Recent content by landlockedpirate

Sorry to burst your bubble, but even if the boat and engine are in superb condition, they will be worth a couple of grand at the most. You can pick modern (Post 2000) runabouts up for less than 5K Having said that, i dont know where you are located, so if its Malta, I might be wrong !

You dont need to go as aggressive as Mek, acetone works fine and is recommended. You also use the acetone as preparation for gluing. Make sure you use a good 2 part glue, not the temporary Bostic type stuff. You can get the acetone in small bottles from a chemist, or in larger quantities from...

Which is exactly what every UK boat builder did until Bayliner arrived in 1989, and lots of builders still do ?

Fletcher 19GTS also available with that engine, but its not the best loved engine in the world.

Have a look at the floor, that could be a deciding factor. Older Fletchers have a plywood floor with no waterproofing at all, they rot very easily. Check for soft spots all over, especially under the seats where they bolt into the floor.

Most of the boats in there are sub 40ft sportscruisers, but I have seen a 45ft ish Azimut flybridge in there. Canal can be "interesting" with a following sea , the height restriction is a pedestrian bridge crossing the canal.

We did Barcelona to Menorca a few years ago, about 5hrs at comfortable cruise speed and stopped at Cala n Bosch, its a couple of miles down from the West tip of the Island. Marina is accessed via a short canal, its surrounded by bars and restaurants but they all close at 12 latest. You should...

Glad it worked, its just a quirk of the 19 GTS.

Seats, locker doors, windscreen, and that was just crossing Bowness Bay :-) Ive done a lot of sea passages in what people on here would class as small boats, and as said above, the very last thing you should do is plan a definite time. With an 18ft lake boat, I would only do it in company of a...

Just trim the leg up untill you hear the engine change pitch and the list will disappear.

Towed all of my sportscruisers over the years, the biggest was a Four Winns 268 which was just about legal. I towed with a then new Disco 2 TD5, did about 15k miles over 4 years with very few problems, including a couple of trips to Menorca. But as time went on and more a more kit went on ...

If you are talking about the sportscruiser, I had one with a 4.3 Mercruiser. Great hull, handled everything I threw at it. However it does have the usual Fletcher porpoise action (trim out to get rid of it). Cuddy is small but usable for the odd overnight, porta potti under the bow birth and a...

Stick with the genuine Honda ones then, they are the only ones worth the money.

The genuine Honda ones are expensive but they are also the only ones that work well and remain rigid even with an engine on the boat. They are pretty much the only solution for inflatables with integral tabs unless you go for something like this...

Hi Yep. I replaced the seal, quick and easy. I cant remember which one I bought, but i simply measured the existing one and bought one with the same cross section.