Wooden Gaff Ketch Restoration

[Mckormick]

Hi all

I have recently taken on the restoration of an old (1908) 50' wooden gaff rigged ketch.

She is a carvel hulled double ender and I have had a full survey that shows that while she is fully capable of being restored to her former glory there is a hell of a lot of work to do.

I will be doing as much of the work as possible myself on a tight budget and as such have been researching the major faults found in the survey to see how to best tackle them.

There are 3 jobs in particular that basically scare the crap out of me and I am hoping to get some sound advice from the members here.

1. Stemhead replacement.

2. Stringer replacement.

3. 'False' keels replacement

Are there any members here who have tackled similar jobs and could give me advice, help and a shoulder to cry on?

cheers
Daryl

[hansp77]

Hello and welcome Daryl,

I am sure someone will have some good advice for you soon,
but in the meantime,
do you have any photo's?

Also, what is the story behind this? Was this one of those oportunities that just 'fell into your lap', or have you gone out and found yourself this restoration project?

Best of luck,
I look forward to following your progress.
Hans.

[Mckormick]

Hi Hans

I was originally looking to build a wooden boat - in particular George Buehler's Alcina design - as a liveaboard but came across this ketch and loved the hull and history.

I'll post some pics soon.

cheers
Daryl

[Hunter25]

Having had a few boats repaired and restored, you are looking at major surgery for those problems. There will not be any light work about this list of jobs, all are difficult and require expertise. The false keels may be a job you can attack, but 50 foot yachts have a way of sucking funds out of each of your bank accounts quickly. The false keels are attached to the outside of the boat, usually screwed or nailed to an inner keel. The fasteners can be removed, the pieces accurately remade and reinstalled. She will need new caulk and you probably will uncover other problems, like fastener hole rot, or iron sickness, both difficult and costly to repair. Budget restoration is much more problematic then a normal type of repair or restoration. Some skills and materials can not be compromised and this takes expertise to know the difference. You may be better off, finding a loving home, capable of caring properly for the old lady and dragging an easier project back to your barn.

[Mckormick]

I'm about to start work on Senora having moved to be only 10 mins away. I thought I post a cpl of pics and give this post a bump....

I'm also trying to categorise the work into jobs that I'm comfortable to have a go at myself and those best done by a shipwright. One of the first problem areas I'm looking at is the stemhead which needs replacing. I'm interested to hear from anyone who completed a similar job or can explain the complexities involved.

thanks all
Daryl

[nero]

Just got back from Le Graus De Roi near Sete in France. The 23 meter double masted wooden ship that I volunteer on had a piece of it keel and the sacrificial keel replaced. Like your ship this boat had a straight keel. The job was straight forward. They simply pried off the piece to be repaired and put on a new one. There were three big 20 mm headed rods set into the keel from the underside. This was done with predrilling and then setting the rods home with a hydraulic jack. Something you could do yourself.

Note that all the new paint above the water line cracked as the ship was slid back into the water. The anti fouling below the waterline probably moved to along the plank joints. The wisdom being don't paint or varnish above the waterline until the hull is floating. Prepping for the finish is, however, a bit easier when on the hard.

Secondly, the ship owners in that area think it is a lot less expensive to have work done in Tunisia. Cheap, but skilled labor, less expensive materials. A bit warmer in the wintertime also.

[Guillermo]

Hi, Daryl!
Lovely boat. Is her name 'Senora' or 'Señora' (spanish for madam)?
You may also try the wooden boatyards in Galicia, NW Spain. There are still a handful of them available and wages here are not as high as in central Europe (And food and wines are excellent! )
Cheers.

[Mckormick]

It's Senora (not the Spanish) as I believe she was named after another boat of the time. She's an Alfred Mylne design and was originally a steam-powered aux ketch.

Thanks for all the great advice - I'll keep this thread updated with the (no doubt slow!) progress....

cheers