Foam Flyer is home [Archive]

Mike Lloyd

02-12-2008, 08:51 AM

Last Friday the three of us (Peter Myles, Alan Goodwin and myself)brought "Foam Flyer" home to be re-engined and re-furbished. Hopefully, with the three of us working on her we should have her ready for the Summer 2009 racing, I did say hopefully!!

History: Built in early 1969 at the Tremlett Boat Yard in Exeter. 10th Overall in the 1969 Round Britain Race with an average of 29 knots and with Dag Pike on board as navigator. 2nd overall in the foggy leg from Inverness to Dundee.

She still has the same engines and drive legs now as she had in 1969!!

timtap

02-12-2008, 09:19 AM

Spot on !!!!

She looks brilliant !!!!:hugegrin:

BluFin

02-12-2008, 01:17 PM

Great to see it in safe hands, best wishes for all the work you will put in.

looks pretty fresh mmmh let me think.......the last time I saw it, England still held the world cup, Krays had been in nick for a year & I was having to share a classroom with Hilary Benn.

Bloody amazing good to see it

Mike Lloyd

11-12-2008, 02:12 AM

Three men at work busy examining latest purchase!

Mike Lloyd

11-12-2008, 02:27 AM

Anyone want a pair of hardly used (460hrs) 220hp OMC/Evinrude small blocks
rebuilt in 2001? They are only 40 years old and did do the Round Britain 1969, complete with drive legs!:devil:

Foolish

11-12-2008, 03:34 AM

Anyone want a pair of hardly used (460hrs) 220hp OMC/Evinrude small blocks
rebuilt in 2001? They are only 40 years old and did do the Round Britain 1969, complete with drive legs!:devil:

Pash ! :hugegrin:

Gordon McMath

12-12-2008, 03:15 PM

Sounds like it was a bit of an adventure Mike,how did your day go then ? did it all go to plan ? hope you had all the relevent method statements/risk assessments in place :hugegrin:

Mike Lloyd

16-12-2008, 12:14 PM

Sounds like it was a bit of an adventure Mike,how did your day go then ? did it all go to plan ? hope you had all the relevent method statements/risk assessments in place :hugegrin:

Yes thanks Gordon, your Crane Man was fantastic, we had it on the trailer in half an hour ready to roll. The drive back to Birdham was a nightmare, I decided that we should take the coast road from Exeter to Chichester, bad decision, never ever again.

The boat has now been surveyed and it's not too bad for a 40 year old hull. We are taking the engines and fuel tanks out tomorrow, the engines are resting on a huge metal sub frame which must weigh 200lbs on its own. We will be having the boat bead blasted - gently- to see what we have and also to let all the water out of her. When she is dry we will be having the hull "sheathed". Then the real work begins.

Delta28

16-12-2008, 02:48 PM

Yes thanks Gordon, your Crane Man was fantastic, we had it on the trailer in half an hour ready to roll. The drive back to Birdham was a nightmare, I decided that we should take the coast road from Exeter to Chichester, bad decision, never ever again.

The boat has now been surveyed and it's not too bad for a 40 year old hull. We are taking the engines and fuel tanks out tomorrow, the engines are resting on a huge metal sub frame which must weigh 200lbs on its own. We will be having the boat bead blasted - gently- to see what we have and also to let all the water out of her. When she is dry we will be having the hull "sheathed". Then the real work begins.

Good Luck to all of you... an awesome project. Maybe you won't be on the water before me, after all !?! (i'm sure you will be..)

Best of luck and best wishes, ian

FLYING FISH

20-12-2008, 03:38 AM

Jon Fuller

20-12-2008, 10:06 AM

Graham, is that last pic taken at Port Hamble (or there abouts)

FLYING FISH

20-12-2008, 12:53 PM

Port Hamble,absolutely.This was the evening before CT67.Also taken that evening were Thunderfish III and Venus as in the Gallery I think.In those days you could just wander down to Hamble and see all sorts of craft being prepared.Next day took a motor cruiser out of Pompey and just loitered off East Lepe buoy and waited to be carved up by the double run in the solent.Hydrosonic Special and Tremor came within feet and we nearly got swamped by Brave Borderer bringing up the rear.A lost era.

