The moment has come at last, the Hamilton project was one of our larger and more exciting projects. For those who haven’t seen the earlier posts, this boat was lying in the owners backyard, and in a very sad way. The first task was to strip the boat down, removing the alloy cabintop, inboard diesel, fuel tank, gunnel rubber and fittings. Unfortunately the entire hull structure needed to be replaced, and all the work was done using composite board and epoxy reinforcement. Incorporated into the stern was a brand new engine pod with a swim platform, and we also created a new cabintop with new enclosed windscreen. The job list was vast and needless to say, not much on the boat wasn’t modified and refinished.

Once the boat was ready for the engine fitment and 12v installation, the boat was then transferred to Nick at Impact Marine, who did an amazing job. The engine finally arrived and was fitted which is a 150hp Mercury with an XL leg, and really looks the part. Nick also did a beautiful job of the electrical system sporting twin windscreen wipers, slimline solar panel permanently fitted to the cabintop, deck wash and nice array of lighting. A massive thank you to Nick for his part in finishing this project to a very high standard.

We have been excitedly waiting for Nick’s phone call telling us that the day has come for the long awaited water test. So together with the owners we set off to the Soldiers Point boat ramp to launch the boat. From the owner’s reports the boat floats very much the way it did. Pleasingly the aft swim platform sat a good distance off the water and was well clear when on the plane. There were smiles all round when the Hamilton performed flawlessly and felt very solid and secure in the water, either at cruising speeds of around 25 knots or even flat out reaching 42 knots. We tested her by throwing her into a series of turns and then also a full lock maneuver, and the hull was extremely well behaved. We couldn’t have hoped for more and the owners were ecstatic. They had this to say:

“We can’t get over the transformation of this boat. Thanks to the team at Boatique Services for their amazing workmanship, I would recommend them to anyone looking to turn their worn out  but loved boat into a modern masterpiece.”