Keel bolt holes

 Keel bolts Drilling.

We have got to the point when we need to drill new holes for the keel bolts.  It has been said that it would be a pig of a job, with drill bit sticking in the lead.  We prepared with new 16mm auger bits and oil to lubricate.  Adam made a jig so we could keep a straight hole centred through the keel.

With the keel upside down and the makes for the holes in the new positions the picture below shows us ready to start.

Starting with a short drill bit 0nly 16" long.

By the time we had finished there must have been around a kilo of lead swarf

Next we laid the keel on its side and after removing the wooded keel that Adam had a made in the last post it was placed alongside the lead and clamped in position to drill the corresponding holes.

Adam drilling with his 4 ft auger bit.

And that concludes another successful day at A & R Way Boatbuilding.  Time to leave Adam to continue with his fantastic progress.

I am still fundraising on Crowdfunder.  It would be a great achievement to have Hatasoo ready to take part in the Fife Regatta next year.  All donations will help for us to achieve it.

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The new keel detailing.

 Detailing the new section of keel.

In the last post we showed the new section of keel that we had to fashion out of a seasoned piece of oak.  The picture below shows the rabbets that Adam had cut for the planking to fit into.  They a shallow as the planking is only 3/8" thick, its amazing how they have lasted this long.

Below a trial fit clamped to the new forefoot.

Next post will be the drilling of the ballast keel and new keel ready for the new bronze keel bolts.

A new section of the backbone formed

 The New Keel is Cut out.

In one of the previous posts I talked about how hard it was to decide what to keep of Hatasoo to preserve the originality and what we had to replace to make her safe again to be able to sail her to her full potential.

I have shown photos of the main part of the keel and the cracks and damage from the iron bolts in the past.  When I visited Adam last time the keel was out and the full extent of the problem had displayed itself.

The shrinkage was severe which accounted for why there was a gap between the ballast keel and the wood keel.  If that had been the only problem we could have repaired all the shakes and cracks, but it had twisted as well from top to bottom and front to back.  Most pronounced at the stern where the rudder post was fitted.

So on the trailer is the new section for the keel in its raw state.

In Adams workshop and he starts on the shaping of the keel from the original.

Roughed out cutting the new curve.

Old and new side by side

Addition is cut and placed

Templating for the rabbet and the frame locations

Marked out for shaping

The stern has some shape to it.  For me it is great to see and much as we are a long way off, talk of the next stage has begun.  Rumour has it that the Fife Regatta is to be held next year in June.  So thoughts of whether we will have Hatasoo ready by then are being discussed.  With out some kind of funding or sponsorship it will be impossible to finance that quick.

Hatasoo Donations

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Support for Hatasoo

 Fundraising to help the restoration of Hatasoo.

Due to the nature of restoring an important historical yacht, we have duty to try and keep as much original structure as we can safely do.  The problem is deciding when to replace instead of repair, yet make sure that once she is finished Hatasoo will be able to be sailed hard like when she was built in 1894 and compete in the club racing and regattas that are held on both the east and west of Scotland.

We have set up a fundraising page with Crowdfunder a site that will collect donations then pass them on to me to contribute to the work being done at A & R Way Boatbuilding.

Any amount however small will help towards the bill that is expected to be in excess of  £60,000.  My wife and I will be covering a major part of the costs, but to ensure that we manage to finish we are asking for donations from anyone who would like to help. Or would just fancy one of the bottles available.

In return some of the amounts will be rewarded with a bottle of whisky.  All the details are available on the funding website Crowdfunder  

The following pictures are some of the bottles available for different value donations

Link to Crowdfunder MAKE YOUR DONATION HERE

A Day at A & R Way Boatbuilding

 A Day at A & R Way Boatbuilding

Yesterday I took the 3 hour drive from Dunfermline to Lochgilphead to see the progress in person of Hatasoo at Adams workshop A & R Way Boatbuilding.  It was great to see the excellent work that Adam is doing on Hatasoo.

