britboard

Martin as you are next on the list, i have another one coming up, don't know whats wrong with it until it gets here, are you still interested? If so post up and i'll take the time to try to assess / fix it. Simon L

I thought it would be nice to see something different out there too Adam, People seem to have a mixed opinion about centre console boats, most people seem to think that they are only any use in a calm sea on sunny days. Nothing could be further from the truth i have been out in areas like the Humps off the coast of Islamorada in the Keys where the water is notoriously nasty and these types of boats handle the big waves with ease, i personally have used them a great deal when fishing abroad and love the amount of deck space and freedom it gives you to move around the boat. It is also a bit more family friendly than the types of boats produced here in the uk, although the trend is swinging a bit more towards multi-purpose boats these days. I also want to encourage Lynne out a bit more and she always seemed happy when i can get her out on the water in the boats we hire when abroad. My other logic was price its possible to get a much nicer and better equipped boat shipped back from the USA than i could even think about getting here and the CE/RCD process isn't too much of a drama now that they have introduced the post construction ticket. As for winter fishing "no worries" i love the cold, although i might be wearing gloves with that stainless wheel, might have to get a summer and winter wheel. the boat comes with a canvas affair that wraps right round the console so it offers me about the same amount of protection as the Raider did as i never went into the cuddy except to get my lunch or haul anchor, in fact i always got someone else to haul anchor so it was really a very large lunch box Cambrian Boat Centre are the dealers for Polar boats and have been for quite some time the boat you saw in the mag is a 23ft Polar which they are listing at

"Thats it then" All Raider owners are doomed to a fish-less life roaming the sea's in vain hope. i'm so glad i sold mine now. Gordon, Don't believe the rumors, they are just winding you up! and do yourself a favour don't get drawn into it on here or if ever you decide to sell yours, you will have to suffer the barrage of stupid phone calls offering you bugger all as the buyer read somewhere that raiders scare fish as i did. Lads who bought mine are as pleased as punch and say they are catching far more fish from it, than they did from the charters they used to fish from. I never had any problem catching fish from mine, so i don't know what you are doing differently to me, maybe try not handling the bait with your bare hands as i knew someone who was a perma-blank until he started wearing marigolds then he started catching fish (must be his hormones or something). Simon L

heres some photos of the almost finished job just a few bits to do before the weekend. Simon L

Or, post your pictures or videos into Photobucket.com and then from your photobucket account click the IMG Code button next the picture/video you want in your posting and then just paste into you posting wherever you want to place it and no need to resize them, simple and won't use up all the forums bandwidth. Tell if i'm wrong Paul D? you can add links in your signature also see below:- Simon L

Rob, a bit harsh, but probably fair PJ and Paul D should be able to fit you both onboard, its going to be Sunday now if weather plays ball, as i forgot i have prior engagement on Saturday evening, It will only be in Poole bay as i'm still running the engine in, so maybe Bassing?. I will let you know closer to the day. Simon L

