Avon sr4 of unknown vintage

[Pete7]

In addition to the canal, a trip down the river Douglas and out to sea or up to Preston is possible but you need to plan the tides and go out for the day. Also seen a small 5.35 Ribtec launch over Ainsdale Beach with care and a long rope.

The ali plate is probably to cover up the machine gun holes people have drilled in the transom over the years and add a bit of support. I would want it off, holes checked to make sure they are dry and filled with epoxy. The bottom would look great with a new 2 pack orange paint job.

You have a flooding hull in that rib, there used to be a kit for closing it off but a tennis ball and some bungs will do the same thing. Speak to Nos42 about stability with the flooding hull blocked off, certainly make it quicker to plane out at sea if its empty of water.

Pete

[RAS666]

I have been down to the sea lock with the rib but not past tbh I'm not sure if you have to book your passage through the lock in advance now I will have to check. For me it''s easy to get to (at the moment it fits under the swing bridges) definitely won't with this 4cyl merc I just bought. I just have to navigate through 2.5 ft depths in the canal! Least it won't matter if I fall out there ��

There's supprisingly few holes in the transom someone drilled some extra holes to move the 2 transom brackets inwards an inch �� then a pair lower just at the waterline must have been for a previous hoop in the middle there's only actually 4 holes for the outboard irritatingly not a single one lines up with my engines!

The flooding hull was badly bunged up when I got it tbh I kind of like the idea it does make it more stable plus I'm not planning on doing a lot of racing about its mainly going to be pottering about wreck spotting and fishing from. Also when I first tested the boat with nothing in it but myself and my 3chinese hp electric motor I almost had it on the plane at about 5mph not on the canal of course ��

The underside needs a lot of filler and a good paint job now my question is does anyone know what colour it should be? I've read something like tangerine orange was used on the early seariders?

[RAS666]

Well after being in hiding for a few months I've collected a few parts and think I have a working boat now just the minor details to do like the hole in the bottom and the trasom.
Last night I removed all the metal work on the top the glass on the outside of the transom looks fairly clean and crack free! My hull number is long gone however. I think it's definitely rotten in there!

[phantom 19]

The serial number on those very early sr4s were stamped into the alloy strip that would’ve covered up the raw edge of the transom ply.

I found in the past that even if the transom wasn’t rotten the ply would delaminate which would cause the transom to flex wildly.

[RAS666]

Yes it does look more sort of delaminated than rotten near the top but it is soaked and incredibly flexible! First job I will be doing is the hull get that nice and shiny then all covered in scratches back on the trailer lol. What do people think of the rubber keel strips are they any good? I will probably be running up sandy beaches a little and the odd shopping trolly in the canal!