My winter projects for this winter.

[jstarboats]

Hi Alan,
You will have to let me know what you are planning on doing as I can always advise you from a far on the best way of doing the jobs you have to do.

Regards

Simon

[jstarboats]

The day as now come that the Shetland Family 4 is now ready to go out of the Workshop and up for sale


After all the hard work over the past few months, it is now ready to go



All the the cockpit linings have been replaced and the locker tops have been re-varnished, now just the cockpit cushions need to be placed in position and the cockpit will be complete



The hull and superstructure have been compounded and just need a final coat of polish to keep it clean duing the coming season

The new smoked grey windows set off the clean lines well

Now it just needs a coat of fresh antifouling and just add water.

[jstarboats]

Having cleared up the old shaft log, now time to take the measurements off the bottom of the old shaft log and transfer the measurements to the new shaft log

Transferring the measurements to the new shaft log

Now time cut the rib positions out of the new shaft log, so the next time I get on the yacht can start to fit the shaft log to the hog/keel

[jstarboats]

Finally got round to making a chisel rack in the workshop at the back of one of the work benches in the workshop



Getting out my old gent saw to making the clear edges of the rib notches







One side of the shaft log rib notches also finished

[jstarboats]

Making stern tube spacers so that the extend drill bit will run true through the new shaft log when it is fitted in yacht

Drilling the ends in the spacers, so it is ready to drill the new shaft log with the extended drill bit and the hole saw cutter

[jstarboats]

Bit of a frustrating morning at work replacing this boat trailer's brake shoes on this client's trailer. When I got down to the removing the drum on the front right hand wheel, there was no brake material on the shoes just brake dust and rust. So it was a matter of stripping down what there was left and cleaning up parts and lightly oiling up the moving parts the needed freeing up to work correctly. Then putting the whole brake system back together. a job that should have take a couple of hours took four hours instead. Happy days not!!!!!!!! One brake drum down just three mopre to go. then the trailer will be road legal again and will brake correctly. It will be time to let the owner know that he should take better care of his trailer in future and not leave it so long before getting sorted.

[jstarboats]

The Mai-Class Dinghy brought into the workshop after being outside undercover until there was space the workshop

Next it was time to turn her over to put the bilge runners and skeg on before turning her over to finish doing the final few copper nails along the keel

While its this way up it will be time to cut the keel slot



The bottom looking more finished off

[jstarboats]

The Mai-Class dinghy and the Enterprise in the workshop to get them finished off and out on the water





The Enterprise just needs a few more control lines and the toe straps fitting and the hull just needs a quick few coats of paint and it will be ready to go sailing again.







Starting to make the patterns for the new planks for the Bottom of the classic yacht the team are working on at present.

[jstarboats]

The Hardy Navigator almost finished apart from a few jobs and the Enterprise is now in the workshop to get finished off.



The canopy now repair and set up correctly just it will do its job







The Shetland Family Four now out in the yard waiting for its new owner to pick it up

Spoiling the new plank for the Classic yacht the team are working on, once marked off and fitted the shaft log can be fitted and then the shaft log can be bored out to take the stern tube.

[jstarboats]

Marking off the centreboard slot



Double checking the plans to ensure we get it cutin the correct position

Slot cut in the keel/hog and now just needs the edges cleaning up

[jstarboats]

Today was a good day with the dinghy coming off its trailer



The being turned over to have its aft piece of skeg fitted and the bilge runners fitted







Checking the plans to take the masurenements for the centreboard slot







Then cutting the slot in the hog/keel










Then today putting the dinghy back on its building stocks and fixing it down to the building stocks through the slot while the team gets on with fitting out the inside of the hull with the seat stringers and the double rubbing strakes and then fitting the seats and thwats and the mast step and mast thwart just for starters.

[jstarboats]

This is the scene I wake up to this morning and the roads are not much better. The drive to work is not good either.



