Eastwood Owners??

[Steve Clayton]

Anyone out there?

Want to discuss the merits of the Ford vis the Renault engine?
(Our old Eastwood is still moored near Shillingford bridge)

 

[byron]

Eastwoods.... pretty thin on the ground (no pun intended). You don't see too many these days.

 

[Richard Shead]

Eastwood 24, nice boat carried a hydraulic box which was way ahead of the most in terms of seamaster 23 / 27. In fact had a ride on one today, loads of boat for the money

 

[teddington_lock]

Rich , you should be in bed mate .... surprised you can string that reply together ...

 

[Steve Clayton]

[ QUOTE ]
...nice boat carried a hydraulic box which was way ahead of the most..

[/ QUOTE ]
That'll be the Wortham Blake "oil bath" dip g'box.
Ours had the separate gear selector and throttle so just used to push the gear stick fully forward to engage. Was 3 years before I found out there was an intermediate gear which was perfect for just holding the boat against the stream at a full lock.

 

[No Regrets]

On the engine front (Knowing nothing about Eastwoods, but guessing 1970's) I seem to recall most French engines having cooling problems and wet liners, making head gasket replacement a tedious affair of setting up the liner height, while the Ford units were worthy enough but unexceptional other than very low parts prices, and easy to get spares for.

That sound right?

 

[byron]

Re: Eastwood Spec.

Eastwood 24. Or to give it the correct name "Eastwood Adventurer"

Designed by John Bennett
Length 24'
Draft 2'3"
Max. Beam 8' 6"
Max. headoom 6'
Weight 4480 lbs
Hull Hard Chine with deep keel
Engine 1600cc Ford
Speed 8 knots
Price £4,500 - £5,000 (in about 1973)

 

[Steve Clayton]

I guess so as I only met one owner who had the Renault but they were pleased with it.

The Ford unit was the cross-flow engine from cars like the Anglia and the Cortina (so I felt right at home) but the marinisation of the head made it look like it was a sidevalve unit as inlet and exhaust were on the same side with the plugs on the other.

I hear that the Ford engines used were surplus van engines that were destined for Ireland. The carbs used were Solex (I think it was anyway) sidedraught which had a tendency to leak from the fuel bowl. Mine was well worn with the engine rough running. I handcarried it to a recommended carb refurb engineer in Hackney and personally collected it a couple of days later - what a difference it made; it was like a new engine!

 

[No Regrets]

The Ford unit was originally supplied by Ford as an industrial engine, and probably marinised by Watermota, like the Birchwood and Freeman units.

Called a 'Sea Tiger' and the claimed bhp was 80, but more like 60 for real.

Mine was new in 1978, where it was still available in the base versions of the Cortina and Transit van.

Mind you, the early version was a non-crossflow, so had both manifolds on the same side! (Pre-crossflow)

 

[Chris Doyle]

His this thread still active? I bought Lady Jane, Eastwood 24 a month ago.