Hi, guys First things First, A BIG THANKS to Alun for helping me out on Thursday and Friday, i couldn't have done it without you! We collected the boat from Southampton docks on Thursday, the whole package came shrink wrapped and looked a lot smaller than i remembered, until when i looked under the wrap i realised that they had removed the T-top for shipping. The dock workers promptly planted her onto her new trailer using a mobile sling-lifter without drama and me and Alun then spent a very wet next hour on the dock-side adjusting and balancing the trailer to make her safe for towing. When all that was done it was off to the Jones household for a well earned cuppa, and the rest of the day was spent unwrapping and re-assembling the boat ready for the CE/RCD testing the following day. It was Whiting for dinner prepared with the usual expert culinary touch that Alun seems to make look so easy. Friday morning and it was off to Lymington slip to meet Dave from American sports boats and the guy from the notified body who spent about 2 hours looking over the boat, making notes and advising what i needed to do to make it CE compliant. Then it was gently slipped into the water for the float test, we only just managed to get it started as the shippers had left the batteries online and they were a bit flat by the time it got to me. Once tied off to the pontoon it was just a case of the guy asking how many i wanted the boat to be rated for "6 i replied" so off i trotted to find some unsuspecting members of the public to use as ballast. then all he did was measure the angle of the boat firstly level and then with all six of us sitting each side of the boat, look at his graph and declare that all was well, so 6 is its rating. Only things i have to fit are, 2 fire extinguishers and label, a manual bilge pump, label where the battery isolator is, label change from Gas to Petrol, Create a wiring diagram, Create an operation manual. So not too much, just a bit of sitting in front of the PC writing it all up, shouldn't take long as i use CAD all the time at work for making wiring diagrams. Obviously me and Alun couldn't resist the urge to head out to sea, as i had nearly gotten away with paying the launch fees but got nabbed at the last moment just before we were about to pull her out, so off we headed we got as far as the Solent and thought better of that plan, we started to get very wet due to a nasty looking sea and lots of wind so a hasty retreat was made back into harbour. The trailer worked its magic and the boat was winched back on without any fuss although its still needs a bit of adjustment as it was sitting a bit high, but perfectly central. Saturday i had to go to work, but stopped off and the local chandlery to get a few bits on the way home. Sunday saw me in full-on fit out mode, i was like a "whirling-dervish" with Lynne feeding me coffee and bacon butties to keep me fuelled, i spent 10 hours at it today and managed to, Get the boat up on jacks and the trailer adusted. Trim tabs, helm switches with auto retracts, fitted, wired and tested, Lowrance 113HD chartplotter, LGC300 gps module, sonar transducer, water wheel, NMEA200 network backbone, fitted, wired and tested, Navman 7100DSC radio mounted in the console, 2.4m whip antenna mounted on the T-top wires fed down through the tubes, wired and tested, Lynne kindly ran 5 miles away with a hand held radio to give it a proper test for me (she's mad that girl ). Boat cleaned, waxed and put to bed, me next Will post up some pictures tommorrow of the finished job, but its a bit dark now to take any. If the weather plays ball next weekend i will be looking for crew to christen her, if anybody wants a trip out, likely to be launching from Lymington or Christchurch slip at about 08:00 on whichever day looks to be giving the best forecast. Simon L

Its a Pioneer 197 Sports Fish, made in the good old US of A in North Carolina. Heres a link to their website pioneer boats If plans go well i may take on the UK dealer rights for the whole pioneer range if the boat generates enough interest, the build quality is amazing and as they are a fairly new manafacturer who is trying to build themselves a share in a tough market they are equipping these boats with top quality gear, it a whole lot more boat than i could get in the UK for the money which is helped by a weak dollar at the moment. They apparently used to build boats for all the big names in the US market and then decided to make their own range. The whole import process was nowhere near as painful as i expected and everyone in the US is well geared up for the shipping needs, i guess its not unusual for them to ship boats across country. The tax man takes his cut at this end and adds 1.7% import duty and then 17.5% VAT on both the boat and shipping price. Simon L

She's landed at Southampton and is now sitting on the dock waiting for customs clearance, i am picking up the new trailer (rollercoaster 10) this weekend in readiness. I've been out shopping for loads of bits already, i opted for Lowrance electronics again going for the LCX113HD with a NMEA2000 link to the engine for a electronic helm, a set of Lenco 12"by 12" edge mount trim tabs with auto retracts and led feedback with a trusty Navman 7100dsc for the radio, so i'm going to have a bit of work to do before she hits the water proper. Shouldn't take me too long though as i've done it all before on Cimarra so that takes most of the guesswork and trawling through manuals out of the situation. Lots of cables to pull through the trunking built into the boat which is probably going to be the toughest bit of the job. Plan is for me and Alun to go and collect next Thursday and then on friday the Man from the CE/RCD is going to his bit somewhere in the local area. If anyone is interested in what they have to do and wants to come and watch give me a shout and i'll let you know where and when, i'll take some pictures as i think they are going to try to near capsize her during testing. I'm like a cat on a hot tin roof now and can't wait to get my hands on her. Simon L

I think you would be losing about 1foot, 12inchs or 304.8mm, other than that i think why you would want the 165 over the 175. Simon L

I will scour the shed and my garage for you, i'm sure i can find a few rods and reels for you they might need a bit of tender loving care (oil) but i'm sure they are serviceable. I'll give you a shout when i've had a look but you'll have to give me a couple of weeks as my garage is a real mess and i will have to work back to the 1995 layer. Simon L

thanks guys, you are all welcome out on her at any time if you want to try her out. The new owners picked up Cimarra this morning and drove her of to her new home in north wales, it was a sad moment for me its not until you see your pride and joy driving off down the road with new owners you realise how much you get attached to your boat. still never mind new boat coming soon (a new child to raise). heres the new owners of Cimarra looking very pleased with themselves. The new boat has been named "Play Hooky" and has a yamaha f150txr four stroke on the back which shoves it along at 52mph about 35 minutes to the Rips, i reckon, if i can afford the fuel. All offers of how to creep up on Bass will be gratefully accepted as my previously bullish approach wasn't very good. Simon L

