Back afloat 2024

 

Shes far from ready to sail but with a big last minute effort we had her back in the water and we motored down the river with the rest of the convoy for the start of Baltimore wooden boat festival. We had planned to raft up and spend the weekend rigging but weather kicked up and made life alongside untenable so on her mooring she went. I've been up and down doing a few little bits and pieces and ensuring she had taken up. 

Considering she was on the hard for 5 years and I just puttied a few seams fore and aft she wasn't bad. She pumped every 10 minutes at the start and by the next morning it was twice in four hours. The trip down the river had her taking a little more but a 2 weeks on and she's bone dry.  

The varnishing needs doing in its entirety and the bowsprit, bumkin and mizen mast still need fitting. Our expectations for loads of sailing are very low so even a day sail or two and I think we'll call that a success for this year. 

She remains For Sale

A step forward

 Finally some real progress has been made. We finally acquired a key part a few months ago being a replacement engine. 

As it happens it's the exact engine we had hoped to fit her with, a Yanmar 3GM30. A three cylinder 24hp with freshwater cooling. Better yet it seems it will fit in the existing engine box. Just need to change the shaft coupling and switch to a 3 bladed prop which I already had.

The deck is complete, the new Samson post is in, the toerails and deckhatch are refitted as are the chainplates and the rubbing strips are all ready to fit. 

I've also managed to get the topsides sanded primed and painted. Next is to finish installing the engine, sand and varnish the cockpit and refit a few deck fittings.

I'm concentrating on the boat itself for now and once she's ready to stick in the water I'll move on to sorted the rig. I don't see us getting to that before the end of this summer but at least things are moving and the big jobs are done.

Marinising a 12v Cummins

I'm currently marinising a pair of Cummins for my charter boat and making a series of videos
of the process on YouTube.
I will be making some videos of the up coming work on Teal and her re-engine also.
So if you enjoyed the story so far please click the link below and like and follow my channel and help it along.
I'm also have a new facebook page for a little Winter business I'm trying to get going
called West Cork Restorations which will follow Teal and other projects so if your on there maybe give that a like too if you please.

Teal is currently waiting and looking unloved for a tow home but she will be getting a serious
refresh soon. Thank you!!

Allthingsboats 

West Cork Restorations

Update for this season

So its pretty much set now that Teal won't go afloat this year. I have yet to do anything about the engine so my main goal now is to sort out a tractor and tow her home.
Once that much is taken care of  I will have to make a new entrance into my shed to fit her in.
The plan from there is to do a serious freshen up which includes
- replacing the engine
- recovering the deck
- some interior changes and finishing off
and a whole lot of painting and varnishing. This should all be much more manageable when shes inside and I can walk out the door and do a bit whenever it suits.The most nerve racking part will be the 14 mile tow home. It pains me a bit to take her away from the sea but I really think this season will have slipped by before much gets done if she stays where she is.

Wrapped up

At last she is all derigged, on her own trailer, cleaned out and covered up for the Winter.

I have the engine partly striped down and hope to have the whole thing out shortly. We're not sure if we will tow her home this year or not as I have a bit more work to do on the trailer and the shed I want to put her in needs work as well but either way she is not too badly off now. 

Trailer

I got a few phone calls last week putting the pressure on to get the trailer built so I put in a hard week to get it done. I tacked it all together in my shed but I don't have a heavy enough power supply in there to use the bigger welder I borrowed to do the big welds, so had to move it for the final welding , I used 7018 low hydrogen rods which were recommended to me.
The beams are 16' long 8"x 4" RSJ's with 6.5ft 6" channel irons running across, The uprights are 2inch galvanised pipe with Screw jacks to tighten up to the hull, The axle is a front lorry axle off an old Hino. I bought a weld on tow eye for the tow bar. The ballast sits on the axle and the 9" block of wood forward of it to keep her level.
Nothing went easy, I searched the boatyard for wheels to fit the axle they had given me but only found one. A local tire center happened to have another one to suit following a long wait. Next I spent 6 hours in the rain trying to free the brake drums on the axle up (murder) and ended up sick. Next the trip switch in my other shed wasn't big enough for the welder so had to go and replace that and then go by a pin type towbar for my jeep to tow it to the boatyard. Regardless it got there and on time, where it sat for the last week.
    I went to lift the boat yesterday but it didn't happen but today it did. We got the mast down and lifted the boat on to the trailer. I then had to weld on all the struts to hold her up. Of course my welder instantly packed up but they lend me another one. It was dark at that stage so couldn't get a picture but she looks tidy on the trailer and fits nicely as I had planned. They moved her out of the way on it so it also works :) I don't want to make one that heavy again !!

Teals sister

This is a picture I found online of Teals sister ship Water Wraith, Built from the same moulds but with a counterstern, I wonder if the counterstern and bermudan main were a later addition.

Teal for comparison