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View Full Version : 1913 12' clinker



dakotax3
29th December 2010, 02:11 PM
I have attached some pix of what I am told is a 1913 12' clinker. It is, as far as I can tell, complete and largely restored but needing finishing. To a non-boaty's eyes, it has once had a keel-mounted engine running a shaft through the rear of the keel but has also had an outboard fitted at some time. I tried to take a photo of the copper fasteners but they are a little blurry; they appear to have some sort of internal nut on them. He did tell me their specialised name but I have forgotton. We found it quite heavy to turn over in it's frame when we took these pictures, but still manageable. It has rowlocks and other hardware, various wooden strake-like pieces, 10hp outboard motor, is registered and has an old but registered trailer.

An old fella took on the restoration of two of these a few years ago and they got the better of him. A year or so ago I posted on here one of them that he hadn't started restoring and it has gone onto it's new home, allowing him to concentrate on this one. It didn't happen. This second one has now sat idle for a year or two and he has decided to move it on. Apparently it has significant local history in Inverloch, Gippsland, Victoria.

I have about 15 photos in all and can send them all off if requested. Likewise a contact email for the old fellas son.

I have no interest in this item other than a perfunctory one; I would prefer to see it go to a good home.

PAR
29th December 2010, 09:44 PM
I'm not sure what it is (design), but the fasteners are called roves, which are sort of a nail with a washer over one end, which is then preened over to hold it.

She doesn't look to be restored at all, just had her paint and finishes removed. I see tension cracks and broken frames everywhere on that little boat. All of which should be addressed before you apply power to it again. It's very likely she's got distortions and other "mis-shapen" things going on as well.

This isn't uncommon for old powerboats. The outboard likely did most of the damage. You see in 1913 (or when ever she was built) the engines used didn't have a lot of power. Most of the strains on the hull where made from the weight of the engine and vibrations over long lengths of time in use.

Outboards, especially the old two strokes vibrate like a washing machine with a pair of sneakers in it on the spin cycle and they apply strains and torque much differently then weak kneed inboards. The result is the boat gets it's "butt" twisted off and frames break, planks crack, etc. Transom to bottom interface damage is the first place this occurs then the aft section frames start cracking and breaking, which progresses forward with age and use.

These things, coupled with the fact there are no longitudinal stringers or engine beds, suggests she may have been a sailboat conversion, which makes matters worse, because she never was intended to resist the strains of an outboard or inboard. It's hard to tell much more without more pictures. It could be a fun project for the right person.