Boat Building Academy - Day 3

Another great day and my head is buzzing again. Every hour I change my mind...we're all mad wanting to restore old wooden boats....there again, why would you want to do anything else? So today we talked about what to look for in an old boat - really useful information before you take the plunge. 
Mike talked us through the restoration of Barnacle, a 10ft clinker tender, built in   1962 by Lou Walker. And Vindilis, a 27ft sloop built in 1930's and restored with modern materials. A brief chat about surveys and how to 'take the lines' when a boat has gone too far. Ken introduced us to 'Brown Bear' a clinker rowboat over 100 years old and - until recently - a regular in Brixham's pirate re-enactment weekends. 'Brown Bear' deteriorated surprisingly fast when left full of rain water and sadly it was decided that she was a lines and lofting project.
​Patrick's double-ended clinker day boat had a few interesting design features; water ballast bags and a retractable rudder blade, but no floor and minimal sole boards. We had a good chat about improvements that could be made to structure and comfort, and how to turn it into a wild camping boat. 
More time on practical work today too. Finished the feather scarf and lipped scarf...and learnt how to fix them together with a rove and nail. Then we had some free-style repair time on practice hulls in the workshop...making holes then fixing them!
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