James Silver Western Isles Chance Restoration

After what seems an age, finally we have got the interior woodwork and framework cleared out of interior of Chance. Now the major work can start in earnest. The forecabin now as all the framework of the berth and the chain locker bulkhead removed and just a pair of temporary floorboards in the place of the original floor boards that will go back in at a later date in the restoration The main cabin now a great empty space with just the floorboards down to cover over the bilges One of the jobs that has to be done when we next go to to Chance is to remove the original bilge pump pipe which goes along the middle of the bilge above the ballast and down into the centre bilge area That along with the original fresh water feed pipe which runs along the starboard engine bed to toward the galley area in the cabin space between the main cabin and the forecabin   Now that the last of the framework is out of the aft owners cabin, the outline of the original berth configuration can clearly be seen.

Now from the base of the stem to the aft bulkhead in the forecabin it is cleaned of the loose dirt and now needs a good washing down with degreaser and bio degradable soap to clean the last of the grease and dirty in the bilges and then give the bilges time to dry out for the first time in many years and then give the bilges it first fresh coat of bilge since the boat was built in 1948. Then on to the galley bilge and the forward end of the main cabin bilge Finally found the bottom of the bilge after removing all the dirt and mess out of the bilges  Muck every where but no brass, just more muck as we made our way along te main cabin bilge until we got to the engine bay bulkhead Working our way along the main cabin bilge, what did we find more ballast weights The only problem we have to cut out more old bilge pump pipework from when the boat was built as the weights are under the bilge pump pipe  now a great cavernous space is left so that we can work on the rib removal and refitting wi

The port side in the aft is has it was when Chance was built in 1948 with single ribs and no doubled or sistered ribs in sight The starboard side on the other hand is full of doubled and sistered ribs.So at sometime in the past there was a lot of work done to this side. There most have been a lot of broken ribs and rather than replace the broken ribs just added extra ribs. A short term job and one that is going to be corrected when the ribs are replaced with complete length ribs from the deck to keel. The main job will be to remove the deck covering or edging boards so that the ribs can be pushed down from the deck and steamed into position and held there while the copper nails are driven through the new ribs and roved into place. This is the pile of wood that has come out of the galley area port and starboard sides the cupboard unit on the starboard and settee to port and the base unit up against the engine bay bulkhead. Also the heads compartment and the last of the wood in the aft c

The settee back and its framework finally removed to expose the hull planking ribs and frames for inspection  The shelf above the settee back as also been removed as this was in a bad condition as well especially at the aft end where it was very rotten  The trucking in this photo is for the air take for the engine bay which for some reason unknown to me is blanked off at the top and the bottom end of it is missing the fan motor to pull air into the engine bay to keep the temperature down in the engine bay while the engines are running  One more broken rib and the last one in this area is still intact, however the top of the frame behind it is rotten at the top and will need replacing in the near future The air intake trucking now removed and thew aft end of the settee bunk front just about to be removed to clear the area up for further inspection  The underside of the athwartship settee bunk front showing the fan housing for the engine intake fan.   

This what I found when I removed the settee base and removed the thin paneling off the ribs. The hull is in reasonable condition considering the fact that the hull as not been able to get a good air flow round this part of the bilge and hull side. Like the starboard side there are three broken ribs in much the same place as the starboard sid, that is to say on the turn of the bilge which is a common problem with older boats that have hard a hard life or poor laying up over the years when the boat was laid up with blocking on ribs and not frames which can take the pressure more evenly over the area. In this photo it can be seen that when a plank in the area below the settee backrest was replaced in the past it was to big for the space it was going into and split the plank edges on the plank above and below in the same area. This means that the plank above and below this plank will have to be replaced because of the damage the new plank did when it was fitted. That is just one of the thi

The starboard side in the aft cabin is a jumble of doubled and sistered ribs which need to be removed and single ribs refitted as is the case on the port side which appears to not had so much damage or work done to the ribs. So in order to sort this area out there is going to be a wholesale removal of the doubled and sistered ribs and complete ribs from the keel to the underside of the deck done in this area. In the bottom left hand corner of the photo it can be seen where the plank as given way from the butt block.This plank will be removed to ensure that the joints are under frames and not fixed to butt blocks  The port side propeller shaft under the floor in the aft Heads, this is going to be renewed in time when the new engines are fitted and a more modern stern gear is fitted   

As can be seen in this photo the cupboard and the hull planking is now exposed to be cleaned and checked for any rot or damage that will have to be sorted out before any framework is pt back in place, the hull will  the paint will be painted before any framework is put in place once more.  Just one of the ribs that was replace at sometime in the past and not done correctly as any rib needs to go past another rib by at least a foot to eighteen inches to keep its strength in the hull. The same rib never made it to the beam shelf. So the job here will be to take the rib out down to the keel and then refit a complete rib from keel to the underside of the deck. This is the port side with the rib in place and the porthole aft of the rib which is missing on the starboard side. On the starboard side the planks have been replaced but the rib was not fitted correctly and the porthole was never refitted.  

 We are finally back in Woodplumpton after what is an age, One problem after another that kept us from coming up to Chance just before Christmas and into the New Year. We have finally made it back and ready to get on where we left off before life got turned upside down.  So the first job today was the removal of the cupboard top to expose the framework underneath and find out the condition of the framework. Some was in reasonable conidtion and other pieces were well rotten and turned to dust. Once the top was off and the divider in the cupboard was removed the back paneling which covered up the ribs was removed to expose the planking  A bit of a mess was the answer about what I found, Badly renewed ribs which did not go the full length to the deck and where they what fitted in was not correct as they did not sister up the ribs past each other far enough  This photo shows that this side of the boat as had a large amount of re-planking over the years and that the planks were screwed in p

 Now the Christmas is a faded memory in the back of my mind and the year ahead is waiting to be explored. It is time to put behind us the problems that beset us over the last year with Covid and vehicle problems and plan the year ahead with renewed fire in our hearts to get on and make major headway with the restoration of Chance which over the past year as seen us make headway and then problem put hurdles in our way. This year my wife retires from her job that she has been doing for the past 38 years so that she can spend more time on her hobbies and help me more with my hobby the restoration of Chance our James Silver "Western Isles" Motor sailer we are currently restoring together and with the help of other family members and friends.  Much of the work last year was spend dismantling the interior making sure to take lots of photos of the parts of the interior that were original  and also the parts that have been altered over the years. Some of which will not be going back