So it is going to be a day working in the home office and sort out some admin


So as soon as this cold weather goes, it will be all hands to the planes and sandpaper to get the work done down at the yard and workshop and get the boats ready for Easter

[Matti]

Sorry to see, it is dangerous with summer tires.
We too have chilly mornings here in southern Finland, today morning temperature was -25C, yesterday -24C, very clear, afternoon temperature 1 PM only -10C, very nice day to walk around or skii.
Funny, up northern Finland temperature is only -4C -10C
Next week it will be warmer.

[jstarboats]

Hi Matti,

Its not that I will not want to work, but the road system and the workers who keep the roads open are not equiped with the equipment to keep the roads open at all times and the countryside around where I live comes to a halt when we have more than a little snow and ice on the roads. Hopefully over the next few days we should see an improvement in conditions and I will be able to get back to work and earn some money and get my clients boat finished off and back in the water.

[jstarboats]

Now the snow as gone and the yard is clean its time to make the best of weather.



now that the Mai-Star Class dinghy is back in the workshop it is time to get the fitting out underway and get the dinghy finished off







The same with the Enterprise as this needs to get finished off and be taken back to its owner so he can sail it in the spring







The Hardy just needs a few jobs doing and that will be on its way as wel.




The Shetland is finished off and awaiting its new ownebr />






Spoilting off the new planks for the classic yacht we are repairing and once finished off it too will be back in the water ready for the new season.

[jstarboats]

Fitting the gunwale infills for the mast support and the front seat and also done the rowlock base infills further down the gunwales as well


Making up the hardwood blanks for the forward seat and mast support



The gunwale infills finished off and the long batten setting off the measurements for thew seats and thwarts.

[jstarboats]

Cutting and thicknessing the thwarts and seats top mast support



Putting them in position on the dinghy to see how them measure up and look before gluing them up


The first three pieces glued up





Now once them have cured and set, then glue the other three and then make up the edging pieces which on this dinghy are going to be made out of either oak or ash.

[jstarboats]

Starting work on the classic yacht garboard planks and its shaft log replacement



Set up the mobile workshop in the back of my large van which is ideal for doing small repair on the road and away from the workshop







Starting to fit the first of the two garboard planks that renewing because of the rotten and damaged shaft log and its rusted away fixings







The fitting is taking some time as there are many different angles to shape the plank to fit the gap between the hog and the second plank on the hull.







Major leak problem a piece of missing hog, this gap was filled with sealant before, this time it will have a new piece fitted to ensure there is no leak in this area in the future.

[J.Madison]

Interesting work. Thanks for sharing.

[jstarboats]

Hi J. Madison,
This yacht is a clients yacht which he purchased a couple of years ago and between us have put a lot of the flauts right, however, this latest problem with the shaft log and garboard planks only came to light when his used the engine for a while and the bolts finally rusted away and the whole shaft log came loose in the bilge and started to take on water. Then as with many boat related work one job leads to another and so on. Now the weather is a little better we should be able to get the job sorted and he can go back in the water and go sailing this season.

[jstarboats]

Cleaning up the top face of the hog ready to start to fit the new shaft log into position







Fitting over the ribs,however need to take a little more of the cut outs around the ribs to ensure it fit correctly down of the top face of the hog







Looking to part now it is sitting in position with a bit of final shaping to fit down into position

[jstarboats]

In the run up to Easter weekend it as been busy with a number of projects being moved out of the workshop and put in storage awaiting their owners to pick them up and Take them away over Easter. While other projects have been coming into the workshop to get worked on over the pasat week and making room for other boats to arrive next week to get their refits underway. One of the boats coming to the yard is a boat that was built while I worked at another yard 30 years ago and is in need of a major refit to get it back to its former glory and sailing in another part of the country from which as spent most of its last thirty years sailing in. A big diffrence The Norfolk Boards for the last thirty years and now its new home in the Bristol.


During this past week the team at J-Star Boat Services as been doing a number of engine jobs from a diesel tank removal and fuel system renewal to removing an engine to change a heat exchanger on an engine that could not be done with the engine in the yacht. Like many jobs that need major parts of engine changing it is easier to remove the engine to get the part removed with ease rather than cut the boat about to get the part off the engine.


