Description

Silverita is a Fairline Sunfury built in 1986. She had two new petrol Mercruiser engines fitted in 2004, which have done less than 350 hours total to end August 2024: most Sunfuries of this age will have their original engines with several thousand hours’ use. She sleeps 4 in two double berths with an optional further two berths in the cockpit. Her current Boat Safety Certificate runs until 5th May 2025 and the Environment Agency tax is paid for 2024. She has been used on the non-tidal Thames for the past 20 years and her instrumentation would require updating if she was to be used at sea. Silverita has both a full canopy cover and a tonneau cover. I am selling her because I use her so little.

Specifications

Construction

SILVERITA

Silverita is a Fairline Sunfury built in 1986; the model changed in, I think, late 1984 so earlier boats are a different internal design (without either the reversible bench seat in the cockpit or the fibreglass swimming platform). I bought her in 2004 and am only her second owner. She had two new petrol Mercruiser engines fitted in 2004 by the original owner before I bought her (4.3 litre, six cylinder, 190 HP engines). To operate legally on the Thames she requires a valid Boat Safety Certificate, Insurance and an Environment Agency certificate (similar to road tax). Her current Boat Safety Certificate runs until 5th May 2025 and the Environment Agency tax is paid for 2024. Insurance should be relatively cheap (circa £300). Marina berthing will probably also be needed but I have no knowledge of the fees because I have kept her on our riverbank for that past 20 years.

Most Sunfuries of this age will have their original engines with several thousand hours’ use. Silverita’s engines have less than 350 hours total use. She is capable of an estimated 35 knots BUT the speed limit on the non-tidal Thames is 4 knots, which is achieved with 1,100-1,200 rpm. The depth sounder and speedometer do not work – I think they are both pretty useless on the Thames but there are phone apps that can give you speed information. Silverita has no navigation system; again, this doesn’t matter on the Thames but would matter for coastal work. Some of the instrumentation on the raising of the stern drives does not work properly. The local agent for Mercruiser is Val Wyatt Marine in Wargrave and they have done work for me in the past, but none recently. A good local boat maintenance company is Marlow Boat Services (actually located in Taplow) and Michael Fletcher has done some more recent work for me in replacing the fuel tank tubes and the fuel gauge. Fuel consumption: this obviously varies with engine revs and speed but at 4 knots she burns about 10 litres an hour.

Silverita has both a full canopy cover and a tonneau cover that I have used a lot, particularly in the winter. Apart from the engines, stern drives and fuel gauge, all equipment is original (i.e. 38 years old). She sleeps 4 in two double cabins with an optional further double berth in the cockpit. I have not found the source of a leak of rainwater into the aft cabin (under the cockpit). The upholstery in the cockpit was renewed about three years ago. The anchor chain is extremely rusty but, again, this doesn’t really matter on the Thames. The propellers have several “nicks” which is inevitable on the Thames because depths are unpredictable and the riverbed has much gravel and small stones just under the mud. Silverita draws about 3’ 9” with the stern drives down and our berth is around 2’ close to the riverbank so we have to “drift” the last few metres to tie up.

Location Map