Relcraft

[matt_b]

Hi, I'm after any information about Relcraft - in particular the 23ft with flybridge.

I would like to know what they are like at sea, size of sea they can handle etc.

Any websites relating to this craft?

It has a Volvo AQD31 engine - any experience of these, good? bad?

And can anyone recommend a boat painter/sprayer in the Brighton area, as the boat in question could do with a complete respray.

Many thanks in advance.
Matt

www.southwickdeepseaanglers.org

 

[byron]

<font color=blue>I wasn't aware that Relcraft did a flybridge boat. The Relcraft 23 was called the Sapphire. Looking something like a Princess 25 she had a deep vee hull giving quite a nice ride. She was designed by John Moxham she came with a Volvo 140 HP which purported a max. of 26 knots.
Without looking closely at yours and unless someone else knows differently I suspect your Flybridge is an addition.

http://www.alexander-advertising.co.uk

 

[Chris771]

I was not aware that the 23 had ever been made with a flybridge. I tried one on the Hamble about 10 years ago, I think bit was called a sapphire and they made a larger one called an amethyst.

I tried the Sapphire and it was quite a nice ride with nice deep cockpit to save kids falling overboard. The cabin was open and roomy for a 23ft boat. The only reason I did not buy it was because it sold before I sold my Freeman 24.


Chris

 

[longjohnsilver]

Byron, they definitely made a flybridge version, there's still one at Lyme Regis. I used to have a Relcraft Pearl, 21 footer, smart boat, went well, only problem was the outdrive!

I always admired the 23 footer at Lyme, looked a good solid boat, loads of D fendering down the side. If it's the right price definitely worth a look. The relcraft hulls look different to most others but IMHO they do a good job particularly on the smaller boats up to 25'.

 

[matt_b]

LJS,

Thanks for the update, any idea of the "right price" for such a boat? I would say she is only in average condition.

I take it form the hull design there is minimal slamming into the waves?

Cheers
Matt

 

[byron]

<font color=blue> Can't get away with a thing here... Longjohn sees to that /forums/images/icons/wink.gif
Yes! A deep vee hull will give a soft ride in a chop, cutting rather than bouncing on a wave top. As regards price... how long is a peice of string. Everything depends on the state of the boat and engine, boat popularity, how much you want the craft and how much the seller wants to get rid of it. Personally I wouldn't wish to give a valuation but if you really want it, the price is right, offer 20% less and start from there.

http://www.alexander-advertising.co.uk

 

[longjohnsilver]

Matt, impossible to say what the right price should be, so many different factors to take into account, age, condition, engine/outdrive condition etc. If it was all uptogether I would expect somewhere in the region of 10 -15 K but as there are so few of them as Byron says it really depends on how much you want it.

 

[BarryH]

Weren't some of these offered for home completion in a kit form, mouldings and stuff like that. Might be worth checking to see if theres any history with the boat. In my experience some of the insurance companies get twitchy with home builds. In saying that, I've seen some homebuilds that would knock the spots off some factory produced jobbies.

Some of the moulds for the Relcraft range still exist in some far flung corner of the world some where. There was an article a while ago in one of the mags that mentioned someone producing a fish/work model based on the Zircon hull. Don't know if anything come of it.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Wasn't aware of that Barry but wouldn't be too surprised if what you say is correct. Certainly the factory finish internally was fairly basic, wouldn't have been too difficult to improve on, although the mouldings all seemed to be of a fairly high standard. The Pearl that I had I still think is a smart looking boat and was easy to handle and a good sea boat, although I would say that she needed more ballast in the bows (usually provided by the wife /forums/images/icons/smile.gif). The 23 looked to be a much chunkier boat, especially with the flybridge.

 

[jfm]

Re: Relcraft - about the moulds

The moulds are in Nottingham AFAIK, or were till recently. When Relcraft were in business, the mouldings were done by Midland Mouldings in Nottingham, a big GRP shop (that, incidentally, moulded Henderson garage doors and the Mariner 17 hulls). The firm was run by Geoff Lusty then. Some years ago, it was taken over by the foreman (forgot his name) and renamed Minster Composite Industries. It is still going in Nottingham - the new owners got a kick start by moulding much of the Eurodisney stuff. They still have some of the boat moulds, and they moulded something for me 3 years ago at an astonishingly good price. I'd bet they know where the Relcraft toolds are if you need it. I have a number for them somewhere at home. Sorry, this is a bit OT