Restoration.

[Springsong]

I don't know quite where to put this so i will start here and see what happens.

Jill-R put an advert in the boats for sale section for a 35ft. Powles cruiser, I recognised it as a Star Premiere from the sixties , so my friend and I negotiated with the owner and with alot of help from Jill have purchased this fine old girl , with a view to restoring her to her former glory.The question is do we have a restoation thread going ?

Regards Barry

[Guest]

no but iam shure if Brian is about he could get one going.

[jillR]

hi barry

i think a restoration thread on lady anne would be great as i would love to watch her progress.

jill

[Guest stevie varnish]

Hi Barry.

35ft Powles cruiser....mmmm.....Star Premier from the 60s ....mmmmm.

Now ive got alarm bells going on in my head.....Oh no not more varnishing.

Seriously mate if I was only 300miles closer to you I think the answer would

be................... when do we start.

All the very very best with the project,will watch with avid interest.

Stevie V.

Ps. you know what will happen now when Griff finds out.

[Springsong]

Hi Stevie V

I actually PM'd Griff on the NBF and he gave me his mobile number and to ring any time, his first big mistake . Thanks for the good wishes

Barry

[jillR]

lady anne november 2007

jill

[Antares_9]

I’m sure it can be arranged in the technical section, unless you would preffer it in a more general area, if I may proffer a little advice, buy a large box of Elastoplast as the first part of the restoration and a case of pride and satisfaction now to “lay down†for the completion, you will have earned it.

I eagerly await developments and wish you good luck. :-D :-D :-D :-D

[Guest]

How much restoration have you got to do Barry? Is it mainly varnishing, or is it Broad Ambition Part Deux?

I enjoyed the old catalogue - especially the 12 quid a week in high season!

Bruce

[Springsong]

Thank you all for your good wishes.

We have got to at least put new cabin roofs on fore and aft, but more than that we don't yet know. Lets just keep our fingers crossed.

I will keep you posted with photos as we go.

Barry

[Brian]

Hi Barry,

Can you provide me with a Landscape pic of you boat please ( a small one is fine )

As i have a idea

[Guest]

The old girl still looks beautiful. Congrats on your purchase Barry.

How is she inside? Does she still have the original fittings, and are they salvagable? Or is it a case of rip them out and start from scratch?

[Springsong]

Hi everone

Well it is through this Forum , and Jill that we found and bought Lady Anne , she will be changing her name later. We have taken a flyer and bought without a survey but at a reasonable price !! :-D We wanted to move from the centre of Norwich down to friends yard near the southern flyover bridge. We chose yesterday (Tuesday) the wetest day for weeks but there you go. We visited the chandlers and bought a pump and a 20 litre jerry can to extract any water in the fuel tank tank was empty , a good battery , jump leads , five litres of deisel and she spluttered into life for about 20 seconds and stopped.Despatched coconspiritor of to Rose Lane for more fuel in the tank it goes and off she goes , bearing in mind this engine has not run since at least April not bad . Incidently it is a Parsons Pike engine which I am told is a Ford D series marinised by Parson with their own gearbox on the back and looks to be the origional setup , a bl-- y great lump . So I hope I don't dissapoint but she went down river as if she was made for it . So next step is Boulters are going on Tuesday next to service the engine filters gearbox and Morse control etc. and then Brundall Breydon Grt. Yarmouth and all points north to Wayford Marine where she will come out and have a huge amount of TLC and more starting with a pressure wash .

More to follow as and when

Barry

[Springsong]

Sorry missed page two.

Amazingly enough the interior fitting are all there the varnish work is reasonable but best of all if you look at the windows the chrome strip running horizontally across is a winding mechanism and they all work , fore and aft, what a result and lovely period lights all there . Truly great I am really so excited :-D Sorry carried away must go and

Barry

[Springsong]

The water damage to the forward and aft cabin roofs the head linings totally shot.

