The major restoration of Chance (Token) James Silver Western Isles Motor sailer

[jstarmarine]

Having stripped down the parts of the sea toilet it was then time to vape blast the painted parts and remove all the old toxic paint from 70 years ago and apply a fresh coat of non toxic paint to the surfaces of these parts



The same goes for the "A" brackets for the propeller shafts, these will need to have the cutlass bearing removed and have new cutlass bearing inserted at a later date.



They have come up well and it is a pity they are going to be underwater and out of sight. However, any toxic paint as now been removed.



THe parts will just need a good cleaning to get rid of any blast material left on the parts before they are dried and repainted again.

 

[jstarmarine]

The old and new parts of the doors with the mortises cut on the new door



Marking off the new tenon half of the door frame



The new longer of the two parts that having to be replaced



Fitting well with just a little bit of adjustment on the centre panel to let the longer frame piece fit



Well fitting joint, just needs a bit of glue to make sure it stays in place



The shaped tenon part of the joint now just needs a pair of wedges made to fit down both sides of the joint against the walls of the mortise to lock the joint in position with a little bit of glue to help the joint stay in position



Unfortunately, had a little slip up cutting the slot in this part, now I have to make a new piece, However, I need the practice, ha,ha

 

[burgundyben]

Those A brackets for the shafts look good. Nice lumps of bronze.

I have not forgotten about the gearboxes for you. Just trying to get them and a pallet sorted.

 

[tillergirl]

Love the bits of the Blakes. Enamelling?

 

[jstarmarine]

Those A brackets for the shafts look good. Nice lumps of bronze.

I have not forgotten about the gearboxes for you. Just trying to get them and a pallet sorted.

Hi Ben,
It is okay about the gearboxes, Just let me know when they are ready to be shipped and we can sort out t rest then.
Regards
Simon

 

[jstarmarine]

Love the bits of the Blakes. Enamelling?

Hi Tillergirl,
It is very likely to be done that way again this time just got to order the spare parts from Blakes over the coming weeks and start to put is back together and put it in to storage until we get to that stage to put it back in the boat.

Regards

Simon
P.S. The boat is now back in Essex , at Titchmarsh Marina if you wish to pop round sometime

 

[tillergirl]

I must pop over. Might be a few weeks as we are going away for a couple of weeks shortly. I am looking forward to seeing her.

 

[jstarmarine]

I must pop over. Might be a few weeks as we are going away for a couple of weeks shortly. I am looking forward to seeing her.

Hi Tillergirl,

Just give me a call,before you are coming over and I will put the kettle and get the biscuits ready.

Regards

Simon

 

[jstarmarine]

The inside of the hatch in need of sanding back to bare wood and to get rid of the greying of the bare teak. When the hatch is repaired it will all varnished all over to stop this happening again.



One piece of damage which will need careful cutting out and grading in a new piece of teak to make this good again



The top will a good sanding and then sealing the area where the glass sits in the rebate



A old method of keeping the hatch open for ventilation



The cover panels to keep the glass in position. the only item which is missing from this hatch like the hatch on the above the crew cabin in the forward end of the boat. Is the stainless rods to go over the glass so it will help stop someone putting their foot through the glass
These panels will like the rest of the hatch be sanded back to get rid of the greying and the panel will be varnished to match the the rest of the varnished woodwork on the other hatches and the aft cabin sides and wheelhouse which should be varnished.

 

[jstarmarine]

Now the bronze parts have been cleaned of all the old paint and are now washed with clean water and dried, We have to make up a list of the parts we need to restore the Toilet back into work order.



The toilet seat is in need of a bit of attention, some of the old screws are rotten away and need to be drilled out and replace with new screws



The seat and lid will need to have the old varnish removed and the brass hinge will need polishing and lacquering and there are a few bits which will need lacquering as well.

 

[jstarmarine]

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.

 

[jstarmarine]

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.

 

[jstarmarine]

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 some of them 11mm on another 16mm and a couple more planks 2 or 3 mm differences, Some in order to sort out the transom misshape these planks will have to be removed in order to being back the shape back to the originalk shape and size.



One job we have started to do is to prop the hull up to stop it from dropping anymore while will remove the planks and frames which are holding the hull out of shape.

 

[jstarmarine]

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.

 

[burgundyben]

I'mfollowing with great interest.

Next time I go to work in my van I'll bring home a small pallet and get these gearboxes sorted.

 

[jstarmarine]

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 deck it could open and close and fall in on itself as this has happen in the case of this deck



it is not known why these tie rods were not removed and replaced at the time the beam shelf was renew. The only reason was who ever cut the tie rods through had know understanding of the reason they were there in the first place.



So now we have to remove the whole of the deck remove the tie rods and the rotten beam shelf also renew the carlin which is very likely and prop up the hull back into position with the aid of a number of props and wedges and also pulling the hull back into shape using a Spanish windlass or other methods to bring back the starboard side back into its correct position to mirror the correct shaped portside and once that is done put back the carlin beam shelf and the tie rods so that this does not happen again

 

[jstarmarine]

I am looking out for some items missing off Chance

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 boat jumbles looking for bits to replace the missing bits as we go along with the restoration .

 

[john_morris_uk]

The originals could have been like these? Davey Portlight Round Open 6 inch
Hopefully you’ll strike lucky.

 

[penfold]

Osculati have a range of brass port lights.

 

[burgundyben]

I think these days to make up new portlights you get a teenager to model them in cad, add the casting allowance, 3d print the pattern and take it to a foundary.