Sold to a couple chaps from Wrexham as their first boat, they are seasoned charter clients and are going to use it on the north Wales coastline. Had loads of enquiries from B&O from as far afield as Copenhagen, and about ten phone calls from muppets asking if its right that they scare fish when at anchor because they had read it on this this forum, i assured them all it was just Gordon that can't catch from Raiders and not the general population The new boat should clear customs in about 2 weeks and then its off for CE/RCD marking then me and Alun will test it to the max. If anyone is toying with the idea of buying a new boat from the US, now is the time with a weak dollar and rising fuel prices over there are some real bargins to be had at the moment. here are some pictures of what i have bought, hope to see you all out there soon Simon L

I don't know why they call it EASY-jet, they will charge you without doubt, i would phone the airport and ask to speak to the easyjet desk if i was you as sometimes you will need to pre book any oversized luggage, the reason their flights are so cheap is that they fill the holds with cargo to keep the ticket prices down, so they are real strict on excess baggage. try to book them on as a set of skis as they are used to carrying those at a set price. OR buy or borrow some travel rods. Simon L

Happy birthday Lads, and remember what they say "your only as old as the woman your feeling" Have fun Simon L

thieving pikey bastard scum thats all i have to say on the matter if they get caught dress them in orange and use them as traffic cones on the motorways i say, and even thats being kind i think. if there is anything i can do to help in any way just shout. Simon L

what sort of size are they Mike? may need one Simon L

Hi Dan, you will be fine the internal speaker should work just fine without the external speaker connection. Connect the red to +12v and black to -12v and make sure you have a decent antenna connected before you turn it on and press transmit, leave the large black socket unplugged unless you are going to link it to the gps for position sending on dcs. If you tell me what gps unit you are running i will take a look at the on-line manuals and advise how to connect it, but you need to check the radio set first to see if it already has a MMSI number already programmed as i know it is second hand. If it has you will need to take it to a navman dealer and get the MMSI wiped to allow you get a new one for your boat or you will be transmitting using someone elses registered number which is a bit of a no-no and illegal. give me a call if you need any help? 07973 321401 Simon L

gordon i think its more technique rather than boat noise, that the problem anyhow price on boat now reduced to

Damm! If only it was more than 70kg, too small for the new boat Simon L

Not as heavy as you may think Paul, with everything on board its just about a 900kg, i used to tow it behind a Escort sized car when i first got it and launch and recover on my own all the time. its so easy with the rollers on the trailer. Simon L

For Sale, Raider 18 Wheelhouse, 2000 boat with 90hp four stroke mercury outboard, power tilt and trim, stainless prop, prop lock, fins and genuine mercury workshop manual, Johnson 6hp auxillary engine with tiller extension handle and transom bracket Wheelhouse cuddy, Factory wheelhouse drop-back cover with no tears or rot for those cold days, Transom door, Boarding ladder, Rear bench seat with built in bait tank, tank temp sensor and fixed aerator pump, fills from deck-wash pump, Deck-wash pump with coiled hose and gun, Windscreen wiper, Twin helm seats, Twin batteries with isolators, 4 x 25lt tanks, 2x fire extinguishers, Auto and manual bilge pumps, 5 extra rod holders, Anchor and navigation lights, Radar reflector, Anchor, chain and warp, Spare Aluminium prop, 2006 Lowrance 332c colour chartplotter/fishfinder with NMEA-2000 fuel flow sensor and bait tank temperature sensor, 2006 Navman 7100 DSC marine radio linked to sounder for position sending, Additional Hummingbird sx150 fishfinder/depth-sounder, Ritchie Angler compass, All sitting on a 2006 Indespension roller-coaster 3.5 trailer with spare wheel and lighting board. All fitted extras come with the boxes, documents etc, and I have all paperwork relating to the boat from the moment it left the factory. Boat and trailer have wanted for nothing and have been regularly maintained. Price

Well done lads, hope the build goes smoothly and quickly and i look forward to seeing her out on the water. Simon L

yes Martin of course! list stands in order next, Martin, then, Charlie, then, Adam Simon L

your on the list, they come in as they come in, but most of what has been coming in lately has been beyond financial salvage, so its just a case of waiting it out i'm afraid. Simon L