benjenbav
Well-Known Member
I stand to be corrected but am pretty sure Cummins took the output of those 5.9 litre blocks up to 300hp in the development of the B series.
Corvette 32 - A tale of one owner’s upgrade
- Thread starter superheat6k
- Start date
I stand to be corrected but am pretty sure Cummins took the output of those 5.9 litre blocks up to 300hp in the development of the B series.
jfm
Well-Known Member
@rustybarge^^^, nice pics - I like the sedan version. That boat is in Kinsale - you can see the Trident Hotel in the background
rustybarge
Well-Known Member
In think the reason that Fleming has only sold two new corvettes since 2008 is firstly the price: £330k + vat, and secondly the aft cabin arrangement.
I agree, I think the sedan is prettier than the aft cabin.
I cant think of any modern boat purchaser who buys aft cabin boats, with the exception of old geezer Brooms.
(I'm nearly an OAP myself)Because the hull has got such a bonkers reputation, Fleming should do a redesign to the aft cockpit version with a single Cummins 425hp like in the st34....and then they could reduce the price down into the £200k's.
I'm sure there would be strong demand for this pretty and very capable boat.
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Latestarter1
Well-Known Member
B210 Cummins CPL 742 came out about 1986 and is still available today as a Cummins ReCon unit, even passed IMO Emissions legislation in 1999.
B250 with jacket water after-cooler came out in 1987, however the CAV DPA proved unreliable at this output and was withdrawn after about three years, despite pump problems I still come across some of these old girls.
300B CPL 970 with sea water after-cooler arrived in 1988. This engine has a Denso EP9 inline fuel pump. Amazingly lively engine, however some goofy engineer who knows nothing about marine engines allowed use of an unserviceable welded stainless steel charge air cooler Modine I suspect, which had a tube section which would 'pant' and fail dumping seawater into the engine. Cummins Darlington came to the rescue and re-engineered the air side with a British designed Serck alloy/bronze C.A.C which is still used today on QSB's A de-rate of CPL 970 with jacket water after-cooler was produced to fill the gap left by the CAV pump 250. Cummins campaigned most Princess boats with the welded SWAC and even years afterwards the Serck unit was available at a special price. The Corvette advertised with the 300's has not been campaigned, still has the old welded SWAC so beware.
Denso EP9 was a good pump with later CPL offering 315hp however Cummins made a corporate decision to adopt the big Bosch P7100 with ratings of B270 JWAC, B315 and B370 both SWAC. All P7100 ratings are still available as ReCon products.
Hugin
Well-Known Member
I cant think of any modern boat purchaser who buys aft cabin boats, with the exception of old geezer Brooms.
Reading the recent comments regarding the Sealine Statesman 410/F43 I counted 6-7 current or previous owners of just this model and the OP considering joining the aft cabin owner's club. I think the Statesman 390/410 has the appearance of a fairly modern boat despite the design being 25 years old.
rustybarge
Well-Known Member
Probably the best of both world's is what the yanks call a raised sundeck.
Its basically a hard top over the aft cabin, with side canopies which gives you a really lightweight alternative to the heavy Europa trawler sedan version.
Here's a Gulfstar with this set-up: I think it would work well on the Corvette...
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superheat6k
Well-Known Member
A key reason for us selling the Turbo 36 was the raised aft deck making getting the dogs on & off and mooring up a PITA. So the 340 removes the lovely walk around at low level.
However, I understand the reason Fleming have only made a few is lack of production space alongside the superyachts. Plus the fact ~ £400k for a 32' anything is stretching credibility.
But these hold up the prices on the Brundall built 320's, and they in turn hold up the prices (asking) on the Nottingham built 32's. But very few of the 20 or so for sale presently have actually changed hands this year - I am aware of only 2 sales including mine, plus a possible third in Scotland that was advertised, but is no longer listed with the broker concerned.
We also found the aft deck of the Turbo 36 a bit uninspiring as a social area, whereas the Corvette with its 'Poop Deck' as we call it now provides a cosy patio. Steering from the lower helm is also more practical on this boat - lower helm forward low level vision (pot marker spotting) was close to impossible on the Turbo once planing.
Personally I think the Corvette sedan with the flared sides looks awful, but that's it with boats, very much to personal taste. The last time I looked the one in Ireland linked to was asking around £28k.