Mike Lloyd

20-12-2008, 02:53 PM

Another pic from the archives Mike,along with a lifeboat version.
The ragged chine was a system designed by Alan McLachan when he worked at G.L.Watson but wasn`t used on many boats.`Big Moose`,that was another ragged chine boat.
The pics in the Telegraph cuttings were also used in Crab Searle`s book i.e. the crew hanging over the transom.No pics on dry land.

I knew that if anyone could find some pics of her you would. Thanks for that Graham. They must have put very high seats in her in those days! Big Moose looks interesting, I wonder what happened to her?

FLYING FISH

01-01-2009, 10:46 AM

Came across these ad`s whilst looking for something else,Mike.

Mike Lloyd

01-01-2009, 10:55 AM

Came across these ad`s whilst looking for something else,Mike.

That is amazing, where on earth did you find those ad's. I do have the 1st one from the 1969 RB Race Mag but the 2nd one, you are amazing Graham.

One point from that advert, can anyone tell me what "Cascover Sheathed" means?

timtap

01-01-2009, 11:18 AM

One point from that advert, can anyone tell me what "Cascover Sheathed" means?[/QUOTE]

Nylon Fabric in Resorcinal Adhesive.
Usually done on the outside of the hulls often only below the waterline.

Mike Lloyd

01-01-2009, 11:30 AM

One point from that advert, can anyone tell me what "Cascover Sheathed" means?

Nylon Fabric in Resorcinal Adhesive.
Usually done on the outside of the hulls often only below the waterline.[/QUOTE]

Ahh, thanks TimTap, the other question is - do I remove the existing sheath and start again or just re-sheath over the exisiting sheath!

timtap

01-01-2009, 11:38 AM

Nylon Fabric in Resorcinal Adhesive.
Usually done on the outside of the hulls often only below the waterline.

Ahh, thanks TimTap, the other question is - do I remove the existing sheath and start again or just re-sheath over the exisiting sheath![/QUOTE]

The good thing about this type of adhesive is that it bonds to wood so well and soaks into the wood well when applied. Boats are regularly turning up that have had this done some thirty years ago and have been found to be intact even inder the nylon. I seem to remember that it may have been a water based product similar to PVA and is still used today in woodworking applications.

Jon Fuller

01-01-2009, 11:59 AM

"Cascover Sheathed"

As in 'Cascamite'?? That's water based.

timtap

01-01-2009, 12:06 PM

As in 'Cascamite'??

Yup !!!

This is the same pva used to bond laminates during the hot or cold moulding process.

I was wondering whether it is easier to sand back the hull surface and key the wood to accept fibreglass tissue only with bonding resin. to achieve a smooth suface and waterproof ???

Mike Lloyd

01-01-2009, 12:17 PM

Yup !!!

This is the same pva used to bond laminates during the hot or cold moulding process.

I was wondering whether it is easier to sand back the hull surface and key the wood to accept fibreglass tissue only with bonding resin. to achieve a smooth suface and waterproof ???

The idea is to bead blast the whole hull and topsides first and the sheath in fibreglass matting etc but am checking with the surveyor first in view of this exsiting sheathing issue. Thanks for your help.

larby

01-01-2009, 01:04 PM

Interesting to hear about this sheathing thing... I was only wondering the other day what could be done to preserve my wooden cat. Do most wooden (race) boats have the bilges sheathed too? That would seem to be the case in mine as surely any tiny amount of standing water could rot through from the inside? I worry that i can't get to about 95% of the inside of the hull of my cat, so can't see what's going on in there...

