English
For sale \'Scimitar\', a beautifully restored Fairey Swordsman Mk 1 lying Lymington. Originally built in 1967, \'Scimitar\' has been completely restored by Custom Yacht Works, who have a huge reputation for restoring Fairey boats.
This is a rare opportunity to buy an \'as new\' version of this classic power boat, the other option being to buy and refit another example with all the costs involved. \'Scimitar\' has the benefit of being available for a very competitive price. The best bit is she is ready for the 2024 season, just bring your family and friends and cast off!
Construction
Hot moulded Agba veneers to hull and topsides with nine laminations to hull and seven to topsides.
Marine ply superstructure and bulkheads
Teak laid decks
PROPULSION
Twin Ford Sabre 280C engines with Twin Disc 506 gearboxes
C-Fire automatic engine room fire extinguishing system
ELECTRICAL
NEW electrical switch panel (24 volt) for all boat equipment, incl. charging meters + NEW switch panel (240 volt) for use with shore power, battery charging, water heater, onboard mains socket
Victron Energy DC charger
4 x NEW House batteries & 2 x NEW starter batteries + total re-wire of engine room loom
NEW battery control switch + Blue Sea ML-ACR automatic charging relay
NAVIGATION
ICOM VHF IC-M330 radio with cockpit speaker
NEW depth sounder & speed log
NEW Raymarine Hybrid/touch Lighthouse 4 chart-plotter + NEW Ritchie Powerdamp magnetic steering compass
NEW Marinco electric horn
12 volt outlet at helm
LED port, starboard, stern, steaming and anchor all-round lights
EQUIPMENT
NEW Lewmar electric winch â controls at the bow AND at the helm position
NEW Stainless steel CQR anchor with 25m stainless chain spliced to 50m of braided rope
Webasto 2-way diesel heater
NEW Black waste tank (35l.) with capacity gauge
USB twin charging sockets in saloon
NEW calorifier/water heater with AC element (engine heated while under way)
6 x NEW automatic bilge pumps with switch control at helm position
C-Fire automatic engine room fire extinguishing system
12 volt outlet in saloon
2 x Cockpit lockers (for fender storage) with teak lids and cushions
Gas locker (2 bottles) on aft cockpit roof
ACCOMMODATION
Teak deck aft leading to central cockpit with steering position to Port and Nav/guest seating to Starboard. Access to foredeck via wide teak decks to Port & Starboard. Electric anchor winch and s/s anchor mounted forward.
Steps from aft cockpit to aft twin berth cabin with storage lockers and cupboards. Steps from forward cockpit to spacious cabin with table aft, seating forward and a galley area forward of the heads. Heads with sea toilet and shower.
Both cabins were completely refurbished during the refit. Importantly, the interior has been left as designed and the boat retains her classic feel, however everything is new including the AC/DC panel aft.
Galley
Top Vitrifrigo opening drawer fridge
NEW Dometic Sunlight 2-burner gas cooker with grill & oven + newly installed pipe, with cut-off safety taps, to outside position (cockpit) of gas bottle, incl. a spare bottle.
Original sink with drainer (with 12 volt outlet nearby)
Aft cabin:
2 x berths, outboard; plus water tank
2 x original lights
(Main cabin â NEW overhead LED lights throughout)
Comentario del propietario
Classic boat purchase can be a complicated and tortuous endeavour. Do you buy the cheapest boat available and go through a long restoration often costing considerably more than budgeted, OR do you look for the best restored example where all the cost has already been baked in? Itâs also important to know that whoever is the company restoring a classic boat, has the necessary experience to ensure no corners are cut.After many years racing yachts offshore, I had decided to hang up my sailing boots, and my wife and I agreed to make the change to a motor yacht. We had always loved the iconic design of the classic Fairey Swordsman and after much thought and planning, the search began. After seeing several boats, we decided the best way forward was to buy and completely renovate a hull because all the boats available would require some level of restoration.
We found Scimitar, in February 2021, looking rather neglected on the hard at Swanwick on the Hamble River. Predictably the restoration process took 9 months, rather than the first estimate of 4 months, but we now have a very beautiful, fully restored Swordsman Mk 1. The work took place at Custom Yacht Works, who specialise in restoring Fairey boats. They renovated everything that had been revealed in the purchase survey â and a lot more besides.
