HOLMAN 34 FT KETCH 1966 - Sold

Launched in the latter years of Kim Holman's short but stellar design career, DICER belongs to a lineage of wholesome and fine cruising ketches he developed with Claude Whisstock. The first, in 1958, was the 38ft LANDFALL for Claude himself who wanted the long keel directional stability and drying out ability he'd been used to in more traditional vessels, but much more beam, and modern comforts. The concept really worked and orders flowed for more like her: the "LANDFALL Ketches", ranging in size from the mid 30s to 44 feet. A contemporary Whisstock’s brochure stated: "...these yachts have become a class by popular demand – being essentially tough, dry cruising boats with easily driven lines and proven ocean-going abilities...” Strong words perhaps, but sisterships have proven all of this with their successful extended cruising. DICER’s current impressive condition results from recent refits under the ownership of an experienced yachting industry professional, leaving her ready and very well equipped for adventuring to warmer waters or simply local pottering. Wherever it is, the glance back from the tender will be one of love for her bold sheer, proud bow, purposeful appearance and cozy cabins.

Commissioning owner Tom Bernard of the Harwich based naval and military uniform manufacturing family was trading up from an O'Brien Catamaran and named his rather different next yacht after his five children, David, Isabel, Clare, Elizabeth and Richard. She was launched with sails by Gowen and powered by a Perkins 4107 36hp Diesel.

By 1974, under the new ownership of consultant surgeon and Royal Thames and Royal Harwich Yacht Clubs member J.W.P. Gummer, DICER continued to cruise the east coast of England from her new home port of Walton-on-the Naze.

It was in the hands of DICER's third owner, Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club Commodore Roy Cook, that she finally showed blue water capabilities. For around 20 years she cruised extensively round Europe and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Tim Rix, son of one of her transatlantic crew, the late John Rix, also a RYYC Commodore, recalls: “Dad undertook the navigation with his sextant and made a near perfect landfall. DICER [then] had no electronic navigation or automatic steering – in true Rix style she was hand steered all the way across the Atlantic.”

Proving herself Royal Yorkshire flag officers' yacht of choice, in 1995 she came into the ownership of Richard Jordan; again a former commodore. Both a very talented yachtsman and a boat builder, he undertook her first major refit which included laying teak decks and converting her to wheel steering (she later reverted to tiller). Under different ownership from 2003 she spent most of her time lying in a mud berth on the River Itchen, Hampshire, from where in 2010 this yacht with such personality was rescued by the owner before the present one. For the past ten years DICER has received the best of care – and it shows.

1995 onwards
The first major refit significantly updating the boat was undertaken by Richard Jordan in 1995. Importantly the main fabric of the boat was sound and is therefore substantially as original. Sat in a mud berth on the River Itchen for the best part of 5 years to 2010 left her in a sorry state; her then new owner had Elephant boatyard undertake the refit which took around 18 months to complete. The dilapidated interior was substantially restored albeit maintaining the original pine joinery adding some features to conceal the modern electrics, instrumentation, water tanks etc.

Recent refitting works

2016/17
- Keel bolts replaced (6/10)
- Steel floors removed and re-galvanised
- 24 x Graving pieces where floors fastenings corrosion caused softness in planking
- 12 x Frames repaired with laminated lower sections
- Hull taken to bare wood below waterline; seams re-payed where necessary
- Ballast keel blasted and recoated; hull primed and antifouled
- Hull taken to bare wood above waterline; filled, faired, primed, undercoated
- 2 x Coats Epifanes mono urethane top coat
- Bilges painted
- Brightwork taken to bare wood; 8 coats of Epifanes UV clear varnish
- Volvo Penta MD40 given zero hours strip and factory rebuild
- Stern seal replaced
- Steel water tank in bilges replaced with rubber tank in focsle
- Small windows replaced with Gebo opening windows; large windows have new glass
- Wheel steering system removed; new ash tiller fitted
- New electrics, electronics, rigging and sails as detailed below

