HISTORY & DESCRIPTION:
Firecrest was built for L T Daniels of Forest Gate, London in 1959 to Lloyds 100A1 to compete in RORC Class 11 racing. She proved to be a fast, successful yacht in her early years and was stationed at Burnham on Crouch. She was featured in Yachting Monthly in 1961. In 1962 Firecrest was sold to A W Bourner OBE of Bassetts Manor, Hartfield who continued to sail from Burnham. D M Stearns acquired the vessel in the late 1960’s and was to be Firecrest’s registered owner for thirty-five years, sailing out of Lymington. The present owners bought the vessel in 2003 and have continued a constant program of maintainance and up-grading resulting in the high standard achieved at present. She had a major re-fit in 2007-08 by David Moss Boat-builder in Fleetwood with a complete photographic record of work completed.
The design is notable for the extra beam, much more than was usual at this period. She has a large cock-pit with plenty space for the crew to work the yacht, wheel steering keeps the helmsman out of the way and her extra beam allows for wide clear side deck and plenty room around the mast.
Regular surveys by Andrew Potter YBDSA, the last survey was in 2009 when he commented “This vessel has been very considerably improved and is considered to be a particularly good and attractive example of this class”.
Hull construction.
All teak planking on close-spaced Canadian Rock Elm timbers, 1.7/8″ x 1.1/2″ at 7″centres.
Doubled beam shelf, clamp and stringers. Hull stripped to bare wood and repainted 2007.
Lead ballast keel. Bronze keel bolts, one drawn by Waterside Marine Bangor in 2005, found excellent and replaced.
Galvanised strap floors. T he floors through the midships area and forward were blasted and repainted and refastened with new hot-dipped galvanised bolts.
The floors in the counter were removed and regalvanised and replaced with new bolts.
Teak deck, yacht-laid and joggled to a king plank and finished scrubbed, the thick planking secret copper nailed on a thin ply sub-deck with deep toe rails, scrubbed teak capping.
Recessed bronze fair leads in the rail forward and aft.
Bronze and teak bar cleats forward and aft to take mooring lines.
Stainless steel stemhead fitting. Removed and rebedded 2007
Original chromed bronze deck fittings.
Deck refitted in the 2007, several teak deck planks were lifted to examine the ply sub deck which was found in perfect condition.
The teak was found to be thick on a thin ply sub deck which is unusual. In addition, bronze tie rods are fitted between carlings and beam shelf indicating it was possible that the original plan was to lay a solid teak deck with a change of plan while building.
Hatch on the aft deck just behind the coamings to access lazarette stowage.
2 small flush hatches right aft contain the Camping Gas bottles, draining overboard under the counter.
Varnished teak coach-roof slightly raised to a dog-house aft with nicely cambered sheathed ply deck, painted with white non-slip deck paint.
Varnished Dorade vents, hand rails each side, chromed bezel windows rechromed in previous long ownership, traditional sky-light, varnished teak hatch on the fwd end,.
Sliding hatch and 3 wash-boards to the cabin entrance.
Wonderful spacious oval cock-pit with teak coamings, painted inside, varnished out with varnished capping, teak laid seating with bridge deck, deep seat lockers each side.
Teak laid sole in the self-draining cock-pit well lifts in 2 sections to acces structure below.
Varnished teak wheel on Whitlock pedestal incorporating the steering compass.
Emergency tiller.
Masthead bermudian sloop rig on varnished oval keel stepped mast, single spreaders with deck floods.
Single standing back-stay, Hood roller furling fore-stay + lazy inner stay on over-centre chromed lever.
Twin lowers, cap shrouds all in s/s replaced in 2008 with swaged terminals to s/s rigging screws on int galvanised chain-plates. New galvanised steel chain plates fitted in 2007. New standing rigging for the 2008 season
Mast stripped and revarnished
Varnished boom with original chromed roller reefing gear. Boom split and reglued, track refastened and boom revarnished.
Winches.
Captive wire main halyard winch.
Lewmar 30 2-speed headsail winch on wire to rope
Barlow top action halyard winch.
Lewmar 55ST primary genoa winches.
Barlow 26 cock-pit sheet winches
Top action bronze main sheet winch.
Sails.
Light mainsail
Heavy mainsail
Hood genoa on furling gear.
2 spinnakers
Ghoster.
Storm jib, new 2005
Mainsail cover
Toe rail and deck headsail tracks with twin cars.
