Project Boat Part 1 - Win A Mariner Pacer 26 Ralfy

DAVID LOCKWOOD details our exciting new project boat dubbed Trade-a-Boat I

Trade-a-Boat issue 402 (on sale June 9) that we’ll eventually give away to a lucky subscriber.

Following an email or two with Barry-Cotter’s Maritimo, there was an agreement in principle on the project. Trade-a-Boat buys a preloved Pacer 26 and we refit, renovate and repower the craft in the Maritimo yard using the boatbuilder’s resources.

It’s been said that true friends face in the same direction, toward common projects, interests, and goals. But it’s also been said, perhaps in jest, that one shouldn’t undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible.

We would be kidding ourselves if we thought Trade-a-Boat’s project boat won’t be a challenge. But we’re thrilled to be able to team-up with Bill and Maritimo to deliver something special over the next 12 months.

We plan to run at least 13 articles, one per issue for a year, detailing the rebuild of Trade-a-Boat I. From the keel to the cabin top, nothing will be left unturned, unfinished, undone. The intention is to create a Pacer that a family can rely on for years of pleasureboating to come. The boat will underscore the craftsmanship of Maritimo and the vision of Bill Barry-Cotter.

Trade-a-Boat I will tour the national boat shows. Eventually, after Sydney International Boat Show next year, we give away the boat to one of our subscribers. And, all going well, we’ll embark of our next project boat. Meantime, we are quite smitten by the Pacer 26.

Specifications-
MARINER PACER 26 SEDAN

People: 4 (night)
Length: 7.8m (centreline)
Beam: 2.9m (max.)
Draft: 0.76m (max.)
Freeboard: 1.17m (forward); 0.76m (aft)
Headroom: 1.83m (centre)
Max. height: 3.07m
Cockpit size: 5.58m²
Rail height from cockpit floor: 0.76m
Fuel: 204lt
Freshwater: 159lt
Hull: Fibreglass
Deck and cabin: One-piece fibreglass
Cockpit: Flush-hatched moulded fibreglass
Interior of cabin: Moulded fibreglass, teak trimming
Hardware: Stainless steel or chrome-plated bronze
Rudder and strut: Manganese bronze
Prop shaft: Stainless steel
Side windows: Sliding type in anodised aluminium frames
Windscreen: Safety glass in anodised aluminium frames
Tanks: Stainless steel