[Colin McKay]

Originally Posted by Nick JM

What's the vote on boats chaps? Are you a rag and stick man or petrolhead?

Right, make yourselves comfy, I'm at lunch and can talk about boats all day. Zef, did you know Sally Coates? Mate of mine's sis who also lived on one of the boats at Shoreham, probably 30 years ago, quite a community.

I'll go for anything that floats, even flirted with hovercraft once (actually I was flirting with Mrs M, the British hovercraft GP was our first date!). We've since had everything from a Mirror dinghy to a twin diesel Storebro (bit of a truck but good in a blow). As to whether rag & stick or petrolhead, even in a Fairey Swordfish there's no better sound than when the engines stop, so I guess I'm a sailor.

If I had to hang a favourite tag on a boat it would be the Mirror, for cheap uncomplicated fun with the kids but I could easily be seduced by the Dragon I once crewed in, a real greyhound and just the most elegant lines (if you ignore the 3 blokes in the back...)

Scariest boaty tale - 8 hours becalmed en route to Guernsey in thick fog at night. We could hear the big ships all around us but never saw a single one, I can only presume the radar reflector was working. I aged 10 years that night.

[Peter Mallett]

I like boats too. Was going to buy one a few weeks ago for fishing etc. 24ft with a 140HP Suzuki on the back. Claimed 50knots flat out.

But as I'm now looking to demobilise I changed the plan. There's some reasonable fishing out here but records won't be broken although I was planning to spend my Saturdays trolling up and down the coast. Not to be but maybe on the next trip.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

I like boats too. Was going to buy one a few weeks ago for fishing etc. 24ft with a 140HP Suzuki on the back. Claimed 50knots flat out.

We'll put you down as 'petrol head' then Peter!

[John Turner]

Well talking of boats and other interesting shapes, and I don't want to lower the tone on the Autosport Show thread, this thread with all you reprobates seems a suitable receptacle for such pictorial matter:-

[delta]

One of your better post JT.

[John Turner]

You like boats too, then, Iain?

[delta]

Originally Posted by John Turner

You like boats too, then, Iain?

I like ferries that take me to warmer climates to go motor racing John.