Machinery.
Beta Marine 4-cyl 38 hp diesel installed new in 2009 with 120 hours (July 09)
Fresh water cooled with heat exchanger. Upgraded 100amp alternator, engine exhaust sensor, fire-proof hoses.
New cutlass bearing, new shaft coupling, rubber sleeve and seals, 2008
Darglow Featherstream prop fitted 2007 gives an extra knot.
2 x 125amp/hr Vetus Elecsol carbon fibre monobloc batteries with voltage sensitive relay (new 2011)
Mast rewired 2007
New wiring and switch-board fitted in previous ownership.
40 gall s/s fuel tank under the cock-pit.
Accommodation.
Large fore cabin with V-berths, sail stowage fwd.
Bulkhead door off-set to stbd to hanging lockers under stbd side deck;
Heads compartment opposite to port in way of the mast with porcelain hand basin, drains to the head. H & C pressurised water supply from calorifier tank.
Baby Blake sea toilet. Stripped and rebuilt with new seals, 2008
Passageway aft to saloon cabin with good width, sealed teak cabin sole, varnished teak coamings and varnished deck beams. New berth cushions and lee cloths, 2008
White painted bulkheads and joinery. Original chromed fittings.
Port and stbd settee berths with pilot berths behind each side. Folding gimballed table.
Aft-facing seat/locker with varnished teak lid at chart desk in the after stbd corner under the bridge deck, instruments around.
Galley in after port corner with new gimballed Flavel Wayfarer 2-burner, grill and oven gas gimballed cooker. Gas pipes replaced 2008
Gas certificate 2008
Pilot twin channel gas alarm 2005
Stainless steel sink with original hand pump supply, hand pump-out to overboard.
Pressurised water supply with separate H & C mixer tap.
Hot water supply frm Calorifier tank heated by 240v immersion heater when on shore supply.
Engine box step, all sound-insulated, removes to give all round access to the engine.
70 galls water in 2 galv steel tanks under saloon sole.
Water tanks removed, checked and repaired and refitted with new pipe work.
HW 30 litre calorifier tank heated by the engine cooling water and on 240v immersion heater when on shore power.
6’6″ head-room in the saloon cabin.
6’4″ head-room in the heads area.
All new berth cushions in 2010
Navigation
Compass. Lofrans GPS
B&G Quad log and sounder. B&G chart desk repeater (2006)
Tacktick wireless wind speed and directions linked via Tacktick NMEA interface
Raymarine RL70C plotter. Raymarine radar
Raymarine NMEA/Seatalk interface (2006) links all instruments to display on the plotter
Raymarine Smart Pilot autohelm computer and cock-pit controls (2007)
Simrad RD60 DSC VHF (2006)
Ground tackle.
CQR anchor with 50 meters chain
Fortress anchor, chain and warp
Lofrans Tiger 12v windlass
Safety gear
2 x life buoys with auto-lights (2011) 2 x Danbuoys
Seago 6-man canister life-raft (serviced 2011) EPIRB GME MT 400/401 ( 2007)
Safety boarding ladder. Life sling
Echomax 180 radar reflector. Fire blanket
Aquasignal Series 40 nav lights. Lopo LED tri-colour and anchor light (2008)
Fire extinguishers: Engine compartment 2kg auto FE36 (2011)
2 x 2kg powder in the companionway
2 x 1kg powder in cock-pit lockers
2 kg in the forepeak.
Flares
Safety jack-stays.12v and manual bilge pumps.
Deck gear
Avon Redcrest dinghy
Assotted fenders and fender skirts
Coach-roof cover (2006)
Full over-boom cover (2009)
Mooring warps.
Brokers Note:
A very fine teak yacht, beautifully built with a history of good ownership. She is a particularly attractive size with good volume, a long-legged yacht capable of fast passage times, manageable by two. The yacht is exceptionally clean and well presented, fully ready for sea and in commission. The interior is unusually light and airy with generous stowage lockers. In present ownership she has had some very good work done, mostly by specialist wooden boat builder David Moss in Lancashire.
All refitting fully documented and photographed, all information available for inspection.
This year (2012) Firecrest has had a repaint of the hull (2 coats), mast and boom (3 coats), antifoul, stripping and revarnishing of steps and engine cover with new smooth treadmaster, full professional engine service and service of feathering prop.
Lying: North Wales
Guide: Sold
Viewing: Through the brokers, Tel: 01905-356482
