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40+ tonnes of Boatshite - engineshite update 9/5/20


coalnotdole

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Cheers

Its almost a shame that 70% of them will end up hidden under the cockpit floor isn't it!

 

It might all seem massively drawn out (it is) and rather OCD (it is a bit) but I tend to buy the materials for a particular job and then stash them for a bit until I get time to start it.

Then, inevitably work/weather/life/cars puts it on hold for a bit so I start another job (which I've probably had the parts for, stashed for a year or so)

 

Eventually I end up with countless different parts of the larger project all in various states of completion and hopefully slowly and erratically moving forwards. Sometimes it gets a bit depressing but as long as things arent going backwards its ok.

 

One of the reasons I like to post on these threads is that it gives me something to look back at and see what I have achieved when I feel a bit down about it.

 

With this project I work on the basis that I never want to have to re-do any of it if I dont have to. So I'd rather get it right and using the best materials first time regardless of cost/time/mentalness.

 

Emotional outpour over...

 

Dave

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I reckon you'll find it all comes together all at once.  I can see through this thread that you've got lots of really high quality bits of work trundling along quite nicely and the whole thing is coming together really well.  Having the detachment of viewing your progress makes it much easier to see, I'm not sure I'd have the patience to stick with this the way you have and get the excellent results you have so far.  Great to see this one float back to the top of the thread updates, it's absolutely fascinating stuff throughout.

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Dave, I love this thread - its right up there with "Project Binky" in things that I cant wait for the next installment of.

 

Perhaps its because if I tried something like this I'd end up setting fire to the ocean, perhaps its because of the meticulous attention to detail knowing that it should last your lifetime once done, perhaps its because of all the lovely materials. Whatever the reason, please dont stop when you feel a bit down, and please know that there are a load of weird blokes (and a couple of weird birds) who are rooting for you and cant wait for the next update.

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Awesome work!

 

I spend a bit of my time at the Island power station, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for you. 

Kingston? I occasionally do a bit of work in Kingston Marine Services next door. If theres ever any chance of swinging a tour I'd be very interested as I've never been in a Gas Turbine Station.

 

Dave

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Love the work! Just think how absolutely bloody wonderful it will be when done. Then imagine the horror when us lot board it and take it for a spin round the harbour. Coastguard, RNLI, Prince William in his whirrlybird, fire brigade, police and ambulance services all in one location at the very same time. Cool eh?

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I'm new on here and have just spent a couple of hours reading this.

First impressions were it's too much to take on.

He'll be Roffling it in 9 months.

Years went by and still improvements happening.

Bought another! My wife thinks I'm daft when I buy a car for spares.

 

Best thing I've ever read.

You are the master of your craft.

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You are the master of your craft.

 

:roll:  I see what you did there.....

 

Seriously thanks for all the reply's its good to know that people find this stuff interesting - I always find it a bit difficult to know how much detail to go into as some of the terminology is fairly specialised.

 

Anything that doesn't make sense do feel free to question!

 

Cheers All

Dave

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I have used the 'drill guide' trick myself.

 

Enlarging an existing hole, in an aluminium engine part, but on a different centre point - with a power drill.

 

Shops do it in a miller, shed men use a block of steel as a guide, pre drilled at hole size ;)

 

 

Wood is a fantastic resource.

 

 

TS

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I don't think you can put too much detail in your updates for us lot -  you put in a pic of the biaxial matting on the top of the fashion er, things, and I think, 'he's got some scrap plastic against the non-exposed side, is this so the resin doesn't dribble down and mess up the mating with the er, bulwark? Why doesn't he say?...'

 

And the half dovetail on the upper edge of the er, things, that go from the beamedge to the carlins - I think 'how did he cut that? What tool did he use? Why doesn't he say?'

 

See what I mean?

 

I know the answer is, you'd end up putting more effort into the updates than you did into the work itself, which is more insane than undertaking this boat in the first place. On the other hand, before t'interweb, people doing stuff like this either wrote copious notebooks (daVinci's sketchbooks - which of course were never on sale during his lifetime but are now priceless) or got a film company to follow them round and made a bit of money out of it (Fred Dibnah).

