I had to come to the USA for work for a week, hoping to crack on with mine as soon as I get back, might ask the taxi driver to drop me of at the boatyard, that'll please the wife!

Brass and seawater don't mix well - galvanic corrosion dissolves the zink and you're left with metal with the appearance and consistency of the middle of a Crunchie bar.

Brass is okay above the waterline, dezinification wont happen anytime soon and it'll all be well bonded into the anode.

That's a fine looking boat. Nice lines hull and topside

She's looking good!

Thanks for the positive feedback. it keeps you going on a project like this.



I'll tell the background of the boat as I remember it. Details may be slightly wrong! But hopefully not too far out.


She was built in 1936 by Guy Shelley of Gosport. He built her for his Wife (Elizabeth) who is the first registered keeper of her. She seems to be a scaled down version of boats that were built at the same sort of time by Thorneycrofts of the IOW(iirc). We have contemporary magazines which show similar shaped vessels but at a length of 70+ feet, compared to this boat being about 40 feet (I forget exactly how big, possibly 38 foot, possibly 42 foot )

She originally had two Scammell petrol engines driving through two Scammell gearboxes (one reverses the drive) to two props with only one rudder at some point the engines were changed for two diesels from Fordson Major tractors. These are identical to the engines in my Dad's tractor apart from an extra drive coming out of the fuel pump which drives the extra water pump for the water/water radiator. She retains the Scammell gearboxes with a plate clutch for forwards drive and a contracting band for reverse.

She was aquired by the ministry of supply during WW2 spending her time at Haverford West. She was one of three boats that de-gaussed the big ships before they came in to the port. She still has the War Office Pattern gauges in her dashboard to register the current between the boats. Click

After the war she passed between a few owners, one keeping her for over 30 years iirc.

The previous owner was a carpenter and did some woodwork himself, but when she came out of the water for a survey (in my parent's ownership) she was found to need quite a bit of work. All the work below the waterline has been completed, even if it would probably last another 4 years. Above the waterline is not as bad, but it has been tidied up and will be sorted fully this coming winter. All repairs have been made in Iroco(sp) wood and the rear deck area was remade by the previous owner in the same wood. All repairs have been made with copper rivets where access was possible.

My parents have owned her since november 2010 and have only sailed/motored (what is the correct term?) her once. This year we intend to enjoy her after being out of the water all last year.

That info is correct as I remember it, apologies if any of it is slightly wrong.

Removing any magnetism from the (steel) ship so it doesn't trigger magnetic mines. Every ship has a magnetic signature... in the old days when rivets were hammered in I hear you could tell the latitude it was constructed at.

You learn something everyday.

Meanwhile on Playtime II we've even got some new wood fitted!!



Centre console now looking much better and a lots of sanded items ready to be undercoated, new battery boxes I made in plywood too as I couldn't stand the plastic ones.



Santa came very early this week in the shape of a new Morse control and new round bezels for the dash, its going to look soo much better.

Morse controls...how terribly modern.

Yes