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Russell Newbery woodentop

Seti-Yeti

By Seti-Yeti
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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Where does Bob Hope come into this?

 

I see there's a cove on the internet reckoning that his refurbished 32 foot Springer is a bargain at £29, 995, so I guess that by comparison this boat is very cheap. Am I wrong, but are Braine's shells extremely well thought of, which would tend to rais ethe boat's value.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

Where does Bob Hope come into this?

 

Am I wrong, but are Braine's shells extremely well thought of, which would tend to rais ethe boat's value.

 

Malcolm Braine built boats of the 1970s were just about top range at the time, and highly regarded.

 

However they were generally built in no thicker steel than many less expensive boats, and are likely to have been perhaps 1/4" throughout.

 

Also they were probably built "wet bilged", so no attempt made to self draining well deck to the front, with rain water passing to the back under the floors. They may well have spent yeras with the bottom getting wet from both sides.

 

After 40 years some may be fine, but are not particularly more likely to be so than much cheaper builds.

 

Almost invariably Braine boats of the era were wooden tops with Masonite clad tongue and groove board over wooden frames, and one still sees some of these boats where the outer skin is now completely failed, and bubbled up. (Masonite was an oil tempered hardboard, basically).

 

This particular example is certainly not as built, with the exterior now in some kind of T&G, which even if in good condition, will hold paint for about 2 years maximum, I suggest, before it all needs stripping and redoing. The roof I think is possible fibre-glassed over, although it could be some other covering.

 

$_57.JPG

The external "drain pipes" from the roof, (bits of tube with the top ends split open in an attempt to catch water from the roof drains (!) are a fair indication why you don't make an exterior in T&G.

 

It will take a brave person to take this on, I think.

 

 

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dave moore Influencer

dave moore

Posted
Posted

I've known Malcolm since the 60s, it's all his fault for getting me into boating and painting. Primarily a woodworker, he had the

" Lionheart " steel hulls built for him, adding wooden cabins subsequently. Masonite was the outer skin and problems arose along the line. Some cabins were covered in fibre glass resin, later Graham Edgson, his successor, developed the technique of reskinning them - removing the outer layer of Masonite and putting a steel top over the existing planked superstructure. This leaves the charm of the framed wooden cabin intact with a steel outer. I've worked on many of those so treated over the years. The Braine boats were top end in their day, Malcolm had an eye for sweet proportions where boats were concerned, they still stand out today against more modern boats.

 

The re-skinning process is highly skilled, not only to preserve the lines but also to avoid setting fire to the timber beneath while welding. Graham nailed galvanised steel strips to the timber to deflect the heat in crucial points.

 

Dave

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