Ben Wales has written in with details of his latest progress in his outdoor restoration of the former Royal Lymington Yacht Club motor launch Mary. He’s clearly a determined chap, and I’m delighted to hear that launch day is now just weeks away.
Here’s what he says:
‘Work was slow during early March and April due to the cold weather. But by the end of April the gunwales were finally fitted and completed, and early May saw the hull risers fitted.
‘The next step was to locate some pieces of grown oak for the new knees. Through the Forestry Commission I managed to locate some locally from a fallen oak tree in the New Forest, and these were cut down and shaped to size.
‘Last weekend the first deck beam was fitted to the aft deck area and a new skeg was being prepared to be fitted in the next few weeks.
‘If all goes to plan (and the weather is good) we plan to launch in August.’
Ben has also uploaded his second video of the restoration work on YouTube.
For earlier posts about this restoration, click here.