Thread: Not the sort of restoration story you want to hear

Originally Posted by Simon Purser

But he made a great job of it!
Get this Cr@p out of my Life! - eBay Sail, Boats, Boats, Watercraft, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 23-Nov-09 20:00:37 AEDST)

i love it

at least he's honest about the whole thing

Fabulous

A dinghy with a trailer winch?

More dollars than sense.... onya mate!

Hi all.

Simon suggested I should contact this forum and give a fuller account of my stupidity - so here goes:

Firstly, let me make it clear I believe I am not the best with wood. Having seen what has be achieved by some with wood, I am not even in the same game let alone the same ball-park. Having said that I don't shy away from a challenge. And believe me working on a wooden boat tests your dedication to the max, especially when it is over a four year period.

When I got the boat from my mother-in-law's back yard I took it home and attempted to clean it. I thought the hull looked OK until I tested it for strength. I put a hole in it with my fingers and a live earth worm fell out! It is at this point I should have cut my loses of one afternoon, paid $30 and taken it to the tip.
I didn't - remember I am an idiot.

After cleaning it and killing off an eco system (read getting fertile soil and vegetation out of the hull), it was then dried out for 6 months. If you think that sounds like a long time you should have seen it.

Once died out then came the big question - what is left that is good? Answer - nothing. There was not one part of the boat that you could put aside and say - "we can use that as it is."
All dry rot was cut out - which left huge holes in the bottom of the hull. The wood was then stabilized and new sections were inserted and profiled to match the hull's shape.

The hull once finished (read patched) it looked like a patchwork quilt with all the work that had been done on it. A polyurethane filler/undercoat was applied via roller and then hand rubbed with wet n dry. This takes hours and hours even for a boat that is only 10'2 in length.

As the is a woodwork forum I should talk about the wood work.
I decided to treat all the inside of the hull with a clear boatcote.
It is not easy to use, and any brush you use is a one off. I tried cheap brushes but they just left hairs in the boatcote so you are up for about $5 per application in brush alone. I learn t to plan to ensure I got max value each time.

The parts that were totally gone had to be remade. Even though I am an idiot, even I knew that Bunnings were not going to supply the right wood. My answer came through a 1930s house that was being pulled down. The hardwood used then was magnificent and it had over 70 years to become next to perfect for my needs.The cellery top pine came from Briton Timbers in Melbourne.

A quick word on applying polyurethane paint. Firstly it is great if you can get it on properly. The undercoat/filler is very thin so it needs many coats via a roller to build it up to a level which can be rubbed back. If you don't get it perfect at this stage - don't expect the top coat to cover up your errors. It will do the reverse.

When you use a topcoat - spray it. Use a good gravity fed spray gun with a large compressor. The gun needs to be able to deliver paint on a consent flow when walking from one end of the boat to the other without calling for its moma. If you have ever sprayed a car with duco this experience will count for nothing. Spray it very very lightly. Walk away and then apply another fine layer 5 minutes later. Build the layers up, twenty is not uncommon. Leave for at least a week then cut back with wet and dry. A final clear is then applied. If this sounds like a lot of bother it is but it puts an amazingly tough shell on the boat.

Once finished I can say that there was a degree of satisfaction but it was quickly lost when I turned out to be of no use for what my wife and I wanted.

Why did I spend so much time and money? I was hoping to have it forever. I stuffed up.

Get a young person who know how to sail in this boat and they would have a ball. Me - I'm moving on.

My advise is this. Good tools help. The Triton and a wood lathe really make a things easy. Take your time. It is always easier to take a little more off than to try and rush your cutting.
Finally - before doing anything think it through. It is a shame I didn't apply that rule when I first pick up that boat 4 years ago.

As I say in the ad "Sh*t Happens."

Jeremy Furness - (Retired Boat Builder)

Good on ya Jeremy, it looks like you did a great job. Whoever gets it will not be sorry.
I wish i was able to bid but just a bit too far away.

That's some funny stuff right there

Jeremy, thanks for a good chuckle. Sounds to me like your only error was a matter of scale.

Equipped with what you now know, you should be going out and finding another project more suited to you and SWMBO (perhaps one with more wood and less garden).

Humour aside, it looks like you've done a sweet job and somebody's going to get a lot of enjoyment out of her.

Many thanks for your comments.
Simon had suggested that I post a few pics on the forum which always tells a lot more of the story than just words.
I could not find the early photos but there are some of the hull being painted at various stages. Hopefully you'll find them of some interest along with the shots of the finished job.