Project Persevere 82 Ft of wooden craftwork

My first step would be to ask what the survey showed that she would be capable of withstanding. The surveyor will have some ideas and may well have the contacts as well. Then is sh11t were to happen, at least you weree following the advise of a surveyor!
 
Thanks for taking it past 200 , and the canvas idea is still an option don't worry , I just missed yours in my reply , the KISS principle works for me, but the surveyor bit worries, is a surveyor going to accept liability , or I pay him £1,000-00 to tell me , she leaks , she's rotten , can't say . I know this already, I want someone that will say , this is what WE do
 
Where theres a will theres a way. Even if you have to add some temp timbers to make her stiff again something should be possible. In your opinion do you think she's capable of floating? Surely thats half the battle won!
 
This boat is definitely aptly named!!

I have asked around for the past few days trying to get advice for you. Most of it is very similar to the responses to this thread. The fact that this is a huge project is undoubted. My thoughts as follows:-

Tug - Rates are high because every tow has to be insured separately. You will be paying for the time to move the tug to your departure point and their return journey as well as the tow itself. This could be a number of days for 2/3 people. I know one tug operator who scuttled a wooden yacht on the way down the Thames and was given 24 hours to raise the wreck by the PLA. This most definitely wasn't 82' but you hve to look at worst case scenario. You may be best looking out for a 'return journey' or maybe buying a tug to liveaboard during the fit-out.

Yard - As many have said already, there are yards up and down the country that are full of abandoned projects. I have been waiting since autumn to get onto one of 3 cradles that are so occupied. The yard owner can't bring himself to start up the chain-saw. One vessel can only be cut up, another should be put on a mooring and sold and the 3rd (a Hillyard) could be saved but probably not. All these sorts of things result in a commercial yard asking for huge deposits just to accept "A Project".

Project - A couple of weeks ago, I turned down a Fifie that was available for £1000 (now £1). I had many personal reasons for wanting to buy it - my family in the dim and distant used to own fishing boats, the boats come from 70 miles south of my home town, they are really beautiful if brought back to sailing vessels and it was £1000. The initial work to be done below the waterline, however, scared me. Above the waterline can be done at your leisure but below must be done NOW! I couldn't afford that up-front money - £20-30k. You've really got to look at this with eyes wide open. A friend of mine has his fishing boat out now for some re-planking. He was intending doing 5 planks and is now on his ninth I think and this is a professional shipwright. He is being charged £80/day for his own work because he is taking the space that would normally be used to employ the yard crew.

All of this shows you why these vessels can normally only be restored with charity cash or with exceptionally deep pockets. Unless I owned the yard/land, I wouldn't be thinking about it.

It may be an idea to have a London meet to discuss all this. I know that I don't have time at the moment to come out to view Persevere (not that I have the experience to advise) but would be happy to sit down over a beer to discuss it.
 
Good advice But why London why not a Perseverance meet?

I'll buy your and Dave's "thirst" beer

cheers Joe
 
You may have to accept that moving her is a gamble.. and you may lose her in the process.
Plucking Victorious from the mud was a big risk and her breaking up was a very strong possability..I had even negotiated a price for the haulage co to dispose of the remains if she broke up on the trailer.
what stopped the deck falling in is a mystery.... As the keelson had been cut to make space for an engine flywheel... She shoulda fallen in 2 bits.
I took miles of vidio and lots of stills before she was lifted...Because i felt it my duty to record her in detail before i destroyed her by my attempt to save her.
I was VERY lucky that she hung together... just.
Had she broken up.. i hope i woulda found another one and tried again.

You gotta face the real possability that Persevere..... wont
I am not saying it's not worth the attempt.
but dont discount the possability that she's too far gone to save.
If you do fail (god forbid)..The expirience and lessons learnt will better the chances of your next heap of wet wood!
I truly think its a case of giving it ya best shot with some planning to minimise the liabilities if it goes down.
Hope you dont view this as negative... if you do, I'll shut up
 
Good to hear from you Forbsie, a get together sounds like a damn good idea , and Jkay , has a good idea too , especially the beers offer. All valid points , and all duly considerred , however , I am also aware that this is a possible twenty year project, with every spare penny being thrown at her , and we know that's the nature of boating anyway . The difference with me , is that (thanks to my ex) , I couldn't hope to get a mortgage , even though I can afford one easily . I would rather spend that money and every other penny on something that will last . The up front money is the problem , not the ongoing work that is going to cost , , well who knows how much a mortgage costs in the end.
But the thought of a get together , Persevere night , or whatever , is very appealing , maybe people will realise , I'm just an ordinary guy with a love for this boat
 
And after what you managed , I couldn't view any of your posts negatively , thanks Russel , if I lose her I will try again and forget the money , but she is unique , at least to me , her stern is almost Pirates of the Carribean , she is a proud old girl and I just hope I can make up for the years of neglect. Must arrange a meet with Medway Ports and see what they will agree to . Positive thinking here . Also the posts remind me of the rule of P . p1ss poor preperation = p1ss poor performance , combination of lots may be required
 
Set a date and we will see it /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Build it and they will come /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif(K Costner)

cheers Joe
 
For what it's worth, I'm with Victorious on this - move her, and if she makes it you know she's sounder than she looks. If she breaks up, well, dust yourself down and start again.

