Frisky/Feisty Fox

[Mike Fox]

Well, the end of an era is approaching.We'd owned Frisky for 13 years, and got to know pretty well every knot and wrinkle.

 

Frisky has now been up for sale since November, and despite a low-level flurry from private adverts, and just one viewing, I couldn't get anyone to bite my hand off, even though the price has reduced. Frisky is now under brokerage at an even lower price, and am hoping they can do better with trade adverts and onsite support.

 

We completed on our new boat at Lymington on the first Saturday of March, after the previous owner had basically ignored it since our sea trial last year. We verified the inventory, took notes from the owner's comments, and did the credit transfer to the broker. The new boat was ours! 

 

We came home, re-grouped, loaded the car with the essential safety kit, and had a frosty drive back to Lymington for 9 a.m., admiring the traces of snow left in the New Forest, and the shiny glaze over pontoons and previously grey/brown teak decks. It took an hour to load up, run through basic checks, warm up the engine (fired first time!), and cast off, taking it out of a marina berth for the first time.

 

We motored up to Lymington Yacht Haven for fuel, which we'd arranged the day before. The fuel berth was tucked into a dead-end corner, the fuel filler points were starboard side, and had the excitement of my first three-point turn, and tying up. The fenders kissed the pontoon gently, Carol and I lobbed bites of ropes over pontoon cleats, and we were tied up for the first time. The bad news was we couldn't get off. The topsides are much higher than Frisky, and leaping onto a frosty pontoon looked too scary. We were left a fender step, that needed to be transferred from port to starboard, and when rigged, it was a simple single step down, with much better grip than we first thought.

 

The new boat takes 220 litres of diesel in each of two tanks. One took about 30 litres, which was re-assuring, and we hoped it was the "empty" one. The other took about 220 litres, and we were glad we filled up! Have never put so much fuel into a tank. Guess some in the club take much more!

 

We were away by 11, the frost had cleared, and we retraced our steps out to the river, then followed the red and green stakes out into the Solent. The wind was on the nose, the tide was fair until 14.11, and the target was Old Harry for low tide, then trundle in for the 3.30 bridge on a flooding tide. We cleared Hurst Castle at 12:00, confirmed that the Needles Channel would give us wind on the nose all the way back, but the North Channel close to the mainland shore gave a slight angle, which meant we could try the sails. We hoisted both sails for the first time, and I zig-zagged back towards Old Harry over-steering constantly until I got the "feel" of it, regretting the lack of a plotter at the wheel. The autohelm made it look embarrassingly easy. The wind and sea state increased, as did the boat speed. We'd gone from flat calm in the Solent to a F4-5 NW over tide, with breaking white tops. As we cleared the Piers, the wind freshened to a F6, and being slightly overpressed with full canvas we reduced sail, which kept the boat upright, and improved comfort, but all too soon, we reached Old Harry - just before 2 p.m. Think that was our fastest ever crossing of Christchurch and Poole Bays, in just under 2 hours. I'm not sure our 7 knot speed will threaten too many other club boats, mind! 

 

The engine went on, we trundled into the Swash, and had time for some figure of eights ahead and astern, practice crash stops, and got a feel of the momentum that 10-11 tonnes gives us, before going into the basin, and up to Cobb's. We found our new berth easily, and pulled alongside, but had no permanent docklines rigged, and while the boat was stopped alongside, while trying to tie up, we just touched the pontoon with the bows. Finally, we were attached, and were able to turn off the engine and enjoy the moment alone. The place was deserted.

 

Well, it was a quick pack down, leap into Carol's car we'd left at Cobb's the night before, and back to Lymington to retrieve my car. Coming back in convoy through the Forest at night we encountered

 horses, cattle and two deer, finally getting home for a well earned glass of something.

 

It took us a few months to come up with a name, but the new boat will be "Feisty Fox". Let the refurbishment begin!

 

Mike

[Mike Fox]

The refurbishment will need to move quickly, as we hope to complete and re-launch mid-May

- The stainless rigging is time-expired, and riggers need to remove mast and do all of that;

- all of the ropes are green with algae, and stiff with salt and lack of usage;

- The sails are grim. One is salvageable, the other needs replacing;

- Will need canvaswork changes and improvements for the cockpit;

- The electronics are 2001 vintage, and while Raymarine, do not extend to the wheel. I need a plotter / fishfinder, and I'm looking at AIS for MOB recovery.

- Safety gear is being transferred from Frisky;

- The seacocks appear to have been left open for 15 years and neglected. Most will need replacing

 

There's also an 18 page survey report, with a stack of other recommendations, a few of which are potentially scary.

 

Wish us luck!

 

Mike

[Wight Magic]

Good luck mike she looked good when you showed me around you will soon have her right

[Neal]

Good Luck Mike and Carol

 

I am sure it will all be worth it when "Feisty" is finally up to your required standard.

[Kingfisher 126]

 

Good luck to you both for your new venture, that list will soon disappear just needs £££££s.

 

Will all be worth while when you get back out.

[Stuie]

Well done Carol & Mike. Looking forward to the next instalment.

[Rob]

Improved angling space?

Rod holders?

