Princess 385

[traceyandsteve]

We managed to lose the Starboard air intake panel from our 1989 Princess 385 on the way back from Belgium last week (and just for the record, the male half of the duo was driving!!)

Princess claim to have destroyed all the templates for making new ones and we've been quoted £600+ to have a new mould made. Anyone know where we can get hold of a new panel, or does anyone else out there need one that wants to split the cost of a new mould?

Cheers

Tracey & Steve

 

[jfm]

Blue Peter spirit lives on

Borrow someone else's 385, get them to lend you their intake cover which you'll have to remove from the boat, and make your own mould using the borrowed part as a plug. It really is dead easy, you polish the part with release wax, brush the gel coat on, then two or three layers of fibreglass are gobbed on. An hour later, peel it off and you have a mould from which you can make the bit Tracy lost due to her bad driving home from Belgium ;-). And then you can return the borrowed part to its owner and hopefully get back your £600 deposit which he will have taken if he has any sense

The only hard part will be matching the gelcoat colour

The best place to get the fibreglass materials is Glassplies, Crowland Street Southport Merseyside, number in directory enquiries. They do fast mail order and give you loads of info sheets and instructions.

Hey why stop at the intake cover, borrow someone's Squadron 62 and get a slightly larger order of fibreglass and weyhey......

JFM

 

[Guest]

Just a quickie, what engines and props do you have, and what size trim tabs.
does your boat sit up a angle greater then 5', what speed do you get at 2500 and 2300.
I have a 385 which seems to have a high angle 10' it cruises at 20knots at 2500 tops out at 27 at 2800
regards shaun

 

[traceyandsteve]

Hiya

Our engines are 306hp Volvo's. Props are standard fit 3-blade (haven't measured 'em!). They're probably in need of a refurb, but we didn't get to see them last time they were out of the water.

Our normal cruising speed is 2100/2200 which gives us about 19/20 knots. The trim tabs we bought from Bennetts and they're about a foot wide. Our boat also tops out at 2800 revs and when she's got a clean bum, we get about 26-28 knots out of her. It planes well, but we haven't a clue what sort of angle, but at 18 knots, it's fairly level.

Anything above about 2400 though and the exhausts get a bit noisy.

We're down in Burnham if you want to get in touch and swap stories )

Tracey & Steve

 

[traceyandsteve]

Re: Princess 385 By the way......

Re JFM's reply, do you fancy lending us your air intake panel )))

T

 

[traceyandsteve]

Re: Here\'s one I made earlier.......

Very inventive for a man )

I wonder if the man next door will lend me his Porsche Boxster...........

Thanks for the idea (of course as soon as Steve read the reply he claimed he'd already thought of it!). It could well come down to that if we can't find another way.

I still don't understand why we can't just trade it in for a new Pearl 45, but men are so mean!!!!!

T & S

 

[jfm]

Re: retort.......

Tell Steve if he nicks any more of my ideas I'll be round to have a word.

What do you mean inventive "for a man"? It's a historical fact that men invented most of the important stuff, like cars, speed camera detectors, widgets, the Pill, etc

Now, about your new boat. Not sure about those Pearls. A bit homemadey in my backgarden-ish don't you think? From a quite old basic design? Style not quite on the mark, I fear? Dodgy resale value too? How about say a nice Azimut?

JFM

 

[Guest]

Re: Princess 385 By the way......

I think if you take the other side off it will be the same. Where are you in burnham? Do you venture up to lowestoft or the broads. I hope if the weather is ok to go to Southwold this weekend.To Holland in july back to Lowestoft for the 27th
I think that this boat requires larger tabs the boat I did my YM on had tabs the full width.
Might see you one day
shaun and family

 

[Guest]

Sorry I am at Brundall, near norwich near to Brooms.
Better than a pearl, not as good value as princess?

Wife likes shiney things??

 

[duncan]

Re: Princess 385 By the way......

Full width tabs - is that like an extended bathing platform with hinges?

 

[traceyandsteve]

Re: Princess 385 By the way......

We haven't ventured up that way yet, but we do often pop into Ipswich, Harwich, Shotley that sort of area.

We're thinking of going back to Holland again sometime in the Summer. We went last season and were very lucky to have fantastic weather.

We're in Burnham Yacht Harbour. Maybe if you fancy it one weekend, we could meet up at Ipswich or somewhere central.

T & S

 

[Guest]

Re: Princess 385 By the way......

Tracey Steve.

Yes it would be nice to see another 385 and chat some. I work offshore so i am only home two weekends a month, next free weekend will be 11 Aug, on hols to hollland from 12 July to 27th, this weekend looks to be awful weather, following weekend have to go to charity do on Sunday then back to work.and so on. Email me shaunwh@hotmail.com your email address. do you cruise with friends or on your own.
regards shaun