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45’ centre-cockpit, ferro-cement ketch rigged sailing yacht - project
Estimated price for orientation: 10 000 $
Category: Sailing Boats
Class:
Description Condition: Used: An item that has been previously used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition Year: 1981 Type: Cruiser Rigging: Ketch Keel: Fixed Length (feet): 45 Engine Type: Single Inboard/Outboard Beam (feet): 12 Engine Make: Perkins Hull Material: Ferro-Cement Primary Fuel Type: Diesel
This is an incredibly well built 45’ centre-cockpit, ferro-cement ketch. Although ‘amateur’ built, David Holbrook, the original owner/builder worked for the well-respected Camper and Nicholsons boatyard. David was meticulous in ensuring that his own boat was built as well as possible. Although David has now passed, he has written a nice report of his construction technique which is confidence-inspiring. Someone came up to me in the boatyard, while I was painting Sunbow’s hull and said that he had known David and spent time aboard Sunbow with him. He told me that David was proud of the fact that when it was time to plaster Sunbow’s hull, the plasterer he hired said that Sunbow’s steel armature and mesh was the best constructed he had ever seen.Sunbow’s hull strength was demonstrated when the second owner (from whom we bought her) struck an uncharted rock near Majorca. Although the damage needed repairing (for which the full report is onboard), she hadn’t leaked. From the photos of the damage, it looks like the rock was struck at a fair speed. I wouldn’t fancy trying that with a fibreglass hull.She’s not a slow girl, either. We were told that on her last voyage, across the Bay of Biscay and back to the UK South Coast, took only 3 days at an average speed of 11 knots. I can’t confirm this, but I have no reason to doubt it.Here is a link to a scanned copy that I made of the owner’s manual, which was written by David when he sold Sunbow to the guy we bought her from in 1992. A lot has been changed in those years, so don’t pay attention to the listed equipment, or how all the systems work, but I think this document nicely shows what kind of man built Sunbow, and all the details about her construction and vital statistics are obviously still relevant:Once she’s ready to go, this will be a hugely capable boat. She will be able to take you anywhere with comfort and confidence. Plus, she has the tankage for you to remain self-sufficient for extended periods.If she’s such a great boat, why are we selling her? Settle in and I will tell you everything. We’re running a full-transparency, complete-honesty sale here. If I have missed anything out, ask away and you will get nothing but the truth from me. We just need to get our lives back because we’re now stuck paying boatyard fees for a boat we can’t use.We were unfortunate enough to buy Sunbow under the false impression that she was ready to put to sea, “needing just a lick of paint on the hull and deck". That wasn’t the case!We bought her following an incredibly strong recommendation from a yachtsman friend, who’s experience is far beyond ours and who we trusted deeply. We shouldn’t have done that. We also had the word of the previous owner, who was a true gentleman. However, he hadn’t used Sunbow since she was sailed back from Majorca, 8 years previously, so his impression of her was massively out of date. He didn’t lie to us, but neither did he know the truth. We learnt to “trust no one” and should have made a thorough assessment for ourselves, including taking her for a test sail, before blindly accepting recommendations. More fool us.Anyway, once we had hauled her out and started the painting, we found that there were several problems which mean that we can’t take her to sea. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a big problem for us and we would have resigned ourselves to fixing her up, but the only reason that we sold our old boat, which needed lots of work doing, was because we have been lucky enough to be gifted with our first child, a lovely little girl. We didn’t want to spend time apart as a family, as someone would need to look after the baby while the other person slogged away alone down the boatyard, so we bought Sunbow as our family home, expecting to simply move on and start creating many happy memories onboard.We have now used up the money that we had, trying to get Sunbow ready to sail, so are living with my parents while we try to figure out what to do next. The frustrating thing is that there isn’t actually too much more work to be done in order to unlock this beauty of a boat.The biggest piece of work that we have done is replacing the aft-cabin top. This