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She floats - C17 ~~~~SPLASHED~~~~

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:20 pm
by WobblyLegs
She floats! :) :) :)

"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:

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Reversing off the trailer:

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How do I make it go?

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And how do I make it turn?

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A couple of posed shots:

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Cruising up the Thames at 5mph...

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Parked at the pub for a Coke:

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And the First Mate enjoying being on the water:

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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.

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:27 pm
by fishingdan
Congratulations on the milestone. The picture are wonderful. Thanks for posting them. You will love that etec engine!

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:42 pm
by Jaap
This must be a fantastic day for you! She looks beautiful, have a lot of fun with it.

jaap

Q

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:46 pm
by Rick
Your boat is ridiculously good-looking. Congratulations!

Here are a few things that I've learned:

1. Your boat will never be finished.
2. There's always another boat.
3. Making your boat that pretty just makes the rest of us hostile and jealous.

The shots of you craning your boat over your house provided lots of amusement around here. Thanks!

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:17 pm
by Hope2float
Good Luck with her, she is beautiful.
You really got her rigged quick. In jersey USA the boat dealers in the northeast are the worst in customer service. Too much local business for them to treat us right. Where I live boats are a dime a dozen. Getting back to you she seems to sit well in the water. It has great lines and it looks crisp. Please post some more pictures and performance data.
Dave

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:28 pm
by Dougster
A beautiful thing, and from your own hands. While seldom known for being at a loss for words, I'm.....

Darn near speechless Dougster :D

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:42 pm
by chicagoross
Congrats, Tim! As beautiful as the detail pics of the work in process have been, these pics are the way to view the boat! Beautiful! The C17 plan sales will soar once these hit the web pages!

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:47 pm
by Daddy
REally great Tim and what a beautiful place to cruise. Where exactly on the Thames were you?
Daddy

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:50 pm
by glcost
Tim,

Congratulations. she looks wonderful. Love how you finished the cockpit. I watched the video your neighbor filmed of the crane lifting her. It was pretty cool.

What size outboard did you get? I like how it sets lower than the top of the MW bulkhead.

Jacques, perfect photos for the C17 boatplans page.

Hope you get plenty of time on the water.

George

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:52 pm
by Daddy
Where is the link to the video?
Daddy