Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Devonport, Plymouth boatbuilders Stirling & Son are hiring skilled traditional shipwrights experienced in wooden boatbuilding and repair…
They’re based at the wonderful No 1 covered slip – which is said to be the oldest remaining covered slipway in any royal dockyard. It’s also the one with the famous statue of King Billy looking out over the water.
Check out the company’s website and posts about their projects here on Intheboatshed.net.
A steam boat recently refurbished by Douglas Marine, and the new project
Andrew Bedwell of Douglas Marine, Preston has written to say that the yard is looking for a senior shipwright to work on a rebuild of a 1932 Dutch motor launch – the owner is a timber merchant with 3d tooling available and just wants his boat put back to new condition – not necessarily identical to the original, but in keeping.
Our senior shipwright is leaving and will be missed, and his leaving creates a gap for for the company.
The person could work on a contract only or could work full-time if they wished. There is accommodation onsite if it’s needed (a mobile home overlooking the river and moor).
Contact Andrew at tel 01772 812462 and douglasmarine1@ymail.com
Rotten stuff from the timber and plywood deck of Antares. Scary, isn’t it?
Cornwall shipwright John Owles has issued a stern warning against timber-on-plywood decks: the commonly-used technique of laying timber decks onto a plywood substrate is doomed to failure.
‘Have one or the other type of deck construction but do not mix the two,’ he says to anyone considering a big repair and restoration job.
John makes his point on a web page reporting on restoration work he did on Antares, a 55ft schooner that was in his yard a little while ago. Her decks consisted of teak planking reclaimed from an old steamer laid onto a plywood substrate and payed with a polysulphide rubber – and the result was widespread rot.
The choice is clear, he argues: if you want a traditional-looking deck then lay a proper traditional deck using fully dried timber. Otherwise lay an epoxy-glass sealed plywood deck and paint it with a two-pack polyurethane sprinkled with glass beads for grip.
With timber on ply decks, it is almost impossible to achieve a good seal, even when the substrate is coated with epoxy.
This is particularly true where fastenings pass through the timber planking and plywood: ‘When a hole is cut in plywood it exposes 360 degrees of end grain, so every layer is at risk of absorbing water.
‘When moisture is trapped in these mid-layers where there is no air circulation, it is impossible for it to dry out… creating an ideal climate for any spores to become active and so the risk of rot is ever present.’
In building a deck, try to avoid anything that allows hidden water to hang around, he adds, and keep your vessel very well ventilated, especially when left unattended.
See John’s website here: www.rovcom.co.uk