anyone have a moonraker 35 or had one

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Muxey

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Just hanging my nose over on at the moment but cant view due to the b****y virus
But need to do some research, any advice welcome.
 
oldgit said:
The book states there is quite a difference between photos shown in the press and a number in privare hands .There was suspicion that The SUN fiddled with the pictures for dramatic effect.
The boat was "Power Game" ?
Click to expand...

Apart from the telephoto lens foreshortening the apparent distance to the lighthouse, the pic is genuine.
 
Flynnbarr said:
Didn’t think there was an issue with the upright Perkins which most had.
Click to expand...
According the book various engines were installed dependant on when boat was built and the exact model.

The Sedan and Cruiser was powered by twin Perkins 6.354 115HP.
The Sports by a pair of Turbo 6.354 175 HP.
Both above had a contra rotating. engine ?
The "Express" was also had the Turbo charged engine .
Customers could have an engine of their choice fitted some choose Perkins Sabre , mentions that a few early models were powered based on blocks from Bedford and Mercedes .

A few Brooms on our moorings are also powered by the T 6.354, one of our skippers, no longer sadly with us, had an entire engine in his garage for spares.
He had an oil leak and the engine had to lifted to gain access to the joint.

Long forgotton now but Colin Chapmans marketing ideas revolutionised the way boats were sold .
Replacing an exclusive and expensive cottage industry only for the commited ex navel commander who liked dark teak interiors and paraffin stoves and was prepared to spend months fitting out a bare wooden hull in draughty shed somewhere , for an impulse purchase that only required that you were able to hand over a cheque and turn a key on the helm.
It came with a TV for Gods Sake. !

Must be a least a dozen on the lower tidal Medway and several more above the lock still floating.
 
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Most brooms with the 6354s had the horizontal engines (HT) however which are the ones with parts issues. I thought that the only brooms with the upright engines were the 35 sedan and europeans - happy to be corrected on that.
 
Ferris said:
Most brooms with the 6354s had the horizontal engines (HT) however which are the ones with parts issues. I thought that the only brooms with the upright engines were the 35 sedan and europeans - happy to be corrected on that.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right. Their Continental 37, Ocean 37 and Crown 37 (all the same hull) certainly had the HT variant. Some later Crowns had Volvos.
 
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Fred Drift always fancied a ............................... MAMBA.


One of the few to survive more or less.Considering its about 45 years and been standing around unloved for most of that the glassfibre looks excellent conditon.
Like the side decks you can actually walk on and the substantial stantions securely fixed to deck.
When new It came with set of spare propshafts and props.
The chap who designed it actually came to view the boat.
Up for sale until recently , suspect the boatyard probably just want it off the premises.
Further Freddrift
Scuttlebutt that one of these was scuttled off Canvey island when the owner was unable to pay the finance company.
The boat was salvaged but the insurers smelt a rat and refused to pay out.
Canvey is just round the corner (ish) from where this boat now lies.
 
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oldgit said:
According the book various engines were installed dependant on when boat was built and the exact model.

The Sedan and Cruiser was powered by twin Perkins 6.354 115HP.
The Sports by a pair of Turbo 6.354 175 HP.
Both above had a contra rotating. engine ?
The "Express" was also had the Turbo charged engine .
Customers could have an engine of their choice fitted some choose Perkins Sabre , mentions that a few early models were powered based on blocks from Bedford and Mercedes .

A few Brooms on our moorings are also powered by the T 6.354, one of our skippers, no longer sadly with us, had an entire engine in his garage for spares.
He had an oil leak and the engine had to lifted to gain access to the joint.

Long forgotton now but Colin Chapmans marketing ideas revolutionised the way boats were sold .
Replacing an exclusive and expensive cottage industry only for the commited ex navel commander who liked dark teak interiors and paraffin stoves and was prepared to spend months fitting out a bare wooden hull in draughty shed somewhere , for an impulse purchase that only required that you were able to hand over a cheque and turn a key on the helm.
It came with a TV for Gods Sake. !

Must be a least a dozen on the lower tidal Medway and several more above the lock still floating.
Click to expand...

I wanted a Moonraker once. I've looked at just about every one up for sale. I honestly don't think I've seen one that was really worth more than about £14K. unless it was one of the very last 350s. Some have had reasonable interior refits. Ones that haven't look really bad now as the original interiors weren't that good quality. Most have leaks from the windows, and the cheap bulkheads rot out very extensively. Some have had new engines but bizarrely not been refitted internally.
Many of the engines have had intermittent servicing, and most, at best, trickle up and down rivers. I've seen blocked or rotted out heat exchangers, manifolds and exhaust elbows. The spares problem is that, although people like Lancing Marine can remanufacture the stuff, it's frighteningly expensive. Factoring in the necessary improvements is a wake up call in relation to the boats' true value in today's market. Unfortunately, many owners seem to think that these are classic gems with vast selling prices to match.
Speaking personally, I just couldn't make a sensible buying proposition for any of these old girls. And there are some truly, truly, bad examples on the tidal Medway.
 
oldgit said:
Fred Drift always fancied a ............................... MAMBA.


One of the few to survive more or less.Considering its about 45 years and been standing around unloved for most of that the glassfibre looks excellent conditon.
Like the side decks you can actually walk on and the substantial stantions securely fixed to deck.
When new It came with set of spare propshafts and props.
The chap who designed it actually came to view the boat.
Up for sale until recently , suspect the boatyard probably just want it off the premises.
Further Freddrift
Scuttlebutt that one of these was scuttled off Canvey island when the owner was unable to pay the finance company.
The boat was salvaged but the insurers smelt a rat and refused to pay out.
Canvey is just round the corner (ish) from where this boat now lies.
Click to expand...

I came across that Mamba in the boatyard about 15 years ago. I did try to contact the yard to see if it was for sale but I never got a reply. I then saw that it had been sold (I have since seen the for sale advert - it was cheap), and then that as you say Oliver Winterbottom came along to see it with the new owner and offer some advice. Oliver worked for Lotus cars and JCL and was responsible for a lot of the design of the Mamba, sadly he passed away last month.
I remember reading about the Mamba that was scuttled, not only could the hapless owner not pay the finance but he also hadn't planned on how to get off a sinking boat and had to be rescued, thus giving the authorities the first clue that it was not an accident (I think he did it in the middle of the night).
 
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