Robin

With the doors edge lipped and the frames assembled, I chop the hinges in and hang the doors on the bench. its a lot easier than fitting them on board. The tall cupboards need infill panels to the top and bottom of the frames these are also fitted on the bench. Next I dry fit them on board before removal for varnishing them. The main doors to the forward cabin are the originals but re-varnished, but a new frame was required. Happy that everything fits the doors are removed and handed over to the varnishing department ( my wife) It might be a relatively small cabin but it also required a lot of moldings, these are all varnished before fitting. Next is the flooring at first glance they look ok however when you turn them over you can see the original blockboard is breaking down. Its done well to survive 54 years! We use the same marine grade ply to make new panels not just for the forward cabin but throughout the boat.

Its been a while since my last update, my last post was in April and time was ticking away and we still had a lot to do if we were going to get her back in the water by mid May. The focus was to crack on with the furniture, the plan was to keep the layout as per the original but with a bit of a lift in quality. First in line was the berth fronts there is a drawer in each, luckily in my workshop I had some old good quality Mahogany fronted drawers which had been removed from a ship that had been scrapped. I striped them down and sanded each piece. The berth fronts were cut to size and varnished, I then cut out the drawer openings and fitted a small cock bead around the opening. The berth fronts are now ready to install. The base of the berths sit on a Mahogany strip which forms a border for the floor to butt up to, this stops the floor from scratching the berth face when lifted. Next on the list are the numerus doors and frames. we need a door and frame for the heads, two tall cupboard doors and frames, a pair of doors below the sink and a small pair behind the sink. The frames are made from Mahogany and either morticed and tenoned together or half lapped for the smaller ones. The doors are made from marine ply and edge lipped in Mahogany.

Hi Andy On my bench i have a prop off a Bourne 35 it measures ( after a lot of head scratching) 17" x 9" however this doesn't help as its not the one on your boat' i would suggest you get the engine revs set as per Vaughans advice, then when you are next on the southern broads pop along and i will lift your boat, leave it in the slings for a couple of hours so you can measure the prop and obviously the tapper on the shaft. then you can make an informed decision. and as you have been a good customer in the recent past it is free of charge. PS Don't tell everyone Robin

Its been a little while since my last post, mainly due to a heavy work load and the need to press on with the restoration if we want to use her this summer. The coach roof is now ready for paint. First we sand it back flat and fill any imperfections followed by three undercoats and two top coats. That's the coach roof pretty much complete. Moving back to the inside, next on the list is the window hoppers, there are four in total and due to the curvature of the cabin sides every side section is a different size with different angles. First I plane a board to the required thickness and cut out eight side sections slightly larger than needed. I fix the first piece in situ temporarily. Next I hold the glass against this piece which will then give me the size of the other end. This process is repeated until I have all eight cut to size. These are now sanded and fixed temporarily to a batten to allow all sides to be varnished at the same time. These when fitted will have a vertical batten to hold the glass in place and a top rail to hold the curtain rail, all varnished before fitting. And with the top rails fitted. My attention now turns to the small bulkhead at the bow which forms the chain locker. As before I make a template from scrap ply. I cut out the ply including a hatch for access to the locker. This is varnished before fitting. The hatch opening is trimmed with what is called a cock bead, this is a j shaped timber bead which covers the raw edge and gives a nice finish to the panel. I make enough to go round the draws in the forward berths at the same time.

With the inside looking good its time to start on the outside of the coach roof. I start by trimming the excess ply at the edges and shape the overhang at the front. you can see from the offcuts the layers of ply and that they are tight together. After trimming the sides square I next round the edges to an ascetically pleasing shape, I make and use a template to make sure the edges are the same shape all round. Happy with the sides I turn my attention to the overhang at the front, I cut 40 softwood wedges and glue them under the overhang then fit a sheet of 4mm ply under to give me a strong but visually pleasing finish to the roof. The roof is now ready for its epoxy covering, My epoxy of choice is the Wests system with its various additives for different applications. First we fill the screw heads and joints with resin mixed with 407 a low density filler. Brown in color. When set the roof is sanded back ready for the covering. The sides are covered with plastic for protection. I use a 200gram plain weave glass fiber cloth which is cut to size and rolled back on its cardboard tube. I use a roller to apply the resin and a squeegee to remove air bubbles and any excess glue. I cover the entire roof with resin which is mixed with a small amount of 406 Colloidal silica this will turn the resin into more of a glue. I then roll out the woven fabric across the roof. With the first section laid I use the squeegee to smooth out and wrinkles and draw the resin through the cloth. This stage is not good for your back!! The next strip is laid on using the same method. This is left to set over night. The next day we give the roof its final coat of resin I use the same wests resin however this time I add the 409 microsphere blend this bulks up the resin making it easy to cover the cloth with a good thick coat of resin and is easy to sand when set, it is mixed to the consistency of Ketchup and is applied using my squeegee to spread it evenly.

