Mikros Pictures

The website of the history of one of the

19c. Cambridgeshire FYNN families

...and other claimed but unsubstantiated connections...

Mikros Pictures

This page has been hi-jacked from a web site to provide a medium to give access to various pictures of YM Senior "Mikros". If, as we assume, you are not interested in our family history, please ignore the links down the side and the stuff at the bottom. If you are interested, then you are welcome to browse: Start here.

Steel bilge keels and centre stub keel.

I was asked about steel bilge keels. The following were taken whilst the boat was on its trailer in difficult circumstances and so please excuse the less than perfect quality.

Click on the thumbnails to get the larger picture.

This picture shows the port bilge keel from ahead. It also shows the natty stowage between the keels for the boom and two mast sections! It gives an idea of the quality of West epoxy with varnish on top. That mast was last varnished in 2001. Somebody tell the sparrows to push off.

This one shows the starboard bilge keel and the stub keel from aft. It can be seen that the stub keel is in two parts: a cast iron lower part and a wooden part between the iron and the hog. I seem to recall that the latter was made from railway sleeper wood!

Dimensions of the keels:
These are approximate only. It was well below freezing at the time of measuring!

The stub keel is 60 inches long at the bottom and about 2.5 inches thick. The 6 inches at each end taper to an aerodynamic-ish shape. The cast iron part is about 2.5 inches high and the wooden bearer is also about 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches; again faired to adopt the same shape as the cast iron part. It can be seen from the trailer construction that the stub keel is an inch or so lower than the bilge keels. The after ends of the three keels are fairly in line and are about 60 inches forward of the transom. The forward end of the stub keel is therefore about 6 inches ahead of the bilge keels. Experiment showed that the water between the keels was fairly turbulence-free. I therefore sited the transducer for the echo sounder there and to good effect.

The bilge keels are made of 1/4 inch mild steel plate. They are fixed with two 1 1/4 by 1 1/4 inch angle. The keel plate is sandwiched between the two pieces of angle with rivets and are then bolted to the hull with a 5/16 pad. The angle is shaped to follow the curve of the hull. I don't know how father achieved this curve but knowing him it would have been without "Cutting and shutting". I suspect the pad is of marine ply. The keels measure about 5 feet 6 inches next to the hull and about 4 feet 2 inches at the lower edge. The 'feet' are of 2 inch strip welded at 90 deg. to the plate.

They have done good service but I guess that I will lower all three to inspect bolts before she gets used again. Talking of bolts they are mild steel coach bolts with oak pads on the inside of the hull.

Wash boards.

When he built Mikros, father made wash boards. He had sailed another Senior whilst he was building and so could change the design as an alternative was suggested by the use of the other boat.

Click on the thumbnails to get the larger picture.

The washboards are in two parts. They are not tapered. They are of ply with oak 'seals' along top and bottom. The things sticking out of the vents are small neons that flash to ward off the inquisitive. I'm not quite sure why we have them here as there is simply no crime!

Shows the sections used. Sorry about the dust

Shows the vertical slots and the lip at the bottom. I cannot recall it leaking in a sea or in rain. When the boat is left unattended it has a cockpit cover over the boom and so that sorts the worst of it. When on board and in the cabin, I have a sheet of clear acrylic to replace the upper wash board. It saves that 'shut-in' feeling.

Sliding hatch.

This very difficult to show on a boat with a cover over it!

Click on the thumbnails to get the larger picture.

Suffice to say it is of marine ply on mahogany formers. It has a handle at the after end and one in the centre to grab hold of when climbing out of the cockpit. Mikros has side decks and so the opening is probably narrower than on the original design.

Shows one of the brass strips along which the hatch slides.

Shows the underside of the sliding hatch and the oak frame pieces. As I mentioned above, MIkros has narrow decks alongside the cabin and so the coach roof is narrower - but not much. I have never felt that the roof was in need of any strengthening. The slide bolts are to stop the hatch sliding when at sea and making use of the centre handle to aid moving about.

This shows the hatch in a forward position in sunnier times off St Anthony's Head.

Bridge deck for inboard engine.

Click on the thumbnails to get the larger picture.

This is the cockpit with the bridge deck that was at one time intended to house a WataMota inboard. The bilge pump just visible was absolutely frozen solid!

Now it provides very useful storage accessible from both the cabin and the cockpit.

Thanks for your interest in Mikros. I'm away for a month and so please hang onto further queries for the time being.

Geoffrey Hyde Fynn

Page last updated 31st January 2005

This website is the copyright of Geoffrey and Sandra Hyde Fynn. This site was last updated as shown on each page.
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