Rebuild of Norwegian Pilot Cutter

[svaap]

Hi,

Over the last 15 yrs I've been working on restoring/rebuilding a Norwegian Pilot Cutter (Colin Archer -type) cutter.

These working boats were often small in size -25 -35 feet, and operated in rough seas in finding vessels in need of pilot-services mainly in the southern shores of the Norwegian coast-line.

My boat was built in early 1900 (not verified), and was 30' over her decks.

Neglect over a long time, left her with bad timbers and fumes of decay lurking in her bilges.

I found her, bought her, and sailed her the firs summer.
Her leaks were increasing, and hundreds of litres found their way into her bilges when sailed hard..
-She needed repairs..

You probably know the story "Just a few planks here, and bits of frames there, some paint and we're off sailing again..."

Now, 15 into the restoration process, she still is high and dry in my workshop...

I will post some pictures streching over many years -hopefully in a cronological sequence:

Starting (Happy Days)



It was soon to be discovered that both fasteners and wood had reached a sorry state due to rust and rot...:





The rebuild started with tearing out rotten frames and planking.
Some of the frames were so bad that they could not come out in one peace, but practically was dug out of the hull..

Replacing stem, keel, sternpost, frames and planking took some years...:





To be continued...

[svaap]

The rebuild was done with primitive tools -mostly hand tools.
Frames were cut using an adze, and planks were hand-planed to finish and bevelling.

Over the years I've obtained a effective range of power tools, to make things easier and to increase the speed fo the project (ok, 15 years for one project doesn't give it too much speed I guess..l)

Here are some pictures of the hull and ballast keel. The keel was cast in an under-ground-level mould, heavily supported by beams and crossings. It weigh 3000 kg.





The frames and planking are of Norwegian pine (full of pitch) and are quite beafy.. Frames are doubble 4"x4" (grown), and planking is 1,5", splined.

[Thorne]

All I'm seeing is red "X" icons, mate.

Here's how to post photos on this forum:

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TROUBLESHOOTING:
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[svaap]

Oups...

I will try Flickr.
It is allready 01:00 in the morning -so.... zzzzz for now

[StevenBauer]

Just going by the text I'm sure the pictures will be worth the wait.



Steven

[peter radclyffe]

good stuff, where are you svaap

[svaap]

Hi again..

I have started importing pictures to flickr.com , but it will take a while..

I am building in Norway, just north of Oslo far away from salty seawater

Are there any edit-functions to use so that I don't have to start all over again when posting?

[Duncan Gibbs]

Yes! Use the icon above in your edit/post buttons.

When you copy the image URL from Flickr ensure you use that button to ensure each image has "[IMG]your image URL here [/IMG]" tags around it. I use Picturetrail and can copy the image across with these tags already in place.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your shots!

[mizzenman]

Hi again..

I have started importing pictures to flickr.com , but it will take a while..

I am building in Norway, just north of Oslo far away from salty seawater

Are there any edit-functions to use so that I don't have to start all over again when posting?

Hi and well come, the edit button is down on the right side of your posts.

Looking forward to se more of this!

[chuckt]

Wow--very cool boat. Another favorite thread I think. 15 years!!! You must be a patient man.

[Duncan Gibbs]

Totally brilliant!!! I mean.... WOW!!! A very hearty welcome aboard the Forum Svaap. That's quite an entrance you've made!

[svaap]

Thanks for friendly comments!

I finished the hull to a high-gloss finish, but regret doing that later on as I really like it better when you can actually see the planking..

Here are some pictures of the work:










The decks were replaced in the early 80's and appeared to be in good condition. I needed to replace some stanchions and other details:





Working on the casing:




I think these pictures are about 4 yrs old.

More coming after uploading pictures

[JimD]

Astounding effort and result.

[Champagne]

Good to see you are drinking Ringnes øl while working on her

Nice progress!

Brgds

Champagne (just south west of Oslo)

[lagspiller]

Ringnes, piff... . This boat deserves Nagne ø, el.l.
I don't give my dog ringnes, and I don't even have a dog.