gerry.p

01-01-2009, 02:05 PM

cascover was manifactured by wessex resins and is no longer available it has
been replaced by epoxy resin,
i have spoken to wessex,s about covering cascover with epoxy and they will
not guarantee that it will bond correctly,
i do not think i would even try with f/glass even with bonding agent f/glass is not an adhesive,
i have seen on a old boat which was glassed the whole layup come away from the hull,
if there is any moisture in the timber it will cause trouble
we have a boat that was built by Pochin's back in 1966 and the hull was cacovered from new and the wood laminate is still like the day it was made,
on ours they laid the cascover and then a fine filler was use to fill the cloth
then a nylon based paint used to complete the process,
as for removing cascover you will end up losing the top laminate of the timber
and you could end up with a lot of work,
if the cacover is in good condition i would be tempted to leave well alone,
Gerry
"oh the fun with wooden boats i'm glad 'miss speedbird (ex tolstar) is g/fibre"

FLYING FISH

02-01-2009, 01:16 AM

Now that`s a term from the past.As a Vosper apprentice one job I had was to Cascover the decks of the Brave type fast patrol boats.We split in two teams one port of centreline and one starboard,and the team that finished first got the bonus money.No face masks or rubber gloves,just get on with it,and no air bubbles in the deck, boy!
The topsides down to the waterline were done as well,below this was a different type of sheathing.The nylon linen (in rolls about 5ft wide) was rather like grp reinforcement material as I remember with glue used by the bucket load,so you had to be really careful to squeeze all the air out between the glue soaked linen and the deck as you worked your way along the boat.

FLYING FISH

13-01-2009, 07:25 AM

Another piece unearthed from the fish files.

Matt

13-01-2009, 08:31 AM

Soda blasting!
:)

The idea is to bead blast the whole hull and topsides first and the sheath in fibreglass matting etc but am checking with the surveyor first in view of this exsiting sheathing issue. Thanks for your help.

Mike Lloyd

13-01-2009, 11:12 AM

Soda blasting!
:)

You are right of course Matt, I was wrong, soda blasting is correct.

timtap

26-01-2009, 02:08 AM

Allen Mclachlen, the designer of Foam Flyer sent this original Westcraft Brochure along with other interesting paperwork that I will be pleased to send on to you.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd325/timtap/img021.jpg

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd325/timtap/img022.jpg

Delta28

12-02-2009, 05:27 PM

A little late in the day, but just found this article in an August 1961 MB&Y:
(Apologies, had to photo - scanner not recognised by computer and about to be severely damaged by 14lb sledgehammer...)

Mike Lloyd

13-02-2009, 12:41 AM

Thanks for that Delta 28 but once our rose tinted glasses had been taken off we realised that we dare not try to race Foam Flyer now. The power needed to make her competitive would be too much. We have been told that if we tried to run her into big seas at the speed required it would in all probablity damage her and that would not be fair to such a pretty boat. If we had decided to run her at 30knots it would have not been so bad but we were having to think in the region of 55knots!!

So we have had to revert to plan B which is to take part in Marathon Racing in a boat that will take those stresses and reluctantly put Foam Flyer up for sale as a project. I am sure someone will want to take her off our hands as she just needs a good home to go to. She will make a superb weekend cruising boat for someone.

Ben

13-02-2009, 07:00 AM

So we have had to revert to plan B which is to take part in Marathon Racing in a boat that will take those stresses and reluctantly put Foam Flyer up for sale as a project. .

Noisy?

Mike Lloyd

13-02-2009, 07:15 AM

You have got it in one Ben.

Mike Lloyd

19-03-2009, 02:23 AM

We haven't the time or the resources now to renovate Foam Flyer . She really needs a home with someone to restore her to her former glory because she could be such a pretty boat once more. If anyone is interested in a project like this give me a call on 07860 285438. or a PM. We are open to offers. Full surveyors report available.

THUNDERBOLT

19-03-2009, 10:43 AM

Did you not have any luck with the colleges Mike?
do you want a note put on copoc about her.

Mike

Mike Lloyd

19-03-2009, 10:47 AM

Did you not have any luck with the colleges Mike?
do you want a note put on copoc about her.

Mike

No. One said she was too big and the other had a two year waiting list so yes it would be appreciated if you could put something up on the COPOC site in a similar vein to my post above.

Thanks for your help Mike.:up: