HISTORY & DESCRIPTION:
Inspired by the Scottish fishing boats built at the same yard, this is one of a the range of Miller Fifer motor sailers between 26′ – 40′
Built and designed by Jimmy Miller at St Monance, Fife, launched in 1964.
Long keel with tight canoe stern, good sheer and flare to the bows to give a dry, bouyant boat.
Planked in 1 3/8″ larch below the water-line, mahogany above water-line.
5″ x 3″ sawn oak frames at 10″ centres. Fastened with galvanised boat nails.
Varnished mahogany sheer strake above a 2″ rubbing strake.
Long external iron ballast keel. Oak floors.
Thick scrubbed teak deck yacht laid on a thin ply sub deck on oak deck beams.
Wide varnished mahogany cover-board all round. Varnished king plank. Shallow toe rail forward.
Stainless steel stanchions carry twin guard wires back as far as the cock-pit with stainless steel push-pit forward, all new in 2004 refit with new foot pads under the stanchions.
Pair of heavy bronze mooring cleats on the fore deck and on the cock-pit coverboards. Interesting centre-fairlead ring on the stern post.
Massive, galvanised steel twin chain roller stemhead fitting.
Heavy duty galvanised windlass, operated with a long lever standing up.
Deep self draining cock-pit aft with teak gratings.
Door to the lazerette.
Seat lockers each side and round the stern.
Full height wheel-house door.
Coach-roof with varnished mahogany coamings integral with the wheel-house.
Sheathed ply coach-roof deck with varnished mahogany king plank.
3 opening bronze port holes each side + bronze vent to the engine room on the sides of the wheel-house.
Grab rails on the sides of the windscreen and on the wheel-house roof.
Wheel steering with traditional teak spoked wheel port side in the wheel-house + cables and chains to the massive galvanised steel quadrant on the vertical rudder stock in the lazarette. Steel plate rudder renewed in 2008 refit. Steering system overhauled. Glands repacked.
Bermudian ketch rig on varnished masts. The main mast is stepped in a Miller, galvanised steel double dorade vent on the coach-roof deck, the small mizzen mast is stepped in a galvanised steel shoe on the wheel-house roof.
Varnished slab reefing booms. The main sits in a crutch on the wheel-house roof with double tailed sheet to turning blocks either side of the coach-roof under the wheel-house windows and cleated off on the wheel-house sides back at the cock-pit.
Mizzen boom sheets to the stern peak.
New 2003 stainless steel rigging to internal galvanised steel chain plates.
Headsail on roller furling gear.
Mainsail, jib and mizzen.
Lister 4LPPWS 40hp, 4-cylinder diesel, installed new in 1997.
Hurth, single lever controlled gear-box.
Centre-line installation under the wheel-house floor with excellent all round access.
7.5knts max.
2 fuel tanks one each side of the engine. 1 x 40 galls + 1 x 30 galls. Sight guages
New 2008 2 x 12v batteries in the engine bay on 12v circuits.
In 2008, the yacht was rewired with a new Vetus 12 gang switch-board.
In 2001 the engine was lifted out and overhauled in 2003.
The tanks were removed, cleaned, repaired and reinstalled.
Engine mounts replaced.
Exhaust system replaced.
Accommodation. 3 berths with the option of a further 3 berths
The fore peak is given over to ablutions and stowage. SL sea toilet. Chain locker forward, Good cupboard space each side.
Bulkhead door to saloon cabin with port and stbd settee berths. Table between. Lockers behind and under the settees.
Part bulkhead to port with a quarter berth in the aft corner.
Galley opposite aft to stbd. with Vanessa 2 burner grill and oven gas cooker. Gas bottle outside in the cock-pit locker, gas turn-off by the galley
Hand pump at the galley sink from 25 gall galvanised steel water tank aft under the cock-pit sole. Sight guage visible in the engine compartment.
6′ head-room.
Varnished mahogany coamings with polished bronze port lights. Varnished mahogany joinery.
The quarter berth makes a small double and there is provision as in all Miller for rigging a pipe cot each side over the saloon settees.
Steering compass in the wheel-house.
VHF radio
Varnished boathook
Auto-pilot
Danforth 28lb anchor
Heavy duty manual windlass.
40 fthms 3/8″ chain
Lead line
Cock-pit, deck and winter covers.
Helmsman’s seat
Warps and fenders.
Formerly owned by an RN engineering instructor. Bought by the previous Merchant Navy marine engineer in January 2002 as a hobby project with some work required identified. She had a generally grubby engine bay, the fuel tanks were dubious, the electrics were old and she had the not uncommon problem in Miller Fifers of fresh water deterioration in the coach-roof coamings.
All this work has been thoroughly executed, especially the engine, the engine bay and the electrics as one would expect from a marine engineer and the yacht looks very tidy. There are also some nice little touches like the gimballed bulkhead lamps turned up from bronze prop shaft. It is apparent that in previous ownership this little ship was much cherished.
Present ownership since 2010. Hull repair work including replacement of sheer strakes each side from midships to the stern post in triple laminated iroko, several shifts of new planking stbd side topsides, new rubbing strakes midships to stern post, new prop shaft and tube, new fuel lines, new nav lights, coach-roof resheathed, repairs to wheel-house windows, complete hull strip and repaint top and bottom, most deck seams repayed, main mast tabernacle bolts replaced, heads compartment sole boards lifted, clean and revarnished with new bolts to secure the heads, all sea-cocks removed and rebedded with new bolts and more smaller details.
GUIDE: SOLD
LYING: Devon
VIEWING: Through the brokers
