Bought a Never splashed Colvic Countess 33 on eBay, Looking for infos

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

All vey interesting Greg but I feel it will be a little harsh and bright quite out of place on an old 80s long keel sailing yacht. I owned a 34 foot long keel boat which had been a tad neglected when I bought her, I set about renewing all her deck gear winches turning blocks etc and bought the best that could be bought, over specked and in fact unnecessary it continued with all the electrical and navigational systems so much so that a long term cruising companion used to say sitting at the chart table was like being on the Starship Enterprise, you can guess what he called me. Did it make the boat go any faster, no. It did make some things easier but mot of all I enjoyed doing it and got a lot of satisfaction from it and I guess that applies in spades with you and Phil. But be warned you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear, Oddity will always be an 80s tub limited in what she can do and will indeed live up to her name. I don't mean to be disrespectful but there is only so much that you can do that is really worth while on an old boat.
But enjoy it, I fear we are in for a long narrative.:encouragement:

Very well said. She’s an old design though. Not an old boat. She was never a boat, yet…
No, she’s not going to be too bright and she’s not going to get a flashy makeover type of thing. Simple colours and combinations. She’s never going to be fast but she’s ideal for High Latitude with a strong hull and properly insulated.
We were looking for a hull that was a bit more resilient then modern production boats with thin hull’s and bolted keels. That’s the reason we compromised on the speed for strength.
And yes, I understand where you’re coming from. I’m really having fun with the whole thing and making stuff and researching bits and bobs. Phil is enjoying himself, my wife took to it amazingly well. But mostly it’s going to be the boat we built.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Greg with the Formica how do you intend to overcome hard corners that now seem to be de rigour in the ‘cheaper’ production boats.

We’re not using wood panels inside the boat and our furniture is not geared towards square lines. We will have round bends in quite a few areas but that’s a discussion for another time.
In modern boats they use the sharp corner to save money. Literally like kitchen furniture making.
For the curved shapes and Formica like materials.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Wow! 3 heads! That's impressive, are you expecting a sudden rush once the hybrid drive system runs out of energy?

All that GeForce does that to you. I understand Astronauts wear nappies because of it.

 

[Iain C]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

How's the rig coming along?

 

[Spyro]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

This is but one of the many systems available on the market. Some better for some uses then others but the choice is quite vast.

][/B]

The grout will crack and those tiles are really heavy.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

How's the rig coming along?

Selkie still need to tension the rigging properly and modify the back and inner stays. A bit long. Waiting for a nice weather window. Also, still need to bring the mast cabling inside as the temp was much too low for the working temp of silicones. There’s also a small slow leak on the old VHF antenna cable as the previous owners drilled a much too small hole and did not seal the cable itself. Waiting to fix that too as the temp goes up a notch or two. For a small boat we're basically doing a refit from one end to the other.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

The grout will crack and those tiles are really heavy.

We're using Carrara white marble instead then. :encouragement:

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

On Sunday we travelled up to London for the AGM of the Countess Owners Association. It was humbling and inspiring meeting so many that have built their boats before us. We learned quite a lot and of course me being me I asked a million questions. Extraordinarily well organised and recommended to all Countess owners as the depth of information they possess is worth a month on Google. We were provided with a digital copy of the original set of plans which is a blessing in these modern days as working with the paper plans can sometimes be a bit of a thing.
We came away with a thousand things to consider in our own build. Things that others did in a different way, a small change here, a small change there. Things that are a boon to our ideas as it helps sift through our own thoughts on what we wanted to build, and what others have already tried and would now change.

We met a few forumites which was an absolute pleasure and are very thankful for all the advice and ideas we received.
A big thank you to the Countess Owners Association and all it’s members and a congratulations on a very tight ship and event.

Our Thanks to you All.
Greg.

 

[Just_sayin']

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Looking at the photo did you both realise when you bought your boat that you’re both too young?

Or are you going to be that age when you launch her?

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Only another forty three pages and this thread will be longer than the Elizmor one

 

[Spyro]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Only another forty three pages and this thread will be longer than the Elizmor one

I think we'll still be talking about this one for a while yet, I hope I'm still around to see the launch and watch it silently glide off into the distance.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

I have some sympathy for Greg in his quest but not a lot of confidence in his time scales or indeed his ideas of which I am sceptical but I take the view that it is his project and he is generous enough to share it with us so I will not criticise him for that.
It would be fun and interesting to have a poll on just how long it will be before completion and launch as there are quite a few people that have built from scratch and others that have carried out major refits. Of course that does not take into account some of Gregs unorthodox proposals.
I suggest:
A very generous 2 years
More probable 3 years
realistically in excess of 3 years.
However good luck to him and I really hope it gets splashed and the get to try out all their ideas and we get to see how and if they work or are as effective as hoped for.:encouragement:

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Looking at the photo did you both realise when you bought your boat that you’re both too young?

