The Restoration of Mai Star II (Gadfly II)

[jstarmarine]

The foredeck beams and the mast pad nw in position and so that part of the restoration of the foredeck is now completed.



The next part of the deck rebuild is to fit the carlins after the aft end of the cabin beams are made and fitted Once the aft cabin beams are made and fitted the carlins can be fitted and the short side deck beams can be fitted and the tie rods made and fitted between the carlins and the beam shelf so the side decks will be connected together.



The new side deck beams made over sized and ready to be fitted once the other jobs are done so that these short beams can be fitted.

 

[jstarmarine]

Having got the cabin side out of storage it was time to get them down and put on the bench and sand down both sides and inspect them for damage.



The first bit of damage is on the forward end at the bottom where it was removed without care and as spilt the bottom. This is going to have to be repaired using a grading piece and fixing going up from the bottom edge into the rest of the cabin side to ensure this does not spilt again.



Further pieces missing along the bottom edge which will need pieces letting in, They are behind the carlins so they will not be seen.



These tow other areas not not so easily covered and will need grading pieces gluing in place and planing down and sanding before the cabin side is varnished again



These two areas will need grading pieces gluing in position as well



Just starting off doing the same job to the port side cabin side to get into the same place as the starboard cabin side.

 

[jstarmarine]

The original samson post for the most part is in good condition and just the lower end needed replacing so it is just as easy to cut a 12 inch long scraph joint on the lower end of the original samson post and glue and bolt a new section on to the post.



Having cut the scraph joint on the original post it is now time to flatten off the scraph joint and make up a new section to be glued and bolted on to the existing part


The original post is very hard and seasoned so the bandsaw found it hard going to cut through such hard wood even with a new bandsaw blade.



Now time to get out the chisels and planes to get the joint flat.

 

[Tamar]

Excellent stuff, keep it coming

 

[jstarmarine]

Over the past week there as been a lot of of work done on a number of projects from refitting floor bearers in the hull to repairs to the cabin sides and finally repairs to the Samson post which needed a new heal piece making to fit on the lower section of the original Samson post. The majority of the Samson post was in good condition and rather than make a completely new Samson post it was decided that it was just as good to make up a new lower section out of same well seasoned oak we have in the yard and make up a new heal piece. The cabin sides need to have some more major repairs done, however, it was decided that grading pieces were the way to go so these were made up and glued in position. The reasoning behind doing this rather than cut whole section out and gluing new complete pieces in place was that the inside face of the cabin side was not damage and therefore it was not going to need a repair to be seen when it was not needed to be. The next job on Mai Star II will be to makeup a new aft cabin beam and to vertical post to connect the half beams to and then be able to refit the new carlins and refit the cabin sides and front back into position.

 

[jstarmarine]

Since the last update on progress of Mai Star II there has been a fair amount of work done on Mai Star II's forward end of the boat. Much of the work as been around the foredeck area with the fixing in position of the new and also the original deck beams and the refitting of the cabin front back in position. This is a major mile stone as it a piece we have being wishing to put back in place.

Now that this is in position the fore deck can be replanked as it was originally done with 1 inch thick tongue and groove planks. The deck planking will be refitted once the forward ends of the sheer planks are refitted after they have been remade as the old plank were split and in some places rotten especially round the holes for the chain plates.

In the video you can see the two sheet metal knees which will be refitted through bolted through the cabin front deck beam and the frames directly behind the cabin front. These knees were fitted to support the stresses on the hull where the forward chain plates were bolted through the frames and also to make up a ring frame with the deck beams and spread the load around the whole area and not just have the stress taken on the frames alone.

When I have a hand from a friend I will refix the three ribs which need fixing into place to give the hull bac kits strength and shape.

An unfortunate problem as happened over the part coupe of weeks with my own boat building business in that due to the world economy there as been a down turn in my own business which as lead to laying off my apprentice as the forward workload as reduced and so have had to make this difficult decision.

This will impact this project so work will be cut back on this and Chance for the foreseeable future. Work will be done when possible but may take a while to get the jobs done which we were programmed into doing this winter.

In the meantime enjoy this video and leave comments on its content.

 

[jstarmarine]

These are the videos of Mai Star II's Reborn and the up and down adventures along the way. The challenges we have faced and set backs we have accounted along the way and how we over come them and carry on with the project when many people would give up. It take a lot of tenacity and as an old saying goes "Stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, It'd when things are worse that you mustn't quit" That is the motto we work by and as seen you through a lot of problems we have faced along the way.

 

[jstarmarine]

This is an update about what has been happening or not on this project. Had a few downs as well as ups lately. A turn down in work and losing my apprentice as had an affect on the progress on the project, so it is a matter of dusting one self down and moving forward again. Now is the time to look ahead and rebuild and see what can be done in the short term to keep the project going . A few small jobs on the boat over the coming weeks will help lift the spirits and keep me from giving up on the project has it has come so far already.

 

[jstarmarine]

Making the spacers for the hanging knees ahead of the cabin front & making up the two upright posts for the aft end of main cabin to which the short aft deck beams will be jointed into with half lap and half dovetail joints. Also I am making up the spacers to go in between the hanging knees and the deck beam ahead of the main cabin and the grown frame on the hull to make the whole area a ring frame which will tie the deck beam to the hull framing and when the rig is under tension the stress will be spread around the whole structure and not just on one part of the hull. In the meantime, I will be making up studding to bolt the frames to the hanging knees and also the deck beam to the hanging knees.

 

[jstarmarine]

We are now starting to fit the uprights of the aft end of the cabin so that we can then fit the new aft end of the cabin short deck beams and then the carlins. then once the carlins are fitted along with the short deck beams and the uprights then the cabi sides can be refitted.The first job will be to make up some T&G to make a new aft end of the cabin the way it would have been when Gadfly II /Mai Star II was when she was build in 1939.

 

[jstarmarine]

Starting to get the floorboards back down after refitting the floor bearers with new "A4" stainless screws so these floor bearers will not move and the floor will be more stable.



This is most of the floor boards back down in position apart from 2 ahead of the mast post. there is is a bit of work to do on this area with the refitting of the lower section of frame with new "A4" bolts and sealing to the existing frame in the hull which did not need any work done on it.


The forward section will need sorting out so that it fits the existing frames on both sides and then the floor bearer can be fitted to the frame when that is refitted.



Once the frame and the floor bearer are fitted it is going to be easy to nail the new ribs in position.