Another busy week down at the boatyard and in the workshop

Work is now underway on the Hardy 25 with the cockpit refit well underway and the rest of the boat getting underway next week 

Now that other projects are now finished the Mai-Star II refit can get underway with one of the apprentices getting to grips with the deck beams and other repairs needed to be done on this Classic sailing yacht.

This small motor launch is now finished and over the weekend will be going back to its owner so he can use it on the local rivers

Another new project boat has come to the boatyard to be worked on and get restored back to its former glory and back on the water where she belongs

The Morgan Giles 30 now sanded down on the starboard side and now just the port side to do and then it can be left to dry out and then it can get Gel Shielded as part of its refit.

Next week there will be a start made on the Mai-Star Class dinghy to get it finished off and on the water and also the GRP dinghy will be started to be moulded.

The Morgan Giles 30 getting the bottom sanded off and a another new project boat in the yard.

The starboard side is now all sanded back to the original gelcoat

So there are a few areas that need more sanding,however,the worse part of the job on the starboard side is now done

Now it is the turn off the port side to get the same treatment and then it will need a short time to dry out the areas which are in need of drying off and a few repairs to the back of the keel 

Another project speed boat as come to the yard to have some bottom repairs around the transom area and a new lower transom repair before being painted and have its 2.0 litre BMW engine refitted and put back in commission

The Morgan Giles 30 bottom being sanded back to base gelcoat

The bottom of the Morgan Giles 30 getting sanded back ready to be re-gel Shielded 

Halfway down one side so far 

One starting at the front working aft while the other work forward from the aft end.

The small river launch having a few small jobs done to finish it off

At last I have got the aft locker catches and have got them fitted, this was after looking high and low through marine catalogues trying to find the original catches.  

All that is left to do is give the launch a good clean from bow to stern and touch up a couple of areas of damaged paint work on the hull and the launch will be ready for the season

The Morgan Giles 30 Bottom job getting underway

The bottom now masked off and ready to get sanding the old bottom finish which appears to be an early form of Epoxy protection system which as broken down with age.

This is going to be a long job for two of the apprentices to do over the next week or so.

A test patch which as been done to see the extent of the job ahead and to gauge how much sanding it is going to take to get back to the original gelcoat. 

Masking off the waterline before sanding down the bottom of the yacht to re-epoxying the bottom.

Masking off the waterline of the Morgan Giles 30 before starting to sand down the bottom as place of the refit.

The old waterline as been used as a good point to start from as it is a good reference point to gauge where the epoxy on the bottom will come up the hull and the topsides paint system will end.

Fitting new engine feet after three out of four old feet broke apart from old age

Fitting the new engine feet to this Yanmar 1GM10 the old feet had completely broken down 

The new fett had to have new bolts fixing them down as the old studs were too short and new bolts had to be sourced to replace them

Finally got them all done and the engine lined up with the propeller shaft coupling and now ogt to re fit a new cutlass bearing

Jobs on the Hardy 25 and the Morgan Giles 30 fuel tank

The panelling from the Hardy 25 cockpit which make aft end lockers and cover up the steering ram and pipe work

The old locker fronts which are nor fitting well and which are not made out of Teak faced plywood which the owner wishes to have there when the cockpit is rebuild

The cabin diesel heater locker now going back together 

The fuel tank from the Morgan Giles which had old contaminated diesel and diesel bug, which is now getting a good clean out and de-greasing  of any foreign material 

The lid was cleaned at the same time  and will be getting a new rudder gasket before it is re-stalled in the yacht later on in the refit.

The Chain plates out of the Morgan Giles 30

These chain plate have seen better days nd in some places rusted away completely 

One of the few that have come out in good condition, it appears to be the only one that is as good as the day it was glassed in position 30 plus years ago.

The other chain plates are in fair to very poor condition 

Out with the old and in with the new locker

The old heater locker as it was made up out of whatever plywood was around 

The new locker is being made out of the same Teak faced plywood as the rest of the new locker panels so that it blends in with the rest of the teak faced plywood bulkheads when they are re-varnished 

Just the irremovable lid to make and then the whole locker can be varnished and the inside lined out   

More cockpit work on the Hardy 25

Making the new diesel heater box so that it looks more like the rest of the fitted lockers in the cockpit

The battery locker all finished off now ready to be varnished when the rest of the cockpit get re-varnished towards the end of its long refit

The old heater front which is being used as a pattern for the new panel.

The next major job in the cockpit refitting the head lining panels with new vinyl covering to match the side linings 

Then it will be the turn of the carpet linings for the lower level coverings, which will be the colour of the later Hardy 25's which was dark blue and not the brown linings this boat was original covered in which the present owner wishes to be changed to the Blue that later Hardy 25's were covered in as standard.

Heater locker before the new locker is made

The old heater locker which has to be reconstructed to look like the rest of the panelling in the area  

The original cover for the  heater which was made up of  the wrong type of faced plywood 

The original locker sitting on the new covering panelling for the fuel tank which is teak faced like the rest of the cockpit bulkheads 

Now it is time to make a new locker that like the part 

Hardy 25 Battery locker now finished off before being taken off and varnished and then pull in position

The battery locker now just needs trimming the edges

The edges trimmed and hinges fitted 

Finally the vents to keep the Battery charger cool