Restoration of a classic 1930's yacht

At the moment Mai Star II is out in the open and not drying out at all. However, opposite this photo I have a semi permanent shelter in which to put Mai Star II into and so it can dry out and work can be started on her. The shelter as power and lighting and a work bench in the shelter so that work will be easier to do once it is moved across the yard. Also it the workshop there is a boat that is coming closer to the end of its major refit and where Mai Star II is now standing will be where the yacht in the workshop will be going prior to it being finished of and get loaded on to transport to be launched and sea trailed and then siled back to its home port in the North West of Scotland later this year. So it is time to start making bit move so that this plan can be enacted and that Mai Star II can be started on and be restored.

Still waiting to get the framework repaired so that I can put a cover over the boat so that we can start work on Mai Star II. In the meantime Simon as been sorting out the deck beams and other parts to be able in the near future, be able to start fitting new deck beams to Mai Star II to stop her spreading apart. Some of the deck beams are in a poor condition in some cases cracked and full of holes where iron fixing were used and the iron rotted the oak away making the beams being able to move and when any load was put on them they cracked.  This pile is a mixture of cabin top beams and deck beams. These beams will be used as patterns and new laminated beams made which will be a lot stronger and give plenty of strength.  Another pile of deck beams and cabin side carlins as well as cockpit coaming carlins as well. This pile is made up of much of the varnish work, namely the rubbing strakes toe rails and other trims from both inside and outside the boat  

 This job can not be left any longer as I need to get on with the boat and get it back together and sailing again as soon. Because of other work commitments and life in general it has not been at the top of my to do list. However, Now that I have the workshop to myself and not having to share it with any one else I have to make plans to move some of the boats along and get them out of the yard.  One being Mai Star II which now that I have much of the wood needed for her restoration, I can get on and do the work. However, I start have to re-weld to together the framework shed to go over the top of Mai Star II and then get a cover to go over her and get the boat dried out  again so that work can get done on her.  Over the past few weeks my son as removed the last of the deck beams and knees which were in the way of working on the tops of the frames and refitting the ribs which need to be replaced as a matter of urgency. As the longer Mai Star II is left the worse the shape becomes.  So i

Screwing together the broken parts into something that looks like the frame and its shape. The two first parts of the four parts that make up this frame. The frame now looking more like it should so we can take a pattern off this to make the new four parts of this frame. This shows the small twist the frame had when it was originally made up and fitted to the boat. Now it is time to put in the boat and see how far out of the shape this and the hull are and then make up the new frame with the correct shape and once this is made and fitted the ribs will be steamed in position and then we can move on to the rest of the hull and ort out any problem the hull as.  

Now we have almost all the parts that have been taken off Mai Star II over the past two years, it is time to sort out the parts we are keeping and which parts are just bring kept for use as patterns. Having sanded back the cabin sides they will be given a sealing coat of varnish until such a time when they go back in place on the new deck structure later in the restoration project. The hull as been given a good vacing out and got all the areas clear to make the new frame and to steam the five missing ribs so putting back the shape into that part of the hull.  

Because the old nail holes are a bit shoot, we are filling them with tapered dowels and then re-drilling new holes for the new ribs to be fixed  to when they are steamed in position after the new ribs are made from the green oak we have in the yard outside of the workshop. There are going to be a far number of these holes that need plugging over the course of the this restoration of Mai Star II, so we better get plug making  First job is to get lengths of softwood turned on the lathe to near the right size and then use the tapered dowel cutter to do the rest of the job. The tapered dowel cutter used to get the dowels down to the correct size to fit in the holes bored out with the taper plug cutter The first of many plugs to come The tapered dowel cutter in operation