[Mowjo]

Well because that looks like a nice wooden boat, and I'm such a nice helpful chappie type person, this site may interest you or anyone doing work on a wooden boat, I'll add it too the links page later, I found it while looking for a local supplier of 'Le Tonkinois No1' Varnish, it's the best varnish I've ever used on my last GRP boat I did all the back cockpit with it, and when I sold the boat seven years later it was still perfect condition, it's not the cheapest, but being a Decorator for years and doing loads of varnish work I can honestly say it's the best one I've ever come across, right back to this site, it does all the consumables and tools you'll need to restore a wooden boat, caulking irons, caulk, deck canvas, well take a look cos it'll interest you more than me cos mines a plastic boat,, :-D

http://www.tradboats.com/

[Springsong]

You maybe thinking he's given up already and done a bunk, well not a good start to a big job but whilst getting ready to take her to Wayford from Norwich a got a pain in my calf so of to the Quack next day, sent to N&N Hostpital for scan and here am I five weeks later out of hostpial today.Having not seen the boat since, Give me afew days and I will try and get the story so far together.

Barry

[Guest]

I hope everything was ok Barry

[jillR]

hi barry

sorry to hear youve been poorly, take it easy and get better soon.

jill

[Springsong]

Thanks for your kind thoughts a bit of a bummer spending Christmas and New Year in hostpital but onwards and upwards :-D

So, to the voyage north in a boat of unknown reliability. You must remember this a third party tale, so despite the grammar I was not on board.

We had put three twenty litre jerry cans of fuel into the tank and had a spare as well so plenty of juice. Off we go leaving Sheerline cruisers at around seven on tuesday 11th December, this should have put us in Grt. Yarmouth at around the end of the ebb. Breydon was in one of it's calmest moments I think ever (photo I hope) so it was a very pleasant jaunt in the winter sun.

Every thing great until we arrived at Grt. Yarmouth far to early at around half eleven, the tide race around the yellow thingy in the water was really quite fierce, but that old Ford just plodded along at a little over tickover and through she came. What a dodle this motor boating is they began to think, thats right, you and I know this cannot go on.

Just through Vauxhall Bridge where the fishing boats moor the previously good old Ford stopped no warning just from a good throb to that awefull silence which I expect most of you know if not for real at least in your dreams. Not even in nightmares does it happen in Yarmouth anywhere near Vauxhall Bridge, but a safe mooring was found alongside one of said fishing boats so calm was restored to those on board.Next episode later.

[Brian]

Hope the engine problem isnt too serious.

[Springsong]

Hi Brian

No major problem dirt in the fuel tank, bearing in mind until we bought her she had not been run for six months and had no fuel put in for some two years !!

To continue the story: So the engineer cleans the filters dirt in the fuel tank, and away we go to just south of Acle where same again and a quick mooring found. What did we do before mobile phones. So now it's getting late and dark so a tow was organised and away we go again.Now i know not using a spot light is the best way to go just running lights and it easily done but it was a big suprise when we just stopped dead as we hit the quey heading at Upton Dyke the big front brass cleat snapped clean off at the base. She must be built like the proverbial brick out house the stem is damage on an older repair but apart from that there appears to be no other damage.So the next day under her own power another perfect December day up the Ant and across a flat Barton to Wayford,and here she is.

[Guest]

Hi Barry she does not look to bad from the picks under the waterline just painting looks very clean just the woodwork on the outside o yer and coach house roof all that aside i think shes a stunner.

[Springsong]

Well my appolagies to everyone I have only had three days out of hospital since Dec 5th . They finally let me out today less the bottom half of my left leg . Now as you may imagine this does not lend itself to climbing on and off boats 9 foot in the air on the hard or come to that in the water but I intend to have a b----y good try at the latter later (i'm a poet 8-) .

Anyway back to restorations: Everything progresses somehow with nothing but help and cusses from me ,the exterior chrome has all been removed and has gone to Bedford for rechroming , nowhere in Norfolk or Suffolk as aparently the chroming process is illegal in both these counties. I am not even going to mention the cost as it gives me cold sweats but it is 4 rather than 3 figures. The aft cabin roof is now removed and the timber for the new beams has arrived, we have gone for ash rather than oak on cost more than anything (half the price) and whats good enough for Rolls Bentley bodies is good enough for me.The front folding screen is off and a new one has been made with sapele as opposed to mahoagany again on cost grounds.We have a new cover on the boat at least we had before these latest wind I have yet to hear if it has survived. As soon as I have some photos I will post them

[Guest]

Hi Barry hope you feeling well mate sounds like the progress is good and underway :

[jillR]

hi barry

sorry to hear about your leg, hope you recover soon

sounds like lady anne is getting lots of tlc

jill :-D