The Jones' have put in another stint and have the bulkheads in! From here on things really start to move so we look forward to seeing some really good photos coming soon...

Now for a bit of nostalgia, this is the very first Spirited 380 kit sold in 2005! We mentioned in an earlier post that this owner bought this boat after the original owners moved away from the area. It is now painted with most gear fitted and the interior has a few cosmetics left to go but the owner advises that he is planning to launch in early March. As is the norm at this stage there are tools and gear everywhere, wires and plumbing hanging out of holes, and missing hatches! The boat will call Lake Macquarie home while the new owners learn to sail their new Spirited 380. 

Being local we hope to be there for the launch to bring you all news of this exciting day!

Mick fed through some more performance data gathered from Roam. For those interested follow the link to the new segment on the SailSurfRoam website: 'How does it sail'

Michael Hoult is enjoying the performance of his new Spirited 480 'Roam'. He sent through this screen shot of Roam on a reach doing close to wind speed under main and genoa. Imagine the speeds reached when he has his downwind sails!!

We'll keep everyone informed of any other performance data that comes through...

This father and son team have been chipping away at their project since early 2008. The launch was fast-tracked by the sale of the property where the boat was being built. This is the 22nd Spirited 380 launched mid 2014. We have been waiting for photos from the pre-ocupied owners since then! The boat was very light as you can see by how high she is floating! The owners are now sailing and love the way she sails, they report that nothing can come close to them when they are sailing and are extremely happy with the boat (yet to be named). This boat is fitted with electric propulsion to their own design and after a few initial bugs are very happy with the system. 

We have been promised some more recent photos which we will share once received...

This design has been specifically designed for aluminium construction. This is the first of a new range of plate alloy production power cats by a Queensland builder. The kit has been refined to suit this medium with a high level of detail. Every detail has been CNC cut including hull drains, service routing, access hatches and all stiffeners. This centre console 5m cat is fully engineered to Iso standards and is rated for a 115hp single engine in a central engine pod. 

We are looking forward to seeing this first one on the water and will bring everyone news of this event when it happens.

The Jones family are well into their Spirited 480 project and are starting to see some results. With the shed still being built this didn't stop them starting on the furniture in their garage at home a bit over 18 months ago. Finally at the beginning of last year the shed was ready enough to take delivery of the balance of their kit. Since then there has been plenty of progress as shown in the photos below. Most of the major components are ready for the main assembly. We can't wait to see what the coming weeks hold because they have got until Easter to work full time on their boat. The level of work is impressive for first-time builders. Although this is not entirely accurate because you may remember that these builders tested their skills on a 3.2m Ripple tender before committing to the "mothership"! 

Denise had this to say about the experience so far:

"Joining the panels has been fun seeing our jigsaw pieces taking shape. Some are large and some are small with some weird shapes but it all makes sense when I understand the plans.

I am amazed at how simple it all is and once it comes together will be awesome! I look forward to seeing our bulkheads put in to place shortly and our new home taking shape.

I have a whole lot of new skills for my resume!"

We will keep you posted on the progress of this one...

Current stage above, hulls positioned and bridgedeck ready to be raised.

It's all happeneing! Furniture done, tick! Bulkheads done, tick! Bridgedeck done, big tick!!

Bridgedeck being turned with the use of the excavator, and the hulls being towed up the driveway!

We have been talking to Chris for the last couple of months about trying to organize a day out on his beautiful Spirited 380 'Tasha'. As it happened we spotted her out sailing on Port Stephens on New Years day! A rushed snap with the camera was all we got before she dissapeared from view. Chris has been sailing now regularly since stepping the rig in August last year. He has reported that the boat is very easy to handle on his own and he is loving his time aboard. Since launching the boat and moving to Port Stephens he has been a full time live-aboard. 

We will bring you better photos when we finally go for a sail with Chris!

We visited the builder in Taylors Beach to see the latest progress. Tony has advanced well considering he is only working weekends. He has fitted his Yanmar engines and steering, with his engine hatches also installed. It is clear to see the amount of thought he has put into these areas with all equipment well organized and laid out. Comparing the Yanmars to the Lombardini engines as used on Roam, the extra size is considerable however everything fits adequately. The boat is at the tail-end of construction and has mainly the hull sides to fit before moving onto the fairing and painting process. 

This boat has quite a bit of custom work done to it, namely a full interior, customized cockpit, extended cabintop, helm station with enclosed pod and foam core hulls. 

As soon as the hull sides are fitted we will bring you more on this project as it develops.

Wasting no time, the crew of Roam headed off the day after the shake-down sail, Friday the 18th of December. Averaging 9 knots for the trip they were back home in St Helens Tasmania on Sunday evening. Mick reports: "Awesome trip! She's sea-trialled now! Feels real nice, regularly hit speeds of over 20 knots with very light loads on sheets, rig and boat". They could easily reef downwind with the Harken slider system on the main which was originally a concern because they were not ball bearing cars. 

The trip can be viewed on the sailsurfroam website or below on an earlier news post.

The plan is to now circumnavigate Tasmania in the New Year and then across to NZ to do a lap of the North Island. Then across to Fiji!

Keep an eye on their site for more adventures!