I understand precisely what you mean about things to do beyond the simpler cosmetic bits. So far I haven't found any serious issues with Boadicea, the engines are the externally very good, and most of the OMS issues are just cosmetic. I have just cleaned the teak deck, which I thought had about 4 or 5 years left in it, but now its clean and as long as I preserve it, which I am now in the process of doing with plenty of Semco, good for another 10 years if not longer (the teak deck restoration will be mentioned as a chapter shortly).
As the teak deck has no breaks or failures anywhere at all the next major area with the Corvette would be the sub-deck is for now something I am happy with. I do think having a boat from a mild climate with little in the way of Winter frosts has helped the deck stay serviceable. If the vendor had paid someone to clean this boat I daresay he would have commended a far higher price, but such is the cost of neglect.
The shafts do look a bit rusty inboard of the shaft seal, so perhaps some crevice corrosion pitting here, but I would expect a PSS seal will deal with that without too much fuss. For this year I am just going to re-pack them as long as the Cutlass bearings are OK.
The rest of my defect list are minors, save a couple of heavier spends such as an Eberspacher, which I guess was not really needed in Jersey.
Certain of the others I viewed and one in particular I valued not much above £20k and I reckon your £50k spend could easily have been achieved on that one ! That said its now reduced to £39,950 and is apparently under offer. The deck is shot and likely the sub-deck with it, so there's £10k already, and it only has the 150HP 4 cylinder engines, and they are not pretty. I wish the buyer well with it, but unless he has got it for the amount I had suggested I reckon he is in for an expensive shock.
However, I understand the reason Fleming have only made a few is lack of production space alongside the superyachts. Plus the fact ~ £400k for a 32' anything is stretching credibility.
But these hold up the prices on the Brundall built 320's, and they in turn hold up the prices (asking) on the Nottingham built 32's. But very few of the 20 or so for sale presently have actually changed hands this year - I am aware of only 2 sales including mine, plus a possible third in Scotland that was advertised, but is no longer listed with the broker concerned.
We also found the aft deck of the Turbo 36 a bit uninspiring as a social area, whereas the Corvette with its 'Poop Deck' as we call it now provides a cosy patio. Steering from the lower helm is also more practical on this boat - lower helm forward low level vision (pot marker spotting) was close to impossible on the Turbo once planing.
Personally I think the Corvette sedan with the flared sides looks awful, but that's it with boats, very much to personal taste. The last time I looked the one in Ireland linked to was asking around £28k.
I understand precisely what you mean about things to do beyond the simpler cosmetic bits. So far I haven't found any serious issues with Boadicea, the engines are the externally very good, and most of the OMS issues are just cosmetic. I have just cleaned the teak deck, which I thought had about 4 or 5 years left in it, but now its clean and as long as I preserve it, which I am now in the process of doing with plenty of Semco, good for another 10 years if not longer (the teak deck restoration will be mentioned as a chapter shortly).
As the teak deck has no breaks or failures anywhere at all the next major area with the Corvette would be the sub-deck is for now something I am happy with. I do think having a boat from a mild climate with little in the way of Winter frosts has helped the deck stay serviceable. If the vendor had paid someone to clean this boat I daresay he would have commended a far higher price, but such is the cost of neglect.
The shafts do look a bit rusty inboard of the shaft seal, so perhaps some crevice corrosion pitting here, but I would expect a PSS seal will deal with that without too much fuss. For this year I am just going to re-pack them as long as the Cutlass bearings are OK.
The rest of my defect list are minors, save a couple of heavier spends such as an Eberspacher, which I guess was not really needed in Jersey.
Certain of the others I viewed and one in particular I valued not much above £20k and I reckon your £50k spend could easily have been achieved on that one ! That said its now reduced to £39,950 and is apparently under offer. The deck is shot and likely the sub-deck with it, so there's £10k already, and it only has the 150HP 4 cylinder engines, and they are not pretty. I wish the buyer well with it, but unless he has got it for the amount I had suggested I reckon he is in for an expensive shock.
ControlTower
RIP
Can I just add a bit of accuracy here? Brundall is, I believe, where Broom boats are made. The (later) Corvettes were made in Reedham.
Fleming/Corvette have made 5 340s (see the wiki entry for details). The reason they are not making more is mainly because their resource and focus is entirely on the Fleming range due to demand. The 340 has been pushed aside due to this priority.
Fleming/Corvette have made 5 340s (see the wiki entry for details). The reason they are not making more is mainly because their resource and focus is entirely on the Fleming range due to demand. The 340 has been pushed aside due to this priority.
