The story of Kilva – a Beneteau First 42 is a lovely tale of how buying back an old family boat has brought so much pleasure and is now set for the next generation of family trips.
The owner’s son recently dreamt of a sailing trip on the family’s old First 42, Kilva, which his Grandfather had commissioned and built. Having shared his dream with his Father who had parted with Kilva a decade previously, a Google search revealed that the old family boat was, by a stroke of luck or fate, for sale. A deal was done to bring her back to her home on the Solent, however Kilva was by now fairly tired.
We set about addressing the key issues and following discussions, it was clear that a significant refit would be required. The original Perkins engine was removed and replaced with a modern Beta Marine diesel engine. The P bracket required replacement having suffered from electrolysis, and a complete new propulsion system was then coupled to the new engine.
The rusty cast iron keel was removed, shot blasted and coated with an anti-corrosive Nautix system. The internal structure in the area in close proximity to the keel was showing evidence of degradation and the hull was strengthened in these areas as necessary together with new stainless plates to support the keel prior to refitting.
The hull and deck mouldings were carefully checked over and a significant number of minor GRP repairs were carried out and faired in. The hull and deck then received a full Awlgrip G Line paint system in a colour close to the original gel coat finish and all fittings that had been removed were cleaned up and re-fitted.
New windows, deck hardware and a pair of new electric winches were installed onto the fresh paintwork. Bespoke interior mouldings were required to cover the new electric motors and finally new headlining material was fitted throughout.
The old electronics were upgraded with the addition of a Raymarine package which was able to be networked with some of the older systems which were retained on the vessel. A partial re-wire, new switchboard and a general upgrade of the electrical systems was carried out to promote reliability within the modernised set up.
Since her return, Kilva has seen a couple of gentle seasons, with trips over to France, local cruising and, most importantly, creating family time and new memories out on the water.
