Fireball 11988.

Built by leading (at that time) Fireball manufacturers Rowsell Morrison in 1978, and was Phil Morrison's personal boat for '78 World Championships. It has a fairly exotic/unique build with beach seating pads around cockpit and diamond-design beach inlay on the foredeck.

Purchased by meduring Autumn 1998 and had a down-to-the-wood restoration by Stanley and Thomas boatbuilders in Windsor at a cost of around £3000 - all bills which can be supplied.

The cockpit, which was absurdly complicated, was also stripped and re-rigged for better efficiency/simplicity, with new cleats, ropes and pulleys throughout. There are 2 sets of sails (mains and jibs) that came with the boat and that are both pretty good, as well as another newer set I bought second hand last year. There are also two spinnakers, both in very nice condition.

It has a combination road trailer/launching trolley, which I also had restored with new suspension and wheels. This has a trailer plate that was specifically designed to click on to the transom of the boat. There are a quantity of rachet straps for securing the boat to the trailer safely, and finally, it has a fairly new Banks cover which is fully waterproof for when it's sitting at a sailing club.

The boat was used for Regatta Week plus one or two weekends during 1999, and then for a couple of weekends only throughout 2000. Since then it has been kept in a barn under blankets so it is still immaculate.

I dread to think what the whole thing has cost us but I'd be in for selling it on at £1500 ono. Anything less than that and I might as well hang on to it and hope that we use it at some stage.

Contact Hamish Goddard <hamishgoddard@hotmail.com>