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Greg2
Well-Known Member
TTY
Once you have had an aft cabin boat there is no going back! Our 'old geezer Broom' is the best boat we have had by far!
I cant think of any modern boat purchaser who buys aft cabin boats, with the exception of old geezer Brooms.
.
Once you have had an aft cabin boat there is no going back! Our 'old geezer Broom' is the best boat we have had by far!
rustybarge
Well-Known Member
TTY
Once you have had an aft cabin boat there is no going back! Our 'old geezer Broom' is the best boat we have had by far!
Lol!
My steel barge has an aft cabin too, so I'm speaking from experience.
Great for northern Europe and its one week of summer.
Terribly hot sweaty and claustrophobic if it gets over 70f.
Hold on a minute, I forgot that you've got a poop deck to chill out on.
Greg2
Well-Known Member
Lol!
My steel barge has an aft cabin too, so I'm speaking from experience.
Great for northern Europe and its one week of summer.
Terribly hot sweaty and claustrophobic if it gets over 70f.
Hold on a minute, I forgot that you've got a poop deck to chill out on.
Yep, our 'poop deck' is akin to a sports cruiser cockpit and it is where we spend much of our time during the summer
One of the reasons we bought this particular Broom model - our last boat was a Fairline Targa and we loved the cockpit lifestyle
Montemar
Well-Known Member
Hear hear!TTY
Once you have had an aft cabin boat there is no going back! Our 'old geezer Broom' is the best boat we have had by far!
burgundyben
Well-Known Member
Lovely boat Trev, I think you've done really well.
superheat6k
Well-Known Member
Thanks Ben - did you find your fan belt ?
If not Henderson Bearings at Segensworth.
burgundyben
Well-Known Member
Yes, at Merryoak Auto Spares. Went over to Cowes for a pint and burger.
superheat6k
Well-Known Member
Chapter 5
The work begins
Listing the tasks and prioritising
As mentioned earlier Coolavin was suffering from Old Man Syndrome, and was superficially in poor order, however now I am getting to grips with her, her actual status is very much better than could have been the case. As I mentioned whereas I have had a couple of negatives, so far far fewer than expected and budgeted for, and those found so far easily outweighed by the Easter Eggs.
My priority has been getting the boat safe to use and functional for the family. That means water systems working - taps, hot water, toilets, shower. Reasonably clean and smell free. Tacking minor defects as I find them. A reasonable inventory, and identifying suitable places to keep everything.
Removing junk (not very good at throwing stuff out), and finding out just what is aboard - a couple of lockers still to sort out properly, but I think I have looked in them all.
These are the jobs I have dealt with so far (first 6 weeks since purchase) …
All Inventory aboard
Safety items - all aboard including a kedge and new fire extinguishers
Documentation - Insurance; Bills of Sale & Invoice; SSR; Ensign permit; Name decals; VAT paid certificate
Cleaning - Bilges; Carpets; Wall linings; Heads; decks
LED lights in main cabin
New fresh water pump
Repair to shower pump out pump
Installed new shower system
New taps for heads sinks
Shafts seals nipped up
Window tracks de-mossed
TV Mount system
Plotter wiring distribution & NMEA wiring
New 12V distribution MCBs
Re-wire 240v Distribution panel inc new MCBs
New 240v Shorepower connection point
New Gas regulator & hose
Teak decks renovated (more on this later)
Clean and re-rope fenders and fender socks
Jobs in hand
Semco teak sealer to the renovated teak decks
Repair leaky dinghy
Remove existing boat name
New curtains
Install connections for fuel polishing system
Clean carpets again
Re-affix dodgers properly
Clear out deck locker and inspect the anchor chain
My defect list is slowly reducing, with only occasional new discoveries now
The work begins
Listing the tasks and prioritising
As mentioned earlier Coolavin was suffering from Old Man Syndrome, and was superficially in poor order, however now I am getting to grips with her, her actual status is very much better than could have been the case. As I mentioned whereas I have had a couple of negatives, so far far fewer than expected and budgeted for, and those found so far easily outweighed by the Easter Eggs.
My priority has been getting the boat safe to use and functional for the family. That means water systems working - taps, hot water, toilets, shower. Reasonably clean and smell free. Tacking minor defects as I find them. A reasonable inventory, and identifying suitable places to keep everything.
Removing junk (not very good at throwing stuff out), and finding out just what is aboard - a couple of lockers still to sort out properly, but I think I have looked in them all.