2018/19
- Cockpit roof stripped and recoated
- Mast step plinth replaced in teak
- Mast step taken to bare metal and powder coated
- Cockpit lockers re-built/ GRP lined with access hatches to fuel tank isolating valves
- New hinged opening stern locker fitted
- Sheet winches re-chromed
- New electrics, electronics, rigging and sails as detailed below
- Bottom re antifouled (2 coats)
- Boot stripe re-painted
- Brightwork sanded and 4 coats of Epifanes UV clear applied

- Iroko planking on English oak frames and Canadian rock elm timbers
- 6 x Keelbolts (of 10) replaced (2016/17)
- Other 2016/17 hull works detailed above
- Iroko deck carpentry
- Composite plywood/ solid teak laid deck (1996)

From aft

- Transom hung rudder
- Stainless steel capped rudder head with ensign staff socket
- Ash tiller with tillerpilot tang
- Iroko toerail and capping rail
- Headsail sheeting tracks on capping rail port & starboard (2019)
- Stainless steel split pushpit
- Stainless steel stanchions and guardrails to bow pulpit
- Boarding gate to starboard
- Chromed bronze mooring fairleads port & starboard
- Mooring cleats port & starboard
- Stainless steel quarter plates for mizzen runner anchor and downwind sheet block
- Chromed bronze mushroom ventilator at aft deck
- Raised iroko cockpit coaming with capping
- Well type cockpit
- Hatch stowage under seats
- Hatch to lazarette in aft cockpit bulkhead
- Mizzen stepped at forward cockpit aft of bridge deck
- Steering compass
- Instrument readouts and engine panel to port of mizzen
- 2 x Lewmar 48 self tailing chromed bronze sheet winches on iroko pedestals
- Winches re-chromed 2019
- 2 x Stainless steel cleats at winches
- Stepped coachroof with doghouse
- Iroko sides; painted plywood top.
- Varnished iroko grab rails port & starboard
- 2 x windows in doghouse sides port & starboard
- 3 x Gebo opening ports in coachroof sides port & starboard (2017)
- Offset to stbd 2 x companionway doors and sliding hatch in garage
- Lewmar 46 self tailing electric chromed bronze winch to port of companionway
- Serves main halyard; boom vang; reefing lines
- Schaefer Mainsheet track straddling companionway garage
- Coachroof mushroom vents port & starboard
- Modern coachroof hatches over galley, chart table and saloon
- Vent lights port & starboard over passage and head
- Coachroof stepped mast
- Iroko forehatch at extreme fwd coachroof
- Circular opening port front of coachroof
- Foredeck with Lofrans Tigres 12V windlass (rebuilt by Lofrans 2019)
- Spinnaker pole stowage to starboard
- Sampson post
- Chromed bronze mooring fairleads recessed in knights heads port & starboard
- Double roller stem head fitting
- Schaefer genoa furling system
- Rocna 20 kg anchor (2019) with 50m galvanised chain
- CQR 15kg kedge with 10m chain and 30m rope rode

- Access via doghouse companionway offset to starboard
- Pine interior joinery and cabin sole
- Chromed locker catches etc; Davey & Co

Doghouse
- Down 2 x steps to engine box; x step to sole
- Quarter berths port & starboard
- Instrument panels in bridgedeck
- Galley to port
- Taylors 050 paraffin stove with 2 burners and oven (stripped and rebuilt 2019)
- Stowage under and outboard
- Stainless steel sink; stowage under
- Chart table to starboard
- Built in Frigomatic FM100 12V refrigeration compressor and chiller plate
- Calorifier (heated by engine or 240 V immersion heater)
- Pressurised hot and cold water system (taps in galley and heads)

Forward to saloon
- 2 x Single settee berths
- Toomer & Hayter waterproof suede fabric
- Stowage/ bookshelves
- Barometer & Clock
- 4 x Cabin type reading lamps
- 2 x Stainless steel oil lamps
- Stowage under
- Pine saloon drop leaf table; stowage box
- Curtains

Passage forward offset to port
- Hanging lockers to port; shelf over
- Head to starboard
- Jabsco toilet
- Inset basin and shower both with hot & cold water
- Stowage under and outboard