had succumbed to rot, having been left for so many years such that when small leaks started, they weren’t fixed and the ply slowly began to deteriorate. We were lucky enough to be helped with this job by our daughter’s godfather, who is a professional marine carpenter employed by Sunseeker in Portsmouth. We bought top-quality materials and he put it all together, so we know it has been built to last.AccommodationThe accommodation offers up to seven berths in three cabins. There are two single bunks in the forepeak, a double berth in the separate aft cabin, a single berth in the aft cabin which forms a seat when not in use and the saloon table can be lowered to make a spacious double as well. Headroom throughout is very generous, owing to the builder’s tall build and lack of desire to stoop below decks! Galley amidships to starboard equipped with a Plastimo Neptune 2000 2-burner gimballed gas cooker with grill and oven (door seals replaced 2017), stainless steel sink, Boatman dual-fuel stove, cool box (under furthest aft saloon bench) and ample storage. Separate heads compartment forward to port with marine toilet, washbasin and shower. Pressurised hot and cold water supply throughout via calorifier and shore-power immersion heater.Mechanical SystemsLocated under the cockpit sole, Perkins 4/236 M. Lowline. 75 HP diesel engine (overhauled in in Marjorca before being sailed back to the UK). Freshwater cooled via heat exchanger. Single lever controls with electric start. Shaft drive with fixed 3-bladed propeller.Electrical SystemsThere are two separate electrical systems - one 12V and one 24V, with a common earth. Each system has its own alternator, regulator and batteries. There is a separate engine-starting battery. Shorepower system with RCD breaker, ring mains with 7 sockets, battery charger and immersion heater for calorifier. 12v Distribution panel. Battery voltmeter.Sails & SparsMasthead rigged ketch. Deck stepped silver anodised aluminium masts and booms. Stainless steel standing rigging. Slab reefing mainsail. Headsail furling system.Deck EquipmentCQR anchor with chainElectric anchor windlassSteel pulpit, pushpit and stanchions Stainless steel guardwiresStainless steel davitsStainless bollards on aft deckFixed, wooden wheelhouse with removable white windscreen coversBlue cockpit coverVarious warps and fendersNavigation EquipmentSafety EquipmentFire extinguishersFire blanket2 x horseshoe lifebuoysLiferaftAutomatic bilge pumpAdditional EquipmentHard bottomed RIB tender with 15HP Yamaha outboardDimensionsLOA: 44.9’ (13.69 m)Beam: 12.4’ (3.78 m)Draught: 6’ 2” (1.88 m)Displacement: 22 tonsConstructionHull and decks: ferro-cementCabin tops: 2 layers marine ply and epoxyKeel type: long keel with 5.5 tons steel ballast encapsulated in the trough keelSteering: wheel steering to keel-hung rudderCockpit: centre, self drainingTanksFreshwater: approx 900 litres, built into the hull + auxiliary reserve plastic tank of at least 100 litresDiesel: Plastic tanks installed by previous owner replace the original built-in tanks. Originally approx. 1300 litres, the new capacity will be somewhat reduced due to the plastic tanks being oblong and not following the curve of the hull.Known issues:The rudder doesn’t work. We discovered this after hauling her out. We have done most of the work of building a new one. Both my wife and I have taken welding courses for when we owned a steel boat, so we fabricated the stainless steel framework ourselves. We have also cut and glued the two plywood halves together. What is left to do is route out the ply so that the steelwork fits into it, glue the halves together and then fibreglass the outside. You will almost certainly want to get a new tiller-arm fabricated, as the existing one is very rusty. This links the steering system to the rudder stock.The forward cabin leaks. It hadn’t got as far as the aft cabin, but it will need some remedial work to stop the leaks. We were considering replacing it when we got somewhere warm with predictable weather.I don’t think the VHF works. I have turned the radar on and it seems to be working, but I have never used a radar before and while sat in a boatyard surrounded, there’s obviously all sorts of noise. I was planning on testing it when we got out on the water.Recent improvements:New aft cabin top, complete with solar extraction vent and new portlightsNew hard Jotun Racing anti-fouling, applied over Jotun Vinyguard primer after carefully taking old paint back to bare concreteNew anodes all roundNew dual-fuel Boatman stove installed in saloon, complete with fire-safe boards behind tiles,stainless steel insulated flue system and back boiler which can be connected to the hot water systemPaint purchased to do top-sides and decks (just not been applied)
