Built in the 1950’s, this attractive freelance model had suffered the ravages of time and ‘little fingers’!
The model had a good level of interior detail which included lights. When newly finished it would have looked impressive. The majority of the fittings on the deck & rigging had been scratch built by the builder. To some extent the interior was spoilt by the motor and the necessity for (in those days) a bulky battery placed in the main cabin.
The restoration was broken down into four parts; Record & dismantle (the latter was easy as the glue had perished). Restore the hull externally (which proved to be a bigger challenge!). Reconstruct the interior. Renovate the standing & running rigging. The sails are in excellent condition apart from some discolouration and extremely well made. It was decided to leave these.
My policy with these retorations is to try and leave as much of the original builders work as practical rather than change everything which would make it my model.
Starting with the hull…..
Moving onto the interior….
As the model is now for display only it was agreed to remove the motor & battery compartment. This allowed for the deck to be floored throught giving a much better appearance. To simulate a Linoleum floor Designfolie self adhesive film was used. The lighting is still to be added and the item on the floor in the main cabin is the table which requires new legs!
Surprisingly the builder included a brass plate in the main cabin with his initials & the build year!