[mizzenman]

Agreed about Ringnes

Hansa would be the right thing!

[svaap]

I'm glad that a bottle of beer in a picture causes such enthusiasm on ones favourite brand...

Now to the progress of the project.
Engine installation included welding a foundation/frame in steel.
I am no welder, but I have made some test-pieces and found out that I have managed to get welds that are "deep" and strong.
(They have been inspected later by a guy with knowledge of the trade)

The engine is in fact Norwegian -a SABB (no, not like the cars Saab).

It is a two-cylinder engine of massive 22HK pushed through a 420 kilo lump of metal...
I chose it because of it's reliability and also it's sound (!)...





Later, I created fixed points for the prop-shaft alignment, to be able to drill the hole through the new sternpost.

After drilling a pilot-hole, I made a similar jig on the outside of the boat, making shure it corresponded with the angle of the engine on it's bedding.

A picture of the drilling:



And a rough assembly of the propel -a two-bladed variable pitch with 62cm diameter:



The sternpost and aperture for the propel was later adjusted/faired.

Now it was time to start on the interiour.
SVAAP is a relatively small boat, and I needed to take that into consideration when arranging the interiour.

I wanted a fixed bunk in the forward part of the boat, and also wanted the galley to be in the rear of the cabin.

A centre, foldable table with seats on both sides was also on the "I would like-list". Now it was a question of -is there room for all this?

I started in the front of the boat with the sleeping-quarters:



I wanted to paint the panelling, leaving some details of varnished maghogany



Next will be the oven and galley..

[Jim Ledger]

I love everything about your boat, including those ventilation holes in the last photo. Classic.

Tremendous effort and a beautiful result.

[svaap]

Thanks Jim, I thought the ventilation holes would make a nice addition to the cabin, and it is used all over as a signature.

In Norway, even the summers can be chilly and damp, so I would like to install a owen running on diesel from the main diesel-supply.
That way, I would not have to worry about filling a reservouar and watching the supply.

Again, a small boat calls for utilizing the space as best as one can:



The oven on the picture is burning wood and pellets, but I have later changed it with a diesel-burning model from "Kabola", with a nice glass that gives visiblility of the flame burning. Very nice!

I made the galley as big as I could with the space available, and wanted room for a gas-stove for a bit more possibillities for preparing meals.





The observant reader will see that my favourite beer brand is "Rignes"....

The opening, under the sink, is to allow for the bench to be converted into a sleeping bunk... Again, it is a small boat..

Chart-table was also something I would like to have..but I also needed a toilet-facility... Hmmm can I combine the two??



Doesn't give much privacy...but sometimes compromises are neccessary...

[StevenBauer]

I just knew these pics would be worth waiting for. Fantastic work. Thanks.



Steven

[Concordia 33]

Beautiful shots! Beautiful boat! Nice Job!

[George Ray]

wonderful stuff ......

[Ken Cormorant]

Beautiful Boat. I like the details. I'll just advice that you flush before navigating. :-)
I've got a gavleboat that I work on, Would love to see a bit of the overall layout of your cabin.

[svaap]

Ken: I will try to find a picture with a more overall overwiev of the layout..

After almost finishing the interiour and cockpit, I found a piece of bad wood in the deckplanking..
I knew there were some suspicious beams in the forward ends, and also some of the deck-planking to be less than 100%...

I went over the possibillities over and over again -not knowing if I should repair, look the other way or simply replace bad planks, or ultimately; replacing the deck...

Of course, I landed on the last alternative -and ended up replacing all of the beams as well.

I ordred iroko hardwood for the deck (would be planed down to 40mm x 60mm), and oak for the beams, then started breaking up the old pine deck.

I was suprised to find a lot of bad wood in the deck/beams, and felt a sigh of relief that I had made the right descision not to just patch out the old one..

It took some time to make new beams, as there are a lot of dove-tail joinery between the carling and the half-beams.
I counted 34 dovetails, and it was a nice experience to learn how to master the technique of getting them tightly fitted.

