Varne Folkboat

Sloop rigged Kemp Aluminium spars (1995) with stainless steel standing rigging (1995)

Main and Genoa serviced annually by Ratsey's, new U/V strip this season. Spinnaker 1996 has seen little use and the Storm Jib and Trysail are unused as is the emergency fore-stay, setting to Hi-Field lever.

12 volt battery, 1 batteries charged by: engine

Seven coats of Gelshield Epoxy prior to first launch.
Words from the owner:- The Varne GRP Folkboat was designed by Alan Hill and produced in Maldon from 1978, Petrafin was one of the last to be produced in 1982. The mouldings were bought by the previous owner as a project, the deck was attached to the hull and ballast encapsulated in the keel. I bought her as an unfinished project in 1988 and she was launched in Whitby in 1995, so she must be the last Varne Folkboat to go into the water. In addition to Alan Hill's design I stiffened the hull and deck with grp.
Top hat stringers bonded in at suitable intervals. Prior to launch the hull was painted below the waterline with seven coats of epoxy 'Gelshield' paint. The mast and spars, and stainless steel rigging were made up and fitted by 'Northern Spars'.
In the twenty years that I have sailed her, I have averaged around 600 miles per year and for the past ten years mainly single handed. The folkboat is a fantastic sailing boat, she sails close to the wind and has never let me down. In addition to much coastal cruising Petrafin has made many trips across the Irish Sea. In the early years she went up the East Coast, through the Caledonian Canal and around the Scottish islands. She has been out to the Outer Hebrides, circumnavigated Ireland in 2005, made several trips to the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall from South Wales. In 2013 and 2015 she completed the single handed Jester Challenge from Pwllheli around the Fastnet Rock and into Baltimore in West Cork.
She is set up for single handed sailing with three reefs in the main and Furlex roller reefing genoa controlled from the cockpit through blocks, deck organisers and jammers. She is fitted with an emergency forestay with a Highfield lift that has never been used. She has been stored ashore every Winter and the sale includes a yard cradle. The navigation lights are top of the mast tri-light and all round white anchor light both fitted with led bulbs, there are also emergency nav. lights on the pulpit and pushpit. Jackstays are frtted for going forward. Although the mainsail and genoa are old, they have been washed and stored at home each Winter, any servicing and repairs have been done by Ratsey Sails. The genoa has just had a new uv strip.
Petrafin has been well maintained, an engine record of the hours used has been kept and the service intervals used. The engine has been winterised each Winter. New 8mm anchor chain and swivel were fitted in 2013. In 2015 she was reupholstered, the toilet was serviced and new seals fitted, the lower two underwater rudder pintles were replaced, a new bow anchor roller fitted.

2 burner paraffin cooker/stove