Bait board?

How does she act on the drift?

 

Come on, update is with the interesting bits!!!!!

[Maverick Martin]

Well done mike and Carol. Looking forward to the fishing reports ☺

[Mike Fox]

Met with Chris Ellery of Greenham Regis today, to discuss electronics.

Currently looking at a Garmin EchoMAP CHIRP with HD sonar. Anyone have experience, before I commit?

Also looking at a Class B AIS Transponder, with Ocean Signal AIS/DSC/GPS devices for life jackets to help MOB recovery.

Also drilled a load of holes to install new interior fittings.

This afternoon was anchor duties using the electric windlass for the first time. Took a hacksaw to the corroded shackle, replacing with stainless, which I moused to prevent it vibrating loose. Then ranged the whole chain on the pontoon, and found there was 30m of 10mm chain on a 20kg Delta, marked at 5m intervals, with some twisted 16mm nylon behind, with more knotted on, and hence jammed in the locker. After failing to deploy it when lashed to a pontoon, I think we need to replace it. Frisky had 60m total with 40m of chain, to allow 3-4x depth in Brittany (13m tide, assuming anchoring in 2m at low tide). Think we're going to need 30m rope, which wasn't budgeted. Nylon or anchorplait I guess, with a rope to chain splice, with a lighter line at the "bitter end" that can be cut in an emergency.

The 5gk Bruce clone fishing anchor might be a little small for this one. Have a separate anchor well for it and our 110m of 12mm nylon, but I might need something chunkier.

Rob, lots more cockpit space, and a lowering transom (nicknamed the "butt flap") to allow unhooking of GTs, Goliath Grouper, etc in future years. No rod rests, but plenty of guard wires and rails. She seems to lie beam on on the drift, with the helm locked to windward. It's a narrow keel, with higher topsides, so drifts faster than Frisky. The real shock is the teak cockpit. Gorgeous to look at, but a nightmare to maintain. Am told tuna and mahi mahi blood doesn't soak in, if it's kept soaked in clean seawater

Mike

[Steve S]

Good luck with the refit Mike and Carol. I expect there will be other suprises in store hope some are good ones.

[Steve S]

Tigerfish has a teak cockpit, we don't find it hard work to maintain.

 

We just use water with a little washing up liquid to wash as needed. Then apply teak oil once a year and twice on the high footfall areas.

[Adam F]

Great news Mike and well done! Love the twist on the name which is Synominous with you and Carol.

 

Look forward to hearing progress on the refit. Pics??

[great white]

Well done Mike and Carol

 

Good luck with the sale of Frisky and the refit of Feisty

[Duncan F (bathclaret)]

Quick update on the teak testing I did for you this week in the Caribbean Mike. Tuna (2 samples), barracuda and Jack blood all easily removed with sea water. Dorado not sure

[Mike Fox]

Nice one Duncan - on your new boat?

 

Mike

[Duncan F (bathclaret)]

Not ours Mike, a bareboat charter from Grenada up to Bequia & back. Great couple of weeks, flying back tomorrow

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rich185]

Well done Mike and Carol. Hope all goes well with the refit of your new boat, and the sale of frisky.

[Mike Fox]

Cobb's had been booked solid for boat lifts for weeks, after the long wet winter, and last Thursday was the first slot at high tide I could book to have Feisty lifted out. It had been lashed firmly to the pontoon since we delivered her, as she really needed ashore maintenance. As Carol couldn't get time off, I was going to take the boat around to the slipway solo for my first time, but an offer of assistance from Neal was gratefully accepted.

 

I got down to the boat just after 8, and started preparing lines, and Neal arrived in good time, and I showed him over briefly. It was blowing a F4-5 Easterly, right up the stern, and I knew I'd probably not be able to spin the boat between A and B pontoons, and head out forwards, so I needed to back out to the main approach channel. As the boat slowed, I popped it into ahead, and gave it a burst of revs, to slow the reverse, and bring the bows through the wind, and I momentarily forgot that I had 10-11 tons there as it took longer to stop from 2-3 knots than I expected. As the boat speed dropped, the wind caught the bows, and quickly blew them off, and with zero boat speed at the turning point, I couldn't do anything about it. I increased revs to bring the bows back, and nothing happened - the bows kept sliding downwind. I increased revs again to about 80%, and finally, I achieved some "grip", the rudder was about 45°, and doing the "stern thruster" bit, and finally the bows started to turn through the wind. Lesson learned - even with lots more horses under the throttle hand, low-speed control in a cross wind needs space and great care! Can see why some bigger boats fit bow thrusters...

 

The rest of the trip to the slipway was uneventful. It was out of the wind and sheltered, Neal and I lobbed loops over the bollards, and the Cobb's travel hoist did it's thing. It was good to have help, and made an anxious trip into a routine one.

 

I was able to lower the transom (why do I keep thinking of it as the "butt flap") when the boat was finally settled in the steel cradle, and my normal extending/step ladder just reached with a few inches to spare. A 2m keel plus high topsides, plus being chocked above ground level meant the boat is higher than I like. No chance of boarding amidships, and a new ladder is needed to get aboard safely. Need one that fits in a car with no roof rack, so maybe a telescopic one.