Before I start making the main formers I fit an angled batten to the cabin sides this will be used to temporarily hold the ply down at the edges. the plastic sheet is clamped behind the batten to protect the cabin sides from any excess glue. Next I cut a curve on one edge of some ply which matches the curve of the beam fitted to the aft bulkhead, after cutting them out I clamp them together and shape the top to make sure they are all identical. Due to the fact that I have to be able to remove the former from below after the roof is complete I have to fix battens to the sides of these bearers to allow me to fix the cover battens from the underside. Because I have to fit around the bulkheads I end up making seven temporary beams, These are the fitted into the boat. They are set in place and supported on timber posts, accuracy at this point is paramount they need to be exactly 20mm below the sides and bulkheads this is the thickness of my cover battens, any discrepancies at this point will show in the finished article. We now fit the cover battens and fix from below. With the former complete I can start fitting the first layers. The inside of the original roof was a product called Hornideck this was a hardboard sheet with a white painted finish. I intent to use a white Formica sheet glued to 4mm ply, when stuck together I obviously place the white side down against the former. I cut the Formica to the required size and glue it to the ply. I'm using a spray contact adhesive, you don't get any fumes like the old contact adessives and it dries in less than minute. After the glue has dried I trim the ply to size allowing an over lap at the sides which is my temporary fixing strip. We lay both sheets on the former and hold them down with a couple of weights. These are then stapled at the outer edges to the timber we fitted to the cabin sides earlier. we cut the next layer and fit it diagonally across the roof, generally ply will lay flatter across a double curve this way. When cut we cover the first layer with epoxy glue and lay on the next sheets. It is very important to make sure the sheets are tight together over the entire area, I use an old fashioned method of stapling the top layer to the previous one to hold it down tight however I don't want to leave the staples in so I fire the staples over a strip of string so they can be easily removed after the glue has set. The rows of string are about 130mm apart and I staple at about 75mm intervals approximately 1000 per layer At the outer edge the staples can stay as we will be cutting about 40mm off when complete. Guess who got the job of removing the staples? The next layer is set at 90 degrees to the last one and fixed using the same method. The final layer is cut into half sheets and set across the boat. After letting the glue set for a couple of days we remove the formers from the inside to reveal our new internal deck head.

Its been a little while since my last post, mainly due to the work involved in the next step. The new coach roof to the forward cabin which has been a bit of a challenge. The roof itself is curved in two directions a bit like an upturned saucer, unfortunately ply doesn't like bending in two different planes at the same time. The original roof was built using a system called cold molding basically laying and gluing layers of thin ply over a former of the desired shape and when set holds its formed shape. This is a very labor intensive process but does produce a very strong roof if done correctly. The advantage of this system means you end up with a roof which doesn't have and permanent beams inside the cabin giving you the maximum headroom. Herbert Woods would probably have made a former on a bench then produced all the roof sections for all six golden lights in one go, I don't know if they used this setup for any other boats? I however have no other option but to build my former in situ then remove it after I have constructed my roof. Step one is the preparation of the cabin sides and tops of the bulkheads. When we installed the new bulkheads I left them a little tall so I can now shape them to the new curve and with the correct bevel to fit the new roof . The next picture shows the top of the bulkheads. I use a batten laid across the tops of the forward and aft bulkheads to show me the angle I have to plane the tops of the bulkheads to. My trusty assistant holds the batten in place. Now onto the cabin sides, these need an angle planed to the top edge however the angle changes as you move forward or aft. I fix a small piece of timber to both ends of a temporary curved beam which I move a long the cabin side to indicate the angle I need to plane to. And after The forward and aft sections are just planed flush with the beams. That completes the works to the boat ready to start building the former.

Continuing with the moldings to the inside of the cabin sides one of the most labor intensive items is the window hopers. starting with the bottom channel. The forward cabin sides have quite a curve to them which means I have to first shape a section of timber against the side followed by a rebated section which will hold the base of the glass and from which everything will be built on. Step one is to clamp a section of timber to the cabin side then using a small block I scribe a line along the timber. With the timber marked I cut them out on the bandsaw. Next I cutout an angled rebated section on my dim saw, its the best tool to use for this job as the blade will tilt to give an angled cut and the blade will lower which allows me to form the rebate. These two sections are glued together. While I'm playing with the windows Chris uses the time to freshen up some varnished items. The main table gets sanded and a couple of coats of varnish. Next on her hit list is the windscreen, after a quick sand and the glass taped its even more varnish. The next item is a step which was originally in the forward cabin but we are going to use these in the aft cockpit as I have new plans for the forward cabin. Finally the wheel get a revamp.