Description
| Condition: | Used: An item that has been previously used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition | Year: | 1981 |
| Type: | Cruiser | Rigging: | Ketch |
| Keel: | Fixed | Length (feet): | 45 |
| Engine Type: | Single Inboard/Outboard | Beam (feet): | 12 |
| Engine Make: | Perkins | Hull Material: | Ferro-Cement |
| Primary Fuel Type: | Diesel |
This is an incredibly well built 45’ centre-cockpit, ferro-cement ketch. Although ‘amateur’ built, David Holbrook, the original owner/builder worked for the well-respected Camper and Nicholsons boatyard. David was meticulous in ensuring that his own boat was built as well as possible. Although David has now passed, he has written a nice report of his construction technique which is confidence-inspiring. Someone came up to me in the boatyard, while I was painting Sunbow’s hull and said that he had known David and spent time aboard Sunbow with him. He told me that David was proud of the fact that when it was time to plaster Sunbow’s hull, the plasterer he hired said that Sunbow’s steel armature and mesh was the best constructed he had ever seen.Sunbow’s hull strength was demonstrated when the second owner (from whom we bought her) struck an uncharted rock near Majorca. Although the damage needed repairing (for which the full report is onboard), she hadn’t leaked. From the photos of the damage, it looks like the rock was struck at a fair speed. I wouldn’t fancy trying that with a fibreglass hull.She’s not a slow girl, either. We were told that on her last voyage, across the Bay of Biscay and back to the UK South Coast, took only 3 days at an average speed of 11 knots. I can’t confirm this, but I have no reason to doubt it.Here is a link to a scanned copy that I made of the owner’s manual, which was written by David when he sold Sunbow to the guy we bought her from in 1992. A lot has been changed in those years, so don’t pay attention to the listed equipment, or how all the systems work, but I think this document nicely shows what kind of man built Sunbow, and all the details about her construction and vital statistics are obviously still relevant:Once she’s ready to go, this will be a hugely capable boat. She will be able to take you anywhere with comfort and confidence. Plus, she has the tankage for you to remain self-sufficient for extended periods.If she’s such a great boat, why are we selling her? Settle in and I will tell you everything. We’re running a full-transparency, complete-honesty sale here. If I have missed anything out, ask away and you will get nothing but the truth from me. We just need to get our lives back because we’re now stuck paying boatyard fees for a boat we can’t use.We were unfortunate enough to buy Sunbow under the false impression that she was ready to put to sea, “needing just a lick of paint on the hull and deck". That wasn’t the case!We bought her following an incredibly strong recommendation from a yachtsman friend, who’s experience is far beyond ours and who we trusted deeply. We shouldn’t have done that. We also had the word of the previous owner, who was a true gentleman. However, he hadn’t used Sunbow since she was sailed back from Majorca, 8 years previously, so his impression of her was massively out of date. He didn’t lie to us, but neither did he know the truth. We learnt to “trust no one” and should have made a thorough assessment for ourselves, including taking her for a test sail, before blindly accepting recommendations. More fool us.Anyway, once we had hauled her out and started the painting, we found that there were several problems which mean that we can’t take her to sea. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a big problem for us and we would have resigned ourselves to fixing her up, but the only reason that we sold our old boat, which needed lots of work doing, was because we have been lucky enough to be gifted with our first child, a lovely little girl. We didn’t want to spend time apart as a family, as someone would need to look after the baby while the other person slogged away alone down the boatyard, so we bought Sunbow as our family home, expecting to simply move on and start creating many happy memories onboard.We have now used up the money that we had, trying to get Sunbow ready to sail, so are living with my parents while we try to figure out what to do next. The frustrating thing is that there isn’t actually too much more work to be done in order to unlock this beauty of a boat.The biggest piece of work that we have done is replacing the aft-cabin top. This had succumbed to rot, having been left for so many years such that when