If she does break up and go down on passage, a few underwater charges could break up the hull pretty well on the seabed - Able UK do this type of work, and the Institute of Explosives Engineers will have details of independent members who may also have a diving capability ... so long as she doesn't go down anywhere near the Richard Montgomery (!)

Pumps, fothers, timber struts and props, big timber dogs and sledge hammers - agree with all. Someone on board with RN damage control experience would be useful too. You may want to consider removing sections of decking in advance and fixing ladders and eyebolts to allow quick egress from below for anyone if she does start to go down quickly. Safety plan and briefings for anyone on board essential, and a couple of whalers towing alongside for a quick evacuation..

Sometimes, after all the best risk evaluation and design in the world, you've just got to go for it.
 
One of the main problems is that , unless I can get her to a point where she is capable of undertaking the crossing, the local moorings people say they will not allow her to move , and Medway Ports Authority will , apparently , be down on me like a ton of bricks . Without these problems I would , literally , just go for it. Anyone know if they are allowed to stop movements in this way
 
one of the main problems is that , unless I can get her to a point where she is capable of undertaking the crossing, the local moorings people say they will not allow her to move , and Medway Ports Authority will , apparently , be down on me like a ton of bricks . Without these problems I would , literally , just go for it. Anyone know if they are allowed to stop movements in this way

If the Medway Ports Authority could stop the movement.
They must have some one who is suitably qualified to give advice and an order to move her.
Stripping her out of all the none structural furniture to a bare hull would help as well.
I query the local moorings concern as to her being a threat to their boats. Under towed control or warping surely it will be no different to any vessel movement in any marina.
Moving her in the confines of the marina should not be a problem that would come once she is in a seaway.
Am I right in assuming she is afloat on the tide at the moment and not permanently resting aground.
 
Can you not do the structual work to the frames where she is and then move her ? I would have thought this would be done before replanking anyway to get an exact fit .
 
The view from Persevere's stern, just to show how tight this squeeze is

tn_persevere197.jpg


I have contacted Medway ports and asked them to take a look and advise.

The insides have been almost totally ripped out , does anyone want to see pics of the inside , if that would help, and the floor has been lifted to expose large areas of the bilges.

I quite like the idea of this sinking floating boat , anyone know how to contact them , by pooter , by the time I got back in today they would have knocked off
 
I say post more pics , it wont do any harm now as the thread is so long dial up is in overload anyway . You never know someone could see something thats been missed by the so called pro . Dont forget that everyone that has looked at her so far is looking at worst case . Get a few boat builders to have a look if you can , they build them so they know .
 
I've left them as thumbnails so they shouldn't take long even on dial up , . These are the nasties . If you want a close up of any , let me know which and I'll link the original .

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere107.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere077.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere072.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere069.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere068.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere067.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere066.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere065.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/tn_persevere192.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/hold.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c359/trevera25/bow.jpg
 
Looking at the photo from her stern if that is way you have to go.
Q Is there enough space to clearly pass though.
Q Is the water depth enough for her to pass to clear water.
Q Now she is striped out is she taking on any water when fully afloat.
Q Do you have the chance of any helpful advise/assistance/ from the owner of the Moorings/Marina or the other boat owners.

Is there room in her present position to give her some aggravation, ie a gentle back and to on her bollards/ cleats you intend to tow her on and may be rock her a little to see if she opens up anywhere.
All this in line with little more than the amount of effort that will be needed to manoeuvre and tow her out, if only to somewhere near by to make more suitable arrangements to passage her to her new birth.
To get the feeling if you are satisfied you can pull her out to clear water.
Also to give the other House boaters some assurance she is not going to brake free of her tow and charge into them out of control. Which we all know will not happen, may be a considerable number of fenders will be a good insurance/assurance anyway.
 
Q Is there enough space to clearly pass though. The barge immediately astern will be moving out of the moorings before we move.
Q Is the water depth enough for her to pass to clear water. At spring high there's plenty of depth , hence departure wish list
Q Now she is striped out is she taking on any water when fully afloat. She floats at high tide , but takes on water. Bilge pump copes , pumping about twenty minutes in the hour (and it's only one of those little electric things for small boats
Q Do you have the chance of any helpful advise/assistance/ from the owner of the Moorings/Marina or the other boat owners. They all wish me luck but can't help for one reason or another , and most of them have boats with no insurance

I'll try the rock n pull next time I'm there , but the problem is still lack of insurance / nobody will insure her / yard say they will not let her move without insurance .

Can they really stop me ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top