The partial disassembly of Hatasoo with the removal of the Ballast keel and the wooden sections of the backbone of the boat she is showing more issues that have grown over her 130 years.

    

I love the picture above with Hatasoo partially suspended in the background. the ballast keel on a frame to the left and a section of the wooden keel in the foreground.

I've always wanted to help out when I can to do some of the time consuming but unskilled jobs to keep the costs down where I can.  Today it was the cleaning of the top surface of the ballast keel.

 Above is the top surface of the lead with all the corroded lead chipped away cleaned up ready to start repairs.  I was also able to watch Adam at work making up a new stern section of the back bone.

Even though it was limited how I could help at the moment, spending the day at the workshop did allow Adam and I discuss how to proceed.  I have always wanted to keep as much of the original timber of Hatasoo as possible.  But it was helpful to be able to see the issues that Adam would face in deciding what to replace and what to save.  When it would be stupidity to save for the sake of preserving history and replace to make sure she will be able to be used to her full potential for many years to come and long after I'm gone!!

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Hatasoo Crowd Funding

A & R Way Boatbuilding

New Replacement Forefoot

 Forefoot Alignment

Below is the first section of new timber roughly placed.  A centreline along the keel has been marked and it has been found that the frame has twisted slightly.  Its not a great surprise for a boat of her age.

As can be seen from the photo there is a plumb bob line at the stem.  this has been aligned with the centre of the along the keel.  The roughed out forefoot can be seen.  With lots of line and strings it has shown that the top of the stem is out of alignment by 7.5mm.  The base of the stem from the inside is twisted a little more.

Its good to see a new section getting ready.  It will help stabilise Hatasoo while more dismantling goes ahead.

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 Fundraising for the Restoration Crowdfunder

Lead Keel

 Lead Keel

For such a small sail boat she had an enormous sail area.  when Hatasoo was designed the class had already reduced the allowable sail area for safety reasons.  The new limit was 470 square feet.  So Hatasoo just squeezed in at 469 square feet. 349 for the main and 120 for the jib.

So the ballast that was needed was in excess of 1 ton.  I had been told that the lead keel gas 1 ton. But on removal a loose calculation without the availability of scales of the necessary capacity, puts the weight at closer to 1.5 Ton

The weight of the rest of the boat will be under half a ton.

 

In a previous post I showed a photo of the wooden keel with 3 holes.  Above is the corresponding holes in the lead ballast keel.  It can be seen what we have presumed is the original bronze keel bolt from 130 years ago. Next to it is more recent bolt holes one has had the hole drilled next to and partially through the older bolt. Unfortunately the bolts have corroded with in the keel and have been unmoveable.  Even after a jury rigged hydraulic press.

New bolt holes will have to be drilled.  This will be my task when I visit the workshop and I have been told its a pig to drill through lead.

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Wooden Keel at the stern

 Wooden Keel and the stern

With the rudder removed attention is drawn to the rudderpost and Sternpost.  They both are solid.  They have moved and dried with separation that has been filled with cotton in the past.  Essentially really nice wood.

One part of damage is where an iron keel bolt has been used.  It has rusted and blown the wood.  Then at in the past resin has been used to fill the gaps.  Looks awful more repairs to be done.

In one of the previous posts I mentioned the mixture of keel bolts.  Here you can see 3 holes all in the same place.  We have found a mixture of bolts.  Some of the original bronze bolts were still present.  Instead of removing all and replacing with new we have some holes with 1 replacement bronze, replacement iron and the hole above was a mixture of all 3.  New holes had been drilled almost through the old at angles and all were still there!

Fundraising. Crowdfunding

Removal of the Forefoot

 Forefoot

In the process of the restoration I am having to learn many new words relating to the parts of the hull.  This is being done from the pictures that I have been sent from the yard and matching to searches online.  (corrections are welcome)

The picture above shows the forefoot section and a filler block resting below the hull.

