Nine planks required attention, 2 of which needed complete replacement as they had split mostly along the line of rivets. I was able to get the planks out mostly whole, so they became templates for the replacement strake. I procured some larch boards from which I made the new planks using a bandsaw and planer thicknesser. The repair was as contemporary to the original build as possible so I ensured the new planks were a really good fit particularly at the land where adjacent planks overlap, a feeler gauge quickly reveals where the join is good, or needs fettling. The planks were fixed together using the traditional copper nail and rove peened over into a rivet. And the process is made much easier with a helper to hold the dolly! The boat was coated in the traditional way with a heady mix of turpentine and linseed oil. This concoction forms a really protective layer but turns the wood black and the odour is very persistent.
So what for the future? Thankfully there is a fairly steady stream of work and it is rare that I have had any gaps in work. As the work on the clinker fishing boat completes I have picked up a job to replace a teak capping rail on a Francis 26 yacht. This is probably a week’s work and will involve a lot of machining – watching expensive wood chips and dust falling to the workshop floor is always quite distressing. I am anticipating being able to remove the old and broken capping rail to make templates.
After that I have become involved in the preparation for the restoration of the historic yacht, Dolly Varden. Dolly is one of the oldest vessels on the National Historic Ships Register, and her owner is seeking funding to restore her to her 1888 configuration and ultimately involve her in the historic racing scene. The project is extremely exciting and if the money can be found then the restoration will require a significant amount of work, but will be incredibly rewarding. For the restoration there will be lots of surveying matters to consider, including the likely
36 | The Report • June 2017 • Issue 80
Figure 2 - Deck beam repairs
involvement of a naval architect, finding a marine surveyor to oversee the restoration and depending on the vessel’s eventual use, Coding and RCD considerations.
At the time of writing Dolly is being positioned in a dedicated workshop, needing a cradle to be built, to get access and lift her up and down to fit a new 6 tonne lead keel. My first task will be to conduct
a full condition survey of what we have got for our own internal uses. I have already taken a section out of a garboard to have a peek at the keel beneath. A millimetre or so beneath the rough surface I was into extremely hard elm and once through to the keel, and 2 blunted chisels later, the keel wood was just as good. This all bodes well we hope. We also have to try and identify, catalogue and store the
Figure 3 - Bantry Bay gig, Integrite
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