Since I had the deck all open, I wanted to make some changes to the cabin-trunk.
It was very narrow (wich is nice I think) but was constructed with the same height in the front as in the back. Made it appear to be higher in front somehow... Should probably follow the waterline, not the sheer of the boat...

I moved the carlins out 15cm on both sides, and decided to keep the same curvatour on the beams for the cabin -making the sides a bit lower. I also shortened the cabin-trunk with ca 60 cm, to make way for a flush-deck right in front of the mast.

Then I decided to make a hatch on the foredeck.

Now it's time for some pictures I guess.... :

All new oak:








I made copper bolts (12mm diameter), with a riveted head on one side and threads on the other. If I possible, I riveted the head on both sides.



More to come..

[skaraborgcraft]

outstanding tenacity. I just love all that chunky oak. Some very nice detailing, the chart table/head made me smile. You certainly deserve your beer! CHEERS

[chuckt]

Ooooh! Ahhhh!

[TimH]

beautiful.

[Kon-Tiki]

GRATULERER MED DAGEN!!

Great work, beautiful and practical rebuild - thanks for sharing! Can't wait to see more.

Will raise a Hansa to you tonight!

[svaap]

Thank you all for your comments.

The framing of the deck took almost 6 months.
I made almost 200 copper bolts, with a riveted head on one side.

The knees that support the beams and the breasthook, was cut from roots that i dug out of the forest.
A lot of work, but they provide really strong connections and are far more pleasant than laminated ones (I think...)

Here is the starting point (after hours of digging, sweating and swearing...):



And here is the finished result after fitting:














The covering board was cut from 60 mm thick oak using chainsaw for the initial cut. Later I faired the cut with a bandsaw. Not easy to manouvre those beast through the saw, but it got there somehow..

(pictures coming up)

[chuckt]

Can you describe how you got from tree stump to knee?

[svaap]

Making patterns for the covering boards:







And cutting at the finished line on the bandsaw:



Now I could focus on measuring the bevels between the covering-board and the sheerstrake, as the covering-board is on the inside of the upper plank.

Quite similar technique as measuring the bevel on the planking on the hull -only I did those many years ago...so a bit of repetition was needed....

The covering-board is planed down to 50mm thickness, and will be cut into the deck-beams with a 10mm groove.

Fitting the chunky oak planks:



They are scarfed together, leaving room for chaulking of the seams:




Next: milling iroko

[svaap]

Chuck:

Can you describe how you got from tree stump to knee?

It started out with cleaning the stump, and laying out the cuts trying to get the most out of it.



And leaving them for some time to dry out:



Then i roughly shaped them from patterns, and planed them down to the right thickness:





Then I adjusted them to the boat -in situ:



End result before bolting:

[svaap]

The iroko was measured to be aprox 11% humidity, so I decided to start milling down to 60mm x 40mm:



A nice and cold day - 20 degr Celcius....



I was lucky to get big lenghts, almost all the planks are 8 metres long...



Awaiting their final destination in the workshop:

[PeterSibley]

SVAAP ,inspirational ! I have a large project in my workshop and to see your progress and success is really uplifting !

[svaap]

Thanks Rob!

I truely love the process.

Measuring the symmetry of the deck took some time.
I had a "bulb" that I had to compensate for when laying the deck.
After measuring out the positioning of the first plank, I started cutting on the expensive wood...

Using full lenghts of iroko makes is a bit challanging to fit the planks, as they are nibbed to the covering-board and needs to be of precise length.

When I got started, it was merely routine but I still use over 3 hrs per plank (and that is a lot less than when I started... )



Fitted two heavy oak-posts for fastening the metal-rod for the main-sheet (do not know the name for it..)

[peter radclyffe]

great

[svaap]

GRATULERER MED DAGEN!!


Will raise a Hansa to you tonight!

Thanks!

May 17th is Norways national day... still celebrating !!

[Eric D]

Wow, as has been said many times, great effort, thanks for sharing!!!

[Dana Marlin]

I love heavily built boats!! Can you give us some highlights of the scantlings you used?

