Classic Australian Wooden Power Boat Association

Good evening Ron,
it will definitely be returned to a skiff, it should never have been butchered in the first place and turned into a runabout.
I am hoping to find out the boats original name and restore it back to its original layout and colour scheme.
regards Nathan

Has it got ply planks or solid planks or solid planks with ply attached and how thick are they? its a long time since I saw the boat.
Ross

g'day Ross,
It has pacific maple planks with a 3/16 plywood backing,
The planks are 13 1/6 thick so with the plywood on them total thickness is 1/2 inch measured at the transom.
The engine bearers are also laminated with 3/16 plywood, according to Ron Hodge they only laminated engine bearers in high horsepower boats.
I have sanded the top 2 planks on the starboard side and haven't found a name, the top planks will have to be replaced as there is too much rot in them, the rest of the planks so far look very good.
cheers Nathan.

Good evening Ross,
I was thinking about the measurements for the planks I told you and realised they make no sense I have measured them again the solid planks are 3/8 thick and the ply backing is 3/16 thick which would make the total plank thickness 9/16.
cheers Nathan.

spent most of the day cleaning the inside of the hull, I used a mixture of paint brush cleaner ( white spirits) and plaster of paris mixed to a consistancy like toothpaste, I the brushed it on enough to cover the surface. After a few hours it had turned brown from drawing oil and grease out of the bilge, the brush cleaner dilutes oil and grease and the plaster of paris absorbs it. I then vacuumed it up with a wet and dry vac and washed the hull out with clean water. It appears to have worked well.
I only put it on the left side and when I rinsed it the water didn't bead on the surface the right hand side did so it looks like it works effectively.

Looking good Nathan, certainly getting stuck into it.

cheers Dave,
I always try to spend at least an hour a day on it, hope to finish cleaning in the next few days and then I can turn it over and sand the underside and finish assessing the planks so I can start the major jobs.

I've seen that trailer before some where!
Ross

probably in your shed when you had the boat, not sure its the trailer that goes with it, it dosen't seem to fit properly.
do you still own it ?. or did I buy it with the boat.
cheers Nathan.

I sold Ray a trailer but he had to take the boat that was on it !!
Ross

good evening,
the mystery skiff is now spotlessly clean on the inside and turned upside down for tomorrow nights festivities of sanding the hull in its wood heated shed. The poor old girl has been out in the cold for the last 3 weeks.
have attached some pictures of the hull profile for interest.
Hopefully there will be a name or some form of identification on the starboard side of the hull to help to identify the boat.