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

Yesterday a fellow boat builder came to Chance to give the team a his view on the way on the replacement of the transom framework and the starboard beam shelf and how he would tackle the job. His view was much along the same lines as the team's view of the job. Like the team's view, prop up the starboard corner of the last frame just ahead of the transom. This frame is the last frame before the transom framework itself. He said that once this last frame was back in its correct position, the hull would be in the same position as the port side. As he said, the port side last frame which is still in good condition, take a pattern of this frame and make up a replacement frame for the starboard side and bring the hull up to fit this new frame buy more use of props until the hull is bad where it should be and re-fix any planks which are still there. and make any new planks which will be the correct size and shape to bring the correct shape back to this part of the hull. Once that is ...

As part of Chances' restoration there are a number parts that are missing from her which have been removed off over the years.  One of the items are the bronze rings that go round the fixed windows like this window in the aft cabin. These window rings were custom made for the James Silver vessels and are not available off the shelf.  So if anyone out there know where I could source these rings, I need four of them.  Or put me in contact with someone who can make a new set of rings for this restoration project. I am also on the look out for four 7" opening portholes with outer rings and additional  two 7" outer rings for the portholes still in the hull without the outer rings. Last item which I am on the look out for are two 6" either fixed or opening portholes for the back of the aft cabin.  These are just a few of the items I will need over the course of the restoration of Chance. So I will on the look out for a number of years ahead and will be going to many b...

A view down the starboard side of Chance looking aft towards the transom, it is in a poor condition however this is not just a small problem, but a major problem which has been years in the making. The more of the deck planking that is removed the larger the problem comes to light The first major problem being the tie rods that should be in place between the beam shelf and the carlin have been cut through and never replaced when the beam shelf was renewed at sometime in the past. This is a major problem in the making, as without these tie rods in place there is nothing to keep the boat deck from spreading open and the hull moving out of shape and the sheerline falling off as this as happier in this case. It was not just one tie rod but all the tie rods from the cockpit to the transom that had been cut through, so the whole of the starboard side between the cockpit and the transom could move without any support between the cabin side and the hull, so as in the case of the starboard side...

A pile of freshly milled green oak for the major repairs for the transom work, the frames and ribs and the beam shelf and deck beams, a lot of the oak will be made into steamed parts as this will make for stronger parts and with modern glues and fixings will make the new parts better and last longer. The aft hatch upper part being glued back together before a few minor repairs are done to other parts of the hatch and then rebuild and refitted to the boat after it as been varnished and new glass is fitted and new step rails are fitted over the glass.  Some of the old electrical items out of the Engineering room which controlled the power coming for the engine dynamos. These are now not more than museum pieces of an old way of controlling engine dynamos. A few old amp meters and control boxes.  

With the aid of my former apprentice boat builder who is now finished his boat building course and is now spreading his wings. He was able to spare a few hours helping me get on with making a start on the transom repairs. We made a rough pattern of the port side which is in the correct shape, as this side of the boat as never had any major work done to it over the years. However, the same can be said of the starboard side which as been messed about a lot over the years and as lost a lot of shape, so much so that it is a completely different shape to the port side, as can be seen from placing the pattern in the same position as it was on the port side. The starboard side deck falls away towards the transom  The port side is curving up at the transom end, showing that the starboard side as dropped over the years.  In the photo there are measurements of the port side plank widths and the ones measured on the starboard side, There are marked differences between the measurements on...

This is the only original end fitting on the main boom that as not been removed when the boat was dismantled over the years before we took over ownership of Chance  The outboard ends of the booms are missing their end fittings, so we can on the lookout for replacement fittings to replace the original fittings  The end of the main appears to missing any sign of an end fittings ever been fitted to this boom? It appears that who ever fitted the gooseneck fitting to the mizzen boom did not measure where the centre of the boom was  The metal band which is needed on the forward end of the main boom is missing, something we have to source from some where The first delivery of Green Oak for Chance's restoration, a lot of this will go into her transom framework and her ribs and frames and been shelf which need replacing on the starboard side.  

Having got the booms back from Chance a while ago, they have dried out in the workshop for a few weeks it is time to begin to sand off the old varnish  Making a start on the mizzen boom first as it is a bit shorter and lighter than the main boom. I am now on the lookout for some original boom fittings to replace the missing fittings that have been lost over the years. One of the original gooseneck fittings that is still in place, it must have been hard to remove so it was left in position.