Tracing history

[Brio]

After years of browsing this website, we have now acquired a Swift 18 `Brio`,brought her to Cornwall and have been playing, including our first overnight trip!
I have the usual newbie questions.
What is her hull number? Brio was known as Ice Cold in 1999 according to the VHF licence stuck to the window. In marker pen on under the keel cover is also `Freetrader 2`. She has also been called Gallette.
The SBS trailer is marked Jan 1984 which is a start. She has Barlow winches. She did have a red coachline (now blue) and has a red spray hood. SHe also has a very flared front edge to her keel. According to the boat register she might be 116, 117 or 119 if the trailer date is accurate. Any ideas?
Next, Brio seems to be very stern heavy on the trailer and will rear up given half a chance. Is this common to the SBS trailer? The rear roller appears to be a replacement which has been set higher than the others. This let it drop neatly between the keel and the skeg on a fast falling tide whilst making our first recovery so could neither relaunch or recover! Can anyone post a photo of an empty SBS trailer for me to peruse?
And finally, the keel is not directly in line with the skeg, only a tad to the port side but enough to notice. Is this familiar to anyone? I hope to look at the keel and I have seen talk of a keel reconditioning doc from Piglet in the past.Has anyone still got it?
Regards
Dave

[Terry]

Try trawling through the register section of the old news letters in the site library. My trailer tips back if i'm not careful. SBS trailer attached. I put a new axle on it a couple of years ago but I didn't change the wheel positions.
Terry

[Brio]

After a rather scary incident involving the trailer tow hitch flying skywards when released from the car tow ball, and knocking the outboard off the transom (fortunately not clamped that hard!) I decided to investigate further with a local marine fabricator. He found that the original suspension had been leafsprung. The leaves had been removed and the mountings ground off at the rear, and a new "axle" of box steel welded to the trailer frame, which was then fitted with trailing independent suspension mounts. Critically, these have resulted in the pivot point on the hubs being about 4-5" further forward than the centre point of the original mountings. So there is absolutely no nose weight and with an outboard and rudder on the back significant tail weight. As the winch post has rusted through its shiny paint in the last few weeks, we are going to bring the boat forward on the trailer with a realigned new winch post, which still clears the tailgate of the car.
Unless one of you advises different......... So much expense so soon!

[yoty]

Hi Brio,

I nearly bought Brio myself but bought 'Midge' from Buckler's Hard instead. The previous owner carried out a great deal of work on the trailer so that I could tow the boat home.

The trailer is as original in that it still has leaf springs although the axle was changed. If you want a photo of that let me know and I'll PM one to you.

I sail Midge, now renamed Offbeat, in Plymouth so if you ever venture that far let me know and we can meet up.

Cheers

Barry

[nickf]

My trailer is Sept 1983 (sail No 110 )and as far as I know , original.Until recently I used to trailer launch each time I used it.The rear roller did seem to be rather high and the keel at shallow water would not float over the rear roller but would butt into it even though there is little play in the lifting mechanism.I think I have read somewhere that this is a safety feature to prevent the boat sliding backwards off the trailer when towing
The roller support for the boat on the trailer seemed to be well distributed , so my solution to the launching problem was to "U" bolt a plank of wood across the trailer just "Aft" of the keel so it is supported as it goes"Aft"and then feeds onto the rear roller smoothly

I agree that on a ramp the turning moment is to the rear but if you put things like spare engine in the bow section and wind boat on winch up as much as possible it alleviates the situation or even as I did initially put a lump of concrete on the front of the trailer

I am a pontoon person now but need to organise boat coming home for winter, next week.Ill take a few photos of the trailer and plank as requested and send them to you

[Brio]

Thanks guys - photos would be good. If possible, can you get a measurement of the pivot point of the hub in relation to the trailer frame or some other reference point. My trailer man has suggested an adjustable bow snubber on the trailer so that we can "tune" the trailer to the weight of the boat engine and rudder.

[Brio]

Making some progress here. Brio is either 116 or 117. I have established that 117 was originally known as Zest, not one of Brio`s prvious names. Newsletter no 8 was issued not long after the date on Brio`s trailer. The new boat and register `insert` is not on the website - does anyone know if that particular insert still exists with anyone? (I`ve even tried a UV light on the old main! It brought up the non existent sail logo outline a treat, but alas no sail numbers.)

[giraffe]

Hi,
Newsletter no. 26, (Oct 1988) p2 has an advert for 116 as follows:

Name - Puffin , Sail No. 116, De Luxe Version fron SWIFTCRAFT
Rotostay rolling reefing Genoa, anchor, chain & warp,
Contest bulkhead compass, Seafarer 5 Echo Sounder,
Yamaha 4 hp outboard engine, Braked Trailor with Lights
Price £5950 ono. Can be viewed at Rock phone 020 886 3606
Tel: Trebetherick 3606
(020886 )
C. MATTHEWS
''LUFFINGS",
36 Trelyn,
Rock,
Wadebridge,
Cornwall,
PL27 6LZ.

There are 4 Puffins listed in the members' register - 3 without sail numbers...

hope this helps,
martin

[Brio]

And so finally I visited with the engineer. We unbolted the winch post, put a long strop from the bow the full length of Brio and around the end of the skeg and put a chain winch onto the front of the trailer and hooked the strop onto it. (with me so far!) And then gently wound the chain winch. Brio very gently ROLLED on the rollers, and we kept testing the tow hitch to find out when we had some reasonable nose weight. ( the ruddder and outboard were mounted ) We moved her 135mm (5 1/2") before we were happy and then took the outboard off to see what effect it had. Not a great deal as it turned out, but the bow no longer leaps for the sky when unhitched and she sits on the trailer with the jockey wheel supporting and no need for chocks under the back end, unless going aboard. The winch post was rotted through at the base and so we will make a new one with a slightly shallower angle to allow for our new position. And the rear roller is coming off its raiser so it lies in line with the other rollers. Fingers crossed for our next launching!!