Trying to Track down Levi 28 based boat

Chris_Maunders · 01-12-2009, 05:34 PM

Dear All,

I am very new here, but I am trying to track down a very special boat, built by my father. It was built in Cravalds Yard in Old Windsor, Berkshire on the River Thames ( long since redeveloped for houses) and was based on the moulds of a Sonny Levi design.

Unusually it was 28ft long originally had a flybridge which was later removed and went by the name of KimChris, Gordon Wright was based at Cravalds at the time and assisted with the build. It spent much of its life on the Thames between Windsor and Bray and had two Ford 120 dielsels old Truck engines marinised on Stern Drives.

It was sold late 80's circa 1989 for £16,000 to a chap from Weybridge and supposedly was destined for Malta, the boat never left the Thames esturay in my dads ownership so this might have been a tad optimistic.

This boat holds dear to me and I would love to find out what happened to it.

I do not have any digital photo's of it but will try and scan some in when I find them.

If this rings any bells then please respond or alternitavely is there anyway of finding out where boats are these days?

Thanks

Chris

Jon Fuller · 01-12-2009, 05:58 PM

Does it have a name?

SCOTT671 · 01-12-2009, 08:43 PM

I dont know if these links help

http://www.leviboats.com/uk.html
http://www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk/details/?id=36

Chris_Maunders · 01-12-2009, 09:28 PM

It was a custom build but I believe the mouldings might have been an omega 28. The actual boats name was KimChris.

Longshot I know.

C

Chris_Maunders · 16-12-2013, 04:23 PM

its been a while since I started the thread but no info has ever popped up then suddenly an internet search while I was bored this came up

http://www.ancasta.com/boats-for-sal...sair-27-11572/

must be the same boat but no pictures to be sure.

did this crop up on this site at all

Adam · 16-12-2013, 04:58 PM

When Gordon was building raceboats over Wimborne way - I remember him having a hull mould for a Levi 28. That was around 1993 - but pretty sure he had the mould for some time after that. He had some plans to build one for himself.

But sounds like it may have been the same hull?

Chris_Maunders · 07-07-2014, 02:24 PM

Almost certainly the same mouldings still hope this boat will surface one day probably on ebay!

gordmac · 29-07-2014, 09:36 PM

Anyone know anything about who made boats using Corsair hulls?

Martin The Talker · 29-07-2014, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordmac

Anyone know anything about who made boats using Corsair hulls?

The present day Levi Boat Co. uses the same hull at 27' as the original Corsair's of the 1960's.
The Omega 828 was very similar, but I think a different hull, as Sonny Levi drew up several hulls of this size & similar I think.

The Original Corsairs (One was Corsair [light blue hull], & one was Inertia [dark blue hull]), were I think different, in that one was a wooden hull & one GRP.
In "Dhows to Deltas", Sonny states that the GRP hulls were moulded by Viking Marine, but Inertia was of laminated wood. She served as a plug for the mould for subsequent craft, which were produced by Viking Marine of Gosport.
Fitting out & internal work was by David Chevertons in Cowes.

Sonny goes onto state that Viking also produced "Alto Volante" in GRP as a special racing hull for John Dalton & Don Shead. This craft is currently being restored by a C.O.P.C. [Classic Offshore Powerboat Club] member.

gordmac · 30-07-2014, 09:43 AM

Thanks for the reply.
The Corsair I have is a fast fisher on shafts rather than a sports boat on outdrives. I am trying to find out who might have made her and if there are any more.

Martin The Talker · 30-07-2014, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordmac

Thanks for the reply.
The Corsair I have is a fast fisher on shafts rather than a sports boat on outdrives. I am trying to find out who might have made her and if there are any more.

"Alto Volante" was shaft driven, but I think most Corsairs were outdrive.
Omega 828's had shaft drive diesels, usually Ford 180's or similar, so it may indeed have been an Omega 828 hull.

Adam · 30-07-2014, 08:36 PM

my parents owner 'Corsair' back around 1974/76. It was renamed Black Express - and was the first proper boat I had driven.

she was the first grp one and certainly had some osmosis.

running Perkins (I think) on shafts.

gordmac · 30-07-2014, 09:20 PM

The hull on my boat is Corsair rather than Omega, hard to tell from pictures but I think the engines are a bit more forward and further apart too. Someone was making fast fisher versions in the 70s but I don't know who or how many.
Were the perkins original?

Adam · 31-07-2014, 10:15 AM

only photo I can find of our Corsair. With original number - but different paint / name.

Scarron · 31-07-2014, 10:52 AM

It seems that most Corsairs were moulded by Viking Marine, according to Sonny they had one of the first chopper guns in the country.

Bruce Campbell in Hamble was also selling them for a while although whether they built them I don't know.

There are a few pics here
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/cda8zmu8c...-TjCz4f8MvUBIa

Martin The Talker · 31-07-2014, 10:54 AM

I've done a little research - it seems that Trident Marine, who built the Omega 828, bought the old mould for the original Corsair, (Inertia etc), & amended/changed some Chine / Spray-rail details.
They also designed & used a different cabin top from the original.
There are "echos" of The Fairey Huntsman about the Omega's upperworks, even down to the air-scoops each side !
The "standard" power would seem to have been twin 180 Ford diesels using shafts.
I guess that the Perkins diesels on "Corsair" that Adam's father had might have been the original engines.
The present day Corsair boats are built in Italy.

Martin The Talker · 31-07-2014, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarron

It seems that most Corsairs were moulded by Viking Marine, according to Sonny they had one of the first chopper guns in the country.

Bruce Campbell in Hamble was also selling them for a while although whether they built them I don't know.

There are a few pics here
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/cda8zmu8c...-TjCz4f8MvUBIa

The Fast Fisherman in one of the pics in Scarron's link looks like the boat described (even down to its twin 120 hp diesels), earlier in this thread !

gordmac · 31-07-2014, 04:33 PM

Indeed, that is my actual boat.

Surfacesub · 25-08-2022, 07:18 PM

Hi Chris,
Your thread features a Corsair race no 117, which I have associated with a Facebook thread from David Squibb who with Will Squibb during the last 30 years has restored a Corsair.
She was launched today on I of W.
The following is a post from David who mentions Kim Chris. Have you tried following up this lead?
There is another Facebook post when Black Express was for sale at Galleons Marina on the Thames in 1980.
Hope this helps you, Ian.

Post reads:-
We’ve started tearing it apart the last couple of weeks and it’s pointing towards it possibly being a boat called the black express or Chris Kim as she was known. Can’t find any more info other than an old thread on boatmad. Does anyone have any more info?!?

Surfacesub · 08-01-2024, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam

my parents owner 'Corsair' back around 1974/76. It was renamed Black Express - and was the first proper boat I had driven.

she was the first grp one and certainly had some osmosis.

running Perkins (I think) on shafts.

Hi,
I am still in the process of trying to track down KimChris for Chris.
I see your parents Corsair was renamed Black Express and from this discussion I am still not sure if you actually know the boats previous name.
Thank you for this and any other help that may have come to light since your last post.