Broom Saturn - boater's lot not a happy one

[elgee]

Although I have received very helpful advice from other members on these matters by PMs, I have been asked to post them anyway for benefit of other readers.

I am the not-entirely-proud owner of a Broom Saturn, which I bought about 6 months ago. My children and I have had quite a lot of fun with it (well, to be honest probably me more than them) until it sank on the Thames a couple of weeks ago (my fault - moored alongside slipway in Greenwich and a tide miscalculation on my part). I have since recovered boat (which ended up inverted on the slipway) and a marine mechanic in Norfolk managed to get the 70hp Evinrude VRO outboard going again, but I now need to fix a few things. First, I need a new windscreen and I have been quoted a price to outrageous that I can't bring myself to put it in writing - I think someone has written that they made one from lexan and so I would like a little advice on that. Second, I have managed to lose the lower drain plug (which was a steel bolt). It is presumably an imperial thread - any idea of thread and more importantly, why is there a lower drain hole at all and do you have any idea why it now lets out water after use (we have used the boat since recovering it from sinking and before I lost the bolt) whereas before it was always dry when I opening that drain previpusly (is there, by any chance, a bouyancy tank back there)?. Third, the manual teleflex steering has stiffened up significantly since the boat sank and the marine machanic was supposed to have checked it for me when getting the outboard working again, but obviously did not do so. I am unsure whether to change the morse cable or just lubricate it in some way, can anyone advise? Fourth, the rubbing strake along the sides of the hull is hopelessly damaged and needs to be replaced - any ideas? Lastly, has anyone used the opportunity to replace the windscreen to improve on it - it was rather ugly - I had in mind something that folds out of the way or perhaps more of a hard canopy than merely a screen, because this country is hardly California.

I suppose I could also use this opportunity to ask if there are any handimen, mechanics, boat builders etc. who like these boats enough to work on them at reasonable cost, because it could certainly do with some cosmetic work and a new gel coat etc.

Laurence

[se7en]

it is not uncommon to change the steering system if the boat has sunk in salt water, I changed a system complete a month ago on a customers boat, the boat is only a year old.... however....the salt water doesn't know this..!! the cables aren't servicable, some of the helm units are, steering systems work for many years without much maintainance, if the steering has got stiff, put a new cable in, you can't safely lube the old cable, it will only go wrong again later

[elgee]

Thanks. I'll try to pull out the existing cable anyway and take a look at it. Aren't the cables meant to be stainless steel? As far as getting a new cable is concerned, where do you suggest buying one?

Laurence

[Rapier]

Welcome and sorry to hear about your boat. Am not sure whether you got in touch with Broom, as they still make screens for their boats, but search the forum for 'polycarbonate' and 'lexan', you should get most of the info about making your own screen. I've done it before and it's easy. My supplier was place called Eberhardt Signs in Portsmouth, but there are plenty who'd make it up for you from the old one used as a template. Hunt for teleflex cables on fleabay, or ultraflex if that's your type. Rub rails can be got here...I've always used an aluminium profile, but there is plenty of choice.

http://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/bbCMS/shop ... entId=5#47

Once you get it up and running think about joining the CMBA; there's a tremendous amount of knowledge available - we're all passionate obout our boats and although we get a fair amount of water time in at rallies and gatherings, the social side of it is fun too.

The pic below is of The Green Goddess, which I part owned with Scandal - on an early Itchen and Scratchin run.

[fisherman]

Hello boaters,


Hope you will have some time for me.

Recently happened so that I`ve bought a used motor boat named Broom Saturn, it has a
name Thunderbird on it also.
I bought the boat in Germany on ebay.
Before getting to the seller boat was used as German army forces boat.

In Lithuania where I live. all boats need
to be registered to be allowed to go in to the sea.
For registration essential thing is SERIAL NUMBER OF THE BOAT. Seller could not
provide any paperwork for the boat and could not tell me where that number
possibly is as in Germany there is no need for boat registration. Paperwork only
egsists for motor and trailer.

So I hope that you could tell me how to find out about it.

If there is any way of finding out this number please let me know.

Thank you in advance

Best regards
Simonas

[Rapier]

Hi and welcome Simonas, like Germany there is no requirement in the UK to licence / register a boat. Of all the Brooms I've owned only one had a visible serial number and that boat was wood.

It may worthwhile contacting StewartS in this post to see if they can help (via the PM button on the side). Failing that I'd suggest you scratch or paint a number under the deck or transom, and say the papers were lost in a fire in Germany, or most likely the military shredded them, and can it be re-registered please.

http://cmba-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... windscreen

[fisherman]

Hi and welcome Simonas, like Germany there is no requirement in the UK to licence / register a boat. Of all the Brooms I've owned only one had a visible serial number and that boat was wood.

It may worthwhile contacting StewartS in this post to see if they can help (via the PM button on the side). Failing that I'd suggest you scratch or paint a number under the deck or transom, and say the papers were lost in a fire in Germany, or most likely the military shredded them, and can it be re-registered please.

http://cmba-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... windscreen

Thank you for the answer.
Painting or scraching could be an option too I guess, the other thing is that I need technical info like: how many passengers can be on boat, what type of motor and etc., is it possible to get such info?

[Rapier]

At one stage there was a Broom Saturn brochure on the site. PM BroomBroom and ask if he can send you a copy of his. They were 4 (back to back seats) to 5 seater (if the seating arrangement has the rear bench seat). Rated to 85hp I believe... A 50 hp (not sure what that is in KW or PS) will give a top speed one up of about 55km/h.

[BroomBroom]

At one stage there was a Broom Saturn brochure on the site. PM BroomBroom and ask if he can send you a copy of his

My pleasure - see below...

Rated to 85hp I believe...

85/Scorpio 65/Saturn

Cheers,

R

[Rapier]

Thanks Robin, still enjoy looking at those. Yours looked fab in the flesh on Sunday!