introduction

BCC Forum
1

Hi Everyone, I’m Matt Corwin
Well I got what I wished for for the past 25 years or so, a Bristol Channel Cutter built by the legendary Sam Morse! The only caveat is that the only way that was going to happen (with my low funds) is if one would become available in a state of distress one way or the other, well it happened, the little ship Fiddlers Green came to auction on a fairly local charity site and was so badly photographed (in the rain) and in such a sad state of repair, torn canvass tattered sails, cluttered algae stained decks broken vane gear etc. and the owner having passed long before the time when she was presented to the market that she actually discouraged bidding, I won her back in March and have been intermittently traveling to Maryland to do repairs and re-fitting work. It seems that she was probably at the limits of her normal routine maintenance schedule when the previous owner got her about 8 years ago and never received the slightest work to her necessary caulking and brightwork so she suffered interior moisture damages mostly limited to the actual glue bonding the interior paneling (no plywood veneer in the boat at all). One great thing the last owner did was had a new standing rig installed but aside that, I have replaced tanks, battery’s, sails, all plumbing hoses fittings etc. re-bedded ports, refinished hatches and spent many hours screwing around with engine troubles mostly due to bad fuel and silt sediment in the cooling lines of the original Volvo MD 11.
I had her out under power for the fist time last week and she does like to go straight! crazy fun backing into her slip at the marina where the pilings are set about 12ft apart and the approach is a narrow channel of boat bows but I managed a perfect 8 point turn with out hitting anything, lucky there was no wind…
I am so happy to be here and look forward to the day she’s sailing again, I cant wait to meet some of you folks and truly appreciate this resource!

Matt
sv Fiddlers Green, Wiscasset Maine

2

Matt,
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on being the new owner of Fiddlers Green! You’ve certainly accomplished a lot already. Shaula’s first engine was also a Volvo MD 11C. Be sure that the screen structure that houses the oil dip stick is always screwed down firmly. The workshop manual (but not the owner’s manual???) says to use sealant on it so it can’t vibrate loose. If it’s not sealed tight, oil pressure is lost. Our engine had to be replaced (or rebuilt) after about 1000 hrs–probably a blessing in the long run.

3

Hi Matt:

I am having trouble identifying the vessel to update records in the database. Do you have a sail number?

Thanks
John

4

Hi John, I did see a sail number in an old photo that was in the sales brochure from a while back, unfortunately the boat is in Maryland while I am in Maine some 600 miles away. I will be going back down to her in December to haul and winterize. Even though I pulled the sprit the marina she’s been living in the past 8 years still wants to charge me 38ft to haul and pressure wash so I’ll be motoring to another marina a few miles up the Chesapeake where I can do the bottom work.
Maybe I can scan the documents and email them to you?

Matt