"It" has now become "She" and "Three Summers" has now done 10 miles on the River Thames today! I think maybe two to four litres of petrol, but seriously guessing there!
Getting ready to launch:
Reversing off the trailer:
How do I make it go?
And how do I make it turn?
A couple of posed shots:
Cruising up the Thames at 5mph...
Parked at the pub for a Coke:
And the First Mate enjoying being on the water:
I can't give any figures (YET!) as this was all done in a speed-limited area, but the motor was faultless, and the cruise was very relaxed.
The launch and recovery were certainly not relaxed, never having done this before! But we managed, and got home, and nothing broke. Or creaked. Or groaned. Which I guess is a good thing!
What I can say, is at 1500 RPM we were doing 6-7mph. 2000 RPM and she felt like she wanted to go over the hump already. I think I hit 2500, maybe 3000 for second or two once, 12mph, and she was definitely past the 'displacement' mode, but I had to cut the throttle really quickly. Rowers! So, not yet truly on the plane, but close. Soon.
I have to say, again, thanks to everyone on this forum for the support, it's been a great help and has nudged me over many periods where motivation was starting to wane, or frustration setting in.
My building thread will still be going, as it's not finished yet, but WOW, does it feel good to be afloat.
Right - that's my first boat built. What next?
Go well,
Tim.
