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[Myansome]

As a boy I enjoyed taking a tin plate yacht over to the local boating lake. Now early retired, I've been given the hull and masts of a Gaff rigged Cutter built originally in the 1930's. This is my starter into the hobby. I have a RC Fishing boat which I bought two years ago but making my own boats is the aim; so starting with this restoration and leaving the remote control element for the moment; here goes.
I'll get some photos done.
hey ho 

[Dreadstar]

Welcome to the madhouse Myansome,you'll certainly not be short of friendly help on here.

David.

[Myansome]

  Thanks, Dreadstar! Appreciated.

[Myansome]

Hopefully this photo will be okay. I've just given the hull wo coats of black acrylic over the yellow that was there. She is 1930's I'm told and came from St Ives so it is quite possible she was built for the yearly traditional sail on Consols Pond there.
The bottom of the kell is lead and the hull is hollow. She floats to about four/five sectimetres of so below the white freeboard.

[Myansome]

Let's try centimetres instead of sectimetres!  The mast comes out and will need fixing in situ and making the base of it watetight!

[Myansome]

Another view. She's 690 cm long not including the bowsprit.

[Myansome]

 
Coming together nicely. Acrylic black and white and a wood stain om the deck. Now to await my wife kindly making the sails!

[Dreadstar]

That's looking good 

[Myansome]

  Thanks Dreadstar. Appreciated. Once this is finished, the next challenge is putting a motor into a launch hull my wife bought through Auction. I'll post a photo of the launch on a new thread once this yacht is finished. I'm aiming then to build a sailing herring drifter. We shall see ........ once step at a time ....... the Pond Yacht first.
I'm into Local History, and was chatting to a mate yesterday about the traditional sail making so that was Cool!
hey ho 

[Myansome]

Cool! Sue, my wife has made one sail. That was more of a challenge than we thought at first. Now I'm sewing it to the spars. This week, I visited an old fiend who was a shipwright and made my static model of my grandparents'fishing boat for me. He's 88 years of age and looks at least ten years years younger ....... a good advert for model boat building. He's offered to teach me some skills so I've just bought marine ply and a piece of mahoganny sheet which he suggested. So a few projects to have fun with. I love this retirement bit!!!!!!! I'm busier now than I've ever been BUT it's fun!   

[vintagent]

Myansome, that's a Plank-on-Edge cutter!!  Just what I was asking if people made and you come up with an old one. lovely job. I look forward to seeing it on the water. Plumb stem, counter stern...the best!

Regards,
Vintagent

[Myansome]

Cool! Cheers, vintagent!  Hope to get sufficient sails on her by the end of next week to give her a starter trial run . Really excited!

[vintagent]

They had a very lofty rig!  The one I lived on was 64ft. on deck with, in her heyday, a 132ft. rig!!  And 12 crew.

Regards,
Vintagent

[Myansome]

Spent the morning with my best friend who is restoring his grandfather's pond yacht. He was a marine engineer by trade and his advice and help has been brilliant! He has also been great with advice on sail making which was his grandfather's trade. Don't know where the time went!An hour late for lunch ................    hey ho

[Myansome]

Sue made the sails on the machine then I have been hand sewing them on to the cord. Now that was a test of patience!
So, so far .......................


One more sail to make and more rigging to adjust.
hey ho

[Myansome]

So far .........................


Rigging and halyards need adjusting and ends sealed after a trial run ................ hopefully on Friday!

Sue made the sails which was brill, but the attaching of the sails by sewing was a challenge.

I've learnt a lot! Much I can improve on!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much to learn!
Exciting! 

[Myansome]

  Well, that was a laugh and a half ........................ thought this was stress free!

All was going well .........................

when the wind dropped ..................... so as dinner was due I thought I'd launch my RC fishing boat I bought a couple of years ago to help things along .................................. when the controls failed somewhat and then she stopped and I now had  two boats in the middle of Penzance's large pool. I phoned my wife for assistance ....... but by the time she arrived, the wind had got up ......... the Saucy Sue promptly set sail and the RC boat drifted too slowly to the edge. By the time Sue arrived, the Saucy Sue was out the war and I had knocked loose the mast lifting it ou of the pool ............. the water was down ................ and theRC boat had its propellor and the rudder full of weed ............... also a terminal connection wqs loose! 
My wife smiled and generously said nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least I didn't have to wade in!!!!!!!
hey ho
A few lessons learnt for next time!! Check weed .... check terminals ....... allow more time etc.!

[vintagent]

Looks good on the water. How did she sail without an external keel?

Vintagent

[Myansome]

I'm going to be thick on this one .................... sorry ...................... what do you mean by an external keel?

[Myansome]

Sailed well on Sunday .................................. no mishaps ........................... good exercise chasing it around the boating lake ..... no sitting down on a chair with a free sailing yacht ........ forgot that bit!!!!!!
hey ho ...................... good fun

[Myansome]

 
Learning a great deal. In front a gift from a mate of a French Sailing Crabber, Les Cinq Garcons and coming up behind, the Saucy Sue!
The Saucy Sue will be totally rerigged with Egyptian Cotton sails over the winter as the current ones are too heavy. hey ho great fun!
A yacht hull is on the way via ebay! also I've started a saic model build of s fishing boat with a mahoganny keel, plywood ribs and deal planking ............ a real challenge.
What I would really like to make is a free sailing Mount's Bay Lugger ........................ ah, thats a long way off. A long exciting learning curve has begun!

[pugwash]

Myansome, you have done a very nice job of bringing her back to life, but can I make a suggestion.
I know I am not an expert in this type of rig like vintagent is but, if you are intending to make a new
set of sails I feel in the last photograph that it shows you have a bit too much material particularly
in the main sail as it doesn't seem to set correctly. The yacht with the white sails is setting perfectly but
taking a line from the top of the gaff to the end of the boom there is abig fold of material which
if that line was slightly shorter would allow the sail to set without the fold.  I don't know whether I have
explained it very well but you could perhaps experiment with the shape of each sail before you
finally sew them up. I know I am more used to the sails on modern yachts perhaps Vintagent
could comment/advise.
Geoff

[Myansome]

Thanks, Geoff! Appreciated. My mate who gave her to me has sent me a diagram wih suggestions too. The material SWMBO used had a stretch in it but the Egyptian cotton will be firmer. I welcome all ideas as I am a complete beginner!

[Myansome]

  Les Cinq Garcons is a little beaut ................................... made by mate in St Ives, she is a French Sailing Crabber and she sails a treat!


Project for the winter will be to give her a fresh coat of paint!
Saucy Sue Cutter will be due for new Egyptian Cotton sails and these will be white ...................... having got my historical facts wrong!

My third winter project will be the yacht which I bought through ebay ..................... the JSM (Jimmy Strick Matthews,) named after my grandfather, who shared with me his love of boats!

She is 3 feet long, 6.6 inches in widest beam and 9 inches high. She needs a lead keel.
Any ideaon how to do it would be appreciated and also what type of yacht she may be. She was made in Burnley.
hey ho
These will keep me out of mischief! 

[Myansome]

  Disaster with the Cutter today ........................ I slipped, tripped and nearly fell in the pool  , But apart from scraping and bruising my leg, fll on the cutter and broke the bowsprit and damaged the bow so back to the workshop ......... we'll use the opportunity for making new saild from Egyptian cotton! Ah well .....  hey ho!