Back to Mai Star II restoration after a week away on the other restoration project

 Having been away doing the other restoration project, namely Chance up in Woodplumpton in Lancashire, It is now time to turn our attention to Mai Star II once more and get the ribs and frames sorted out in the port side forward section of the hull and the hull sorted out.

Especially in areas like in this photo where the plank as been rotted away at the joint between two planks that are butted together and fixed on a frame and not a butt block. Also the planks have moved so the planks are not laying against the frame as they should do  and the hull looks more like a clinker build boat than a smooth carvel hull.    


One of the major  problems with as old as Mai Star II is that many of the copper nails and other fixings of the hull have stretched over the years and have aloud the hull planking to move and rather than sort the fixings out along the way over the years, she was caulked more and more as the planks moved until this would not work anymore and we end up with the hull in the condition that Mai Star II is currently in. So as part of her restoration  there will be a major refastening of the hull planking with fresh copper nails and roves and renewed fixings in the frames .





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Work done today on Mai Star II

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Having removed the lower section of the first frame to have a lower section across the keel/hog. It is time to make a pattern of the piece and go through the oak pile to find some suitable pieces of oak to make up a new lower section which connects together  the two frames in the hull at the forward end of the keel bolts.  Another jobwe did was to remove as much of the rotten section of lower forefoot which the samson post mortised into when it was in position. The new forefoot will be made out of some of the seasoned oak  we have in the yard and will likely be made up of two pieces glued together to make up the correct thickness. and then new bolts will be made up and the fore foot will then be bedded on a bed of red lead putty and thick paint.  The three bolts were able to be moved in their holes which is a good sign and will make it easier to put new bolts in to the holes. possibly go up a size and bore new holes through the outer part of the hog/keel. Just placin...
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Making patterns of the two foredeck lodging knees and inspecting the deck bems to see which of them can be salvaged and which need remaking.

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The frame and inner hog repairs now done and now its time to make up and steam the ribs in place.

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The inner hog pieces now replaced and ready to be screwed and bedded down on a mixture of  red lead powder and linseed putty in the same method the original inner hog pieces were fitted almost 80 years ago. The frames are all dry fitted and the same method to be used on the frames as are the inner hog pieces. The same method will be used on these port side frames  The grown floor which as come out of here will be replaced with a laminated oak as it is difficult to source a piece of oak with the grain pattern to make a new floor.   
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