From a different angle the rabbet can bee seen.  Not in the greatest shape and will require lots of repair.  The timber is solid and could be replaced but this is a restoration to retain as much as possible of the original. One of the worst problems Adam is finding I believe is the use of iron bolts and nails.  Once the iron corrodes it damages the wood eating into it.

Fundraiser. Crowdfunding

Hatasoo's Tiller and rudder stock head

 Bronze Tiller and Rudder stock.

The decision was made to remove the tiller from the head of the rudder stock.  This would hopefully allow the rudder to slide out the bottom.  In the end Hatasoo couldn't safely be lifted up high enough.  Even so it was interesting to see the top of the stock to see how 130 years of use takes its toll.

With the nut off there is evidence of what might be revealed.

 As can be seen the square shank isn't so square and the threaded section I would imagine isn't in aligned the way it should. 

Restoration Fundraising 

The Restoration of Hatasoo has started!

16th June 2025

Hatasoo's Restoration has Started 

After talking about her for years and investigating whether it was possible to restore Hatasoo to her former glory, she has finally started on the first chapter of her restoration.

Last year Adam removed the lower planks to reveal the top of the keel fixings and we were able to see more of the problems we were going to face.  So the restoration was on hold for a while as we came to  understand how the costs were going to rise.

In the photo above you can see Hatasoo suspended from the workshop roof.  The lead keel has been removed by cutting the old bolts that are a mixture of iron and bronze.  Over time the bolts have been removed, not all at the same time.  Saving money in the past putting iron bolts is going to cause lots more work, more about that later.

The Lead keel in a frame, supported after the hull was lifted away.  No mean feat with 1 Ton of lead and that was connected to a lot less than half a ton of wooden hull.

There's no going back now! 

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The Ladies race at the Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club 9th June 1894

 The Ladies race at the Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club 8th June 1894

The picture above unfortunately is not of the ladies race!

The Clyde Corinthian Season- Ladies Races at Hunter's Quay

The Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club yesterday did a graceful act in inaugurating their season with a programme in which the lady members played a prominent par.  Hitherto the ladies' races have taken further on in the year, and have not always met with the sort of weather which suits their complexion.  Yesterday the weather was as nearly as possible perfect, so that the event was carried through under the most happy auspices.  If there was a drawback at all it was the inexplicable absence of the male members of the club, who where not quite so closely identified with the yacht which competed.  Considering the character of the fixture, one would have expected to find flocks of young yachtsmen on board and ashore, all desirous of witnessing one of the leading novelties of the season.  But with that slight consideration apart, it is pleasing to be able to record that few of the male Corinthians are disposed to regard with jealousy the introduction of the fair sex into the rigours and mysteries of yacht sailing.

Thus the fixture is not to be held as simply a temporary indulgence which, once over, is well done with for a season.  A sincere belief in the capabilities of the ladies to sweeten life under all conditions is a vital part of the Clyde Corinthian creed; and they desire, no doubt, that this acknowledgement of their obligations and responsibilities may be accepted as a guarantee of further concessions to come.  As real members of the club, the sisters of oneself and one's friends can scarcely be prohibited from mixing in other functions without which even the glorious sport of yachting might degenerate to the flat, stale and unprofitable.

There are of course, times and occasions from which the female mind can hardly extract its own peculiar kind of satisfaction.  In other words, it is good that men and yachtsmen should sometimes be alone.  it is the special province of ladies themselves, assisted in this particular instance by the the Clyde Corinthian Club, to see they are not too much alone.  In the prosecution of this most laudable end, we hope the the lady members will push their privileges to their upmost limit, in the full conviction that under only the rarest of auspices can their presence fail to have the most benign effect upon the personalities of their male comrades.  Taking this view, it would not be to much to expect the Corinthians to lead the fashion in the social world, and have the angelic creatures present at occasional convivial meetings, where without doubt their influence would make for the beneficial.

Without pursuing that portion of the subject further, it has to be stated that beyond all question such an event as that of yesterday is brought of with so much éclat that we must look for a steady growth of sentiment in that direction within the next half-dozen years.

