Plain Kate returns!

Back in the water

After over eight months on the slip, Plain Kate finally returned to the water today. This morning she was winched down the slip, ready to be lifted by the high afternoon tide. Here she is looking splenidid after all the loving care spent on her by professionals and volunteers. Plain Kate will return to her customary berth alongside Trinity this weekend. Some staff are already back in their cabins; next week, summer volunteers will join them. We are so grateful to everyone who has made this refurbishment possible.

Launching on 14 July!

We have a date for getting PK back in the water: Wednesday 14 July! The date's determined largely by having a good high tide to lift her off – and the ones in the middle of this week are the highest for some time. High tide is expected at around 3pm on the 14th. Here she is, ready to go...

Tarring the bottom planks

The traditional way to preserve a wooden boat's bottom planks is to apply Stockholm tar. It's a tricky, sticky, hot job: the tar has to be heated enough so that it will seep into the pine planks when applied, but not too hot as it could go up in flames in the tar pot. And most of the work's done 'upwards'! Here, the experts – Cakey Drake, Dan Sculley and Doug Bradley – get down to it. [Pics courtesy Yvonne Leguit]

Putting on the coats

After all the excitement of completing the structural work comes the long slog of surface preparation and applying layers and layers of paint and varnish. [Pics courtesy Yvonne Leguit]

Couch caulk

In the past week, Paul Drake has been caulking under the hull. There are six seams each side to do, and they're quite tricky. Thankfully, the old mattress from the state cabin has come to the rescue to make the job possible and reasonably comfortable.

Doug Bradley, manager of TSL and PK project manager sits alongside, chatting about progress. Or is he? It looks suspiciously like Doug's running a side job as a shipwright's shrink.

Caulking, filling and painting

After the seams are caulked (with cotton, top, and with oakum, second from top) and blemishes filled, Mike Lang (immediately above) starts on the hull painting with a first coat of primer (which absorbs quickly into the dry timbers). Mike is a professional painter in watercolours, so it's great to have him applying his brushing skills on PK. More pics here.

Almost there...

We're at the point where most of the structural work has been done: the boys are mainly doing surface preparation and applying preservatives to internal timbers. As soon as the vapours from the latter dissipate, the first crew members will return! Meanwhile we're getting the volunteer painting teams together. If you can help, do get in contact asap. Here are shipwrights Dan and Cakey, with Tom (centre), a volunteer who has been a much valued assistant over the past couple of months.

Strakes and steering

This latest pic shows the new iroko rubbing strake that been fitted under the freshly sanded teak sheer strake – these hardwood features will soon be receiving a coat of teak oil to keep them looking bright.

The portside underwater hull is being refastened this week.

We will also be stripping out the seams in preparation for re-caulking and stopping of the seams with red lead putty next week.

The final painting stage will soon be with us – we'll be looking for volunteers to give a hand!

Barry Watt, our local engineer, is now stripping the steering gear down. This revealed the four three-quarter-inch-diameter bronze bolts through the hull all broken! This was certainly the cause of much of the hull leaking. Barry hopes to return the steering gear to full working condition.

Stern looks

Here is Dan working on the "fashion pieces" (that's Dan's name) on the stern, to cover the plank ends, and to make PK look pretty!

Wild weather tides

Wild weather conditions this weekend have pushed up the height of this month's spring tides. Plain Kate is enjoying a reminder that someday soon she'll be sitting back in the water!

Leak in here...

Aha! We've found the leak! PK had been taking water below the waterline for some time, but we weren't sure just where. With the top side planking done, Paul and Dan are working on the bottom and they've found hidden rot under the galley at the turn of the bilge amidships. The bad planks have been pulled out, and they've found sound timber. Hopefully now, it will just be down to re-fitting new planks. And then refastening the complete bottom planking.

Topsides planking completed

The second side top sides planking is all done now. Next will be a couple of short planks on the underwater hull, and then it'll be fairing the planking, driving in the caulking and then paying the seams with redlead putty.

How we're funding the repairs

All the current work on PK has only been made possible through the generosity of FACT friends and supporters giving specifically for her restoration. So far, we've received:

£100 (friend)
£1,000 (Pleshey Mission Trust)
£51 (friend)
£25 (friend)
£23,000 (friend)
£314 (friend)

These amounts will allow us to complete essential repairs to the hull and decks to get PK back in service for the main part of the sailing season. However, some parts of the project are not fully funded, in particular the top sides painting for which a further £2,000 will be required. We welcome gifts via fund-raising events, from trusts and from corporate donors.

Work on a sunny day

I'm sure the guys appreciate a sign of spring. Thanks, David H, for some sunny snaps. See our Plain Kate album for more.

Ship Right

Paul and Dan are taking PK's hull back to bare wood and replacing loads of planks. Soon she should be re-caulked, sanded, painted and back in the water. We are hoping to have her back sometime after Easter. [Thanks to Yvonne who's even remembering us while in NZ: she's just sent the pics below which she she took recently before departing.]

Early progress

Here are a few pics from Yvonne Leguit showing some of the first work being done by Paul and Dan.

Work starts at Laying Up Weekend

At the FACT Laying Up Weekend (30 Oct - 1 Nov), volunteers start work on clearing and cleaning (in the pic: the saloon) to help asses the extent of repair work required.

Arrives on the slip 20 October 2009

Here she is. On the afternoon tide of Tuesday 20 October 2009, Dan and Cakey get her safely on to the cradle and haul her up the slip. Now we need to asses the work required and start raising funds.
[Pic courtesy Yvonne Leguit]

1925: Certificate of Registry