Our featured boat for April is the Essex smack ‘Transcur’, CK365, built in 1889 by Aldous & Sons. In this post, Pete Thomas continues the story of her restoration up to the launch in 2001. Read the first instalment here: ‘We wanted an Essex Smack!’ The cover photo shows her racing with the OGA, Summer 2019 by Beverley Yates.
Eight months after arriving in Barham Green the basic hull was complete; new keel, keelson, sternpost, apron and planking. She was taking shape but still a huge amount to do. I carefully worked out what timber I would need for the decks and covering boards and while this was being sourced, I spent around two weeks fairing the hull. Initially with a fine set power planner then a heavy duty belt sander and then the usual long board with glasspaper. It was relatively fine doing the topsides but working under the hull was torturous work. One outside job still to do was to make the keelband from two pieces of flat steel stock 100mm x 12mm. Having it in two pieces made it easier to fit under the 110mm wide keel. I carefully marked out the positions of the fixings making sure to keep away from the wrought iron keelbolts (obtained out of a scrap bin, ex village hall roof tie bars). The holes were counter bored around 7mm deep so that the hand made nails I made would sit well recessed. The steel band and the nails were sent for galvanising. I was concerned that the galvanisers would lose some nails but amazingly they didn’t.
The Robbins Elite ply arrived for the deck and the 37mm thick Iroko planks for the covering boards. I wanted a deck that would not leak but also looked good from down below. Each side of the boat’s covering board was made from three pieces scarfed together. On the inside edge of the covering board I cut a rebate 25mm x 12mm deep. I had plenty of larch left over from the planking and decided to glue and screw a laid larch deck down first that would be visible from below. Then I laid the first layer of 12mm ply scarfing all the joints, again the ply was glued and screwed to the deck beams. It’s surprising how quickly you can cut accurate scarfs with a power planer. Then the second ply layer was fitted but lapping over on the rebate on the covering board. All joints were staggered, the deck now 37mm thick and very strong. Because it was still quite warm in September I covered the deck with heavy woven GRP mat. I had noted where all the stantions were fitted and set about cutting out the holes in the covering boards. A good jigsaw did the job well. Another couple of weeks and most of the stantions had been cut. At lunch times and after school I could fashion the rough sawn oak into the required sections ready for fitting when back at home. All the stantions had tenons cut on their tops ready for the oak cap rail for which I made thin ply templates. It was slow fiddly work but it would show if I got it wrong. Long battens were used to set the cap rail position and to make sure the sheer was fair. Again more larch was cut and machined for the bulwarks.
She was looking good but was still a bare hull. No coamings, hatches or interior. Because we were going to cruise with a family we decided to make the hatches a little bigger than when ‘Transcur’ was working. We also decided to put concrete back in her bilges to seal over the lead ballast and keep the sole as low as we could to give us as much headroom as possible. The interior was mocked up several times with scrap bits of ply until we were happy with how it felt.
‘Transcur’ had sailed from 1898 to 1937 without an engine, for a cruising boat that was not acceptable, plus we both were working and needed to be at work on Monday mornings. Having had a quarter propeller installation on ‘Merlin’ and how restrictive that was we decided to go for a twin prop system. There were three other smacks at that time with twin hydraulic drive systems; ‘Ellen’, ‘Bona’ and ‘Mermaid’. ARS Diesels were most helpful with selecting the appropriate pumps and motor and control system. I fabricated the motor mounts from heavy steel plate and angle, making the stern tubes from GRP and steel brackets.
My poor little lathe at home struggled with machining the P bracket boss for the 30mm cutlass bearing. Having a larger diameter propellor shaft means it flexes less and you get a bigger bearing surface for the cutlass, this all helps reduce wear. Having removed one shaft last year measuring the wear on the shaft showed that it was only worn 2/1000’s of an inch, barely noticeable after 23 years. Unfortunately the folding props are now a little worn and need a bit of attention. The power for the whole system is from an old Ford 1.6 Escort Van diesel marinized.
The mast and the bowsprit had been delivered in 2000 and were roughly shaped and saturated with linseed oil, the old Bermudan mast was cut in two and perfectly made the boom and gaff having been reduced in diameter somewhat. The list of things to make and do never seemed to get shorter but the jobs took less time. Stem fitting, making channels, forging the new chainplates, rudder fittings and so it went on. I think one of the most satisfying jobs was carving and fitting her nameboard. Something I had never done before. April/May 2001 it was down to the rigging, making up the shrouds, turning the lignum vitae deadeyes and bands, beginning to see the end in sight. ‘Electron’ a 36ft Aldous smack had just had new sails made and we bought her old set just to get us going. We wanted to sail ‘Transcur’ first to see what was needed. The time spent drawing out the hull to scale and drafting the sail plan was well worth it. It’s never an exact science but we are very happy with the outcome. Whilst I was busy finishing off what seemed like hundreds of jobs Clare set to with painting ‘Transcur’ inside and out.
Launch day was rapidly approaching. We were going to have a big launch party. Debbages Transport came and ‘Trancsur’ was carefully lifted onto the trailer to go to Fox’s Marina for the launch. The plan was to get her there on Wednesday, get the mast up and spend a couple of days rigging her. Thanks must go to Neil Mordey and Mike ‘Banjo’ Garnham who worked solidly cutting and splicing just about all of the cordage. We were finally ready. A nerve wracking time. What if she leaked when launched? It could all go very pear shaped. The journey from home to Fox’s was rather bumpy and some seams had showed a small amount of movement. The team at Fox’s were brilliant. We’ll just “pop her in at the end of the day, Friday for a few minutes, just to be sure”. She did leak about an egg cup-full from one of the heads seacocks that just needed tightening a bit. Then out again ready for launch day. Dressed overall, flowers, champagne and over 100 guests for the launch, it was special.
Twenty four years later, we still love ‘Transcur’, we have had so much fun sailing her here on the East Coast and over to the Netherlands most summers. The children have grown up and become adults but still come and sail with us regularly. Was it worth it? Yes, certainly it was, and how much you learn doing it. Setting off to cross the North Sea with full confidence in the vessel you are in. We are very fortunate in that since we launched over 24 years ago we haven’t changed anything significantly. The biggest surprise when we launched was that she floated far too high. All the lead ballast that came with her went back in the bilges. She floated around 4 inches high, we rapidly sourced another two tons of ballast, cast it to handy ingots and placed it under the sole.
As time goes by certain jobs get harder and more difficult. Scrubbing off and antifouling a smack has to be the worst job. Lying on wet often dirty muddy ground cleaning the bottom is no fun. The mainsail made from heavy weight clipper canvas is getting heavier each year. I do have another ‘project’ in the garden, a Cornish Pilot 30 that is nearing completion having been abandoned for15 years. She may go afloat in a year or so. She is half the weight of ‘Transcur’, shallow draft with heavy iron centre plate and can come out of the water and not dry out! As pretty and nice to sail she may not be, but much easier and practical. Time will tell.
Read part one here: ‘We wanted an Essex smack!’
Words and photos: Pete & Clare Thomas
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