There were two races on the card and they provided an interest equal to anything to be experienced at any ordinary regatta on the Clyde.  At this advanced day it goes without saying that the ladies (who yet court not the publicity of which their brethren have no fear) behaved in a manner which reflects most creditably upon their knowledge and resources.  The wind was steady from southerly, and kept the yachts going well all the time, and the finishes were exceedingly close.  While the attendance was not what it should have been, the fixture was patronised and supported by a large number of other yachts, some of whom followed the race over the course.  The arrangements were of a satisfactory nature and were carried through without a hitch.

Race II 17/19's

Hatasoo        6hr 1min 30s

Sally            6hr 5min 35s

Daisy Bell    6hr 6min 20s

The start was cleverly made.  Sally was half a length in front of Hatasoo, but to leeward, and Daisy Bell came in the wake of Sally.  Mr Bain's boat Miss Downes at the helm, took the lead in the beat to Dunoon, and thereafter the order was maintained till the close, Hatasoo having a little to spare as winner.

The extract has been taken from The Glasgow Herald, Saturday June 9 1894.

The British Newspaper Archive. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000060/18940609/039/0010

Second Race for Hatasoo, Royal Western Yacht Club Regatta Thursday 24th May 1894

 Race Number 2

Reported in the North British Daily Mail on Monday May 28th 1894

Following on from the great start at the start of the season in Greenock the previous week Hatasoo competed at the Royal Western Yacht Club Regatta.  Unlike the larger boats that took a course to Lamlash on Arran the 17 footers took a course from Rothesay Bay to a mark on the Skelmorlie side of the Firth, next mark in Balloch Bay, to finish back at Rothesay.  Overseen by Mr Andrew Bain from his yacht Romany in Rothesay Bay.

Like the week before the wind was light in the morning but woke up in the afternoon.  Another long race in time, over six hours, almost 7 hours for Sally.

Hatasoo triumphed again, another 1st. Daisy Bell coming in 2nd, Sally being the last to gain a finish. It was not a good day for Pirouette, being demasted in the afternoon.  Snarley Yow and Rosalind retired.

Final Times

Hatasoo            6hr 19min 45s

Daisy Bell        6hr 31min 50s

Sally                6hr 50min 10s

It was written:

Hatasoo led all day, and this easy victory coming so quickly on the heels of her clever maiden success at Greenock goes far to indicate that she is likely to be one of the big hits of the year.  Already all connected to her are rather pleased with the shape she is making!

Little did they know how true that was to become.

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First Race of Hatasoo at the West of Scotland Yacht Club

 Race number one

Reported in the Scotsman on Monday May 21 1894

The West of Scotland Yacht Club opened the yachting season on the Clyde on the 19th May 1894 with five races.  Mr Norman Clark commodore of the club was the flag officer on his 457 ton steam yacht Katoomba, moored off from the club house Fort Matilda.

Mr V Meyer Hon secretary and Mr D Macgregor Hon timekeeper assisted.  It must have been an amazing time to see all these great boats in the Clyde where it would be customary to come in your "little" steam yacht drop anchor, to watch your yachts battle it out for the day.  Mr Bain was attending in his steam yacht Romany to see how his new addition Hatasoo would fair.

On the day it was very light winds in the morning and a few of the yachts in the first match had to be towed back by the commodores steam launch and Mr Bains 'Romany' with other launches lending a hand.

The Forth Match was the 17/19's there were 7 boats taking a course round Powder Buoy, the flag boat at Kilcreggan and return to commodore, two laps then to Kilcreggan and back to Commodore.  All marks to port.

Hatasoo of William Fife design and Daisy Bell of Watson both new for the season. With Rosalind, Sally, Celia, Snarley Yow and Pirouette.

