SHETLAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Currently meeting with James at Shetland re a new 27i build. Has anyone been through this process and offer any advice? Anything you wish you had added to the spec....

Hi Trevor,
I received your message and will contact you shortly.

They are a lovely boat and I think you'll enjoy her when you get her in the water. Ours is berthed at Naburn, near York. If you want to come and have a look (assuming you're able to "nip" up ,then you'd be most welcome if it will help make your decision to buy any easier. )
Like any boat there are pros and cons, but for a good all round , economical to run boat with bags of room then you won't be disappointed.

Hi,

We bought our 27i from Shetland around the same time as Polski.

Very happy with the ordering process and delivery and have used the boat loads with no real issues. I did have a problem with the bow thruster and fridge being faulty on delivery but both were replaced quickly and without fuss by James.

The only things I wished I had changed on the spec at the time would have been to move the water tank gauge from the helm position to the inside of the boat to sit next to the holding tank gauge. I would have then replaced the vacant spot on the helm with a volt metre. The reason being that knowing how full your water tanks are is not essential information while going along but knowing that you batteries are charging ok is useful!

Also at the time of ordering James suggested that two small cleats on the bow might be more useful than fairleads but in hindsight, I would have preferred to have fairleads.


Bits that I added to the spec at the time of construction:

Disc rope cutter on prop shaft
Epoxy treatment to the hull (Gelsheild Ii think) as a osmosis prevention
Upgraded to a diesel (wasbasto) hot air heater
Went for a ‘U’ shaped dinette rather that the railway carriage type


Work that I have done myself post delivery:

Added 240v sockets into engine bay for winter heating (Tube heaters) Would like to add a couple more sockets in the main cabin to at some point too.
Upgraded the battery charging system from the old fashioned (but simple) spilt diode and 1/2/both switch to a voltage sensitive relay (Sterling Pro Split R)
Changed all G4 Halogens for LEDs (I would recommend this as the G4’s eat power and get hot especially in the reading lamps. (BoatLamps is a good source)
Replaced the thin/cheap Coax Cable from TV aerial to TV with high quality properly shielded cable as I was getting some interference issues but the upgraded cable resolved this.
Added a primary fuel filter/water separator (Racor) into the fuel system.
Put all the batteries into plastic boxes with lids


Works planned:

Add some more 12V charger sockets as 2 is not enough by the time you are charging phones, tablets, hovers, torches etc.
Add in a bilge water oil filter as I believe that my boat my fail a boat safety test as there is no oil tray under the engine and if there were an oil leak it could end up being pumped out the boat by the automatic bilge pump.
Might add a flexible coupling to the prop shaft to reduce noise
Might look to add sound proofing to the underside of hatches and improve the existing sound proofing as the factory supplied is a little thin.

Our boat is based on the Lower Thames if you wanted to have look.

Make sure that you take loads of photos during the build process as they are useful later on!

Thanks that is so helpful I owe you a pint or a G&T if every we pass

Did you take any photos during your build? Would love to see them.

James Is steering us towards a manual toilet saying electric are prone to block, did you go for electric and has it been a problem
cheers

Hi

We went for a manual one. Reason being that if there was ever an battery or other electrical issue, the toilet would still work. Also I believe that there is less to go wrong and they are simpler to repair or service.
I don't know about blocking issues with electrical flush as I don't know anyone with one but our manual flush has not caused us any issues in 18 months. The only recommendation that I would make is that you put a slug of sunflower oil down the pan every so often to keep the plunger lubricated (i find i need to do this on each visit) as it can go stiff. When you leave the boat flush the toilet with fresh water from the shower and leave the pan with fresh water in it rather than river water as river water can get a bit stinky if left for a while in a hot boat, also put a slug of white vinegar down the pan when you leave the boat to prevent limescale.

thanks again and manual it is.
Meeting James again on saturday and have your list to discuss with him, he just seems a bit vague on what comes as standard but if I go ahead I want the contract as tight as a drum. Recently had a nightmare with a extension and house modernisation and I'm not going through that again.
I'll let you know how it goes.
great thanks to you, polski and the association

Hi
one other thing that I forgot to mention is that I would recommend getting a rubbing strake for around the bathing platform.
Many older 27 ' s have these but not the newer ones. (Mine didn't have one). Not sure if these are included in the standard spec or not.

just thought I'd give up date.
To date james couldn't be more helpful and everything Ive requested as been forth coming, little bit of slippage on finishing date but that is what we requested not him. I sense boat will be ready in feb/mar cant wait, now searching for marina and deciding fens or broads??