BOATS & SPARES

SECOND HAND BOATS

K1 Sail No 49 For Sale £6,000 Southampton

K1 Sail No 49 For Sale. The boat is in excellent condition, with ‘dangly pole’ upgrade, original Hyde sails with a new set available at extra cost if required. The Trailer, Launching Trolley and Boat Cover are all in very good condition. Contact for the sale is;

Chris Averis mob no 07974 711747

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Sadly, ‘Lacewing’ is for sale, K1 39. Through no fault of her own, my body is failing me, a little bit at a time.

Price: £5600, location: Halifax.  Contact: calum@calumhunter.co.uk

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She sails well and took me to an overall second place in the club early Spring series.

Two sets of sails are dry stored at home together with bagged rudder and tiller assembly. It is not suitable to leave the sails in the boat.

The ‘North’ set is the ‘fathead’ rig with battened jib [battens are numbered]. This is the one I use, it remains ‘crisp’ and is stored ‘rolled’. I have used the ‘Hyde’ set once and believe it was rarely, if ever, used previously.

Rudder has been altered to have a two to one purchase on both uphaul and downhaul, with jammers. [Colour coded of course.] There is a ‘light’ rudder centring elastic for use in a panic!

First thing I checked: the rudder floats!

Other pre-sailing check was to jump over and trying to self recover – easy peasy, even for a pensioner, boat just rocks you in.

The jib is rigged with the original boom and kicker, I have found no need to alter this arrangement.

The sheet cleats do not readily fall to hand, perhaps an under-cleat wedge might improve the cleat angle?

There is a light-weight jib-stick. I have removed this, it was ‘in-boom’ and I found it impossible to use. Wicliff has a notion of extending the jib-boom and using a ‘twitcher’ string, this is an attractive concept. Original jib-stick is available on reminder.

Jib luff lengths differ between the North and Hyde sail-sets, hence the two bobbles.

Muscle box for jib halyard: because you can ‘tweek’ the rig, I do. I slacken the jib halyard downwind, as you would in a Firefly. The cleat can ‘jump’, I have not delved into this – re-rope with a softer string that jams? Or is the cleat worn?

Main halyard has been replaced with a longer piece of Dyneema, with the intent of containing main within the hull at the pontoon.

Mainsheet has a knot in it, to save carbon boom from chafing on wire shrouds.

The ‘skiff’ mainsheet is a delight and the controlled gybe works well.

All string was removed from the boat in early 2020 and put through the washer.

The original single string bag has been replaced with two smaller bags – improved visibility to mast step string and fewer ‘tangles’.

Cover: the cover is a ‘sea & sun’ [?] breathable fabric cover, there a couple of tears. ‘Lacewing’ lives under a tree. [Best covers seen recently: DZero Importer’s boats at an ‘open’.]

Trailing: the trolley is well designed, the boat just floats into the designed position and trolley rolls onto the trailer. ‘Lacewing’ will be supplied with the manufacturer’s board and lighting kit. [I want my number plate back!].

Add string to chainplates to hold forward, straps are like ‘squeezing a lemon pip’.

Forward mast support: mast clears roof of Peuguot van.

Roadwheels are sealed hubs, no grease points.

Tow-hitch lock is included in sale – remind me to get the key!

Tyre Pressures?

Trailed over 300miles, you don’t even know she is there!

Condition & known issues:

‘O’ ring to bung needs replacing.

I have seen a K1 with a ‘bump’ strake, rather like a split hosepipe

The Ovington K1 can have a ‘soft’ floor, Jeff VB is to make this available as a retro-fit, I spent a lot of time on my knees in this boat.

 ‘Lacewing’ once lived by the sea, there is some ‘ginger’ on bits of metal that ‘brasso’, etc deals with, I haven’t eliminated this.

Hull: to my knowledge there is no mark upon the hull, the deck mould is without defect. ‘Lacewing’ came with a small  chip to the gunwhale at bow, repair and polish or add the ‘bump’ strake? We have other small scars to the gun’ll under me care.

Boingy? The K1 is/was built down to minimum weight, if you open the rear inspection cover: you can see daylight through the ‘glass’ and the chicken wire pattern of the carbon reinforcement, they are light, but you can walk around the deck with confidence

Pintles: found no ‘wobbles’, rudder does sometimes ‘slap’ after tacking, I do sail with the ‘bolt’ loose after a scare. Perhaps that is the cause?

Daggerboard: clearly without wear as you have to stand on it to get the last inch down – despite the application of petroleum jelly.

There are a couple of scars on the ‘weight’, a fussy man would fill and polish these out.

Shortcomings: the boat is entirely smooth with nothing to get a hold of.

I have only sailed Lacewing off a pontoon, not brave enough to sail off a beach.

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K1 number 39

Pictures of the new ovington K1

Please let me know if you wish to sell your boat or are looking for a second hand one.

Geoff King