Daisy Bell over the start line first, then Rosalind, Sally, Snarley Yow and Hatasoo, following ten minutes behind Pirouette and Celia.  Hatasoo soon overtook the older boats to be behind Daisy Bell,  she was seen to be good to windward in light airs.  Taking her wind she forged in front.  Taking a good lead she came home first with Daisy Bell second.  Rosalind retiring after drifting into the flag boat.

Hatasoo                2hr 5min 11s        3hr 41min 21s        5hr 7min 42s

Daisy Bell            2hr 8min 24s        3hr 47min 10s        5hr 10min 34s

Rosalind               2hr 11min 57s      3hr 47min 23s        retired

Sally                    2hr 13min 26s       3hr 48min 32s        5hr 10min 54s

Celia                    2hr 39min 32s       3hr 57min 48s        5hr 11min 42s

Snarley Yow        2hr 17min 39        3hr 51min50s         5hr 11min 46s

Pirouette              2hr 46min 50s        Retired

Looking at the times these were not short races, yet there is still only just over 4 minute between the first and last.

Hooray for Hatasoo 

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Time line of ownership and other facts

Hatasoo Time line

 

Andrew Bain Commodore of the RWYC 1988. The club sponsoring the class 17/19.

I have found mention of Hatasoo entering the arena of the 17/19's along with other new boats for the season.  Daisy Bell and Pirouette from W.L.Watson. (North British Daily Mail May 9th 1894.

Hatasoo winning 100 out 113 starts in the first 4 seasons.

Royal Western Yacht Club 1888 first appearance  of 17/19's racing in the minutes 

The Hatasoo Basket Won by Hatasoo at the Mudhook Regatta in July 1894.  Th trophy is now competed for by the Gareloch One Design Class.

In 1894 October 27 it was reported that Miss Downes, Mr Bains Niece, at the helm, competed in a Ladies race at the Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club . She was one of the first ladies to be allowed after they opened their doors to Women.  The race referred to was in June 1894 with racing colours of Hatasoo being red with a horizontal stripe of blue through the centre.  I have since found a great piece in the Glasgow Herald that I will publish on a different page that highlights the attitudes towards women and yachting at the latter part of the 1800's.

RNYC in the records under the ownership of Andrew Bain 1894 to 1925.  She was entered into handicap classes after the 17/19 class stopped racing.

1 race in 1935 at Gareloch Yacht Club . Owned by James S Sutherland

1955  & 56 Royal Clyde Regattas owned by A.E MacGrouther

Hatasoo Restoration Crowdfunding

Hatasoo Racing Records

Racing Records 

The history of Hatasoo's racing will be updated as and when I find a record published.

Results Tally in my research so far, along way to go!

In general anything other than 1st many of publications didn't report.

32 Firsts

9 Seconds

1894 Saturday 19th May    West of Scotland Yacht Club    1st Prize £3   A. Bain Prize

1894 Thursday 24th May   Royal Western Yacht Club        1st    A. Bain 

1894 Saturday 2nd June    Royal Western Yacht Club        5th    A. Bain

1894 Friday 8th June    Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club Ladies Race   Miss Downes    1st   A. Bain

