Norfolk Broads - The Forum - Ripplecraft "Broadland Swan".

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Jaywickrob

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Several individual planks need replacing mostly on the port side, a couple of them are due to rot around hull fittings.

Jaywickrob

Jun-28-2010 @ 2:09 PM

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Fens Fatale
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Jaywickrob

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More planks to replace

Jaywickrob

Jun-28-2010 @ 2:20 PM

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That's enough to keep me busy for a couple of weekends Smile

The bilge pump & transom leak have to be dealt with first.

I will rewire the bilge pump next weekend & add a second pump & float switch.
The plan for the lower transom is to patch her using epoxy and fibreglass matting which can be removed once she is on the hard.
For this she will have to be completely dry, meaning it will have to wait until the tides are low enough not to reach her. I am assured that she will have about a week out of water next month.
In the mean time I plan to strip paint and make a start on replacing internal frames & timbers.

Obviously she is a huge task and could take years, but one day I hope to sail her back to the Broads and home to Somerleyton.

Regards

Rob

This message was edited by Jaywickrob on Jun-28-10 @ 2:21 PM

expilot

Jun-28-2010 @ 4:21 PM

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Those photographs paint a very sorry picture.  I do hope you truly realize what a mammoth task you've taken on.  Your "small leaks" are at the chine.  These may be because the poor old girl has been sitting on the mud.  They may also mean that either the chine has rotted or the ends of the hull underside planks or the first plank above the chine.

You mention the gouge to the hull.  Your photograph seems to suggest that several planks avove and below the gouge have fractured too.

It doesn't surprise me that you have rot at the step sheer and at the transom.  Both are notorious spots on these boats.  As I said in our telephone conversation, always take out more timber around the area of rot than you think you need.  There's nothing worse than letting in new timber only to find a couple of years down the line that the rot has continued beyond the new scarf.

Have a very good look around the area of the aft steps into the aft cabin.  The hull bottom, the frame at this point and the companionway are susceptible to rot because rainwater can settle in this area.  The aft deck with the gas locker lid is also susceptible because the aft cabin aft ends are simply butt-jointed to the aft deck.  the iroko strip decking and deck beams are very vulnerable at this point.

I take it that you have removed all cabin linings floorboards and bunk bases.  Once you have the boat stripped back to bare wood all over you'll begin to get an idea of what lays ahead for you to do.

You really do have my best wishes for your project.  I find it daunting just looking at your photos!

"There are old pilots.  There are bold pilots............."

shivers

Jun-29-2010 @ 11:15 PM

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hello rob

i need to pick up some bits from dauntless's yard in the next couple of weeks,i would love to come and have a look at her.
im sure your going to get plenty of sage advice from everyone!!!
just a couple of pointers for TEMPORARY repair.
with the transom i would get some roof repair mastic and paint up some 12 mm ply with it and screw it to the transom with the mastic between the ply and transom,epoxy is a great means of repair but it looks like you will never get the moisture content low enough before the lift.
i would also suggest that it is critical that the yard use spreaders with there strops many a crushed woody without them.
also a good oldschool repair with rot between seems is to scrape away any loose dusty wood and trowel in a mix of cement and lard,just mix the cement into the lard so its like morter and stick it in,sticks like billy oh and goes off quick
as for the rest of the repairs i would just add ply wood sheathing in the manner described above just to add some strength for the lift (perhaps two lots of 6mm for tighter curves).i think if you start removing wood at this stage you are going to get too much movement.
hope this is of use and im not teaching you to suck eggs.
if you supply the beers and wellys i would be quite happy to do a sunday with you.
cheers arthur

BroadAmbition

Jun-29-2010 @ 11:35 PM

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Great write up and photo's Rob. It looks pretty daunting to me. I'm just glad someone like your good self has now got her and if your married . . . . Scared

My good MrsG nearly went proper spare during my 5 1/2 year absence from anything else other than our restoration. If I lived closer than my wellies would also be at the ready.

Griff

'Broad Ambition' - 'Dreams do come true' - Afloat at last 06-10-07

www.grifftile.co.uk

shivers

Jun-29-2010 @ 11:58 PM

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ha ha ha girl friend no 5 since having the boat has just had enough,oh well still got the boat!!!!
just had a brain flash......
you will have a sudden urge to start removing paint on your hull,just to have a little look at all that lovely(?)wood you will find it comes off really easy with your newly aquired sander (well new project new tools eh)please dont do that, that old paint is doing you a huge favour you will be stunned at how much the wood will shrink if exposed in this heat,honestly a huge f*@£up.cheers art

JennyMorgan

Jun-30-2010 @ 8:18 AM

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That the yard won't lift her has to be seen as a clarion call. Probably not so much that they can't, probably a fear that once you realize the magnitude of what you are undertaking that they will have a dead hull to deal with. I wish you all the luck in the world, you have a long, hard slog ahead of you. There are several graveyards around the Broads with numerous shattered dreams, with abandoned hulls that needed more than the owners were capable of.

Jenny Morgan,
A vane, a boat, but not a bird.
http://www.drascombe-association.org.uk/index.php
The Broads is The Broads, it is NOT a National Park. Parliament says so!! And so does DEFRA & the Ordnance Survey!!

BroadAmbition

Jun-30-2010 @ 8:43 AM

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What worries me more than owt is that on top of the magnitude of the work required, not to mention the time and money is that is your FIRST boat Scared

Bloomin 'eck

Ok so 'B.A' was our first boat too but there were five of us, all as mad as each other and how naive we were. We estimated 18 x months and £10k, the reality was 66 x months and £67k. To be honest if I had known beforehand what lay in front of us in time and money - we would probably not have started her, I'm so glad we did of course.

Your Ripplecraft also looks to be in a worse state than 'B.A' was too.

However not knowing your background, you could be a very succesfull chap with plenty of resources to throw at her (£'s that is) and lots of free time with a group of willing helpers and good skills hands on - I hope this is the case, I really do..
And if I can help in anyway, you only have to ask.

Hang on to that dream at the end of the tunnel - Broadland Swan back on the Broads serenly cruising along, maybe in company with Ex-pilots lovely example.

Oh and btw -

Dreams CAN and sometimes DO come true

Myself and Broad Ambition are living proof of that

Griff

'Broad Ambition' - 'Dreams do come true' - Afloat at last 06-10-07

www.grifftile.co.uk

JennyMorgan

Jun-30-2010 @ 9:08 AM