Wm Fife yacht restoration
Wm Fife Yacht Restoration in Loch Fyne
The Truant Racing in 1912
The Truant is an 8m class racing yacht, designed and built by William Fife III and launched from Fairlie in 1910. She was built for Sir Ralph Gore, the then Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes.
After a difficult first season (a couple of broken masts) she went on to have a very distinguished racing career.
Restoration
The Truant was owned by Bob Davidson, a colourful character well known on the west coast yachting scene. He found her in a potato field in Ireland in 1952, leaning on one leg, painted canary yellow from keel to deck and with a mizzen mast fitted: this had been added by a previous owner who had planned to cross the Atlantic in her.
Bob discarded this on his first crossing of the North Passage. He then went on to cruise and race her hard for the next 45 years. During our restoration Bob unfortunately died and The Truant passed to his godson Ross Ryan who was the moving light throughout her restoration.
Condition
When I first saw her in the old garages at Crinan I was surprised as to how good she looked; her hull had clearly kept its shape and was pretty fair. However the angle iron and strap floors were rusted away and all the wood, both frames, ribs and planking which had come into contact with them were badly affected.
First work was carried out in the old garages. The ballast keel was removed (many of the keel bolts were reduced to dust for much of their length, others took days to remove). We took out the mast step and all metalwork. New lower portions of the sawn frames were scarfed in and the floors were replaced in stainless steel and bolted in.
At this point it was decided to take the bull by the horns, move the boat to our yard and carry out all the required work in one hit. She was craned and transported in early November 2006. At this point the world championships and 8m centenary on the Clyde in July 2007 was mentioned as a target.
Interior with garboards removed
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Bottom planks removed and stern post knee fastenings driven out. Seen with temporary threaded rod in holes before re-fixing with phosphor bronze hand made bolts.
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Planking well underway in Mahogany, nailed and roved to the steam bent ribs and to the sawn frames with 1/4 inch diameter home made copper rivet fastenings.
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Planking all shaped into tuck
The new elliptical transom piece
was an interesting project in itself.
The old deck
had three layers, the original yellow pine with a thin plywood sheet topped with 4mm teak which was pealing off. It had to go.
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Although the deck beams seamed good from below, once the deck was off we found that they had lost all their spring and were very weak. So they had to go as well and were replaced in larch as original. We also grafted in some new sections of beam shelf.
New carlins were fitted whilst the cabin sides and coach roof were hoisted overhead. The cabin is not original but was added in 1925 whilst The Truant was in Norway. It was decided to keep it in the name of practicality as Ross plans future west coast cruising.
Deck beams are of larch as the original spec. and dove tailed at both ends.
The decking is of origin pine; she was built with canadian yellow pine but apart from the difficulty in getting this we decided that is was just too soft and easily damaged.
The decking was tongue and grooved, secret nailed in bronze and paid up with pitch. It was not joggled into the king plank but again tongue and grooved as Fife designed it. The plank width was carefully proportioned with narrow seams and so far no leaks.
The cockpit was restored and made watertight and semi- self draining.
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New engine bearers with the old shaft log re- instated. Some old ribs remain but many new ones were steamed in.
Spar making.
The hollow gaff in sitka spruce being glued up.
Boom under construction
Afloat at Last!
After some very long days work and a few nights as well, we did make the world championships on the Clyde (late but in time for the last day).
Her next big outing was Crinan Classics where she sailed in brisk conditions and really paid us back for all the effort.
At Earl's Court Boat Show 2007
The Truant had pride of place at Earl's Court in December. She was backdrop to the main display and stage and was much admired.