1894 Saturday 9th June Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club    1st  Prize £3  A. Bain

1894 Saturday 23rd June    Royal Northern Yacht Club    2nd    A. Bain

1894 Saturday 30th June    West of Scotland Yacht Club    2nd Prize £2    A. Bain

1894 Tuesday 3rd July    Royal Largs Yacht Club    2nd Prize £1    A. Bain

1894 Wednesday 4th July    Royal Western Yacht Club     2nd Prize £2    A. Bain

1894 Thursday 5th July    Mudhook Yacht Club    3rd     A. Bain

1894 Friday 6th July    Mudhook Regatta (Hatasoo Basket)        1st    A. Bain

1894 Saturday 7th July    Royal Clyde Club Regatta    1st    A. Bain

1894 Monday 9th July    Royal Clyde Regatta   1st    A. Bain

1894 Tuesday 10th July    Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club    1st A. Bain

1894 Wednesday 11th July    Royal Northern Yacht Club    1st A. Bain

1894 Thursday 12th July    Royal Northern Yacht Club    1st     A. Bain

1894 Saturday 14th July    Kyles of Bute Regatta    1st    A. Bain

1894 Saturday 28th July    Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club Ladies Race    1st    A. Bain

1894 Saturday 4th August     Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club    1st A. Bain

1894 Saturday 11th August    The Royal Western Yacht Club    1st A. Bain

1894 Saturday 18th August    Royal Largs Regatta    3rd    A. Bain

1894 Friday 24th August    Kilcreggan Regatta    2nd    A. Bain

1894 Saturday 25th August    Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club    1st    A. Bain 

1894 Friday 31st August     Royal Clyde Yacht Club    1st    A. Bain    Cup race

1894 Saturday 1st September    Helensburgh Ladies Race    1st    A. Bain

1894 Saturday 8th September    West of Scotland Yacht Club    1st     Helmed Mr Downes Jr    A. Bains

1895 Saturday 18th May    Greenock West of Scotland Club    A. Bain

1895 Saturday 15th June    Corinthian Regatta at RNYC     1st    A. Bain

1895 Saturday 22nd June    Corinthian Regatta at RNYC    2nd    A. Bain

1895 Saturday 29th June    Royal Northern Yacht Club        1st    A. Bain

1895 Thursday 4th July    Mudhook Yacht Club Regatta        1st    A. Bain

1895 Saturday 11th July    The Royal Western Club Regatta       A. Bain

1896 Thursday 9th July    Royal Western Yacht Club    1st    A. Bain

1896 Saturday 18th July    Royal Western Yacht Club (Hatasoo and Fricka Jump start Opps!) A. Bain

1897 Saturday 19th June        The Clyde Jubilee Regatta        1st   A. Bain

1897 Saturday 26th June        Clyde Yachting Fortnight           1st   A. Bain

1897 Friday 9th July       West of Scotland Yacht Club Regatta    1st    A. Bain

1897 Saturday 10th July         The Royal Clyde Yacht Club    1st Prize £3    A. Bain

1897 Monday 12th July          The Royal Clyde Yacht Club    1st Prize £3    A. Bain

1897 Friday 27th August        The Royal Clyde Yacht Club    1st  Prize £3   A. Bain

1897 Saturday 28th August     The Royal Clyde Yacht Club    1st Prize £3   A. Bain

1935    Gareloch Yacht Club    James S Sutherland

1955 Saturday 30th July   Clyde Corinthian Race  4th    A.E.MacGrouther

1955 Monday 1st August        Clyde Fleet                                2nd                   A.E.MacGrouther

1955 Saturday 23rd July        The Royal Northern Yacht Club Regatta    1st    A.E.MacGrouther

1955    Royal Clyde Regatta    A.E.MacGrouther

1956 Saturday 11th August    Cove Regatta        Retired (gales)    A.E.MacGrouther

1956 Saturday 8th September   Royal Clyde Regatta    1st   A.E.MacGrouther

1957 Saturday 8th July    Clyde Week     2nd    A.E.MacGrouther

1957 Saturday 14th September    Helensburgh        1st, 2nd, and Other    A.E.MacGrouther

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America Cup Boats designed by William Fife III

America Cup Boats designed by William Fife III

Shamrock 

I have been watching the America's Cup for the first time this year, 2024 and thought I would write a small page on the 2 boats that William Fife III designed to compete.

William Fife III, born 1857.  The third in a family of designers and builders at the yard in Fairlie, by the time he designed Shamrock he was already a celebrated designer, pushing the boundaries and building beautiful yachts.

Shamrock I was commissioned  by Sir Thomas Lipton for the America's Cup in 1899 and William Fife III was to design the challenger for the first time.  She was built in Millwall at Thorneycroft yard design number 435.  She was 89 ft long at the water line and 105 ft 6 inches length overall, weighing in at 260 tonnes.  At least as far as the yard list is concerned as published in the book Fast and Bonnie.  Yet from other sources, Classic Sailboat.org and Wikipedia, I have found a discrepancy and its published, LWL 82' 3" LOA 127' 6", 156.9 tonne and the draft of 20' 3" with a sail area of 13,070 sq. ft.  There is a piece published in the New-York Daily Tribune in 1899 that Shamrock was 130ft LOA.  Shamrock was steel framed with manganese bronze to her underside and alloy aluminium topside.