Our brief to Custom Yacht Works was to make her fully seaworthy for distance cruising, rather than just looking smart. In the end, we got both â she is now in fantastic condition for all weathers, and she also won Swordsman âConcours dâeleganceâ Trophy at the 2023 Fairey Owners Club rally, held in June at Yarmouth, IOW. She really is a very elegant boat.
The hull
The entire hull was cleaned of anti-foul and then any area of suspect delamination was taken back, laminate by laminate layer, to sound wood and then re-built. All the skin fittings were removed, the resultant laminate apertures repaired where slight chemical electrolysis had taken place and new bronze fittings replaced all the old fittings. Bronze protection plates were made and fitted around the shafts. The shafts & props were removed and checked for balance and alignment. Steel lifting plates were installed at the waterline.
Leaks in the transom were repaired by chocking the hull out from the transom and then having it re-glued and screwed. Damaged laminates were also replaced in this process. A long-standing soft patch in the bow stem was cut out and replaced with a teak insert. All the spray rails were repaired/replaced where necessary. The entire underwater hull was then coated with a layer of epoxy and 2 coats of anti-foul.
The interior
Serious rot inside the port hull (main cabin area) was repaired with 4 layers of laminate being replaced in a 30 cm sq. area. This damage had been caused by the leaking port saloon window frame assembly, so all the saloon window assemblies were also removed, dis-assembled from their frames, re-bedded, re-assembled and re-inserted into the coach roof with new interior teak trim for greater fixing for purchase. This repair, originally made for seaworthy reasons, also transformed and updated the look of to the main cabin interior.
Hand crafted teak & holly flooring was laid in both cabins. The saloon table and eating area was modified to maximise space and storage. All the head linings in both cabins were replaced. All the bunk and seating cushions were replaced. A new top-loading fridge, gas oven (with gas bottle connections upgraded to current safety requirements), black waste tank, âheadsâ shower, LED interior lighting, DC circuit breaker panel and AC switch panel (for use with shore power), Raymarine Axiom 9 chart-plotter, DSC VHF radio & LED navigation lights were installed.
The aft cabin also had some minor updates and is now a very comfortable twin-berth ownersâ cabin. It also has great storage space available for the dinghy, electric outboard, electric inflation pump and other safety gear.
The deck
On the foredeck, a new Lewmar electric windlass & stainless steel CQR anchor with 25m. of stainless chain spliced to 50m. of twisted anchor rope have made the anchoring process simple (with an anchor alarm app on the chart plotter). New deck cleats were installed as well as deck eyes for the fender hooks. The entire deck was re-caulked. A new bespoke rear access ladder was also designed and installed.
The cockpit
The helm console and companion way hatch area were resurfaced. The cockpit lining panels were refurbished in white vinyl and re-designed to give better air intake to the engines. Two new wooden cockpit seats were constructed, designed also to provide fender and rope storage. External cockpit cushions were also made for these seats.
The engine room
All the main engine room wiring was renewed. A complete set of batteries (starter & âhouseâ), calorifier, automatic engine room fire extinguisher & automatic bilge pumps were installed. Two re-conditioned starter motors were installed, as well as new exhaust hoses, and both the engines were given a thorough check (they had been factory serviced in 2016). The engines are 250hp Ford Sabres, larger than the original 145hp Perkins. A new access area was also created at the rear of the engine room.
Summary
In total, approximately. £150,000 was spent on this very comprehensive restoration and there is a complete reference folder with all the supporting documents and invoices to confirm the changes made. The asking price reflects all the time, research, planning and expert craftsmanship that went into making Scimitar such a beautiful boat. She is now absolutely ready to go â you can cruise anywhere, straight from the dock.
Reason for a sale
After two lovely seasons with Scimitar, our family circumstances have now changed and we need to spend more time overseas, so have decided Scimitar has to go up for sale.
As a result of the work by Fairey specialists Custom Yacht Works, Scimitar has been returned to âas newâ structural and decorative condition. This has been achieved at some considerable cost, but Scimitar is now ready to continue her life in turnkey condition. While a classic boat always requires more care than a grp boat, Scimitarâs new keepers will take ownership of this iconic boat knowing they will have many years of fun to look forward to without any major structural issues cropping up. While some clever changes have been made to the layout, it is also quite possible for her new owners to continue this and put their own mark on her long history.