We have decided to give her the full treatment and refurbish her from top to bottom, inside and out. With the world wondering what to do with old boats, it only seem right to prove that writing them off in favour of buying a new one is not the best answer!

This boat will be as good as new by the time we have finished her. The new equivalent would cost over £50,000 but we think we can make her better than that and for a price nearer £30,000 by the time we have replaced the necessary parts and made her shine!

Some big decisions to make from the outset are.....

Engine. Should we refurbish her Yanmar 1gm 10 or buy a new one. We will probably refurbish rather than bring another new diesel engine into the world. The engine runs well but she will be removed from the boat and fully restored. A new water lubricated stern seal will be fitted and a modern fuel tank with a proper gauge added. OR.... should we fit an electric engine for peaceful river use?

Maybe we wll find a new owner to decide prior to us making that decision. Either way the 1gm will not go to waste.

Hull topsides. Her hull is dark blue and whilst she will polish up quite well, she has had more than her fair share of bumps and scratches. We could paint her with an epoxy paint but whilst this looks amazing, it does become hard to repair any inevitable future bumps and scratches. So we will likely apply new gelcoat on top of the old which will make her look like new. We have a very stable dark blue colour ( Mystery Blue ) which seems to be very UV resistant from our experience. Applying new gelcoat by hand and fairing to a high finish is time consuming... but the results can be amazing.

Under the waterline.  We will strip all the old layers of antifouling and inspect the hull below the waterline. She will then get treated with Gelshield epoxy followed by Coppercoat antifouling.   

On deck. The deck is structurally sound and just in need of a good clean & polish. Some minor gelcoat repairs will be necessary and holes filling when we remove all the timber and deck fittings which will be replaced with new. Nasty aluminium cleats will be replaced with shinny stainless steel and the timber will be refurbished where possible or replaced where worn out. The gunwales will be replaced and we will varnish the exterior wood to give a high gloss finish. After all, we will only sell this boat to somebody that is prepared to maintain her!

Down below. Watch this space!

If you are interested in having a refurbished boat instead of a new one, or maybe you are looking for a nice little Cornish Clam 19, please make contact with the links below.