 

TL:DR

Thanks for all the effort you put into this thread. I can't get enough of it. Absolutely blinding work of the highest quality. 'God bless you and all who sail in her!'  :-P

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  • 4 weeks later...

I don't think you can put too much detail in your updates for us lot -  you put in a pic of the biaxial matting on the top of the fashion er, things, and I think, 'he's got some scrap plastic against the non-exposed side, is this so the resin doesn't dribble down and mess up the mating with the er, bulwark? Why doesn't he say?...'

 

And the half dovetail on the upper edge of the er, things, that go from the beamedge to the carlins - I think 'how did he cut that? What tool did he use? Why doesn't he say?'

The bits of carrier bag are actually acting as a release film for the bit of plywood thats clamped behind them - as theres only a tiny radius on that side of the end of the fashion piece the bi-axial glass doesn't like bending around such a tight corner and tends to spring back up - clamping a bit of ply against it holds it down until the resin sets.

 

Dovetails on the deck beams were cut using a jigsaw - you cut the half joint on the underside first then cut the dovetail from the top face of the beam. Takes a bit of thought as the carlin and beam shelf are all sloping in two directions but the beams are at 90degrees to the centreline of the boat and drop in dead vertical. Then I plane the top face of the beam off to match the angle of the carlin/beam shelf.

 

Nice to see people noticing the odd details!

 

Will update soon.

 

Dave

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  • 10 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I too have been wondering on what progress has been made with the boat.

 

Like Project Binky, I await updates to this thread( which i have bookmarked) with baited breath and never cease to be impressed with the attention to detail given to the repairs.

I assume the eventual goal is for this to be your home.

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I too have been wondering on what progress has been made with the boat.

+1

 

It was whilst searching for an update on this restoration (which has been posted on another forum too) that I came across AS a few months ago.

 

Fantastic work has been done on this 52' HLD and we look forward to hearing how it is going?

 

Boats of this type have been a long-term interest of mine although my own current boatshite project is a bit smaller; a 25ft ex. Admiralty Motor Cutter. A type of Royal Navy seaboat that was once very common but is now all but extinct. I may post some details on another Boatshite thread.

 

Squirrel2

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.

I've only recently come across this thread, and have been reading it over the past week or two  ..little by little as if a special and delicious treat :P  ..it really has been something awesome to follow.

 

And I'd concur with each and every enthusiastic response.. From the first it's been a wonderful endorsement of what a man and his friend(s) can achieve, breaking the mammoth task of renovating a 52'-6" wooden-hulled work boat into man-sized tasks. And then your advanced planning (in materials, parts and special fittings) as & when funds and opportunity arose, and then tackling those tasks one or two at a time.  What you've done here is truly a credit to you both,  and an inspiration for many of us ..and even for me to get on with the abhorrent grinding of grp inside my little (30ft) boat. 

 

So on behalf of the silent majority  (.. 39,845 views ! ) may I take this opportunity to thank you for sharing this adventure / your home, and the mind boggling tasks & your achievements, and a little of your struggle, self motivation and modest dream.  It's been exceptional ..by anyone's standards ! 8)

 

 

If I might enquire .. I was a little surprised that you did not go on to swap the funnels between the two boats, after you commented on how good the 'original'  on the spare was.  Was it because yours was recently new, or was there more to it ?  

 

I also wonder why it was necessary (..or even preferable) to make from scratch the new hatch handles and stays, &/or things like the rudder guard, when most of us would have cherry picked the best from the two vessels ..and moved on with more pressing tasks ?

 

As you've said you hope to refurbish her to being as, or perhaps even better than, original - I presume you'll replace the forward coamings and re-fit the original stanchions & wires, and replacing the fenders, and window bars ?   I wonder then (..when she'll look so very original) whether you might promote the vessel within the film industry. I'm sure many would agree - we would love to see your vessel (..still named 'Cathy' ? ) actually fulfilling her working role, perhaps even towing a huge ship ..across the silver screen.   

 

Again our grateful thanks for your sharing with us. 

We all look forward to updates 8)

 

Bfg

 

p.s.  how long does diesel fuel keep for.?   I'd heard that our local marina have problems with its storage, but perhaps that's with modern additives in the stuff.

 

p.p.s.  yes please Squirrel2  ..some details on other Boatshite thread would be most interesting.

 

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