Its not just the boat designs that have changed so much. Back in 1899 the course was 30 miles long, a triangular course and there was a time limit of 5 1/2 hours .  Where as the 1st race I have just seen between New Zealand and Great Britain  finished in under 30 minutes.  Unfortunately for Shamrock they failed to win any races and the defender Columbia won three to retain the cup.  Hopefully Britannia will not suffer the same fate.

 Shamrock III

After Sir Thomas Lipton having G.L. Watson design Shamrock II for the challenge in 1901 he came back to William Fife III for Shamrock III for the 1903 race.  G.L. Watson still consulted informally with experience of the the 1901 design. 

Shamrock III was  just shy of 90' LWL,  With LOA at 134' 5"with a sail area of 14151 Sq. ft.  Her hull was Nickle Steel, Weighing 166.6 tons.  She was also the first challenger to adopt wheel steering as apposed to tiller.  

I found a wonderful site called america-scoop.com that shows publications and courses for the races.  It gives great in-site into the courses set for the races of the past.  So much different to the present championship, each day a new course with different lengths.  Not just that the boats were beautiful.  

The results for the races 3 to 2 for the defender Resolute.

Unfortunately both Shamrock I and III were broken up for scrap after failing to find buyers for them.  

One of the measurements I fail to understand is LOA is only the deck length yet when I had Hatasoo on a pontoon I was charged for the bowsprit as well!  Something I will have to bare in mind if we manage to restore her original rig after all from the end of the bowsprit to the end of the boom is approximately 36/37 ft over double the LWL.  f anyone can comment to explain I would be grateful.

Hatasoo Restoration Fund

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Restoration Verses Preservation

Restoration Verses Preservation

 All owners of old wooden boat come up against the problem of maintenance and the costs involved.  Its a lot cheaper and simpler  to maintain a modern fibreglass craft.  Just because Hatasoo is a small boat doesn't change the fact that she requires an enormous amount of time and skill to keep her fit to sail.  This means cash.

As we have previously said we wanted to keep her sailing and also as original as possible with the materials available.  After sailing her for a couple of years it became apparent that she would need major work to be able to safely enjoy her but also so I'm not responsible in losing an important part of Scottish racing history and design.  She was after-all one of the most if not the most successful racing sailing boats of all British classes. 

 So as described in previous posts we have started to investigate the maintenance needed, which as you would have gathered after reading the previous blog posts are quite considerable.

  Our remit for Adam at A & R Boatbuilding has always been to retain as much of the original boat as we could.  Most of the timber and fittings are original to her so are now 130 years old.  This in our view would retain the integrity of Hatasoo and I would class as a restoration not a rebuild, thereby deserving to retain the name Hatasoo.  All very romantic maybe!  Many a boat has been rebuilt with the keel still present but most of the timber renewed and then still classed as original.  I'm not sure I would agree, isn't it a new boat with an old keel attached?

I remember a sketch on Only Fools and Horses where Trigger claims to have had the same broom for his whole career as a road sweeper.  He had cared for it and replaced the head numerous times and the shaft other times.  Is it the original broom or many different brooms?

With Hatasoo most of the timber is still original, the it is still the same lead ballast keel. The mast, boom bowsprit and yard  are still original.

 Preservation

We could donate her to a museum for her to be preserved like her sister boat Frika.  She is in the Falmouth Maritime Museum, as an exhibit, she will never sail again.  

