Early Dive boats and Flatacraft Force 4's

[Nasher]

Some of you will know from my old posts that every year we spend some time around Dartmouth with the RIBs camping and having fun.
Not may of you will know that this has been happening since I was very young. Those of us that were kids then now take our kids.

I dug out some old images and scanned them in, some of you may be interested to see the early Flatacrafts my Father owned and how primative the diving was then.

Enjoy.

1) Hope Cove @1976
Yes thats me with the hair and blue trunks
Plus thats Davybouy from on here with the daft hat.
2) Beesands a few years later with my Fathers very early flatacraft in the background.
3) As you can see the dive boat got bigger, slightly, and thats me with the stripped top aged about 14(1981) getting ready to boat handle for the divers.

[Nasher]

1) Flatacraft No.2 on the slipway in Dartmouth @1985.
2) Again Flatacraft No.2 a couple of years later, me driving my late father.
3) Me in Flatacraft No 3 after it had passed to my hands. @10years ago
A stunning boat after I replaced the Suzuki 40HP twin cyl with a Suzuki 55HP triple cylinder - very quick and agile.
4) Beesands @1990, by this time Flatacraft No.2 (middle) had been sold to a family friend, No.3 is furthest away, and another family friend had brought another one.

Nasher

[JSP]

Those flatacrafts do look cool. Even in Sepia !

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by JSP

Those flatacrafts do look cool. Even in Sepia !

Unfortunately the photos have degraded over the years.
However I've now managed to get my Photoshop(7.0) working on my new machine, so I'll be putting that right.

The Flatacraft Force4 is a great boat, and I'd have another to muck about in any day.

Nasher

[m chappelow]

yes it wasent often that you ever saw a rib in those days even the large diving clubs were still using sibs even some at that time were using avon redcrests and redseals lol,and yes diving with a home made 4 mm wet suit made from a kit certainly gave a person charicter, even more so if you got the tape wonky , we seemed over equiped in those days if you carried a goody bag and a torch and a s.m.b . mart .

[Downhilldai]

Great bit of nostalgia there, Nasher

Originally Posted by Nasher

The Flatacraft Force4 is a great boat, and I'd have another to muck about in any day.

Here you go: £500, just add a redband merc 40

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F216674

[Nasher]

Dai

thanks for that.

I said I'd have another one, not that Mrs Nasher would let me have another one
We've 3 boats in the family already, and I think we've reached her limit at the moment.

Nasher

[matt h]

what happened to it nasher?? do you still see it around?

[JSP]

Hope you don't mind mate.

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by matt h

what happened to it nasher?? do you still see it around?

The last Force4, Orange/White wth the 55HP Suzi, was brought by a guy that drove down from Hull and towed it away.
Given the chance, and Mrs Nashers blessing, I'd Buy it Back.
It would upset me to see it around I think, My Ocean is good for what we do with it, but the last Flatacraft was so much fun to just tear around in.

Originally Posted by JSP

Hope you don't mind mate.

Thanks John hopfully I'll do as good a job wth the full size files.

Nasher

[JSP]

Originally Posted by Nasher

The last Force4, Orange/White wth the 55HP Suzi, was brought by a guy that drove down from Hull and towed it away.
Given the chance, and Mrs Nashers blessing, I'd Buy it Back.
It would upset me to see it around I think, My Ocean is good for what we do with it, but the last Flatacraft was so much fun to just tear around in.



Thanks John hopfully I'll do as good a job wth the full size files.

Nasher

I'm sure you will mate. If you need any help just ask. Or send me the full size files and I'll do them for you.

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Quote "It would upset me to see it around I think, My Ocean is good for what we do with it, but the last Flatacraft was so much fun to just tear around in."

I completely agree, though i wouldnt be upset to see it, be happy to see it being used. Something to be said for simplicity. We sold our 5.4 SR with 3cyl 90 opti on (previously had a 75 mariner old two stroke) after 10 + yrs of fun. The new boat is just awesome in a sea and great for the larger family now, but from 19yrs old when the family bought the SR new, to the age of 31, the SR was awesome, so fast, agile, responsive and nimble to tear around in with groups of friends, skiing, fishing etc every summer in Anglesey. Sooooooo many memories.

We nearly kept it at the last minute but part exed it in the end. Perhaps wrongly so. For the money we should have kept it. Think we got 5k.

[Simon B]

Here's some from our club archive!

[Simon B]

Now you've started me off...

[JSP]

Is that a film cell from Jaws?

[Nasher]

Simon B

That looks like Start Point Lighthouse in the background on the first image on your second post. You are probably on Beesands like some of my images.

Nasher

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Simon B

Now you've started me off...

You have given your age away with that twin hose regulator, most of them are now museum pieces.

Pete

[Simon B]

Not me in any of the pics, when I started diving with an aqualung twin hoses had just been supplanted by single hose, but, to some these were the work of the devil.

A couple of years later the "stab jacket" came out mainstream i.e. a British company made something the italians had been banging out for a while. Again, this was the work of the devil - in fact most british diving appears dogged by this atitude reminiscent of the old boot in Croft ad who reckons "sherry is always dark, always will be"

[ollyit]

you guys are the "original" ribbers cool pics love seeing old skool boats in there newness

[Razorbill RIBs]

Another Flata F4 on Ebay.........

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flatacraft-For...d=p3286.c0.m14

I had a 45HP Chrysler of similar vintage to that in the ad on my first boat.....mine was an old pig of an engine......seized up in the end.