Formanda is operational!

[kimhollamby]

Well after three years of effort we've started logging miles again. Formanda is not finished but she is seaworthy and operational.

Here's the view three weekends back when we anchored in Alum Bay overnight. Plan is to take a few days off soon to get a longer commissioning trip or two in the log, weather permitting.

Only two glitches so far; we suspected that Formanda would be relatively economic but were slightly unnerved to see that the fuel level was not dropping at all in the day tank that feeds both engines. Turned out a rubber gasket on the inspection hatch was over-generous and had hooked up on the sender float. And we got the generator commissioned only to discover that the leap seal on the raw water pump was failing - so that's gone on the list of bits to source.

 

[BrendanS]

Kim! Great news, and good to hear from you and an update. How did your woodworking guru get on with the rotten wood and stuff?

 

[kimhollamby]

Wordwork

All the critical stuff in that area was done in 2008; decks off, new carlings, beam shelves and a lot of scarfed pieces on the deck beams before new high quality marine ply deck, topped first with a GRP sheath then with a similarly high spend chunk of teak.

Superstructure forward was mostly okay except for a couple of patches; aft we had one side off the aft cabin and completely changed the back so that we could switch from windows to a Lewmar hatch and portholes.

David Skene was very good although, unfortunately, recession bit after our boat was out of the shed and he is currently doing a stint on barn conversions. Hopefully he'll be back on boats again ere long.

Whole thing has been mad, but beginning to get payback now.

Inspired by seeing all the work with wood I've even turned my hand to doing some myself, such as this box to hide the pipe work in the forward heads:

Inside we still have about half the headlinings to finish (Dave Skene is doing those for us), plus some other things like the forward cabins' lighting wiring looms, the heating to complete and the autopilot to finish off. And all the custom cabin lighting switch panels to install when they come back from the engravers.

A couple of the cabins need to be painted and the aft bathroom needs lining so plenty to keep me out of mischief!

Plus I have the engines to service although, at £5 for oil filters, less than that for fuel filters and the ability to do this myself I'm appreciating the wisdom of installing Perkins Sabres.

 

[BrendanS]

Sounds like an epic piece of work. You should write it all up for us to share. We like that!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Thats great news, Kim. Will you be doing an update in MBM?

 

[neale]

Thats great news, Kim. Will you be doing an update in MBM?

Sore point, eh Kim

Let's just say that an IPC title marine title will no doubt be publishing an update

Great to hear that you are using the boat. Must come down and see how she looks.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Hi Kim, how about a few more photos of your lovely craft? And where was she based whilst you're working on her? Look forward to reading/seeing more..........

 

[longjohnsilver]

Hi Kim, how about a few more photos of your lovely craft? And where was she based whilst you're working on her? Look forward to reading/seeing more..........

 

[kimhollamby]

More pics and words

Hugo at MBY was the first person to specifically ask me to write some words on Formanda so I (apparently) defected from MBM, and you'll see some snippets in print ongoing. I enjoyed working with both teams at IPC before I left so hopefully I won't get too many things thrown at me by the MBM team if I re-appear in Blue Fin one day.

In the spirit of sharing I'll find some time to place more things on here, and point you to other links.

Thanks for the interest...it's been a long journey!

Sore point, eh Kim

Let's just say that an IPC title marine title will no doubt be publishing an update

Great to hear that you are using the boat. Must come down and see how she looks.

Sounds like an epic piece of work. You should write it all up for us to share. We like that!

Thats great news, Kim. Will you be doing an update in MBM?

 

[kimhollamby]

Formanda's base

Formanda was based at Endeavour Quay for the major reconstruction phase and since hitting the water she has been at Haslar Marina. The staff there have been superb...and the berthholders in our immediate vicinity have either been extremely polite or genuinely tolerant of the various sawing, grinding, sanding and other assorted noises emanating from our boat and the workbench that was almost a permanent fixture on our finger for a while.

Will get some more pics on here soon.

Hi Kim, how about a few more photos of your lovely craft? And where was she based whilst you're working on her? Look forward to reading/seeing more..........

 

[kimhollamby]

Some repeated pics

Bit cheeky but to save time some historic pics previously posted here, new ones to follow:

Before we started

Just one sample of what we faced when the decks came off:

And another

Trust me you never want to see your boat like this

Better to start putting it back together by rebuilding the deck beams

and the aft sections of the superstructure

Sub deck on

Old engines out

Caulking the decks

Oops, that's new fuel tanks needed as well then

Oil on paint on oil on paint on oil on paint...34 years of engineroom neglect...

Some of the 20+ redundant holes glassed in

Engineroom ground out and repainted, new engine bearers in

New engines in (yes they are Perkins Sabres - M135s - old fashioned replacements for the 6.354s)

One of the two battery boxes fully loaded and cabled

New deck fittings going on

New shafts and props in

Tides Marine seals in

Main and day tanks in

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Kim, you haven't changed in 20 yrs. Is there something in the water at IPC?

 

[kimhollamby]

I think I was lighter 20 years ago

Kim, you haven't changed in 20 yrs. Is there something in the water at IPC?