These are the jobs I have dealt with so far (first 6 weeks since purchase) …
All Inventory aboard
Safety items - all aboard including a kedge and new fire extinguishers
Documentation - Insurance; Bills of Sale & Invoice; SSR; Ensign permit; Name decals; VAT paid certificate
Cleaning - Bilges; Carpets; Wall linings; Heads; decks
LED lights in main cabin
New fresh water pump
Repair to shower pump out pump
Installed new shower system
New taps for heads sinks
Shafts seals nipped up
Window tracks de-mossed
TV Mount system
Plotter wiring distribution & NMEA wiring
New 12V distribution MCBs
Re-wire 240v Distribution panel inc new MCBs
New 240v Shorepower connection point
New Gas regulator & hose
Teak decks renovated (more on this later)
Clean and re-rope fenders and fender socks
Jobs in hand
Semco teak sealer to the renovated teak decks
Repair leaky dinghy
Remove existing boat name
New curtains
Install connections for fuel polishing system
Clean carpets again
Re-affix dodgers properly
Clear out deck locker and inspect the anchor chain
My defect list is slowly reducing, with only occasional new discoveries now
superheat6k
Well-Known Member
Works has been slowly progressing the past two months, and presently the forward end cabin refit is underway. However I have completed the clean up of the decks and the results have been outstanding ...
Chapter 6
Renovating the Teak Deck
I have decided to dedicate an entire chapter to this. I am simple astounded at the result I have achieved with the deck. From a deck I thought had at best 5 years life left, I have found beneath years of accumulated crud a deck with little wear, and virtually no faults.
The decks as purchased ...
The entire decks of the Corvette are laid with a thick teak faced ply, where the teak layer is approx 3mm thick. This is seamed with a tough black caulking. The entire deck has one 3’ section of caulk seal broken away at one edge, with no breakup of the teak surface. A few boards are a bit ridged, with some prominent caulking lines here and there, but this is no issue.
My major concern is that Winter frosts could damage the deck. Boadicea has spent her entire life in Jersey where hard frosts simply do not happen, but with a grainy deck Winter rain and dew freezing in the grain lines would soon see the deck surface starting to break up.
But the entire deck was dark grey, and actually black in many places. So what to do ?
Lots of reading and chats with suitable experts suggested the Wessex System - this is a two part chemical, three stage process, the third stage being application of Semco sealer liberally all over the cleaned deck.
The chemical kit comes with a litre bottle each of a Red acidic and Green alkaline fluid. Rinse off the deck with fresh water and remove excess water, but leave wet. Dilute the Red up to 1:5 with cold water in a spray bottlem making about 600ml of solution, then liberally spray onto the surface, then scrub gently with a stiff hand brush along the grain, concentrating on a sq. metre at a time. Your oldest clothes plus goggles and rubber gloves. The spray from the bottle stings if it gets in your eyes, which googles simply avoids.
As soon as the red goes on the deck starts to literally lift the crud out of the grain, and the wood beneath takes on a dark reddish brown colour. It takes about 5 minutes to work in a sq. metre, and I covered the deck in convenient areas of around 3m at a time. Once the spray is down a little extra water keeps the deck wet and the wetness soon turns to a muddy slurry. After around 15 - 20 minutes of scrubbing the 3m2 area rinse away the slurry, and lightly brush off any splashes to covers or GRP surfaces - it just washes away.
Then with the deck still wet make up a similar solution of the Green fluid at the same ratio used for the Red. Now the magic happens. Spray liberally as before. This chemical is less aggressive, more like a detergent, but its effect is immediate. As the spray hits the wood surface it turns the wood light brown, so after thoroughly covering the whole section then gently scrub with a deck scrubber to spread out the solution right across the surface. If any areas are left blotchy or Reddish brown, this simply shows where insufficient Green solution has been applied. A bit more down and it will convert. Gently sweep the excess fluid back and forth over the whole surface for around 5 - 10 minutes, by which time the deck area should have turned a light brown teak colour.
Rinse thoroughly, taking care to wash and solids away that tend to separate in gullies leaving a hard deposit if allowed to dry. Lightly scrub the surface as you rinse to remove the last of the muck, and then allow to dry naturally.
The end result has transformed the boat.
The third stage of the process is to apply the Semco. The picture shows a small area of the raised foredeck, but the result is instant and provides a water tight, UV sealed deck. The Semco looks in the colour and keep the rainwater out. At £34 for a 1 litre tin not cheap, but pennies compared with £8 - 9,000 for a new deck. Semco advise a re-application every 6 months, and this will be a religious task for me from now on. To this send I bought a 1 US Gallon can and that should be good for three full applications.