The Shetland Black Hawk refit is coming along well with many of the jobs done now and just the engine to bolt on to the boat as soon as the new trailer arrives next week so that the boat sits on the trailer correctly and is balanced correctly for the engine weight on the transom and it up to regulations to be towed on the road by its new owner.


The Enterprise dinghy was just in the workshop for a few last jobs to be done and the Mast support weld to its base bracket so that the mast can be put back on the trailer and the boat can be used again for sailing after Easter and so the staff can go for a sail at the weekends when the weather is fine and there are a good breeze to sail with, or at least thats the plan.


So after Easter there are going to be two Hardy 25's to do refits on , finish off the Shetland Black Hawk and then do the Shetland 570 and get the Classic 1930's yacht stern tube repair finished off the Mai Star Class dinghy finish off and get in the water. Sothe team at J-Star Boat Services has a busy few weeks and a couple of months ahead.


If that was not enough the team as to get Mai-Star II refit underway and get the yacht back in the water for the summer so the team can comple in the local old gaffers race over the summer season.

[jstarboats]

Getting the Shetland Black Hawk ready for its new trailer to arrive



Old trailer out now ready for its next job







Enterprise outside ready to be towed away







Ready for its new trailer to arrived later today

[jstarboats]

The trailer now under the boat and fits well and will make launching and hauling out of the water a lot easier



Now with the engine bolted to the back of the boat it can get finished off over the next week.

[jstarboats]

The next couple of weeks is going to be busy as people are starting to want their boats back in commission and getting out on the water, Although it as been a little slow over the winter with some projects it is now starting to get busy as some of my clients now want to get their boats and yachts afloat. While other are waiting a month or so before getting afloat. So over the next few weeks I am going to turn into an octupus and try and be a multi tasking person.So let the fun begin.

[nedL]

I’m glad to see you have enough business to keep you busy. Good stuff!

[jstarboats]

Now at the yard, so now the refit can begin with sorting out the major jobs

The small outboard as been neglected for sometime and will need a good overhaul to get it back up and working again.







A number of gelcoat repairs to do around the boat mainly on the aft end where things have been removed over the years







The dashboard in need of sorting out and the wiring needs checking over to ensure the systems are working and where not working then replacing the wiring and up date the wiring where necessary

[jstarboats]

The woodwork in the cockpit in need of replacing with some better quality material and finish

The engine leg in need of servicing especially the gasket on the bottom of the boat that as come adrift







The sea cocks that need replacing as they are passed their best

[jstarboats]

The first major job to be done is to remove the chain locker bulkhead and replace the bulkhead with a new bulkhead.The damage to the bulkhead is on the chain locker side where the plywood as been damaged from repeat inpacks from a large mud weight while it was used on the Norfolk Broads and has over time broken the plywood down until it started to leak.

Now that all the cushions and berth top boards have been removed the extent of the job is easier to assess. The only odd thing is the bags of sand around the water tank and the water containers in the front of the boat.







The first sight of the job ahead to fit a custom shower tray in the area ahead of the toilet. A bit of brain storming ahead







A bit of a leak on the port middle window.

Brain storming will be well be needed here to make the best of the available space, first thing to strip out the whole area and made wateretight.to make it into a shower and toilet compartment.







Bird;s nest soup of wiring which over the years has been added too and never sorted out. This will be one of the first job for the Electronics team to sort out next week

[jstarboats]

This winter project page as turned into a blog about long term project of their own. Especially the one project that stops and starts, which is the Mai-Star Class Dinghy and the one about the Classic yacht Mai-Star II, Both of these projects are fitted in around my day job as a traditional boat builder and marine engineer. It is good that my day job is also my hobby outside my working life. The fact I work on other people's boats and yachts during the week gives me an personal insight into their needs as boat owners. However, when I go out on my own boats I do go out and find a place where no one is so that I can clean my mind and rid my self of the stress from the working week and find peace out on the water in a quiet anchorage.

