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

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. The restoration can and will be easier to do has Chance is now very close to my own workshop and small yard. Working on removing the deck edge covering board to expose the port side beam shelf so it can be replaced and the fore deck beams which need removing an replacing as well  

  https://youtu.be/GBSBFHiN9Kw 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. The restoration can and will be easier to do has Chance is now very close to my own workshop and small yard. In this video you can see that Simon is .down at Chance sorting out a few things to be able to start to rebuilding the cockpit floor bears and be able to refit the cockpit floor down once again and be able to get in and out of the boat easier and also have somewhere to work in a area which is well lit. The main part of the next few days is to sort out the floor bearers for the cockpit and also the galley area and the forecabin where Simon is doing a lot of work sorting out the bilges and the sides of the hull so work can start on the planking and then get the staging up around the boaw to take off the covering boards to expose the beam shelf and the tops of tertibs and the deck be...

  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. The restoration can and will be easier to do has Chance is now very close to my own workshop and small yard. Titchmarsh Marina will be Chances' home for the next four to five years while we restore her to her former glory with the aid of our family and friends. This time I was working in the forecabin of Chance, removing the forecabin hanging locker bulkhead and front and then removing the forward end of the Galley bulkhead which had sections of or areas of rot in the panels which when I return to the workshop with the panels will be set out and get grading pieces grade into them and then refitted once the planking and ribs are sorted and the hull planking on the inside face is repainted with primer an the cream gloss as this appears to be the original colour of the hull planking when I have removed the coats of pai...

Working on the forecabin planking and ribs and framework under the watchful eye of the ship's mascot The first of the Chance Restoration mugs now on sale on website and we have other merchandise for you to buy and support the project. The temporary galley area up and running so we can have a brew wherever we need one during the day while working on Chance,

Making a good start on removing old loose paint on the planking in the forecabin on the starboard side, Once the paint is removed and the repairs are done in the forecabin then this whole area will be repainted. The main problem with removing paint and varnish in this part of the boat are the angles of frames and bulkheads so having to use a number of different types of sander to get into all the spaces. The first of the forward hanging locker bulkhead panels scraped of old varnish and ready to sand back to expose the fixings holding the panel in placed. The hull is not very flat on the inside so having to use different sanders to get into place where other sanders can not fit. I will have to make a platform in the forward end of the cabin to to stand on as the original floor ends before this part of the boat.  A good start in the forecabin just got to work out how best to remove these bulkhead panels without splitting them  

The skylights are now covered with plywood while we work on the rest of the boat. The skylight hatches are now varnished and in storage until it is time for them to go back on once the base part as been restored to its original condition and varnished again. The sliding doors will have to be removed and repaired as necessary and new glass made and fitted once more. There is also some work to be done on the wheelhouse side where it as been damaged and not repaired very well in the past.  The aft cabin hatch top section as been repaired however, the bottom part needs a bit of TLC and rubbing down re-varnishing   

At last I have a galley work top to put the kettle on and make a brew while working on Chance. I just need to get the Microwave from my workshop and I will be able to heat up food while working on the boat without having to leave Chance. I do have a camping fridge onboard so I can keep food onboard over night when needed.   I do have my mug from my son onboard a present from a couple of years ago on father's day The window is blanked off as is the chimney hole which is one of the holes which as to be filled in as the cooker is going back in its original position in the galley space. I just have to build a new framework to sit it on after the other work in that area of the boat is done.  The port side window as been blanked off as well and so as the vent for the diesel heater which was fitted to the main bulkhead at the front of the main cabin. The diesel heater was originally fitted on this bulkhead below the restoration project sheets on the bulkhead and will be going ba...

The aft heads compartment appears to have faired reasonable okay . The main job in here will be to fill the hole on the cabin side and start to remove the loose paint and inspect the area for rot and sort out any holes in the deckhead where vents have been removed over the years and blanks need to be put over the holes. The engineering room needs a lot more work as there are a lot more holes to cover both on the deck which is missing and the hull planking as well The port side cabin side may be able to be sorted out with grading pieces in some areas as much of the cabin side is not badly rotten. Unlike the starboard side which is going to be needing to be replaced completely  I may well be able to save the aft cabin side as well just need to inspect more to see if this is the case. This port hand side of the hull is in reasonable condition and will need the paint removing and the gaps in the planks covering over until funds become available to re-plank this area of the hull Chance ...

This is the original Baby Blake toilet out of Chance completely dismantled and ready to be check over to see what parts are needed to restore the toilet back to a working toilet once more This is the second toilet which we got a few years ago and are now in the process of dismantling and doing the same checks on this toilet to see which parts are needed to restore this toilet back into a working toilet again. The design of this second toilet differs in that this part is different to the original toilet, We may have to change this part for a modern part which the company who own the Baby Blakes now have as a replacement part. This part needed a bit of tapping with a mallet and a piece of wood to come out of the pump housing. It is likely it as not been apart since it was build over 50 years ago. The original toilet as been clean and soda blasted and is now ready to go back together once the parts as ordered and the body of the toilet have been repainted. The bowl as got the original fac...