[svaap]

These boats are quite heavily built.

I guess my SVAAP will weigh about 10,5 tons.

Some dimensions:

Frames: doubble 4x4" pine (grown/sawn)
Stem/stern: 5" and 6" oak
Keel: 13 1/2"x 5" oak
Planking hull: 1 3/5" pine
Beamshelf: 2 1/2" x 5" oak
Deck-beams: 3 3/5" x 3 3/5" oak
Main mast-beam: 5" x 3 3/5" oak
Covering-board: 2" by aprox 4 1/2" oak
Deck: 1 3/5" x 2 3/5" iroko

Mast: aprox 21cm (8 1/2") ca 13 m tapered
Lead keel: 3 tons

The beam is just over 3 metres, so she is quite narrow for this type. The draft is 6 feet.
LOA just over 30 feet. (plus bowsprit)

[chuckt]

Thanks for pics on the stump to knee transition. I was very curious how you did it. Bravo

Wow. Your boat is quite a tank. Was she built to withstand ice ?

[Phil Y]

WOW!

[svaap]

What is the currency they are using ?, is it the Euro ?.
http://www.finn.no/finn/boat/used/re...SS=2188&page=2
Regards Rob J.

Hi!

The currency for the ads is NOK (Norwegian Kroners)

[WX]

I admire your tenacity, you had to overcome some serious problems there. You should be very proud of your work.
-20 degrees C eh? I'm glad I live where I do....I grumble when it gets down to 10 degrees C at night.

[svaap]

-20 degrees C eh? I'm glad I live where I do....I grumble when it gets down to 10 degrees C at night.

This winter was very cold -the coldest for over 80 years.
We had -30 -25 degr C for almost a month....
And I am working in a unheated workshop (Brrrrr).

Had no time to stop thinking or measuring outside.. Had to do the thinking inside, and work like hell to keep warm outside!

[Cliff B]

The engine is in fact Norwegian -a SABB (no, not like the cars Saab).

It is a two-cylinder engine of massive 22HK pushed through a 420 kilo lump of metal...
I chose it because of it's reliability and also it's sound (!)...





Later, I created fixed points for the prop-shaft alignment, to be able to drill the hole through the new sternpost.

After drilling a pilot-hole, I made a similar jig on the outside of the boat, making shure it corresponded with the angle of the engine on it's bedding.

A picture of the drilling:



And a rough assembly of the propel -a two-bladed variable pitch with 62cm diameter:



The sternpost and aperture for the propel was later adjusted/faired.

Now it was time to start on the interiour.
SVAAP is a relatively small boat, and I needed to take that into consideration when arranging the interiour.

I wanted a fixed bunk in the forward part of the boat, and also wanted the galley to be in the rear of the cabin.

A centre, foldable table with seats on both sides was also on the "I would like-list". Now it was a question of -is there room for all this?

I started in the front of the boat with the sleeping-quarters:



I wanted to paint the panelling, leaving some details of varnished maghogany



Next will be the oven and galley..

Are the Sabb 1 and 2 cylinders still being built? Are they available new, or just not exported from Norway anymore?

[svaap]

Hi!

The one and two-cylinder engines are not in production, as far as I know. But they still provide all spare-parts (if needed).

These engines were built to run all day long -as a engine designed mainly for the fishing-fleet. They are very reliable.
No problem to get them -as they are often replaced due to their vibrations -they really punch hard when running!

Slow running, hard cycle.. almost like a good old semi-diesel..

[mmd]

Hey, I was a babbling fan as soon as I saw the shouldered, full-dovetail deck beam connections! You don't know how many professional boatbuilders I have suggested that to who whine and cry for "an easier way"...

Very nice work, svaap.

[BillBerger]

I am amazed and in complete awe!

She's beautiful and built take Mother Natures toughest.

[svaap]

Your boat is quite a tank. Was she built to withstand ice ?

She was not built to withstand ice, and is acually not more strongly built than most of the vessels of her type.
The Norwegian shore-line is quite tough, and boats designed to operate in all conditions in these waters needs to be quite tough.