penfold
Well-known member
Facebook Boat Jumble and Boat Scrapyard pages; also facebook marketplace itself, although it is infested with idiots who will ask moronic questions.
The major restoration of Chance (Token) James Silver Western Isles Motor sailer
- Thread starter jstarmarine
- Start date
wombat88
Well-known member
Much as I like an old engine I wouldn't waste too much time trying to find a buyer. You have priorities I suspect!
jstarmarine
Active member
The next time I am at the boat the engine will come back and go to the recycling yard near me to be disposed of if nobody wishes to have them.
jstarmarine
Active member
The first two doors I picked up today both had areas of rotten wood in the same corner on both doors, so I will have to dismantle the doors and make up two new sections of door from the stock of mahogany I have around the workshop
The doors showing the areas of rot in the same corner of the doors
It appears to be only set of smaller doors that have any rot in as the other small doors appear to be rot free and just need a good sanding and rubbing down before they can be varnished
Even these larger doors appear to be free of any rot which is a good sign
The door for under the chart table is in reasonable condition apart from the spilt in the lower part of the door which can be glue together with a small amount of epoxy and then sanded down again and the varnished along with the other doors
Getting through the doors not many left now. The larger doors have a few areas of rot in them so will need to get some longer lengths of mahogany in for these door repairs
The doors showing the areas of rot in the same corner of the doors
It appears to be only set of smaller doors that have any rot in as the other small doors appear to be rot free and just need a good sanding and rubbing down before they can be varnished
Even these larger doors appear to be free of any rot which is a good sign
The door for under the chart table is in reasonable condition apart from the spilt in the lower part of the door which can be glue together with a small amount of epoxy and then sanded down again and the varnished along with the other doors
Getting through the doors not many left now. The larger doors have a few areas of rot in them so will need to get some longer lengths of mahogany in for these door repairs
burgundyben
Well-known member
I've always found the jobs that can be done away from the boat to be very satisfying.
jstarmarine
Active member
Hi Ben,
It is something to do during the dark winter months when it is not possible to get to the boat for whatever reason and it keeps the project gong forward a little bit at a time until it is time to get back to the boat.
Regards
Simon
jstarmarine
Active member
Having got the cooker off Chance and back to the workshop, Now on the work bench and in able to work on it at a reasonable height, it is possible to make out what the problems are and how much it is going to cost to put it right and use it once more
The top has come up reasonably well seeing has it as been neglected on Chance for such a long time.
The bottom of the burner well is full of god know what, this is going to have to come out and see what te condition of the burner well is.
The super burner bit is going to have to be replaced as it is broken and the part is still available from the manufacturers
Got most of the dirt out of the bottom of the bowl, now it going to need a good cleaning out and get rid of the dirt in the chamber and the fuel line cleaning out in the bottom.
The fuel flow is going to be stripped down and serviced and then rebuild
The hot plate as come up well and just needs coating with oven blacking
The oven just needs a good cleaning out and should be ready for use again once all the other bits are sorted
The top has come up reasonably well seeing has it as been neglected on Chance for such a long time.
The bottom of the burner well is full of god know what, this is going to have to come out and see what te condition of the burner well is.
The super burner bit is going to have to be replaced as it is broken and the part is still available from the manufacturers
Got most of the dirt out of the bottom of the bowl, now it going to need a good cleaning out and get rid of the dirt in the chamber and the fuel line cleaning out in the bottom.
The fuel flow is going to be stripped down and serviced and then rebuild
The hot plate as come up well and just needs coating with oven blacking
The oven just needs a good cleaning out and should be ready for use again once all the other bits are sorted
penfold
Well-known member
Is that a Wallas stove?
jstarmarine
Active member
No it is a Dickinson Bristol stove from Canada
jstarmarine
Active member
The restoration of the cooker is well underway, I am now in the process of ordering some new parts for the cooker. After the years of neglect it is not surprising that there are a few parts that have since better days and need replacing. The major items that need replacing are the super heater element in the burner, the draft fan and its controller and a piece of firebrick that needs renewing which is broken. Apart from these items the cooker has stood up well over the years.
