Absolute Yachts.

I've won the LOTTERY!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Well thats what it feels like after reading your post!!

At last we may have a forum member who may soon own an Absolute!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Firstly welcome to the forum, I'm afraid there isn't any members on here who owns an Absolute.
But there are several of us that are fans, but sadly there too far out of our grasps!

As far as i am aware the 45 has been discontinued in favour for the 47HT, I think its the same hull, so not to much loss of investment in tooling!

Can't comment on sea trial sorry, but enjoy it, and if you do by chance continue with the purchase, which I'm sure you will on such a fantastic boat. Please hang around here, and post loads of pics of the boat.

We'd love to hear how it goes.

Cheers

Al.
 
The 45 was my all time favourite of the range ( as you can see from my avatar ! ) , a cracking good boat to drive and a shame as you say the yard decide to stop making it, I still have people asking for them or good second hand ones.

Nothing in particular to watch out for apart from the usual mechcanical stuff which is the same for any boat. Some of the very early ones had a weak door frame into the aft cabin and you can see if so as the frame can be ever so slightly off square stopping the lock closing shut. Later post 2005 didn't have the problem. Most had the problem rectified. There was also a recall to reinforce some glassing under the saloon floor on early models (not structural but the floor support) again this should have been done by the dealer under warranty.

Check also around the seal between the garage moulding and the deck, a few got through with minimal sealing and you can end up with a lot of rain water in the engineroom bilges, nothing a tube of silicon can not sort out though. Apart from that nothing else springs to mind.

Good luck with your sea trial and don't forget to post some pictures, I am always on the recruit you know, Al can't support our whole marketing effort in his own /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PS check the seals on the VP DPH legs (rams) they were / are prone to blowing seals ( you can get a retro fit gaitor kit that seems to solve the problem), not an Absolute issue I hasten to add but VP .
 
[ QUOTE ]
That's not correct PY. Palmer Johnson launched hull #1 of the 120 series in 2003.

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't believe that I'm reading an 'Anorak' style thread from yourself and Poweryacht! on boats over 80' for christ's sake. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Some folks, of course, especially where Absolute are concerned. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Back to subject, I think it's a shame that everyone's going to hard tops too. The Abs 45 was a very nice model in many ways and a serious competitor to Fairline.

Really, the ideal, is automatic soft covers like convertable cars, whoever get's it sorted will have a winner. imho. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Re: V85

I was just thinking how much nicer the white V85 in the pics on here looks than the blue one in the Princess ad on the back of November's MBY.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The 45 was my all time favourite of the range ( as you can see from my avatar ! ) , a cracking good boat to drive and a shame as you say the yard decide to stop making it, I still have people asking for them or good second hand ones.

Nothing in particular to watch out for apart from the usual mechcanical stuff which is the same for any boat. Some of the very early ones had a weak door frame into the aft cabin and you can see if so as the frame can be ever so slightly off square stopping the lock closing shut. Later post 2005 didn't have the problem. Most had the problem rectified. There was also a recall to reinforce some glassing under the saloon floor on early models (not structural but the floor support) again this should have been done by the dealer under warranty.

Check also around the seal between the garage moulding and the deck, a few got through with minimal sealing and you can end up with a lot of rain water in the engineroom bilges, nothing a tube of silicon can not sort out though. Apart from that nothing else springs to mind.

Good luck with your sea trial and don't forget to post some pictures

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! This is a 2006 so hopefully even those small bugs are gone. I'm pretty sure the trial will go well so can't imagine not buying it at this stage. I'll get a few pics during the survey in a couple of weeks time, after which it'll be winterized until April (very frustrating winterizing a boat right after buying it and having to wait until spring to release the fun).
 
[ QUOTE ]
At last we may have a forum member who may soon own an Absolute!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh, so I guess I'd be member 001 of the online owners club /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

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As far as i am aware the 45 has been discontinued in favour for the 47HT, I think its the same hull, so not to much loss of investment in tooling!

[/ QUOTE ]

Very possible, as the '45' is actually 46ft and I noticed the new 47HT has a longer bathing platform, so the 47HT is probably the 46ft '45' with 1ft extra platform.

Thanks for the welcome /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At last we may have a forum member who may soon own an Absolute!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh, so I guess I'd be member 001 of the online owners club /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you will be, and I'll be no. 001 member of the Absolute Fan Club! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I hope your seatrial and survey go ok, and the purchase goes ahead.
If you do take pics please feel free to post them on this forum. We'll look forward to them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

All the best.

Cheers

Al.
 
[ QUOTE ]
why winterise it, there's no law says you can't use it in the winter, especially a big comfortable boat with heating.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm usually away for most of the winter and the dealer offered me free winterizing in his warehouse here in the Balearics in the deal.

