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

[jstarmarine]

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.

 

[jstarmarine]

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

 

[jstarmarine]

The port side of the main cabin and the aft hatch which will need restoring at a later date.

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 things that get highlighted as you strip out any old boat,poorly done repairs and not taking the time to strip out the inside to ensure that the plank you are fitting is not going to damage the plank either side of the one you are replacing.

The aft roof hatch for the owner cabin is in reasonable condition it will need careful removing and restoring off the boat once we are able to get Chance under some cover. The same is going to happen to all the rest of the hatches once the boat is back down in Essex and the major job is started on the decks and aft cabin sides and the wheelhouse.

 

[penfold]

How's the hull shape holding up with all these busted ribs?

 

[jstarmarine]

How's the hull shape holding up with all these busted ribs?

Hi Penfold,
remarkably well, the distance between frames is three feet so the hull shape as not moved much and with a little careful positioning of props will go back into the correct shape.

Regards
Simon

 

[jstarmarine]

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.

 

[jstarmarine]

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.

 

[jstarmarine]

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.

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.

 

[jstarmarine]

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 cabin that was in the way of the hull.





Now that the last of the wood which was on this bulkhead was removed the outline of the original berth is now clearly seen. This berth is going to go back in and a very similar berth is going to go back in the starboard side, which from other James Silver's of Chance's age had to large single berth in the aft cabin.






The layout of Chance appears to be one of a two berth cruising Motorsailer with a single crew cabin in the forepeak. This appears to be the case as the forepeak appears to have skin fittings to lead you to believe that there was a sea toilet in that cabin along with a vanity sink and its own small wardrobe that was separate from the rest of the interior.

The galley was set out just behind the forecabin and aft of the galley area the main cabin for entertaining guests and the aft cabin set out of the owner of the day.

 

[jstarmarine]

The two halves of the aft cabin hull, the pile of wood that has come out of the boat over the weekend and the shape of the aft berth in the port side.

 

[jstarmarine]

A major step forward in the cleaning out of the boat and making plans for the next trip to the boat.

 

[jstarmarine]

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. This original design for the owners cabin arrangement will be going back in place as it was when Chance was originally build in 1948




So the next jobs in the boat are the removal of the fuel and water tanks and a complete wash through of the bilges to clean the bilges ready to paint and then mark off the ribs and planking which needs renewing over the rest o this year prior to moving Chance down to Essex later in the year

 

[jstarmarine]

Lack of Feedback, Comments would b helpful to know what I need to change with my contain on my patreon page?

Dear readers of my Patreon page, I know you read my page as it keep a record of the number of people who have read the page and to anyone else. So far it has been disheartening the lack of interaction I have had on my patreon page and my YouTube channel about my restoration project on Chance. If there is anything wrong with the contain or it is boring the hell out of you please let me know and I can change the contain or close the page down.
I have been a full time boatbuilder for the past 45 years and have a wealth experience in the boat building and restoration industry which I would like to hand on to future generations , I am husband and a father of a disable adult which makes life interesting on a daily basis.
My son has help me from time to time on this project and my other project Mai Star II which you can follow on another Patreon page. My wife is helping to when her work shifts allow and I also have my brother helping with this project, so it is a truly family project.
So if you know comment on the project and would like make follow the project by becoming a patreon or just following the project by liking and subscribing to my YouTube channel it will make mean a great deal to my family and I that there are people out there who are following our adventures along the journey to get Chance back afloat and once more being enjoyed as a family boat again.

 

[Boathook]

Personally I don't watch youtube unless someone sends a link or I after a bit of information on how to repair an item. I only found this thread earlier this year as I don't visit Classic and Wooden Boats much as mine is GRP and the other forums much more relevant to me.
I have found what you are doing interesting and will try to follow on here but won't possibly go elsewhere. I had never heard of the patreon page until you mentioned it. Keep posting here and I will do my best to follow though not likely to comment unless I know about something that you are struggling with.

 

[jstarmarine]

Personally I don't watch youtube unless someone sends a link or I after a bit of information on how to repair an item. I only found this thread earlier this year as I don't visit Classic and Wooden Boats much as mine is GRP and the other forums much more relevant to me.
I have found what you are doing interesting and will try to follow on here but won't possibly go elsewhere. I had never heard of the patreon page until you mentioned it. Keep posting here and I will do my best to follow though not likely to comment unless I know about something that you are struggling with.

Hi Boathook,
Thank you for your input it is gratefully received. I am grateful that someone is finding my work on the restoration of Chance interesting I just wish more people would make comments or suggestion about the contain of my blogs or videos .

Kind Regards

Simon
Owner of Chance

 

[burgundyben]

Hi Boathook,
Thank you for your input it is gratefully received. I am grateful that someone is finding my work on the restoration of Chance interesting I just wish more people would make comments or suggestion about the contain of my blogs or videos .

Kind Regards

Simon
Owner of Chance

You seem to be doing pretty well to me.

I'm watching with great interest.

 

[jstarmarine]

Looking for missing parts for my restoration of Chance
When I was given Chance last year the previous owner had only just got the boat a few months before he gave Chance to me. The major problem was that the owner before him had many of the parts from the boat still in his possession and was unwilling to handover the parts he had taken off Chance to the owner who I was given Chance from. So many of the parts are with the owner who gave Chance to before me.

So now I have to source a large number of parts to replace the missing items such as , portholes of various sizes, a complete set of stanchions, 2 x tabernacles mast fittings , chainplates and many other items which I will list later after I have gone over Chance to see what items are missing.

I am now at a stage in the restoration where I will just have to take a few more items out of the inside of the cockpit and then I will be making a start on the hull planking and the ribs. However, before I can tackle the ribs I will have to remove the deck edge covering boards to expose the tops of the ribs so the ribs can be pushed in from the deck down the keel and that way have new single ribs and not sistered or doubled ribs as has been the case in the aft cabin on the starboard side.
So if anyone out there can help me with any original spec items from the period of Chances build circ 1948 I will be grateful.
Thanks in advance
Simon Papendick
Owner of Chance

 

[john_morris_uk]

You’ve asked for comments so here goes.

What I find most interesting about these restorations the small technical details and practical applications of actually how you go about some of the work. For instance, I have little experience in steaming wood and so some details as to how you construct the steam box, generate the steam,what wood you are using, how green it is, how you actually manipulate it into place before it cools down and goes stiff again et cetera. That’s just one example of something I would find very interesting. It might seem every day ordinary work to you but some of the tricks and techniques of boat building that I’ve picked up over the years have been from boatyards and professionals that I’ve worked alongside and have become invaluable in the restoration and maintenance of our own boats. To me that’s what makes restoration videos interesting.

 

[john_morris_uk]

PS. The thread is also of interest because our own boat was both stored in Silver‘s yard in Rosneath for a couple of winters and also they did some work on her for me a few years ago so I know the yard and I used to live close by.

 

[penfold]

If you can persuade the previous owner to part with the bits that seems the best option, otherwise it's spending a lot at Davey Co or getting things custom made, both are likely to cost far more than purchasing the originals.