Hi Islander Unfortunately i don't know of anywhere locally that supplies good quality marine grade. I get my ply from a company in Bristol named Robbins Timber they do a Lloyd's approved marine range starting with one called Elite ( Gaboon throughout) then Super elite ( Rotary cut Sapele) they also supply all boat building hard woods. For African Mahogany or any boat building stock, it is Sykes timber in Warwickshire or Stones timber in Salcombe. But please be seated when asking them for prices.

Good question, At the moment her hull still has its original planks, the ribs are original along with her keel and frames, 75% of her transom is original and the aft cabin roof. The engine and gearbox are all original. The glass in the windows seem to be the originals (OK I'm clutching at straws with that one) I would guess she is about 50% original so i have replaced the handle on Triggers broom but still have the original head. Perhaps a question for the forum is at what percentage does a boat go from being an original to a replica? My opinion is if it still has most of its original keel its still original. Robin

Form here to the end of the project my posts will be a bit more spread out and will show what we are doing at any one time. Over the weekend we fitted the last of the larger bulkheads. After varnishing And fitted. It forms the side of a cupboard and this side will be the side to a sink unit. The previous bulkhead which went in plain now gets its stain. With all the bulkheads now in and fixed to the hull in their original positions, they all need fixing to the cabin sides while checking that they are straight and and parallel to each other. The first pair have a curved beam fixed to the top of the bulkheads, the old one had seen better days so I make a new one. I use the old as a template. First I cut the board with a jigsaw to the top edge followed by the second cut done on the bandsaw which is more accurate. The sides are run over the planner to smooth the faces and the top and bottom edge is shaped with a spoke shave. I fix this to the bulkheads which starts to tie things together and give me a point from where everything can be measured from. When fitted I plane the top so the beam and bulkhead are flush. The furthest beam is the new one with the old beam in the foreground used as a temporary support. I use temporary battens pinned to the tops to hold everything in position. I can now fix these to the cabin sides. As I am using quality ply bulkheads I could fix straight through the cabin sides and into the edge of the ply however the original had a timber molding to add support to the chipboard bulkheads, this is quite a nice feature so I will re use what I can and make new to match. And fitted in place. The top edge of cabin sides have a similar molding to add strength and gives extra thickness which makes the coach roof to cabin side joint stronger. While I'm playing with the woodwork Chris sands the transom, rubbing strakes and toe rails ready for more varnish.

My money is on African Mahogany (Khaya) Robin

With the cabin sides and front in place it time to start fitting the bulkheads. The picture above is of the main bulkhead between the center cockpit and the forward cabin, as with all the others it is made of chipboard however this one at some point had been clad over with thin ply. The next picture is the new one viewed from the other side, to save time we varnish some of the bulkheads before I fit them, this can be a risky you need to be very carful and very confident it will fit. A small piece fits behind the steps up to the center cockpit. The next one is painted white as it forms the inside of a small cupboard only 250mm wide. The next picture shows all three on the starboard side fitted. You will have noticed that I have removed the the complete coach roof, this was not part of the original plan, I had planed to keep it in situ however the inside face was not in a great condition and would have taken many hours to strip and re-finish, we also found some damage when I removed the windscreen base so I decided it would make things a lot easier and quicker if we ditched it. The port bulkhead behind the helm is next, cut to shape and varnished before fitting. And after installation. I love the grain in this panel unfortunately it will be on the inside of a cupboard!! Next to go in is the forward port one this sits between the forward berth and the sink area so it needed the edge lip fitting before varnishing, so it goes straight in. That brings you more or less up to date with the last bulkhead scheduled to be fitted tomorrow evening.

Hi Janet Anne Yes it is Sikaflex on this occasion, to be more precise i used the 290 DC (Deck Caulk) which is more flexible than the 291i, which is an adhesive/sealant. The cant rails are bedded on Arbbo Mast a none setting butyl rubber sealing compound. (perhaps I'm not just OCD about wooden pellets?) Robin

With the cabin sides cut and fitted in place, the cabin front was next, another board was cut to size and as with the sides the old front was use as a pattern. The aperture was prepared for the new front the old deck beam was clad in a new piece of mahogany to match. This facia is screwed to the beam and a small capping piece is fitted to the top it is beveled at the front edge and will support the base of the new front. A corner post is fitted along with a support beam to the top of the panel. The corner posts have an internal and external section. The corner posts are epoxy glued and screwed in place, the reason we fit a corner post is to cover the end grain of the main boards to reduce the chance of water ingress. the screw holes get covered with pellets and sanded flush. I get a little bit OCD regarding fitting pellets. first I use a Forstner bit to drill the hole, this type of drill has a cutter on its edge which gives a very clean edge to the hole, I then use tapered pellets which wedges in tight to give an almost invisible glue line. With the sides and front fitted, to finish off I fit a cant rail to the base.

