Hurley Silhouette MK3 Yacht. Bilge Keel.

Moondancer is a 17'6" bilge keep sailing boat. She is antifouled and ready to sail. She was built in about 1968 and is about as close to original as you can get. She is in original GRP with the only exterior paint being on the three hatch lids. The hull is white and the superstructure grey.

The interior is also original with the manufacturing job number still stamped on the ply panels, and the Lloyds of London plate. Hurley always built attractive and good sailing yachts. The were pioneers of glass-fibre fabrication and as such, tended to overdo the build. They sold 2500 Silhouettes, one of the most successful British yachts ever. I have owned her for the last three years and am only seeking to sell to get a larger yacht.

If I don't sell her, she will go in the water in a couple of weeks. Since I have had her, I have added - Outboard -Johnson 6hp two-stroke, 2000 model. Had a new propellor last year, could do with a service but runs fine. It has a remote fuel tank. It's a really good motor that pushes it along a treat.

OTT to be honest, 3.5hp is adequate. Roller reefing headsail - last year I fitted a Plastimo 406 reefing set up, with a new 5mm forestay. It has a Seateach Genoa, about 2011, in really good condition (This sail was originally on Ed Hughes' Silhouette 'Misty'). At the same time, I replaced the backstay (5mm) and added new extra lower shrouds (4mm), running forward of the mast to creat some 'pre-bend' to the mast. I also replaced the halyards.

Compass - Plastimo Micro C. New 2014. Electrics - There is a battery box under the companionway, the battery needs replacing. Above it is an electric panel with an isolator switch and a panel with three switches, two 12v sockets and a voltage meter. This is used to provide power to the following: Standard Horizon GX 1300 DSC vhf, fitted by the companionway.

New 2016. With a Vtronic masthead aerial with combined Hawk wind indicator. Also 2016.NASA marine white led masthead light, 2016.NASA marine Clipper depth and speed/ log instruments, unknown age but new thru-hull impeller and transducer 2015. Work done by me. Replaced rubbing strip with irko hard wood 2015.

Annually varnished with International Woodskin. Replaced rudder tube, 2015. This is a common Hurley failing and can cause them to sink on their moorings. This was replaced with a piece of heavy galvanised pipe and glassed in at the base. Replaced all window seals 2017.

These are proper rubber window seals, I don't like the look of the bolted-on-through-silicone alternative. It means that the interior is now dry. Lines to cockpit - port of companionway are lines for roller reefing and topping lift, running through cleats. To the starboard, there is a winch and jammers for the halyards. As with all fifty year old boats, there is always a list of things that need doing.

At the moment my list is- Re-paint hatch tops, the used to have a sort of Formica top which cracked up, I redid them in a hurry, and it shows.Add some new glass reinforcement to the base of the keels. I have had the boat on mud berths, but it will need doing soon.I keep the interior basic, I have rubbed it down and given it a coat of white paint, it does me fine, but could to with some modernising if you were going to stay on it a lot.There is no pushpit, but guardwires run from the pulpit through two stantions and down to a point on deck. Not ideal, but it works.The two metal crossmembers under the cabin floor that stiffen the hull when the boat is sitting on its keels are starting to corrode to the point where they probably need to be replaced, although there is some debate about whether this is really necessary. The mainsail is probably original, round boom furling, and is baggy. It has a fairly good condition blue cover.

There is a cockpit cover, which works well, but needs some love, basically one small patch and some restitching seems, a clean-up and re- proofing.There is a 5kg plough anchor with about 10m of 8mm chain and about 30m of octoplait warp.There is an assortment of warps, fenders and a telescopic boathook. It has a roadworthy trailer. I have taken it from Kent/Sussex border to South Devon and back. It is a Sovereign trailer, 1990s, 900kg capacity, with a break back body. It is designed for bilge keepers, but not this one!

As the channels for the keels are the wrong spacing. I just sit a sheet of heavy ply as the deck and sit the boat on that. I normally just launch at the beginning of the season, by submerging it and floating the boat off and getting a lift out in the autumn. As I tow it behind a 4wd, I have removed the brakes and cables, to avoid problems from immersion. It had new wheel bearings last year and has not been in water since.

It is often said that the test of how good yacht designs are is tested by the strength of their class Associations. There are superb class Associations for both Hurley yachts and Silhouettes, which are a mine of information, I recommend them. Photos in the water were taken at Newhaven (2016 - without roller reefing) and Swale Marina, North Kent (2017 - with reefing kit added) Currently out of the water in East Sussex and viewing is welcome. I am biased, but I think this is one of the better Silhouettes out there. It is loaded with kit, and has a good outboard and trailer.

The reserve reflects the value of the extras, as we all know - nowadays the boat is the least valuable bit of the lot! The boat is for sale elsewhere, so if sold I will end the auction early.