Swordsman 37 or 40

[Surreyman]

Dear all, I am considering entering the world of fairey ownership and any help would be most appreciated. I am considering a 37 or 40 but confused as to the pricing of boats for sales. It seems that 90k buys a good 37 whereas prices of 40’s start at 175k . I am struggling with the price difference for an extra 3ft and a generator ! Any thoughts welcome or pointers to a good boat for sale most welcome . Also my intuition is telling me to stay away from jet drives ? Many thanks

[Firefly]

A survey is a real necessity on these by an expert.
Why not go for a Supermarine Swordfish.
David.

[Surreyman]

Yes , maybe that’s an idea if I can find a really good one as don’t have time to do the work myself

[Firefly]

Im not in a position to say really good as not seen the boat, but Ben s Find a Fairey site has Spitfire for sale. There is also another one for sale somewhere, but not with an aft cabin.
David

[Scott Pett]

The Swordsman Marine 37 and 40's are based on the original Fairey Dagger tooling. so their Fairey provenance is slightly stronger. The whole lot being designed by Alan Burnard as military patrol boat. The extra 3 feet of the 40 footer is pretty much all in the cockpit space on the centre cockpit boats. And yes, there is an aft cockpit version.

You have a choice of shaft and screw propellor or jet drive with automated parking functionality (if that floats your boat). I suspect the shaft drive variants are somewhat lighter on diesel costs - but you pays your money etc...

The Supermarine Swordfish is a later design by AVB, with the interior layout by Ken Frievok. A smashing looking craft all round - a real "head turner", so not a Fairey in the true sense. But welcome here as are owners of all Burnard / Ray Hunt / Uffa Fox designs built by Fairey and other manufacturers.

As has been mentioned here many times before, a good survey really is a must if you are considering making a purchase of this magnitude. All boats have their problems - new ones included, so a decent surveyor should earn his or her keep in letting you know what needs doing on a craft. They will also have the inside knowledge of others in marque that may have suffered issues and be on the lookout for similar problems.

Having satisfied yourself as to the state of the hull, one must then look at the machinery such as engines and ancilliaries and ensure you aren't going to be saddled with yet another large bill. Engaging a marine engineer of repute is also advised. Just because an engine may have been Completely rebuilt, doesn't necessarily mean it was Competently rebuilt.

Caveat Emptor.

Good hunting.

[Surreyman]

Thank you so much . If anyone hears of a good 37 or 40 for sale please let me know