J N Miller & Son 45 ft Ketch “Fifer” Motor Sailer 1979 - Sold

The Miller Fifer owes not a little to the inspiration of John Bain, doyen of this genre of displacement motor yachts whose designs had been used by Millers over the years. This boat has proved herself as capable in this ownership as she did in her first – latterly as the ultimate family cruising boat in British waters offering superb protection from the elements, in her high volume interior and layout, privacy for 2 families in comfort.

This Miller 43 was originally launched as CONTESSA OF DEE in 1979 and soon thereafter sailed south; first to the English South Coast encountering heavy weather on the way. At no stage however did the boat – or her crew show any sign of stress. Similar conditions were encountered off the Brittany coast. Subsequently she has sailed off Portugal, throughout the Mediterranean and latterly in British waters. She has been renamed; firstly CONTESSA and again CONSTANCE OF FIFE.

- 1 3/8th inch mahogany above, iroko below WL planking - each plank double fastened to each frame
- 3 inch oak frames at 12 inch centres clamped and secured to keel with galvanised bolts
- 6 inch thick oak stem, 7 inch thick oak sternpost
- 9 inch tapering to 6 inch section oak and lead ballast keel
- 3 x 3/8th inch galvanised steel keel strip
- Oak aprons
- 4 x 1 ½ inch mahogany gunwales
- Oak and larch deck beams and oak knees
- Larch beam shelf
- 4 ½ x 1 ½ inch mahogany bulwark
- Double marine ply sub deck with ¾ inch teak bronze screwed swept planking over
- Hull Casco sheathed to the waterline
- Mahogany deck house with marine ply roof completely rebuilt winter 2012 -13
- Galvanised steel rudder
- Mahogany ply interior bulkheads
- Mahogany joinery in accommodation

Deck House accessed by double doors starboard side and companionway steps down
- 22 inch 6 spoke teak helm wheel at main helm position
- Morse single lever engine control
- Engine instrument panel
- Navigation instruments qv
- Sideboard to stbd; 2 drawers and cupboards
- Chart table to port with lift top and 3 drawers under
- L shaped settee aft and to port
- Tall hanging lockers and other locker space built in to aft bulkhead
- Yew topped drop leaf table
- Drawers, lockers and bookshelves starboard
- Lifting panel in sole accesses engine room
- Forward by lift up flap, double doors and 3 full height companionway steps down to

Galley
- Gimballed 2 burner gas stove grill and oven to port
- Stainless steel sink in L shaped extensive worktop with cupboards over and under to stbd
- Gas water heater
- Exhaust ventilator
- Vibocold wall mounted fridge
- Doorway to port to

Single guest cabin to port
- Long single berth with drawers and locker under
- 3 x lockers outboard over
- 3 drawer chest forward and hanging locker aft
- Berth and deck head lights

Head forward to starboard
- Vanitory unit with oval Perspex basin and H&C taps
- Shower
- Lavac WC
- Opening port
- Teak grating

Fore cabin with doorway access
- 2 x Single vee berths
- Lockers and drawers under
- Hanging locker to port
- 2 x lockers up on fore peak bulkhead to chain locker
- 4 x Opening ports
- 2 x berth lights, one deck head light and port lights each side

Aft from bridge deck to owners cabin by sliding hatch in trunk cabin roof and steps down
- 2 x single vee berths with lockers under
- 3 x lockers over and outboard each side
- Large walk in wardrobe with shelf and stowage stbd
- 4 x Opening ports
- 2 x berth lights and 1 deck head light
- Hatch in deck head
- Separate access to engine room
- Varnished cabin sole
- En suite head with Lavac WC, shower and large opening port

Ketch rig
- Schaefer jib furler
- Single spreader main and mizzen masts of wood with galvanised steel fittings
- Jib, main sail and mizzen sail in Terylene

- Stainless steel pulpit
- 2 Roller stem head
- 2 x Stainless steel guardrail wires via stainless steel stanchions to pushpit
- Varnished teak hand rail over stanchions with boarding gates each side
- Simpson Lawrence manual 1500 windlass with cable lifter and warping drum
- 45 lbs CQR plough anchor
- Fisherman’s anchor and spare plough with chain all stowed below
- Bronze capped teak mooring posts; one each side by winch
- Bronze fairleads each side
- Bronze cleat
- Foredeck hatch with Perspex light
- 2 x Vetus cowl vents foredeck
- Main mast on tabernacle step
- 2 x Lewmar 24 halyard winches
- Hatch with Perspex light over galley
- Steps down from foredeck to wide safe side decks
- 2 x Vetus cowl vents with water tight flaps at bridge
- 2 x Lewmar 44 winches; one each side by companionway for jib sheets
- Bronze tracks; 1 each side deck with Tufnol blocks for jib sheets
- Bronze main traveller over deck house roof
- Tufnol main blocks
- Main boom gallows
- Double doors and sliding hatch access to bridge deck house
- Bridge deck house with 4 fixed windows to front, 2 fixed and 1 sliding window each side
- Handrails atop deck house
- Teak wheel helm at bridge deck on aft bulkhead of deck house
- Breakback hinged doors port and stbd
- Double doors and sliding hatch access
- Gas bottle locker
- Tufnol mizzen sheet blocks
- Access to Engine room by helm
- Aft mahogany trunk over owners cabin with sheathed teak top and mizzen mast step
- GRP tender stowed on teak chocks
- Mizzen mast on tabernacle fwd of dinghy

- Perkins Sabre M 130C 115 HP 6 cyl Diesel c 2006
- Fresh water cooled with heat exchangers
- Gaines 28 x 18 inch 3 bladed bronze propeller on stainless steel shaft
- Starter
- Alternator to 240 V AC
- 4 x 6 V HD batteries in series for 24 V starting and lighting
- Par fresh water pump
- 2 x fuel tanks outboard and fwd of engine; total capacity 300 gallons
- 2 x Fresh water tanks total circa 200 gallons
- Shaft connected steering gear from bridge
- Eberspacher warm air system for accommodation

- Raymarine ST 60 Multi system
- Raymarine 6001+ autopilot
- Original Sestrel steering compass
- Furuno Navnet plotter and radar
- Autohelm depth, speed , rudder
- Icom M421 VHF

- Gastec system warning on low pressure with detector alarm and isolating functions
- Engine belt driven clutch isolated bilge pump
- Pluger manual bilge pump by external helm
- 6 person life raft stowed on chocks on aft deck (needs service)