Month: April 2010

Marcus Lewis restores a Troy, and plans to make clinker dinghy drawings available

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans, plans, restoration

marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans, plans, restoration marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans, plans, restoration

Troy class yacht Ruby restoration

marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans, plans, restoration marcus lewis, fowey, cornwall, carvel, clinker, rowing boat, troy, yacht, boatbuilding plans, plans, restoration

Taking the lines from a 1947 9ft dinghy

Down in Fowey in Cornwall, boatbuilder Marcus Lewis has been as busy as a bee, and a few days ago wrote to tell us what he’s been doing, and about some of his plans. Here’s what he has to say:

‘I have been busy building another Fowey River class dinghy, which is due for launching in a couple of weeks and I’m also part way through a serious restoration of Ruby, a  Troy class yacht built in 1930. She has needed 75 per cent of her planking replaced; lots of new parts including new horn timber, transom, transom knee, stem and stem knee, and gunwales, steamed oak timbers and keelbolts; and new  ply deck. Hopefully they will be enough to see her through the next 80 years!

‘I have attached some photos of a 1947 9ft rowing dinghy that is past repair. I am taking the lines off her in order to make some moulds and to make up plans that I intend to make available.

‘Also, have cleared out the internal bits of the Percy Mitchell-built tosher and will also be taking lines off her in the near future. If there are a couple of interested people who wanted to spend the weekend helping to take off the lines, and then have a copy themselves, I would be glad of the help – and it would galvanise me into getting it done!

‘Marcus’

Thanks Marcus. That dinghy is a nice shape – I will be delighted to help you promote the plans when you have them ready. I’d have thought there would be someone out there to help you take those lines, not least because it would be an opportunity to practice something we normally only read about in books.

If you’d like to help Marcus take the lines from the tosher in his yard, contact him at Fowey, Cornwall on tel 07973 420568, email marcus@fowey9.freeserve.co.uk . His website is at www.woodenboatbuilder.co.uk.

Start receiving the weekly intheboatshed.net newsletter: sign up here

A stroll by the Regent’s Canal

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

banksy, regent, canal, oxford street, lighter, rubble, barge

banksy, regent, canal, oxford street, lighter, rubble, barge banksy, regent, canal, oxford street, lighter, rubble, barge

Steve Taylor has kindly sent over these photos from the Regent’s Canal – like many of us I suspect, he adds variety to the working day by strolling to the nearest body of water at lunchtime to watch whatever’s going on.  (I’ll take a peek at the Thames myself when it comes to my turn.)

One day recently he hit gold – a working scene that could have been shot at almost any time in the past 150 years (if you ignore the welded seams of the lighter), followed one that belongs very much in the modern day.

‘As I’ve been working in Oxford Street I made my way to the Regents Canal and enjoyed a short walk during which I was cheered to see the waterway being used for a genuine practical – and commercial purpose. A building is being partially demolished and rubble is removed using a small steel lighter. This of course is eminently practical, since there is no street access to the rear of the property and no doubt the presence of a skip in the street would be inconvenient.

‘An added bonus was spotting a Banksy piece which can only have been executed from a boat – presumably at the dead of night? A walk along the canal is the perfect antidote to the drudgery of life in an office. The noise and fumes of London traffic are all left behind after a few paces along the towpath and it is hard to believe you are really in the middle of the big city!’

Thanks Steve!

Victorian racing cutter Leila in the shed

Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust

Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust

Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust Leila, cutter, victorian, southwold, rob bull, restoration, sail training, appeal, leila trust

A kind invitation from Rob Bull of the Leila Trust took us to see Leila in the shed at Southwold where Rob and his colleagues are restoring the old boat to sailing order.* She’s certainly impressive as she towers over visitors with that 8ft keel – the photo at the top of this post tells no lies.

Talking with Rob, one can’t help but be awed by his enterprise and determination, and that of his co-workers. For more about Leila’s story and the appeal, see a previous post.

If you like what you see and can offer the Trust money or help to get her back on the water to begin her new life in sail training, you know what to do!

*Special thanks to Derek Simpson for tea in bed and a killer breakfast.