The other parts such as the burner bowl, which needed its vent holes cleaning and the soot removing from the bowl itself, the fuel valve which needed cleaning out of dirt and water and the unit needed stripping down to clean and make sure it was all in working order, then the delivery lines from the diesel valve to the bowl needed a good cleaning as it was full of old wet soot, so it needed to get my airline out and blow out the soot. So now the delivery lines and fuel valve are cleaned, it is just a matter of getting the new parts and running up the stove and get it into working order and then get it being used.
Now in the run up to Christmas, I am putting a lot of the parts I have back in the workshop on the racking in the workshop until after Christmas and in the New Year. Start a fresh and get on with the hull repairs which is going to take sometime as there are a fair few planks to renew.
The other parts such as the burner bowl, which needed its vent holes cleaning and the soot removing from the bowl itself, the fuel valve which needed cleaning out of dirt and water and the unit needed stripping down to clean and make sure it was all in working order, then the delivery lines from the diesel valve to the bowl needed a good cleaning as it was full of old wet soot, so it needed to get my airline out and blow out the soot. So now the delivery lines and fuel valve are cleaned, it is just a matter of getting the new parts and running up the stove and get it into working order and then get it being used.
Now in the run up to Christmas, I am putting a lot of the parts I have back in the workshop on the racking in the workshop until after Christmas and in the New Year. Start a fresh and get on with the hull repairs which is going to take sometime as there are a fair few planks to renew.
jstarmarine
Active member
List, Lists, & more Lists
When doing any restoration projects who can get bogged down with list making and then more list making. So in order to make life for yourself easier. What I do is departmentalize the project in to different areas and work through each of the lists for that area until it is finished.
This for the most time works until the different areas overlap each other. However, by the time this happens first area is well underway and it needs to include the next area to complete the first area you are working on.
This is the case with the chain locker bullhead which needed to get removed because it is rotten around the edges and in places making the places it is touching the hull got rotten as well.
The bulkhead now removed and the condition of the hull investigated for areas of rotten hull planking, it appears to be just one area on the starboard side just below the stringer at the lower part of the photo where the chain locker boards had gone rotten and spread to the hull in this area.
The other area of concern is the ends of the deck beams in the same area, one end appears to be in a poor condition and will need renew later on when the boat is back in Essex.
The next job on my list for the forecabin was to clean out the bilge area of the forecabin and get rid of all the dirty water and rubbish that had collected in the forward bilge over the years. items such as screws, cut off copper nails, bits of old planking and other wood from panelling which had found their way in there and had ever been removed until now
So started the removal of the rubbish until we could again see the bottom of the stem and the forward end of the keel once more after a lot of years covered in god know what.
The other problem with leaving this rubbish in the bilges was that the lumber holes to let the water drain down to the lowest part for the bilge was no able to happens and when any water got to the bilge pump it cogged the pump and then you would not be able to empty the bilge if the boat was taking on water.
This is the photo of the bilge under the galley area which is our get section to work on once the bilge in the forecabin is finally clean and any last bits have been removed from the forecabin before the next section can be worked on
So now we have got the majority of the rubbish out it is time to get under the floorboards and wash the hull down and clean out the lumber holes and so the water which collects in the bilges now, can be pumped out without blocking up the bilge pump again.
So when we get back to Chance after Christmas one of the first jobs is to turn into a bilge scrubber and get covered in dirt from head to foot. Once it is done it will be clean and anything that is dropped in the bilge will be seen from now.
When doing any restoration projects who can get bogged down with list making and then more list making. So in order to make life for yourself easier. What I do is departmentalize the project in to different areas and work through each of the lists for that area until it is finished.
This for the most time works until the different areas overlap each other. However, by the time this happens first area is well underway and it needs to include the next area to complete the first area you are working on.
This is the case with the chain locker bullhead which needed to get removed because it is rotten around the edges and in places making the places it is touching the hull got rotten as well.
The bulkhead now removed and the condition of the hull investigated for areas of rotten hull planking, it appears to be just one area on the starboard side just below the stringer at the lower part of the photo where the chain locker boards had gone rotten and spread to the hull in this area.
The other area of concern is the ends of the deck beams in the same area, one end appears to be in a poor condition and will need renew later on when the boat is back in Essex.