Or are you going to be that age when you launch her?

By that age I will have built sailed and sold the NEXT boat that we're already defining.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Only another forty three pages and this thread will be longer than the Elizmor one

No idea of what thread that is.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

I think we'll still be talking about this one for a while yet, I hope I'm still around to see the launch and watch it silently glide off into the distance.

It there is ONE thing you should have learned about me by now is that I don't Fizzle, I always go out with a BANG. NO going silently into that quiet night for me.

 

[lpdsn]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

It there is ONE thing you should have learned about me by now is that I don't Fizzle, I always go out with a BANG. NO going silently into that quiet night for me.

In that case you may as well work on commissioning the gas system first.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

I have some sympathy for Greg in his quest but not a lot of confidence in his time scales or indeed his ideas of which I am sceptical but I take the view that it is his project and he is generous enough to share it with us so I will not criticise him for that.
It would be fun and interesting to have a poll on just how long it will be before completion and launch as there are quite a few people that have built from scratch and others that have carried out major refits. Of course that does not take into account some of Gregs unorthodox proposals.
I suggest:
A very generous 2 years
More probable 3 years
realistically in excess of 3 years.
However good luck to him and I really hope it gets splashed and the get to try out all their ideas and we get to see how and if they work or are as effective as hoped for.:encouragement:

Now that’s a nicely formulated opinion I can accept.
Your times scales are absolutely right and spot on. I’m sure many a Forumite has done full refits in exactly that time frame. And I’ve seen beautiful examples of it. I’ve seen humbling examples of it. People that poured their passion, time and money into a project that deserves a mention by the quality and beauty of the build. I’ve had many discussions with quite a few people that have done just that. I admire the work they did and even how they did it. It is good quality work to a highly desirable result.
All in the same parameters you describe, and I understand your scepticism of some of the Ideas I professed here.

Having said that, it is right at this marker that our paths of thought diverge. Not taking any credit from where credit is due, most of what I have seen is using techniques and materials from the 1950’s up to 1990 when the resins evolved in a quantum leap. So, when people say that today it is no longer easy to build your own boat, that statement is both right and wrong. It is right because we are no longer in the 80’s and the companies that were selling all they were using no longer exist. The world has moved on to other materials and techniques.
It is wrong because it is much easier to build your own boat today then it was in 1980 when everyone was doing a cruiser on their backyard. Today we have easier to find materials and information about them. Cheaper tooling by a factor of sometimes 1000. Materials that are much easier to work with. We have Google and YouTube. You can see how a Missile is made let alone how something simple works. You can source parts and materials from all over the world at the click of a mouse.
But what we also have, is sailing pricing out most young sailors that cannot afford to buy their home let alone a boat of any kind. And this has led to the average age of “sailors” to be above 50. People that are very “firm” on their own beliefs and set of values, that want to preserve a certain “order” and instead of adopting new materials and techniques they stick to what they know.

Change is almost a blasphemy when uttered with a purpose.

Repairs with Ply that everyone can get from B&Q are standard for sometimes a more expensive amount then using High tech materials that would even use much less resin and are easier to work with. Everyone seems to be a firm believer in the fact that although they know next to nothing about these materials, they are nevertheless apt at judging them inadequate or pricey.
Yet they are all around you. In your cars, in your houses and appliances. In your phones. But you still buy Ply… and if you can work with it, by all means use it all you want.
In our case we are not using most of the techniques or materials that most mention. You have but to look at production boats to realise why. But you also need to understand context.

Materials we are using have “other” problems and technical difficulties which are always the trade-off. You can however use them in innovative ways that allow savings in time of execution and fabrication. Therefore, most new models of cars being built with them. Tech permeates and filters itself between applications and industries. What may start at NASA may end up on your frying pan or stitching your garments.
Your Phone is a proof of that. Your TV is a proof of that. These very words an Ipso Facto statement of that.

My time scale cannot be compared to building an interior of ply because... we are using none.

But it is still a good call, how long will we take? Well, we are getting on with it.

 

[GregOddity]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

In that case you may as well work on commissioning the gas system first.

hehe +1 for that.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

A question that has just occurred to me, what are you going to do about heating?

 

[steveeasy]

Re: SV Oddity, Interiors & Materials

Greg,
Seriously all this about innovative materials and products. then you fitted a run of the mill Jabasco. Lets hope you don't sink that low with Oddity.

Steveeasy