photos of the work ahead on the repairs to a Yorkshire Coble

A little spot of rotten plank at the end of a plank up against the transom.

Wear patches in need of renewing as they are worn out and damaged

 They were originally put on to protect the plank ends when hauling pots over the sides of the boat

Here they are removed and before the holes are filled with plugs and epoxy glue.

Old engine U/S so have to sort out engine beds and fuel system and electrics 

 A lot of work at this end of the boat as well

This end as well

 Building the workshop over the boat.

This week working on a Yorkshire Coble, which needs some major repairs to its planking on both the sport and starboard sides.

This week working on a Yorkshire Coble, which needs some major repairs to its planking on both the sport and starboard sides.

The first photo is a need for a new bilge plank which was spilt along its length 

The second plank was one on the starboard quarter which was rotten through a rubbing skate not bedded on well and the wrong top angle which made the water lay against the hull and not away from it.  

The first of the new planks going in the bow.

Having waited a couple of days for the planks to cool off and take the shape it was time to fit the plank in place.

Making a work bench out of a old board  and with the aid of a couple of G Cramps made a vice to hold the plank in while I final shaped the plank to fit.

 First dry fitting of the front end of the plank to get it fitting well into the rebake on the stem.

Having fitted the front end into the rebate on the stem it was time to cut the back end 

Finally dry fitted and now ready to paint the plank and put the rest of the fixing in and get on with the next plank

An inside shot to show how small the space to work in on the inside of the boat up forward. 

Life of a Boat Builder Part Three

The end of the first year came to a close with all the boats outside the boatyard sheds all tucked up under their covers outside and made safe. In those days they were just left to dry out naturally with the hatches on the boat left just open and so they would keep the air flowing through them. Unlike these days where owners put heaters and dehumidifiers in them. The client's boats got the same treatment as the yard's boats in that the boats were cleaned inside and outside and the insides were washed down and cleaned out and all the floorboards and other loose items were stacked up so there was air flowing around the boat and not closed up.

Then as Christmas was upon us the boatyard closed down for the Christmas break and did not reopen until the New Year. Then it was at this time the boatyard owner would start to get booking for the hire fleet and at the same time get a launching date for any new build we had on the stocks.

So at this time the boatyard was starting to get into high gear with deadlines to meet. Because of the way the boats were either stacked up in the shed or what was needed to be repaired or replaced work would start on these boats first.

Some boats would need new planks, others would need pieces letting in were it was localised damage, where as others just needed a coat of paint or varnish to sort them out. So the next few months were spent repairing all manner of planking be it clinker or carvel. Repairing wooden cabin roofs, making new windscreens, laying new decks with limo or canvas and paint. So the work was varied and interesting and showed me how many of the old boats we looked after were done and the methods used to do these jobs before modern materials took there place.

Some of the jobs were not so nice as, some involved getting under boats and removing antifouling off the bottom of boats where it had got too much on and started to fall off. This was as specially true when you had to do this outside in the winter, when the cold winter winds were blowing off the North Sea and you had to rap up like a teddy bear to keep warm. However, on other days when it was sunny  it was not so bad and a bit of fresh air was always a pleasant change from working in the workshop or the shed rubbing down cabin sides or boat hulls.

Life of a Boat Builder Part Two

The first Autumn at the boatyard was a shock to the system, The boatyard had a fleet of hirer boats ranging from small dinghies, half deckers motor launches and six motor cruisers.

As these boats finished the season, they were taken to pieces bit by bit and cleaned from top to bottom. I mean what I say, every little part of the boat that could be removed was removed and washed by hand with washing up liquid and hosed down and then left to dry and then stacked up inside the boat for the winter. This was only done after the inside of the boat was washed down and cleaned until you could eat your dinner out of the bilges of the boat. They had to be that clean and the boss would have no of way.

He had to do it when he himself was an apprentice and he saw it has a good way of showing that if you kept the boat clean and well looked after the chances that the boat would rot from the inside out would be greatly reduced. It also gave you an understanding of the way the boats were constructed and any possible places that rot may start if it was not looked after this way.

This job was done to everyone of their fleet of boats no matter how large or small it was. The experience was one I will never forget and it is one that has paid dividends over the years.  Once this was done to all their fleet of boats the same was done to the company's client;s boats as well which we had at the boatyard for winter storage.

This job would last for about two to three weeks, then came a mixture of repairs to the fleet of boats or to the client's boats, or if we had a new build to do then, part of the workforce would do the fleet repairs and the other part would get to help with the new build, This could be a new fishing boat or a dinghy or in some cases a my motor launch.

So the first winter was an education in how wooden boats of different shapes and sizes were repaired and how this boatyard worked and the people who ran it.