New tophat owner very excited sydney harbour

[Arohanui]

Hello all. Im only on my phone so please excuse the typos. Just sold my beloved bluebird a week ago and about to take possession of a top hat mark 1. Shes moored in rose bay heavily rigged, been around and sailed from indo. The guy im getting her from didnt use her for 2 years but he did a great job on the interior and taking care of her. He is a cabinet maker and made her nice inside. I clocked up the miles on the bluey sailing her anout 30 hours a week and also up and down the coast bwtween pittwater and bundeena. The tophat is a considerable upgrade. Head room. Ventilation. Haarken winches...well the bluebird worked just fine though. I will help the new owner sail her to pittwater in the next few weeks. Ill put it in another thread but im after a tiller. My new tophats great but the tiller is knackered. Im steve. I think im gonna be a tophat owner for sometime. Not interested in going bigger. Love simple.

[Phillip]

Welcome Arohanui,

Please make sure you get the details of your Top Hats voyage to Indo please for the Top Hat history.

In Gladstone going south tomorrow.

[percyverhance]

Welcome Steve.Plenty of good info available on the website and from its members.Happy days.

[SeaLady]

Welcome Steve.

You are preaching to the converted.

For me, my TopHat is perfect.
Just as it is for you.

Enjoy.

[Miker]

Welcome Steve,

Make your own tiller. It's not that hard and you can get one in the shape you like. Easiest way is to laminate a couple of 19mm marine ply sheets together. They could be thicker depending on your tiller fitting to the rudder shaft. Cut out your shape using the existing tiller as a template, then clean up the edges and varnish. Oh, and drill all the mounting holes before you varnish, so they get some in them as well.

Where in Pittwater are you mooring?

[bearmcnally]

Arohanui ,Hello Steve

You have a MK 1 the best of the Top Hats ? As I have always preached the original is the best !
like Tim Tams and Drum sticks
One thing you will find the blue birds points higher !

Cheers Bear

[Arohanui]

Hiya all.
Not moving to pittwater michael but helping sail my old bluebird back up there where i sailed her down from last year after 6 months in the pittwater.
Ive got a mooring in woodford bay syd harbour but going to do xmas holidays on the tophat at xmas. Thanks for the tiller making advice. Im gonna do it!
Yes the bluebird points well !

[Arohanui]

well....after much drama, this tophat mentioned is actually now in my name. THe problem was, was that the guy selling her to me had her on a 3rd party mooring which was in someone elses name. this meant that my tophat, was in a 3rd party's name. i requested the owner get hold of the mooring people and get the papers. This was after id got the keys for her and put all my stuff from the bluebird on her. But the owner couldnt get hold of the mooring people, or so he said.
So we tried using a stat dec and a boat code agent to get the boat put in his name, so he could sell her on to me. Took these matters to RMS andit was very complex and was going to take a while. For months this went on and i was worried that i was gonna lose this boat that id grown to love - even though i hadnt sailed her. The owner said "shes yours" so i believed him. About 2 weeks ago we took her to my free mooring, anticipating the RMS to come through with the papers for us. Didnt happen. I started to really get proactive looking up these mooring people. i had their names and that was it. I did the ole 1234 directory and got a dental practice in the city. Got the guy on the phone. Turned out the owner who signed the boat over to have the mooring, had told the mooring people that he could have the tophat as payment for all the bills incurred from having the mooring over the last few years. So he was trying to sell me the boat and not pay the debt. there was no way i was gonna buy the boat or hand over any money til i had the ownership papers. The mooring people produced receipts of 4500. Pretty expensive i thought,for 18 months on a mooring but everyone agreed that if i paid this , then the papers and the boat would be signed over to me. I really got a good boat for this money. The owner gets 1000 , so i got her for 5500. i really thingk shes worth alot more. Shes very nice. Ill post some pictures once ive sorted her all out. I took her for a sail and she goes amazing. very happy. Just gotta get her the way i like her and we're ready for some cruising.

[Phillip]

Well done Steve,

Admire you for your persistence as I have followed your story over on Seabreeze.

Welcome to Top Hat ownership and this Top Hat site.

[Arohanui]

Thanks alot Philip and well done on your tophat adventures. a very good read. Sounds like an amazing trip.