The inside of the hull gets cleaned and painted again with Danboline bilge paint, white above and grey below the chine. We don't remove all the bulkheads at once to leave some strength to the structure. While my wife is painting I start on the starboard cabin side, the more observant of you will have noticed the old were ply and I am putting back solid mahogany. Along with the ply bulkheads this is probably the only other deviation from the original. The rational for this is 1, it should look better, 2, if I use ply I would have to join two sheets together to get the required length, 3, The cockpit sides below the runners where these sides will join are already made of mahogany. If you look carefully the old joint is about 400mm behind the windscreen. Board cut to length no going back now! The process for both sides are the same, you will notice a mixture of port and starboard sides in the next group of photos. At 600mm wide I don't have a planner wide enough to thickness my board so I have to do it by hand, first I plane one side flat then I belt sand at a 45 degree angle across the board it makes it easier to get it flat, when I'm happy with the first side, I sand it with a DA sander to remove any marks from the belt sander. turn it over and start again this time I have to use a Vernier gauge on the edge to make sure in is parallel and a consistent thickness throughout. Not an easy job to get right. I use the old cabin side as a template. After marking, I cut out the window apertures. The first side ready to fit.

Along with the galley we painted the hull varnished the cabin sides and transom, Run new pipe work and connected the Ebespatcher wet heating system, connected the generator. (we didn't have time in phase 3) As soon as allowed we launched her and used her for day trips and obviously when restrictions were lifted we used her throughout the summer, we had an excellent summer afloat, all things considered. but as soon as the second lockdown was announced at the start of November, we got her back to the workshop to start phase five. This was going to be the biggest challenge to date! everything forward of the helm seat would go, six half bulkheads, toilet rebuild, furniture replaced, cabin sides and front renewed, the coach roof had to go and a new one built. We are currently half way through this phase so my posts will slow down as we catch up however you will get to see the end results in real time. The strip out. Most of the furniture in the forward cabin was made of the dreaded chipboard and as a result nothing could be saved. The cabin sides were next to go, they were made of ply and had started to delaminate and had water staining. I spend a bit of time getting the sides out in one piece as they will make good templates. The chipboard bulkheads don't put up much of a fight. As soon as we have stripped out my wife starts scrapping and painting. We had ordered the materials we needed early because of the concern of the lockdown holding up supplies. 3 x 800mm wide Mahogany boards for cabin sides 7 x sheets of 19mm ply for bulkheads 7 x sheets of 5mm ply for the coach roof 2 x sheets of 4mm ply for the coach roof 2 x sheets of white laminate for the coach roof 20 ltr drum of epoxy resin and woven fabric.

Following our summer afloat, November arrived all to soon so she is now back in the workshop and ready for phase 4 The main works in this phase will be a complete new galley, the old one had a small removable unit over the gearbox with just a worktop on top. outboard it had a sink set into the top with some poor cupboards below, the cooker is against the newly installed bulkhead. Time for change. The sink will move to the area over the gearbox it will also have a waste bin incorporated in the unit however it will need to be easily removable for access to the gearbox. The old. The unit under the window will have three doors to make it more usable and full width worktop. The worktops will be made from a resin called Corian( made by Dupont) The frames are made. I then edge lip ply to make the doors. We install the units and remove the old flooring which will be replaced with ply covered blue Marmollium (modern version of Lino) the panels will be edge lipped in mahogany The Corian tops are made and installed complete with splash backs. The floor is made in four removable panels. To finish off the galley I make a small cupboard unit over the sink complete with hooks under ready for our Beccles wooden boat rally mugs!

