Motor Boat & Yachting - January 2016 UK

OWNERUPGRADES

66 JANUARY201 6

THE COSTS

Vinyl wrapping £4,800

New canopy £2,600

New upholstery £3,500

Flexiteek decking £1,850

Teak table £350

Compound and polish £945

Chris-Craft wheel and logos £793

LED lighting £450

Miscellaneous £920

TOTAL £16,208

Craft Capris but the trim shop at
Penton Hook Marina couldn’t replicate
it so I agreed to go for a simpler but still
smart two-tone coffee and cream look
with contrast piping and neatly stitched
panels. It took a while to get it right but
the end result is very pleasing. I also
asked them to make me a brand new
camper cover based on my own design.
My experience of convertible car hoods
led me to insist on a cover that not only
looked and worked better but also
avoided any wear and tear on the
vulnerable clear vinyl panels from the
stainless steel stretcher bars.
The helm area was functional but
bland with a horrible plastic steering
wheel and a broken speed log. I ordered
a stainless steel and wood replacement
wheel direct from Chris-Craft for £350
and sourced a GPS speed log for £200
from http://www.asap-supplies.com that
matched the remaining instruments.
The dash panel was then wrapped in

walnut-effect vinyl, which sounds tacky

but looks so convincing that you’d

never know the difference.

THE PUNT PAYS OFF

While searching the Chris-Craft parts

catalogue I also found a pair of stainless

steel Chris-Craft logos, which fill the

little triangle of plain white gel-coat at

the trailing edge of the windscreen.

Other details include stainless steel

cupholders, nav lights, rubbing strake

ends and a fuel filler cap.

The work was finally complete in

time for the August Bank Holiday

weekend, giving us a brief opportunity

to enjoy Outlaw on the Thames before

trucking her down to her new berth on

the dry stack at Trafalgar Wharf,

Portsmouth. Since then we have enjoyed

a number of blissful weekends on board

with friends and family, blasting around

the Solent at well over 40 knots with

the straight through exhausts

reverberating off the water. However,

the moment where it all came good was

when Geraldine and I were moored up

at Gunwharf Quay, enjoying a glass of

prosecco in the late afternoon sun with

music playing and the cockpit bathed in

cool blue light. Geraldine turned to me

and said that now she truly understood

my passion for boating.

The final bill for all the work came to

just over £16,000 on top of the £12,500

I paid for the boat but it was all worth it

to hear those precious words. Along the

way I’ve made countless friends and

learnt a huge amount about boats and

boating. I’ve bought and done up a

thoroughbred Chris-Craft for less than

£30,000 that gives me a thrill every

time I use it and most importantly of all,

I have proved to my wife and family that

this is a hobby which we can all enjoy

together. That’s why I’ve just put in an

offer for a second-hand 55ft Ferretti

165 based in Palma, Mallorca and why,

regrettably, the Chris-Craft is now back

up for sale with Bates Wharf.

Twin 260hp petrol

V8s are good for

50 knots fl at out

All-new camper canopy was

designed to avoid damaging

the clear plastic panels

The fi nished article

looks and performs

like a boat half its age

Chris-Craft also

supplied the

new side logos

We have enjoyed a number of blissful

weekends on board with friends and family,

blasting around the Solent at well over 40 knots