PatrickMullin

Wow - quite the project. Thanks for sharing - it is really useful to see how you have approached it.

Most likely. It is a lovely boat so can't wait to get it fixed up and out on the sea.

Very smart looking boat indeed.

No idea. Was sold as a 536 but the plate on the helm says Family Four. It is an early one so keeps the 536 shape and I think the place we bought it from made the obvious assumption.

Thanks for the tip regarding the transom. Will give that a go when it is out of the water.

There is a drain plug under the transom, which allows for the open bilge to be drained out. My main concern is what lies under the deck, as I cannot see any drain from there, and it does not seem to drain into the open bilge. The section directly below the engine well is the open bilge:

Ours seems to gather a couple of inches in the bilge over a week, but seems to be mainly fresh water, so a new cover will be on the shopping list in the not-too-distant future. Have seen reports of sodden foam under the deck flooring, but not had the courage to cut a hole in ours to check yet. Was hoping to get it to a weighbridge when it is out of the water to see whether it is heaver than it should be first.... A job for next summer may be to investigate under the deck, and to drill a hole in the bulkhead separating the open bilge from the under-deck area so that any water can escape and be pumped out.

Transom looks solid to my untrained eye. Will ask the mechanic fitting the new engine to check it with his more experienced eyes though. Will just be glad to see the relaxing side of boat ownership before too long 🙂

Thanks for the link - found that book a month or so ago and was very impressed with it. Covers a lot of topics in a very easy to read style

First boat, which has already subjected us to several heart-stopping incidents: Trailer tyre blow-out bringing it from Somerset to East Kent Breaking mooring chains in Broadstairs and playing pinball with the fishing boats in the Harbour Engine failing when moving it to Ramsgate, resulting in a beaching and a lot of swearing Now safely moored in Ramsgate, and cannot wait to get the damage to the gelcoat repaired and a new engine to actually try fishing off it. It is the cream one with the Shetland 536 decal

Hi, As a family, we have been shore fishing now and then over the past 5 years or so. Recently upgraded to a small boat (Shetland Family Four), so once it is sea-worthy, we have a lot to learn about using this as a fishing platform. We are based in Ramsgate, so any hints and tips for the local waters would be most welcome. Cheers, Patrick