An initial assessment of the boat showed that she had fractured timbers (ribs) along both sides roughly at the turn of the bilge where the heavy floor timbers end. These are 3/4” by 1” with a radiused inner face. The timber appears to be Canadian Rock Elm but unavailability of this meant that I sought some unseasoned English Oak and a source of this was found nearby.
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| Radiusing the new frames |
The oak boards were sawn down, planed and had the radius routered on. They needed about forty minutes in the steamer before being bent in. We clamped and wedged the replacement frames alongside their broken originals and left them until the following weekend.
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| New frames temporarily clamped into place |
A section of each broken frame was marked and fastenings cut off and driven-out before the section was cut away using the 'multi-tool' and a scarf made on the remainder. Each new frame was scarfed to fit. Then when ready the scarfs were glued and the frames re-fastened using the original nail holes. As she is planked in hard wood I kept to the original 10-gauge nail.
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| Marking a frame for cutting |
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| 'Multi-tool' was a great help in the confined space |
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| Checking new frame section for scarf fit. |
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| Scarfs glued and re-fastened |
Whilst this work was going on I was also stripping the paint off her bottom. A filthy horrible job since she had been tarred to preserve her by a previous owner. Badly neglected there must have been some areas that had been bare for a while and there is abrasion and barnacle marking here and there. Stripping also revealed that she has had planking repairs carried out in the past; starboard side amidships; port quarter and by her stem on starboard side.
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| Stripping her bottom paint |
We also started plugging some of the holes left by removed skin fittings - and there are several all over the hull. Here my buddy is filling up where a massive exhaust outlet was once installed in her transom. Left over from a now-removed engine.
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| Plugging holes with glued iroko |
I have been fortunate in being able to obtain an original engine for the boat of Dorman-Ricardo type 2DSM that this boat almost certainly was fitted with when originally built (plus another spare one!). Here is a page from the engine manual showing the installation in a 25ft Cutter:
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| Dorman 2DSM installation drawing from the engine manual |