Hi Guys Thanks for the nice comments regarding my wife's varnishing, over the next couple of days I will sort out in my head a step by step guide to how we varnish then post it. Robin

With the aft cabin rebuilt, just a couple of finishing touches to complete this phase. The window hoppers. The doors through to the galley. a simple design of mahogany edge lipped ply with a lot of varnish. The next picture shows' the bargain of the project, Art deco lights, three for fifteen quid on Ebay the other two will go in the forward cabin. And a new windscreen! I make up new frames and my wife get to varnish them, you will see in the photos I sand them with an old carpet on my bench. this is to prevent any damage, when you sand one side and turn it over and sand the second side, the side against the bench will often get damaged because of the vibrations of the sander. And installed. You will see in the back ground we have epoxy coated the aft cabin roof. With Phase three complete she is returned to the water ready for our well earned summer afloat.

Moving on to the aft cabin sides, The originals were ply and as per the canopy the were showing signs of delamination and had rotted away adjacent to the deck. There were signs of previous repairs and when we replaced the decks we only carried out a temporary repair. Photo from phase 1 There is a scarf joint about 8 feet from the stern so the plan is to remove everything aft of this joint and blend in new from it. On the inside we install new window rails and eventually hoppers. The aft section gets shaped to match the original. After sanding we start building up the varnish. The outside gets a slight stain to blend it in before we apply the varnish. Back inside the ply to the galley area was showing signs of water ingress, however our deck repairs seem to have fixed this we just needed to deal with the staining. And after my wife has worked her magic.

Following on from yesterdays post I will start with a picture of the door actually in situ. note the number 5 in the top right hand side this is the original number from her hire days when she was Golden light 5. Continuing with the aft well area. The original well housed two gas lockers, one for the cooker and one for the fridge, we have gone for an all electric fridge so have room for change. There was also a step along the transom to aid getting in and out. I will build a new gas locker on one side, and I am going to build in a generator on the other, how much the generator will be used is up for debate but it will be nice not to need to plug in to a shore supply even when we have the grandchildren on board. I have acquired a pre loved Fisher Pander 4.5 kw water cooled diesel generator with very low hours, which is more than ample for our requirements. The first job is the base for the generator. A couple of Iroko bearers fixed to the transom and bulkhead. topped with a ply base, the hole in the base is to stop sound reverberating through the bottom ( as advised by Fisher Pander tech team) I borrow a mould and make a fiber glass locker which holds two two small gas bottles. The gas locker will sit above the steering unit. I fit in a ply support, the other side supported on the bulkhead. I make a fiberglass tray to form the base of my well, this is drained to the center of the boat via two pipes, where any water gets pumped overboard. I box the the generator and gas locker in ply, the tops are going to stepped for easy access but are big enough to double up as seats. The Grey trim you can see in the pictures is a one piece bespoke fiber glass gutter which will drain all the water away from the lids, this was not my first design, I made one in timber with a small groove round the edge however the grove was to small and clogged easily they went in the bin! The steps / seats are made of ply covered with epoxy resin on a woven fabric I use a gas strut to hold them in the open position. Next I build a step across the transom at a lower level to form a step. The small panel in the center of the vertical face is to give easy access to the rudder gland. Inside the cabin I fit the generator control panel.

Works move to the inside. we plan to strip out the complete aft cabin including the old chipboard bulkheads. The aft well gets striped and painted. Bulkheads stripped out between the aft cabin and the galley. These are the old aft bulkheads still in place. And then removed. The first bulkheads go back in are between cabin and galley. In the galley we install a half bulkhead at the side of the cooker to stop any wind blowing the gas out when the canopy is open. Followed by the rear bulkheads. Which quickly gets varnished. The windows get installed next. The original sliding door was very plain and without a window. I design and build a new hinged door albeit an older style than this boats age.

With the hull complete we carry on with getting her ready for launch, Antifoul, paint the decks, another couple of coats of varnish on the cabin sides and transom. Good to go for may 2018 and another summer afloat. We jump forward to the winter and with our program of works planned we get her back into the workshop November 2018 for Phase three. First on the list is the transom, I post the next picture as a reminder of how it looked. During one of my inspections I could see water was getting between the rubbing strake and the transom itself. You can also see dark staining where the transom meets the hull sides. I remove the rubbing strake and expose some minor rot behind, we also strip it back to bare wood. At this point some of you may think I have lost the plot! I have made two parallel cut across the transom to remove the rot behind the rail. One of the problems with wood is that it is always on the move and when you have a rail bolted to the transom it is inevitable that water will get between the transom and the rail. but I have a plan. The two cuts across the transom are angled to form a wide V . I then shape a piece of timber to fit this gap but 20 mm thicker than the transom board, this will be concaved at the outer edges where it will meet the new rail thus moving the joints away from the corner. These are glued and bolted into position. unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it being installed just the finished article. The Transom is now sanded and and 8 coats of varnish are applied.

Hi Guys Yes it is a Mk1 Cortina estate, it is on the to do list when i have time.