National Maritime Museum Cornwall | National Maritime Museum Cornwall (nmmc.co.uk)

There are other 17/19 class boats that had waited so long they became un-restorable.  We are at a crossroads with Hatasoo that she could end up with the same problem.  Many a person would claim she has already got there and the best thing to do would be to preserve, then go and buy a boat I could sail and cruise with abandon, easy to maintain and much as with any boat you do still just throw cash into the sea, but not to the same amount that Hatasoo will take, this as pound sterling per foot it is an extraordinary amount, especially as she is just a day sailor/racer.

Restoration 

We originally were planning on spending between £30K & £40K to bring her back to sailing with the reduced rig that she has at the moment.  An extraordinary amount of money for a day sailor! We had budgeted for that.  Unfortunately now the problems have been identified the cost is going to far exceed that.  The following list is not everything but will at least outline some of what will need to be completed. All will need documenting as we go and all timbers numbered for reassembly.

As explained to me by Adam at A & R Way Boatbuilding.  The only way to tackle the restoration is bottom up. 

The keel, stem and backbone assembly.  Some parts we can not avoid but to renew them. Other parts need to be rejointed and the rest require something in between of various degrees.
Hull framing,  unfortunately over time every frame has formed a defect.  All the frames need some kind of repair with new sections being formed.  The steam bent ribs will probably all need replacing.
Hull Planking, considering that the planking is 95% original, it is remarkable that there is very little rot, however almost all planks will need some kind of repair, some will need to be replaced.  All of the planks have loose seams to the next one.  They will all have to be removed one nail at a time to allow their repair and refitting on new frames.
Decking is loose and damaged at the ends, at the very least it will need removing and restored before refitting one at a time.
As a consequence of all the work every nail screw and bolt will be carefully removed and replaced.

All the hull planking and deck planks will need the ends of the timbers repaired / grafted.  Every piece of timber  both the width and the curve is different in shape, the documentation will be paramount to ensure reassembly goes to plan.

When replacing any timbers we will endeavour to find a timber that is the same as the original but that is going to take time as many woods that have been used in the past are not available any more, or if they are its the quality that is an issue.  The planks are only 3/8" thick in yellow pine, quarter sawn yellow pine the quality we require is going to be an issue. 

Now the cost of the restoration has far exceeded the original budget!  The consensus  "if" we are going this far we should go the whole hog and change her back to her original rig so she becomes a true 17/19 again.  The mast will need to be refitted to its original location.  The new boom to add length, whether by scarfing a new bit of timber on to the end, we still have been using the cut down original, if possible it would be good to retain.  It could end up being a new one if that is not possible.  We also need to check the length of the hull, and the length of the bowsprit.

Some of the details I hope to gain from researching the archives where the largest collection of documents are safely kept.

Archives of William Fife & Son | William Fife Yachts : William Fife Yachts

 The financing of the project is our next challenge.  We cannot take on the restoration without ensuring that it will be completed.  Then we would hope to be able to continue sailing Hatasoo into the future, attending some regattas and allowing others to see and a few experience her.  To be able to sail her on the west coast of Scotland where she started her life would be a great achievement for all involved.

My next post will outline the fundraising plan.

 Hatasoo Restoration Fund

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Investigations

In the workshop part 1

Fast forward to July 2024.  Adam started to remove a few planks so we could see the hidden parts and all was not well.  You can see at the bottom of the frames there is rotten wood .  We had originally been hoping to make new frames to supplement the old cracked frames as can be seen the bottom of the frames are brittle so even less stability than we thought.

In the next photo behind the loose plank we can see keel is rotten  which explains why the lower planks were popping, it does surprise me that we didn't have more problems when we did sail her.

Then we look at the stem post and the same applies. There is more rotten wood which is why the plank ends kept popping.  

I've already mentioned in a previous post the the deck flexed and from the top it can be seen that the hull is spreading.

So to summarize.  The deck needs removing, most of the frames need replacing and the keel and stem post need removing.  All the planking on the hull and deck need to be removed and the ends need to be repaired.   In my next post I will discuss the thought processes of where to go from here!! 

Hatasoo Restoration Fund

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