pinnace project

[jim1968]

[/IMG]hi i have just bought this old 52ft pinnace built 1936 and plan to convert it in to a cruiser, i have taken off the top and am now left with just the hull which is copper clad, some of which is does not feel properly stuck to the hull . the question is should i just patch up the copper or rip it all off and see whats under it. if i rip it off i would not replace it. ps the insides of the hull look good and only had 6" of water in it after 7 years of neglect sat in the mud, any replies gratefully recieved[/IMG]URL=http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j60/debrakemp/?action=view&current=134.jpg][/url]

[keith66]

You are a brave man taking that boat on, the Pinnaces were used on Cruisers & Battleships, the youngest of them will be 70 years old & she could be far older.
They are usually either double diagonal or treble skinned with the outer skin running fore & aft. Most of them will have been planked with Mahogany and by now their hulls will be getting very tired. A few were built of teak & would be a better bet for restoration. If the copper sheathing is mostly sound i would patch it.
Before you spend a fortune on her get a good shipwright to take a good hard look at her hull as she could cost you a fortune in time & money. Atb

[Classicpower]

Good for you!!!! One blessing that she was in the mud for that time.. It has kept the boat most likely very tight and safe. We rescued a boat in England that had been in the mud for about 2o years. After pulling her out she was in remarkable shape for the time she spent there.. Lots of luck if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[jim1968]

good news i took your advise and had a surveyor come and look at her, she is teak on oak the planking and fastenings are all in good condition . the jobs to do are remove half the stem post and splice in new timber, replace about ten ribs and a small amount of work around the transom. his advise about the copper sheathing was to remove it as a lot is not stuck to the hull properly and is just holding water against the timber so i started removing it while he was there and his point was proven it was full of mud behind every sheet. tommorow i am removing the rest of it and will post some more pics.

[Classicpower]

Great seeing that things are going good... And believe me the mud was her saviour... When washing her down please whatever you do NO powerwash... The fibers are probably so wet that you would damage more then you are doing good.. A hose and a soft bristle brush should do the trick for you without damaging the wood.. Congradulations she does have a wonderful sheer to her and seems to have kept her form well..

[keith66]

Glad to hear the survey went ok, she will keep you busy for a while thats for sure! Her number should be carved in somewhere, try looking on the inside of the transom. Find that and you may be able to tie her history down to which ship she came from.
There is a similar Pinnace at portsmouth fully restored with steam plant & complete with three pounder gun. The Steam boat association is a useful sorce of info. atb.

[boat fan]

WOW !!!!

Teak on oak.

Those repairs are doable.

The very best of luck with it . I think you have found a gem.

Please do keep the photos coming as you make progress.

Beautiful boat.

[peter radclyffe]

you may like to put her on the n h s for boats register

[jim1968]

thanks for positive vibe, when i stripped the boat she had a three cylinder dorman engine approx 50hp at 1500 rpm held in with 4 4" coach bolts bodged onto a self changing gears gear box . i took the engine out put jump leads on it and it started first time and ran perfectly it was originaly off of a compressor and shows 2500 hours , my question is would this engine be big enough for use in the sea and if so does anybody know to a gearbox to suit . the engine is a dorman 3lb. look forward to any replys thanks jim

[keith66]

A friend had a Dorman engine in a motor whaler, the three cyl 50 hp is going to be very under powered for the pinnace especially at sea.
As she is teak on oak its likely she is old enough to have been steam powered either a big compound (twin) or triple expansion steam engine, of up to 50 indicated hp. this would have swung a serious propellor about three & a half feet in diameter & with similar pitch.
Cheapest option would be a big six either Perkins 6354 or Ford Sabre with 3;1 gearbox, The perkins were often used in combine harvesters & can be purchased cheaply from breakers.
If you could find a big Gardner or Kelvin 88 they would do fine but will cost big money to rebuild.

[jim1968]

thanks for the advise keith , i have found a brand new perkins engine fully marinised with gearbox for £ 3000 so i am sorted. i have now taken all of the copper sheathing off and jet washed it down the timber looks in very good condition, next week it is being sand blasted inside and out and then i can start putting it back together. i will post some pics of whats left after blasting next week

[keith66]

Sandblasting is a very good way to get the crud & paint off, but go easy!
I assume you will be using a heavy duty blaster, it will be quite easy to do considerable damage with one of these especially if using grit. You can blast with soda or plastic beads which is rather kinder.
I did a 28 ft 1905 Saunders launch and it came out fine but i was using a small gun and it took me a week.
Beware of using a sand blaster on softwood or other timber with differences in hardness between the growth rings as heavy wear will result instantly which will make your planking look like a worn out old shed!

[wardd]

look into blasting with dry ice, its used to clean delicate articles

[Submarine Tom]

I blasted with baking soda to remove bottom paint and gelcote from a small glass/ply barge with great results before applying an epoxy coating.

[Classicpower]

I agree that blasting can absolutely destroy the boat.. We tried it on a Laurent Giles once and after about 30 seconds tossed the idea away.. I know this sounds like alot of work but my crew of boatbuilders heat gunned our complete 6 meter boat and it came out perfect... And yes bead blasting is okay but you come across any soft wood and it will turn out like beach wood.