Plywood & glass fibre matting, Peach, with varnished cabin top & toe-rails etc Floor of cockpit is marine ply covered in fibre glass matting.
Hull:
Clinker built: Oak ribs & mahogany planking
Antifoul:
Last done 2022
Rig Details
Mast:
Anodised, Mast & Boom anodised aluminium
Boom:
Anodised, Jack stays rigged on each side; 3D diamond radar reflector
Spinnaker Pole:
Slightly above weight, as made from a longer one cut short
Whisker Pole:
None
Sails Wardrobe
Mainsail:
1, New October 2016,
Spinnaker:
1, 1994, have used a few times, not with latest pole
Jib:
2, No 1, new October 2016, No 2, new October 2016, hardly used storm jib
Genoa:
NA
Trysail:
NA
Engine
Make:
Beta Marine
Size:
10 hp, adjusted to 13or 14hp
Notes:
B-10HE No. 8L9688; wear-proof alternator belt fitted, so no black dust or belt replacements, Bought June 2009 More powerful than she needs; best not go above 5 knots, though 6 is possible. 25l main tank, 2 x 10l and 1 x 5l spare tanks; one of the 10l has minor leak, needs to be upright
Inventory
Full set of covers: Mainsail, Bow, cockpit, and over-boom aft of mast. New bungy rope. Over boom cover keeps the cabin dry even if cabin roof has minor leaks, and if cushions are wet there is a plastic mat to put between sleeping bag and cushions for a dry shirt-sleeve environment & sleep. Adequate, but not in great condition;
Small red Compass Inflatable Dinghy (with rigid floorboards & bag & foot pump) bought 2005; I towed it aft for most of my Hebrides trip, and went ashore a few times to secluded beaches on south side of Mull
Outboard Engine for dinghy: Tohatsu
Wind speed and direction, wifi between masthead and deck; has been very reliable
Fixed VHF ICM411
Two VHF Mobile NX1500, not used lately, probably OK
GPS: Garmin GPS128; deck display includes speed over ground and direction; can also be given waypoints. To connect it you need to turn on the port Garmin in the cabin and age through to select the right interface (from memory I think NMEA)
Small Plotter: Garmin GPSMAP451; hinges out to be visible from cockpit
Depth gauge & display
Batteries: 2 installed 12V batteries plus one spare
Water Speed indicator – feed goes from impeller; not currently working; maybe poor connection;
Autopilot SIMRAD TP10
Life Raft SEAGO 1104248 (refurbished 2015/16, so out of date)
Main anchor: Danforth, with ~20m of chain attached
Kedge: Rocnar, plus with ~20m of chain
Little light grappling Anchor for dinghy – never used by me
Cables for shore mains + adapter for 13A socket
“Mains Anywhere” unit for 230V from 12V
Galley: A single ring Origo stove (best to use 1/3 bottle of meths for a meal; the whole bottle will evaporate); Also Butane Gas stove to place in sink for second ring if needed (or if you have no meths); 5 x 500ml bottles meths, 2 x 440g cans butane gas
Galley has drawers under with cutlery and utensils included, and cupboards under with frypan, saucepan, plates, bowls (enough for two people).
Boat hook (hung in cabin under cabin roof)
Paddle (hung in cabin under cabin roof)
11 Fenders – seven standard size, two larger, and two tear-dropshape
Sheets: mainsheet, jib sheets, spinnaker sheets
Halyards: mainsail, topping lift; jib, spinnaker
Warps: Five morning ropes, one extra length; long kedge rope
Two handles for winches; – and one for the jib winches (I’ve never needed)
Red Ensign & pole
Dan Buoy
Lead sounding weight, size of small bottle
Bolt cutters & heavy hammer
Set of wooden cones for plugging hull stopcock holes
11 litre rubber bucket
“Gun” for use with Sikaflex
2 Life jackets, gas cylinders not up to date
Flares – more than standard numbers
“At Anchor” Ball and “Motor Sailing” Triangle
Compass – light not working
Full set of cushions and curtains
Water supply: two flexible tanks under fo’c’s’le bunks.
Table: a small table for setting up below tiller in cockpit or from companionway in cabin, or stored in fo’c’s’le
Owner Comments
I’ve owned Folksong since 2002, but sadly have to give up sailing now. Gave her a huge refit (keel off, new keel bolts, a few new knees etc) in 2002 and various important maintenance since. She is great in a decent wind (e.g. 7 knots up to Stornoway in a F5) and not bad in light winds. I’ve probably been a bit hard on her, not reefing until wind is well above 20 knots and jibing when I shouldn’t have. After such treatment she has sometimes needed some extra maintenance, e.g. one one occasion tightening of copper rivets. I’ve taken her solo to France, the Scillies, up to Liverpool where I live, the Menai Straits and Cardigan, and Scotland (including a great trip to the Outer Hebrides, past Stornaway & round to Callanish and back through the Sound of Harris.) Over the winter of 2018/2019 rainwater through the deck by the port chainplates caused rot in the beam shelf. Fully repaired. Liverpool Marina solved the underlying problem with steel members for and aft to spread the load from the shrouds, and also repaired a few knees (cracked in the Hebrides I imagine). I surrounded the holes with wooden half-rings and blocked them with Marineflex, as advised. The photo is from 2022. If you email me I can provide more detailed recent photos, a simple chart of my 2017 Hebrides trip, and a video of my first Hebrides trip, I think in 2016. Happy to provide any information you need.Autopilots: I had some success with a RayMarine TillerPilot but it always seemed to get wet and then stop working, so I then changed to a SIMRAD TP10 which I have had no success with, although tests on dry land indicate it works. Surveys: Last Survey was March 2020. She’s now coming up for another. Whether or not the surveyor picks the following issues up, I would advise – fixing lamination in a join in a plank in the hull, probably caused by heavy seas on last trip to Conwy – you might also consider a windshield. In heavy seas waves come over the bow! – checking keel bolts. You do NOT need to take off the keel, the bottom of each keel bolt is accessible by chipping away the substance (plaster? Putty?) surrounding it an inch or so below the top of the metal keel in a special area I think called a gallery. Once the putty is removed undoing the nut here allows the keel bolt to be drawn up into the boat for examination.Electrics: Masthead tricolour & anchor light works on a dc basis: one way is anchor, the other way tricolour (currently only working intermittently due to poor contact in electrics unit, so needs attention); one or two of the switches or switching arrangements could be better configured, but I have never had sufficient time; Solar Panel: situated aft of lazarette hatch: works a treat and keeps connected batteries topped up so pump keeps bilge empty indefinitely when boat is left mooredPrice: £4,950. Difficult to set a price as the cost of a wooden boat is more the maintenance than the capital. In the price I have set I have tried to consider the the considerable inventory and also the maintenance issues I’ve identified. I’m also keen to sell to an owner who will enjoy sailing in her and look after her, so that could be a factor in any negotiation. Would suit any sailor recently retired who would like to take on a wooden boat, carry on my habit of regular surveys and maintenance, and have some wonderful trips sailing in areas around the British Isles, whether solo or with a partner. Four bunks is possible (family with two children?) but would be very cramped.
