Life's a Gamble, so lets take a Chance Restoration Project

Day 2 of finally working on Chance, as seen Simon start to remove a couple of rotten planks on the starboard bow. These had come to light when removing the paint on the inside of the hull in the forecabin. Simon also found that three of the ribs in the forecabin are also rotten and will have to be removed and renewed before any planks can go back in place. In order to do these ribs Simon is going to have to remove the foredeck covering board on the starboard bow section of Chance's foredeck. While Simon was looking at the the ribs he found that the beam shelf is rotten in that part of the boat and so the covering board is going to have to be removed as far back as the cockpit . So that will be Simon's next job, to remove the covering board and expose the beam shelf and also the tops of the ribs so that the new ribs can be put in from the top. So the fun is just starting and Simon is going to have his hands full for a few weeks to come.  

  After what feels like an eternity we are back at Chance once again and starting to make plans on what to tackle first and how best to make it happen.As you will see in the video the starboard side of the transom is well out of shape to the intact port side of the transom. So the best job to do first will be to tackle making patterns of the correct shaped port side and make up a set of frames to mirror the port side frames and then move the starboard side of the hull to the same correct shape as the port side as we know that the port side as never been messed about with in the same way the starboard side was over the years and a number of poorly done repairs have left the starboard side in once hell of a state to say the least which we are going to put right over the course of the summer and get the starboard side and the transom rebuild. .

Across the transom of Chance there are two holes which were for her second dinghy. The spacing would suggest that the dinghy which was on these davits was between 8 and 9 feet in length. There is a second pair of holes on the port side sidedeck which suggests that the other dinghy would be about 10 to 12 feet in length.  The aft cabin hatch base is in reasonable condition apart from a few broken edges which can be repaired and so make this hatch serviceable and will be used again once it is sanded back and the opening top refixed and the whole of the hatchis varnished an made good.   This hatch is like the other hatches on the boat screwed in position by long screws from underneath through the deck beams, so it is likely going to mean cutting through the screws to liftthis hatch off the deck beams and replacing the screws later. The deck around the hatch at sometime in the past as been removed a patched up and not with the same type of deck planking as before. they were r...

A walkthrough of the workshop and the yard at J-Star Marine Services aka Chance restoration and Mai Star II restoration headquarters. In the this video Simon shows what the team have been up to on both projects and how the team have sorted out the outside workshop space so it can be used for working on the larger items needed to be worked on under cover before the parts are moved either to Chance or on to Mai Star II in the outside workshop which is now in a position to be used to work on the different bit for both projects. There are a number of small jobs to be done in the main workshop. However in the coming weeks there will be more larger items which will need to be worked on, these jobs will be shown in future videos as they take shape.  

 Here are just a few parts that have been varnished over the past few weeks with still a lot more to come in the coming weeks and months ahead This first photo is of the port side galley doors which have to have a new framework making for them to sit in and the put back in place on the boat once the bulkheads are repaired and re-varnished. The port side door for the portside lower galley unit. The top strips for thew butterfly hatches for the rails to go in to stop people from putting their foot through the butterfly hatch glass and the top cover panels for the aft hatch and the wedges to keep the aft hatch open for ventilation.  The upper part of the starboard galley unit which needs to be varnished and a little bit of repair work done to the ends. The starboard main cabin wine locker door at the forward end of the starboard sideboard front which is being repaired over the next few weeks. The port side lower galley unit front and one of the many drawers we have repaired and h...

While looking on the workshop shelf I was able to find the main cabin door that had been varnished in the past before being put away until now. It will a dusting down and a light sanding and it can be put with the rest of the doors and cabinetry to be varnished before being refitted to the boat as we rebuild the inside of the boat.  These two panels are the lifting parts from the main entrance to the main cabin from the cockpit.  The starboard side galley front being given a sealing coat of varnish while we sort out how to fill in the two holes on the top right hand side part of the galley front. The port side galley corner panels now getting a sealing coat of varnish, before we start to refit the port side galley unit back together in te boat. These two door are from the main cabin starboard side sideboard, the framework was in a bit of a poor condition so we are having to rebuild the framework to fit these door back on to when we refit the starboard sideboard in the main cab...

Just temporarily fitting the doors to make sure the frame is correct and as not twisted out of shape since it was taken out and dismantled and glued back together.  Looking at the drawers on the shelves was able to find the drawer that fitted the hole in the top of the galley front. The only problem is that it is in need of rebuilding before it can go back in place and be used again. The port or forward side of the drawer as been wet at sometime in the past and as got rotten and parts of it have disappeared over time. The starboard or aft side is okay and will be able to be used again.  However, the forward side and the back will be have to be remade and the bottom panel will have to be renewed as well A good little job to use a bit of brain power to remake the dovetail joints that were used when these drawers were first made back in 1948 at James A Silver's boatyard.  

Putting out all but a few of the doors and hatches off Chance.  Putting out a spare sheet of plywood which we turned into a varnishing table we were able to lay out as many of the hatches and doors off Chance in one place.  The first of the build up coats of varnish which will take a while to varnish all of them to a number of coats needed to make them ready for the final coats need the end of the restoration project. The main cabin lifting panels with the two doors from the starboard side galley unit behind and above the sink on the starboard side. The starboard side galley unit front which needs a bit of cleaning up to remove the glue and fill in the old sink tap holes. The port side galley top which is going to be reused as there is nothing wrong with it apart from needing a new front and ends trims which need renewing as they are not the correct profile. The two doors which were fitted under the settee in the main cabin. The locker front will have to be rebuild as it was i...

  These updates are of the restoration of Chance our James Silver Western Isles Motorsailer, now that we have Chance at Titchmarsh Marina in Walton on the Naze Essex. Now that it has stopped raining for most of the last few days and the wind has died down as well, It seemed a good time to go round to Titchmarsh marina and check on Chance and see if the cover was still in place and Chance had weathered the last few days okay. Chance appeared to be none the worse for weather and the cover was still in place. I had a good check on the props under the boat to ensure she had not moved in the wind. It would be unlikely that Chance would move as Chance weights even empty as she is the best part of 9 tons and seeing as Chance is behind a high bank and surrounded on most sides by boats and other things she is well protected from most strong winds. Now that the days are getting longer again and hopefully the temperature will start to raise we may well be able to get back on working on Chanc...