 

We now have the normal winter maintenance to perform, but key will be the safety items picked up on the survey, and further structural operational improvements:

- The mast had to be removed for rigging replacement. This came off Monday with difficulty. Corrosion and a lack of maintenance prevented it being removed cleanly, and the budget for this has just increased.

- The seacocks had been left open for much of the 15 years since new. Neglect has all but destroyed them. Replacing all is going to be needed to have any confidence in them. If you have them, keep them worked!

- A small area of blistering needs to be investigated. Now scraped off and opened up. It's looking like a void in the mat under the gel, but will get this checked out carefully.

- There's no boarding ladder in normal usage. Lowering the transom and fitting a bathing ladder might be ok for a sunny anchorage, but if you fall in when on deck alone, there's no way back aboard. A permanent ladder is a must.

- Stainless handrails for the companionway, so you can move down below in a seaway more securely.

 

Improvements while ashore are now needed to get the boat to the same spec as Frisky:

- Mainsail to launder and overhaul, foresail to replace with new. Sprayhood to reduce in height (previous owner was 6'5"). New cockpit enclosure.

- Chartplotter/fishfinder at the binnacle, so going for one with downview imaging and side scan - which needs a hole in the bottom

- Cockpit vinyl cushions for comfort and to reduce the mess and bloodstains

 

One important upgrade to the spec of Frisky:

- AIS with personal MOB devices as an uplift. Going for the DSC alerting, to give the off-watch crew an alarm, in the event of MOB.

 

Target re-launch is 20th May. The annual species hunt will have a much later start this year than hoped.

 

Thanks again for the help Neal !

 

Mike

[Rob]

" F4-5 Easterly, right up the stern" no-one likes that!

 

I won't mention the folding transom as it is a family show!

[Mike Fox]

I nearly typed "up the chuff", but combining that with "butt flap" comments might have been too much for your sensitivities Rob

[Stuie]

I nearly typed "up the chuff", but combining that with "butt flap" comments might have been too much for your sensitivities Rob

Agreed Mike, he's such a delicate thing....

[Mike Fox]

Starting to see progress now the boat is ashore.

 

The mast has been removed for essential maintenance. Corrosion was so bad they had to cut the rigging. Apparently, delaying longer could have caused real issues. If it can all be corrected, I might get it re-rigged within a week.

 

With the mast down, withdrawing the different ropes and washing them shifts all of the salt and algae. Five done so far. Seems to be far too many bits of string left over....

 

The rails on the back didn't permit a conventional outboard bracket, so bought a lump of teak and some stainless fittings. All fingers and thumbs fitting it, and spring-loaded nuts were pinging all over the boatyard . Found some...not all. Definitely a job for ashore!

 

I bought two folding boarding ladders, and asked a stainless fabricator to make them into one. He did a cracking job yesterday morning, and Carol and I fitted it this afternoon, with her electing to get into a locker to tighten nuts, with me outside dangling precariously on the butt-flap. Astonishing it wasn't factory-fitted. Key safety item I'd have thought.

 

Lifeline attachment point fitted near the bathing platform. Will keep one there permanently so someone unhooking a large fish can clip on easily, and stay aboard. Seemed obvious, so just did it, using a stainless fitting once bought for our second boat, Flying Fox, about 20 years ago and never used.

 

Couple of new bits today. 30m of 18mm anchorplait with a 7 tonne breaking strain to replace that manky knotted rope under the 30m of 10mm anchor chain. Now have to get the old stuff out, and find some YouTube videos on rope to chain splices. It means that if I anchor in 2-3m of water at low tide in Brittany, and we get one of the big 13m Spring tides, we'll have enough combined scope for 4x depth. The fishing anchor will be additional. Still not sure how small I can get away with for that!

 

New gas regulator. Previous owner used small expensive Camping Gaz but the, but the huge gas locker takes 2 x 4.5kg butane bottles, which is much cheaper. Looks Like I get back the price of the regulator on the first bottle. Seems a tenner well spent!

 

                          Price       Kg         £/Kg

Butane             £18.75     4.5       £4.17

CampingGaz   £30.00      2.7     £11.11

 

Tomorrow will start organising locker stowage. Have a nice piece of marine ply which I'll break down into handy sizes, bond them to the hull, and attach fittings. Simple things like a length of shock cord and hooks to keep the anchor locker lid up when doing stuff there. Mounting points for rope tidies, so the shore power cable can be coiled and accessible instead of just dropped in a deep locker in a mess. I really want a shelf for my tackle box, and a couple of braced poles to store ropes and fenders. Have a length of PVC tubing which might be useful if bonded to the hull in short lengths, for brush, boat hook, "Mr. Snappy" (a plastic gadget thing for picking up moorings), and other unwieldy items. Then I should have enough usable space for rod stowage when out on travels.

 

Been watching catch reports enviously...need to get out there and join you all!

 

Mike

[Stuie]

Just a couple of things need doing then Mike!!!!!!!

[lofty]

Interesting stuff

[lofty]

Love the left over ropes. That's why I don't touch mechanical things. Where do all these spare nuts and bolts go back?