Chapter 6
Renovating the Teak Deck
I have decided to dedicate an entire chapter to this. I am simple astounded at the result I have achieved with the deck. From a deck I thought had at best 5 years life left, I have found beneath years of accumulated crud a deck with little wear, and virtually no faults.
The decks as purchased ...
The entire decks of the Corvette are laid with a thick teak faced ply, where the teak layer is approx 3mm thick. This is seamed with a tough black caulking. The entire deck has one 3’ section of caulk seal broken away at one edge, with no breakup of the teak surface. A few boards are a bit ridged, with some prominent caulking lines here and there, but this is no issue.
My major concern is that Winter frosts could damage the deck. Boadicea has spent her entire life in Jersey where hard frosts simply do not happen, but with a grainy deck Winter rain and dew freezing in the grain lines would soon see the deck surface starting to break up.
But the entire deck was dark grey, and actually black in many places. So what to do ?
Lots of reading and chats with suitable experts suggested the Wessex System - this is a two part chemical, three stage process, the third stage being application of Semco sealer liberally all over the cleaned deck.
The chemical kit comes with a litre bottle each of a Red acidic and Green alkaline fluid. Rinse off the deck with fresh water and remove excess water, but leave wet. Dilute the Red up to 1:5 with cold water in a spray bottlem making about 600ml of solution, then liberally spray onto the surface, then scrub gently with a stiff hand brush along the grain, concentrating on a sq. metre at a time. Your oldest clothes plus goggles and rubber gloves. The spray from the bottle stings if it gets in your eyes, which googles simply avoids.
As soon as the red goes on the deck starts to literally lift the crud out of the grain, and the wood beneath takes on a dark reddish brown colour. It takes about 5 minutes to work in a sq. metre, and I covered the deck in convenient areas of around 3m at a time. Once the spray is down a little extra water keeps the deck wet and the wetness soon turns to a muddy slurry. After around 15 - 20 minutes of scrubbing the 3m2 area rinse away the slurry, and lightly brush off any splashes to covers or GRP surfaces - it just washes away.
Then with the deck still wet make up a similar solution of the Green fluid at the same ratio used for the Red. Now the magic happens. Spray liberally as before. This chemical is less aggressive, more like a detergent, but its effect is immediate. As the spray hits the wood surface it turns the wood light brown, so after thoroughly covering the whole section then gently scrub with a deck scrubber to spread out the solution right across the surface. If any areas are left blotchy or Reddish brown, this simply shows where insufficient Green solution has been applied. A bit more down and it will convert. Gently sweep the excess fluid back and forth over the whole surface for around 5 - 10 minutes, by which time the deck area should have turned a light brown teak colour.
Rinse thoroughly, taking care to wash and solids away that tend to separate in gullies leaving a hard deposit if allowed to dry. Lightly scrub the surface as you rinse to remove the last of the muck, and then allow to dry naturally.
The end result has transformed the boat.
The third stage of the process is to apply the Semco. The picture shows a small area of the raised foredeck, but the result is instant and provides a water tight, UV sealed deck. The Semco looks in the colour and keep the rainwater out. At £34 for a 1 litre tin not cheap, but pennies compared with £8 - 9,000 for a new deck. Semco advise a re-application every 6 months, and this will be a religious task for me from now on. To this send I bought a 1 US Gallon can and that should be good for three full applications.
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Otter
Well-Known Member
That is nothing short of a miracle! Hard work and clever chemistry hand in hand.
Montemar
Well-Known Member
What a transformation. Nice to see such a big change for one's efforts - a bit like mowing the lawn!
RogerRat
Well-Known Member
Hi Trevor,
I've always liked the Corvette from when I first looked round one, they are like a 'tardis' inside with a great walk-round and good fly.
A proper little trawler yacht. Surprisingly, one of the long term experts is David Jones at Sunseeker, his father was very involved with them from the early days.
I know this one is a bit of a project but looks like it'll be worth it.
Enjoy,:encouragement:
Roger
I've always liked the Corvette from when I first looked round one, they are like a 'tardis' inside with a great walk-round and good fly.
A proper little trawler yacht. Surprisingly, one of the long term experts is David Jones at Sunseeker, his father was very involved with them from the early days.
I know this one is a bit of a project but looks like it'll be worth it.
Enjoy,:encouragement:
Roger
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