(Plus, it's a boat to really enjoy in shorts and bare feet. The wife draped across the aft sun cushion all togged up in woolies and gore-tex just wouldn't look like the brochure pics /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
They're all going hard top which I think is a shame.

Certainly I can understand the convenience, but one of lifes greatest joys is blasting up the coast in an open top boat on a hot sunny day. Sitting in a hard top boat with the roof open is akin to sitting in a coupe with a sunroof rather than a convertible, it just aint the same.

[/ QUOTE ]

This year there's been a jump in the amount of boats driving around the Med with the skipper's head sticking up out of the sunroof. Personally I think it looks a bit silly, like a tank driver. I haven't tried a HT but I imagine I'd also miss the all-round visibility of an open boat.

The reasoning among a couple of HT owners I've chatted with is being able to take it out on a rainy day (personally I'd not be all that keen to go out on a rainy day anyway) and the protection from skin cancer (I'd slap some higher-factor oil on if I was that worried).

But, I also think that it would be nice to have a HT 'accessory' option, a hard top that could bolt on to existing open boats' radar arches, and which when not needed could be stored down below somewhere.
 
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I'm in the process of buying an Absolute 45 in a few days time...

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An update on this... the survey checked out and I took delivery of the Absolute 45 this morning - so this forum now has an Absolute owner /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I won't be putting her in the water until beginning of April so she'll remain under cover for a couple of months more. I took some pics this morning but nothing worth posting as she's tightly packed in a Spanish warehouse with 2 other Abs 45's on each side of her. I'll post some pics when I get her in the water in April.

Meanwhile, a small question for 'Nautical' if you don't mind... Unlike most other boats Absolutes don't have a staff on the stern for an ensign, so mine (like the two other 45s currently stored on either side of her) has its ensign duck-taped to the VHF arial... that really looks sad. It's obvious there was a design problem with where to put a staff and Absolute intend a very small flag to be flown from the light assembly on the radar arch, but that leaves nowhere for the courtesy flag (I'm in Spain so I need to fly the red ensign -preferably of at least 1 yard- and a Spanish courtesy flag preferably above it). Have any of your Absolute customers asked you to install a proper flag staff, and if so, where did they end up putting it?
 
Search the word FLAG on ebay and you will find some very nice stainless ones that clamp onto handrails or grabrails or radar rails etc, a mate bought one and they are A1 quality,saves drilling the nice GRP!
 
Fantastic!! Wayhay!!! Yeehaa...... Finally the forum gets an Absolute owner!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Well done and congratulations on your new boat.
Now if you can promise me one thing! Will you please hang around here and become a regular! We want to read all about your exploits owning an Absolute, we want to see loads of pictures of it..........Well I do anyway! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If you took some pics of it in a big shed, Please please please post them, they will be interesting to see.

Keep us posted to when she goes in, and I'll look forward to all your posts in future.

You've got a fine boat there, mister!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Cheers

Al.
(Absolute Fan) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ I took some pics this morning but nothing worth posting as she's tightly packed in a Spanish warehouse with 2 other Abs 45's on each side of her

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If you took those photos from 200 yds away, in the dark, with axle grease smeared all over the lens, Al would still want to see them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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If you took some pics of it in a big shed, Please please please post them, they will be interesting to see.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hehe, OK but they're fairly unexciting, here are 4...

abs45hull.jpg

abs45instr.jpg

abs45engines.jpg

abs45int.jpg
 
One month of ownership later... it hasn't yet wiped the smile off my face /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The Absolute 45 handles like a large speedboat, it's just brilliant. I find it easy and predictable to maneuver, Med mooring with it is a breeze. I've also found it quite fuel efficient so far, much better than I expected. I love the layout, the beds are very comfortable (the mid cabin feels roomy and is great to sleep in, no slapping wave noise). Nothing vibrates, everything feels solid. There's a lot of light below thanks to the 3 large vertical windows either side. Absolute really went to town on this boat.

Peeves (well there have to be a couple with any boat): Same as with my old smaller Fairline Targa, if you sit at the helm the top of the windscreen hides the horizon so you have to stand most of the time or you get the uneasy feeling you're not seeing something out there.

There's stuff that goes 'beep' in a loud 'danger alarm' way, each time you put an engine in neutral there's a loud beep, when the bowthruster is about to go offline there are a series of very loud beeps, etc. You can see worried looks on faces of guests as you head out to sea with what sounds like alarms beeping... wish they could customize those with more friendly sounds.

I still have my red ensign attached to the VHF antenna with cable ties since Absolutes have no flag staff and no good location to add one.

At the helm there's nowhere to store any objects, so when you take the instrument covers off you have to either take them below or store them in a locker at the rear of the cockpit, same with binoculars, sunglasses, phone, beer, etc., nowhere to put them where you can then reach them while at the helm.

Other than that, I love it so far /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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