small leaks started, they weren’t fixed and the ply slowly began to deteriorate. We were lucky enough to be helped with this job by our daughter’s godfather, who is a professional marine carpenter employed by Sunseeker in Portsmouth. We bought top-quality materials and he put it all together, so we know it has been built to last.AccommodationThe accommodation offers up to seven berths in three cabins. There are two single bunks in the forepeak, a double berth in the separate aft cabin, a single berth in the aft cabin which forms a seat when not in use and the saloon table can be lowered to make a spacious double as well. Headroom throughout is very generous, owing to the builder’s tall build and lack of desire to stoop below decks! Galley amidships to starboard equipped with a Plastimo Neptune 2000 2-burner gimballed gas cooker with grill and oven (door seals replaced 2017), stainless steel sink, Boatman dual-fuel stove, cool box (under furthest aft saloon bench) and ample storage. Separate heads compartment forward to port with marine toilet, washbasin and shower. Pressurised hot and cold water supply throughout via calorifier and shore-power immersion heater.Mechanical SystemsLocated under the cockpit sole, Perkins 4/236 M. Lowline. 75 HP diesel engine (overhauled in in Marjorca before being sailed back to the UK). Freshwater cooled via heat exchanger. Single lever controls with electric start. Shaft drive with fixed 3-bladed propeller.Electrical SystemsThere are two separate electrical systems - one 12V and one 24V, with a common earth. Each system has its own alternator, regulator and batteries. There is a separate engine-starting battery. Shorepower system with RCD breaker, ring mains with 7 sockets, battery charger and immersion heater for calorifier. 12v Distribution panel. Battery voltmeter.Sails & SparsMasthead rigged ketch. Deck stepped silver anodised aluminium masts and booms. Stainless steel standing rigging. Slab reefing mainsail. Headsail furling system.Deck EquipmentCQR anchor with chainElectric anchor windlassSteel pulpit, pushpit and stanchions Stainless steel guardwiresStainless steel davitsStainless bollards on aft deckFixed, wooden wheelhouse with removable white windscreen coversBlue cockpit coverVarious warps and fendersNavigation EquipmentSafety EquipmentFire extinguishersFire blanket2 x horseshoe lifebuoysLiferaftAutomatic bilge pumpAdditional EquipmentHard bottomed RIB tender with 15HP Yamaha outboardDimensionsLOA: 44.9’ (13.69 m)Beam: 12.4’ (3.78 m)Draught: 6’ 2” (1.88 m)Displacement: 22 tonsConstructionHull and decks: ferro-cementCabin tops: 2 layers marine ply and epoxyKeel type: long keel with 5.5 tons steel ballast encapsulated in the trough keelSteering: wheel steering to keel-hung rudderCockpit: centre, self drainingTanksFreshwater: approx 900 litres, built into the hull + auxiliary reserve plastic tank of at least 100 litresDiesel: Plastic tanks installed by previous owner replace the original built-in tanks. Originally approx. 1300 litres, the new capacity will be somewhat reduced due to the plastic tanks being oblong and not following the curve of the hull.Known issues:The rudder doesn’t work. We discovered this after hauling her out. We have done most of the work of building a new one. Both my wife and I have taken welding courses for when we owned a steel boat, so we fabricated the stainless steel framework ourselves. We have also cut and glued the two plywood halves together. What is left to do is route out the ply so that the steelwork fits into it, glue the halves together and then fibreglass the outside. You will almost certainly want to get a new tiller-arm fabricated, as the existing one is very rusty. This links the steering system to the rudder stock.The forward cabin leaks. It hadn’t got as far as the aft cabin, but it will need some remedial work to stop the leaks. We were considering replacing it when we got somewhere warm with predictable weather.I don’t think the VHF works. I have turned the radar on and it seems to be working, but I have never used a radar before and while sat in a boatyard surrounded, there’s obviously all sorts of noise. I was planning on testing it when we got out on the water.Recent improvements:New aft cabin top, complete with solar extraction vent and new portlightsNew hard Jotun Racing anti-fouling, applied over Jotun Vinyguard primer after carefully taking old paint back to bare concreteNew anodes all roundNew dual-fuel Boatman stove installed in saloon, complete with fire-safe boards behind tiles,stainless steel insulated flue system and back boiler which can be connected to the hot water systemPaint purchased to do top-sides and decks (just not been applied)