Southerly 480 - Build Thread?

[chowdan]

Originally Posted by Adrian Chen

It's amazing how much stuff we have from the last boat, that I'm not sure we need to load on the new one, but for sure we will fill her over time anyhow!

I often am amazed at how much stuff I have and how messy it can be! I remember traveling through Europe with a 55L backpack while my wife had a 40L backpack and every Airbnb we got to a day later we'd both say "how is there this much of a mess with our two bags?!" No matter how little you have, it will always seem like a lot.

[Adrian Chen]

So this weekend Julie and I spent some time on the boat to give the systems a bit of a dry run before we do a shake down cruise in a couple of weeks time. The idea was to cycle the batteries from 100% to 50% and back up, to see how the charging systems coped under max load. In both cases the systems did their job very quickly (Lithium batteries do charge fast), although there was inevitably some reduction in charge current from the alternator as temperatures increased. This was a very crude test but encouraging. We ran the heating system for a few hours one evening and again in the mornings and that worked well, heating the boat quickly whilst at the same time producing a tankful of piping hot water (might have to tweak the mixer valve, it really was hot). Hopefully we wont need any heating for while but still. We left the plumbing system pressurised with the pump off each night to see if it cycled when switched on again, which is again a simplistic test, but reassuring. Then tested the water transfer pump between tanks with around 100lt pumped through. The GN Espace cooker was fired up (which smelled quite a bit at first) for dinner(s), and is apparently very good with even heat distribution, output tasted good to me. (The gas installation has been professionally tested and signed off). So all confidence boosting stuff, as we get ready for our first short cruise.

I suppose it's inevitable that some snags surfaced - we found a USB charging port not working, a door handle that I needed to nip up, a loose bit of wiring run that had escaped its clip and a leak appeared in the aft cabin when I washed her down (I think from a winch mounting bolt) which Discovery will fix, surprising because it's not her first wash and leaks are an obvious commissioning test.

Most importantly the mattress was comfy, and the roomy airy forecabin of our 2 cabin layout made life on board a pleasure, so here's a pic of the said cabin now in our messy state with all the smart boatshow stuff gone!



There are a few more bits to go on board, like dinghy/outboard and spare rope fenders etc, and one last job I have is to "mist" the heads portlights that are normally fitted with blinds - which I didn't want.

Thinking of blinds, in the aft cabin under the base of the cockpit table there are 4 Lewmar opening ports, these usually have blinds fitted but I thought I would try some alternatives which looked simpler. They are essentially two layers of thin clear acrylic with alternate lines screen printed so when the top one is slid in one direction they let light in, and slid in the other they largely block it. That and some blackout blinds over the hull ports and the cabin is nice and dark. Wouldn't have used these if they blocked a nice view, but in this location they're fine Here's a photo...



So now the plan is the week after next to head down to Salcombe/Dartmouth, or the CI's to give her a bit of a shake down before we head off towards the Med.

[Adrian Chen]

Well we're well behind schedule, but never mind! The boat is now pretty much set the way we want her, and looking more like home - Instruments are configured to my simple tastes (there are so many different data items on these things) and telling me there's been a 28knot max wind in Portland today so although the sun is shining and the thermometer says it's 21 degrees I have been putting up a few hooks, and setting the Tecma toilets water usage and other bits and bobs like adjusting deck locker catches to exert a bit more pressure on the seals. Found time for lunch at Quiddles at Chesil cove which was very nice:



Importantly the boat is good, all the systems are doing as they should, and she is proving to be a comfortable and nice place to be aboard. Julie has added plenty of cushions and other bits to stamp our style on her and has turned out some good food using the GN Espace which she says is a very good oven. Here's a mood shot!



So this weekend we will go back to Chichester for a week or so, and then head off south.......

[Adrian Chen]

Well we set of from Portland, and as the weather was nice and calm we headed west instead of east - Portland Bill looked to be in a benign state so we went through the inshore(ish) passage



So Chichester will have to wait a week or so, while we visit a couple of West Country favourites - On route to Torquay we found that even after checking everything you can easily assume and so miss something - Our Genoa furling line was cut too short which was picked up on the handover test sail, and to my surprise when we went to unfurl the sail, it still is! Oh well the winds were sufficiently light we needed to motorsail anyway. The main and Jib are fine, so just need to get the furling line seen to - think I might get a larger diameter tail spliced on to the line to make it nicer to handle, must be possible?

So the only other gremlin that showed up was the sail locker bilge pump started to cycle, there was some gunge, possibly paper originally, that was confusing the sensor switch. Not sure how it got in there, but I think the water got in because the locker catches were set a bit loose.

We ended up in Torquay Marina, which I have to say must be one of the best run, and most helpful marinas we've visited, they put us in a good spot being a "25m" berth between two flybridge mobos so the view is limited, but we are almost in the town. Here we are looking a bit small, but adding plenty of class!



Our view forward is better, this following a nice supper and a good nights sleep



Hopefully when we do get back to Chichester it will be time to re-tune the rigging after its initial stretch, and get the engine/propshaft alignment checked, seems smooth enough just now, but there will be some settlement I expect.

[Adrian Chen]

Well since the weather was so nice, we didn't go back to Chichester, and instead went on to Salcombe, for a perfect week, watching the Merlin Rockets shoot past us on our mooring, eventually we left Salcombe to go back and overnight in Studland before returning to Lymington today so the one or two issues that surfaced in the shakedown can be fixed.

If there was one single element of our spec that has impressed it would be the MV lithum batteries. These have had a big impact since they re-charge so quickly which means much less generator time and less gas use since we use the electric kettle and toaster rather than the oven. We used to run the generator to produce hot water but now we can fire up the Eberspacher, which is quieter, and possibly more efficient. This is all helped because we didn't need to run a watermaker relying on our tanks which we have worked out will last ten days with care (but still having a shower everyday.

So overall the boat is proving to be very good I'm pleased to say. So here's a gratuitous photo of the boat on her mooring in Salcombe

[Iduna]

Gorgeous Boat, thanks for this thread.

Getting a Southerly is high on my list of goals, though I'm far from being able to afford a smaller, used model.

If you ever decide to get a new model and are looking for someone to donate this one to, let me know.

[Adrian Chen]

Originally Posted by Iduna

Gorgeous Boat, thanks for this thread.

Getting a Southerly is high on my list of goals, though I'm far from being able to afford a smaller, used model.

If you ever decide to get a new model and are looking for someone to donate this one to, let me know.

Glad you've enjoyed the thread - and I hope one day you become a Southerly owner!

[Adrian Chen]

A while ago I got an email asking what the Revelation/lowered saloon version of my boat would look like - They've just posted a couple of renders of the saloon:





These are the starboard side of the saloon looking forwards, and the port side looking over the galley aft. this shows an optional extra storage cabinet on the end of the galley surface.