The next job on my list for the forecabin was to clean out the bilge area of the forecabin and get rid of all the dirty water and rubbish that had collected in the forward bilge over the years. items such as screws, cut off copper nails, bits of old planking and other wood from panelling which had found their way in there and had ever been removed until now
So started the removal of the rubbish until we could again see the bottom of the stem and the forward end of the keel once more after a lot of years covered in god know what.
The other problem with leaving this rubbish in the bilges was that the lumber holes to let the water drain down to the lowest part for the bilge was no able to happens and when any water got to the bilge pump it cogged the pump and then you would not be able to empty the bilge if the boat was taking on water.
This is the photo of the bilge under the galley area which is our get section to work on once the bilge in the forecabin is finally clean and any last bits have been removed from the forecabin before the next section can be worked on
So now we have got the majority of the rubbish out it is time to get under the floorboards and wash the hull down and clean out the lumber holes and so the water which collects in the bilges now, can be pumped out without blocking up the bilge pump again.
So when we get back to Chance after Christmas one of the first jobs is to turn into a bilge scrubber and get covered in dirt from head to foot. Once it is done it will be clean and anything that is dropped in the bilge will be seen from now.
wombat88
Well-known member
I remember someone who had a length of small brass (??) chain threaded through the limber holes. A quick pull at either end would clear blockages
penfold
Well-known member
Wet vacs are a godsend for this work; given the level of clag down there I might even be tempted to break out the jet wash, although plastic sheeting would be needed to avoid coating everything else with the clag.
jstarmarine
Active member
Hi penfold
I am going to so it the old fashion way with a hard brush and a wet vac to get rid of everything that is in the bilges. Then sort out the lumber holes and make sure nothing else goes in the bilges again
Regards
Simon
jstarmarine
Active member
Hi wombat,
I have come across that many time when restoring old boats. A good method of keeping the lumber hole clear.
Regards
Simon
penfold
Well-known member
A length of of cheap braided cord would do these days; they probably used chain as natural fibre rope would rot quickly in the bilge.
wombat88
Well-known member
I'd use Gunk in the bilges but it wouldn't be pleasant.
jstarmarine
Active member
Yes Gunk is wonderful at getting rid of the oil and grease in the bilge, however, first I have to get rid of the dirt and rubbish in the bilge and then clean the bilge out with Gunk and then I will have a chance of seeing the hull for the first time in a long time. Once I am back up at Chance it is back up to my elbows in he bilge getting them clean and dry.
Regards
Simon
Regards
Simon
Bilgediver
Well-known member
Narrow Boat groups
jstarmarine
Active member
Now it is run up to Christmas, it is time to make plans for the new year part 1
It has been a roller coaster ride this year from taking ownership of Chance back in May this year until now.
My first sight of Chance in over 9 years and time had been not good to her has I was about to find out when I got up close to her and inspected her.
As you can see the inside of the boat was a mess with shit every where and the floorboards covered in oily water and so the forward end of the boat was like an ice staking rink to walk on.
The back cabin was was just a pile of old covers and the doors off the cabin bulkheads just laid on the covers in no order or regard to keeping them in good condition, just laid as if them were rubbish.
Then came the big strip out of the interior and getting to grips with all the mess and shit the boat had collected over the past few years
Then came the large skip to put all the rubbish and other shit the boat had collected and get rid of the rubbish so we could get a better picture of what we had ahead of ourselves,
The pile of rubbish and there were many more to come over the months from May until now
It has been a roller coaster ride this year from taking ownership of Chance back in May this year until now.
My first sight of Chance in over 9 years and time had been not good to her has I was about to find out when I got up close to her and inspected her.
As you can see the inside of the boat was a mess with shit every where and the floorboards covered in oily water and so the forward end of the boat was like an ice staking rink to walk on.
The back cabin was was just a pile of old covers and the doors off the cabin bulkheads just laid on the covers in no order or regard to keeping them in good condition, just laid as if them were rubbish.
Then came the big strip out of the interior and getting to grips with all the mess and shit the boat had collected over the past few years
Then came the large skip to put all the rubbish and other shit the boat had collected and get rid of the rubbish so we could get a better picture of what we had ahead of ourselves,
The pile of rubbish and there were many more to come over the months from May until now