However, today it was time to let one of the apprentices, aka my son wish to help get the our classic yacht and get the project underway again after a long time being undercover and not being worked on for whatever reason over the past months. So while he as the frame of mind to help with the work on the yacht, it is a good idea to let him learn about how to remove and measure up parts of the construction and learn how all the parts work and how they should work and how they have after 70+years have finally given out. Then show him how to make new parts in a modern method, however at the same time show him the reason it was made the way it was then and how we can improve on it and make it stronger. A small step on the way to getting him interested his father's work and possibly away to get him onboard with working with his father at least part time at the moment.So the next paragraph is about what he did today down at the boatyard with me.

Today the company apprentice started work on the forward deck beams that need replacing as they are broken and one of them is misshaped and needs to be removed and the cabin sides and front need to be raised up to the correct shape so that the deck line is in its correct position. so far the apprentice has removed the first of the deck beams and as made a start on the second deck beam, however, this deck beam supports the cabin sides and front and so before this can be removed the screws holding the cabin front to the deck beam and the cabin sides and cabin front both have to have supports fitted so that the deck beam can be remove without damaging the cabin sides and front.

[jstarboats]

There is a lot of dis-mantling to do to get to the major parts that need working on, this part is the top end of one of the main frames which the chainplate is fixed too.



One of the major jobs that needs doing this time during this restoration is the removal of the doubled up and in some cases more ribs put in for whatever reason, who knows why.






These deck beams have the correct camber




This deck beam is misshaped over the years it as been in position, one of the reasons could be that when the yacht was changed from keel stepped mast to deck stepped mast there was not enough support under the mast and the beam

Covers off and getting to work while the sun shines

[jstarboats]

The young apprentice aka the son, as been starting to remove more of the deck beams and is making more discoveries of how the yacht was put together 79 years ago and how many types of construction on boats have not changed a great deal in this time. One thing he did feel was a little odd was the shape of the cabin front deck beam which is now in a wave shape and not a flowing camber like the rest of the deck beams. If you take a look at the deck beam it has been under pressure from when it was changed from a keel stepped mast to a deck stepped mast and the fact the deck support for to short that was put in and the deck beam changed shape over a period of time to end up with the shape it is now. The apprentice with guidance from me will remove this deck beam and replace it with a deck beam with the correct camber and at the same time raise the cabin front up to its correct height and so the water will flow off the decks.

So the photos below show his handy work this last week.

The cabin front beam end of the port side spilt as the iron knee connecting to the gunwale was trying to be removed. It is not a major problem as the whole area needs rebuilding and the cabin side and front need raising up about 2 inches to line up with the rest of the deck camber and the water to flow off the decks and not to pond as it does at the moment.



Some major reconstruction needed in this area of the yacht where the chain plates and deck beams come together and the major loading comes together.







Need to lengthen the rib to the deck as this one was put in short of the deck the top plank is un-supported







A clean up needed in the bow and in the general area of the bow so that it can be seen what is needed to be removed and replaced







One of the bunk front bulkheads that need to come out so that the work on the deck beams can continue

[jstarboats]

A lot as changed since I posted on this thread, some boats have come and gone and others are still here waiting to be worked on and other projects have been put on the back burner or moved on to other places. However, there are still projects to be done and over the next few months they will be started and got ready for next spring. Now back by myself the work is going to take a little longer to complete but will not have the stress of having anyone here to give me stress apart from myself when jobs get difficult to do with only one pair of hands. Such is life and we get round these problems as boat builders do and have done over the years.

[lexi]

Read through all pages. Hard work and dirty too. Hats off to you! Was wanting to see how you drilled that shaft hog as I have one to do myself.

[jstarboats]

Hi Lexi,

If you go to my other thread Summer work down at the boatyard and in the workshop

on page one about halfway down the page you will see how I bored the hole through the deadwood. You will need a long drill bit and a sharp cutter and a lot of patience.

Regards
Simon