Forward to forepeak
- Double berth
- Stowage under and to port

- Proctor gold anodized aluminium double spreader mast
- Selden gold anodized aluminium single line reefing boom
- Selden RCB 22 fully battened mainsail system
- Schaefer 2100-03 genoa furling system
- Schaefer mainsail car track over coach roof
- Selden 6:1 mainsail sheet with jammer on lower block
- Lewmar 6:1 boom vang led aft to cockpit
- Barton x section genoa car track, cars and pin stops
- Dyform wire standing rigging & new rigging screws 2017
- 2 x Lewmar halyard winches on mast
- Extendable spinnaker pole

Sails
- Mainsail – fully battened with single line reefing, rebuilt by Ratsey & Lapthorn
- No1 Genoa – furling; new by Dolphin Sails 2018
- No2 Jib Dolphin Sails (2019)
- Mizzen Dolphin Sails (2019)
- Cruising chute Gowen (date unknown)
- Mizzen staysail Gowen (date unknown)

Covers
- New by Dolphin Sails and One Sails 2019 (genoa sock, mainsail, mizzen, fore hatch

- Cockpit cushions
- Stainless steel sprayhood frame and sprayhood

- Volvo Penta MD2040 Diesel (0-hours rebuilt by Spaarnestad 2017)
- c 150 hours run since engine rebuild
- 17 inch 3 bladed fixed pitch propeller on stainless steel propeller shaft
- Helice RMTA water lubricated stern seal 2017
- 2 x CAV secondary fuel filters with changeover and isolation valves for filter changes
- Hubelt Model 2042 heavy duty single lever engine control
- 1 x 85 Ah 12 V engine starting battery 2018
- 2 x 75 Ah 12 V service batteries 2019
- Battery isolators and parallel switches
- 1 x 45 Ah Lucas engine driven alternator
- Adverc intelligent charge regulator 2018
- Battery state monitor 2018
- 12 V DC switch panel
- 1 x 12 V DC deck socket
- 2 x USB charge sockets on nav panel
- 240 V AC switch panel
- 2 x Double 240 V AC sockets
- Galvanic isolator 2017
- Single zinc anode by propeller connected to grounding system 2019
- Shore power system
- LED navigation lights
- LED anchor light
- Deck lights at mainmast and mizzen
- LED interior lighting by Davey


Tanks, pumps, heads
- 2 x 150L stainless steel fuel tanks
- 1 x 120L rubber water tank 2019
- Jabsco fresh water pump and pressure header tank
- Jabsco salt water anchor wash down pump with tap by anchor windlass
- Jabsco head 2018
- 1 x 12 V rule automatic bilge pump
- 1 x Whale Gusher manual bilge pump

- Standard Horizon GX2100 AIS VHF
- Raymarine AIS650 Class B AIS (2018)
- Vesper Marine SP160 AIS/VHF aerial splitter (2019)
- Raymarine ST60+ wind speed/direction/depth/speed (2011)
- Raymarine E7 chart display with GPS in nav area (2011)
- Raymarine ES75 chart display with GPS in nav area 2019 with separate aerial (2019)
- Raymarine Quantum 2 CHIRP radar; Bluetooth connectivity to ipad and chart displays (2019)
- Raymarine Evolution Tiller Pilot with P70s Control Head - ACU-100 & Tiller Drive (2019)
- Fusion MS IP-600 FM radio, media station, ipod dock (2012)
- Fusion 120 W speakers in saloon (2019)
- Sony 65 W waterproof speakers in cockpit (2019)
- Whitlock steering compass

- Horseshoe life ring with buoyant light 2019
- Ocean Signal RescueMe GPS EPIRB 2019
- 2 x Sea jackstays
- Flares - offshore pack expire 12/2019
- 2 x 1 kg dry powder fire extinguishers 2017
- 1 x 2 kg Firebuoy automatic fire extinguisher in engine compartment 2017
- Wire cutters
- Emergency tiller

- 6 x Fenders
- 6 x Mooring lines
- Stainless steel swim ladder
- Boathook
- Plastimo 2.4m 4 pax inflatable tender with solid transom and inflatable sole 2017
- Yamaha 4hp outboard