Motor Boat & Yachting — August 2017

The existing KoopNautic stabilisers would

have to go in favour of Sleipner’s SPS

66 in time for the 2017 season

All the kit was brought

from the UK in a convoy

of lorries and trailers

Silver Echo is lifted for

the new fi ns and bow

thruster to be installed

A larger diameter hole

had to be cut for the

hydraulic bow thruster

Zero speed stabilisers

transformed the Maxey’s

enjoyment of Silver Dee

came to life but when we turned on the port engine
and engaged the unit, there was the most almighty
bang. I shut down the engine immediately but the
damage was already done. Despite a lot of effort
from the excellent pump suppliers, Howland,
liaising with PRM, the gearbox manufacturers,
something had been lost in translation and we’d
fitted a pump with the wrong rotation. The pump
was now a write-off and there was several litres of
hydraulic oil all over the floor. Another pump was
shipped out and fitted within three days – anybody
who’s had to ship anything to a boat in the south
of France will know this is in itself is a minor miracle.
Gingerly, we turned it all back on – eureka, nothing
blew up and everything seemed to be working.
We were very lucky that weekend because Ronny
Skauen, Sleipner’s MD, was staying on another boat
nearby and agreed to come out for a sea trial. This
was of enormous assistance in helping us set up the
system and fine-tune it on his laptop. To say that the
sea trial showed a revolutionary change
with the boat was an understatement.

It was quite a rolly day and we could feel the fins

working immediately, but it was only when we

turned the fins off that we realised just how big

the swell was – boy, were we pleased to turn them

back on ten seconds later!

Over the following weeks, the dramatic change

in the boat’s behaviour underway and especially

at anchor, was remarkable. Megan, one of my

young daughters, cheered up enormously and

peaceful boating was restored for all.

IN FOR A PENNY, IN FOR A POUND

There the story would have ended, were it not for

a chance decision to take a stroll with my wife (aka

the real Captain) past the broker’s office in Port

la Napoule last October. There in the window was

a lovely Aquastar Explorer 74 with the price recently

reduced. One thing led to another and before we

knew it, the family savings were being raided once

again. By December, we were cruising Silver Echo,

our new (to us) Aquastar, from Palma

to Antibes. Inevitably the conversation

turned to stabilisers and I found myself agreeing

with my engineer, Al, that the existing KoopNautic

stabilisers would have to be swapped for Sleipners

in time for the 2017 season.

We’d initially hoped to manage with the original

stabilisers for the first season but that trip from

Palma, even though relatively calm, highlighted

the differences all too clearly. The 10hp electric

bow thruster was also too weedy for Silver Echo’s

69 tonnes, so we asked Sleipner if its hydraulic

bow thruster could be integrated to work off the

same hydraulic tank and pump as the fins. It

could be done but unfortunately, the existing bow

thruster tunnel was too narrow and would have

to be replaced by a 300mm one. We bit the bullet

and agreed to go ahead with both.

While we were at it, I decided to fit Lumishore’s

latest underwater lights (partly because the kids

insisted underwater lighting wasn’t for me) and to

change one of the anchors for a 55kg spade anchor

with 120m of 12mm chain. All of this meant another

major convoy from Cheshire. We hired a 7½-tonne

SILVER ECHO

James’s new

Aquastar Explorer 74

OWNER’S UPGRADE