Winter project

Jim Pottinger spent the winter months restoring a sorry looking Dell Quay Fisher to her former glory

- Jim Pottinger

This boat had been laid up for some years and had been sorely neglected. Inside, all the seats and supports were rotten and their fibreglass cladding was either split or delaminated. Also the external fendering was loose in parts. The rudder hung loosely in a corroded mild-steel tube, which indicated that any bushes fitted inside the tube had disintegrated. While the hull was soundly constructed I have to admit I was not impressed with the original fittings and fit out.

Fortunately the 10hp Beta Marine diesel engine had not had much running so, having built a Mirror dinghy and converted my last two boats while living on the Clyde, I was confident I could resurrect this craft.

Luckily my garage was big enough to allow me to move her inside over the winter which allowed me to work whatever the weather. I did, however, do most of the messy heavy work outside: grinding off paint and fibreglass, plus stripping out of rudder tube and rubbing strake.

Gunwales and fendering

The existing three layers of 10mm mahogany forming the gunwale inside the shell did not need replacing but I added another two 10mm thick strips inside to beef up the structure. I then glassed over the complete gunwale, taking the usual precautions when using resin of wearing a mask and gloves.

I removed the rather conspicuous and unsightly bow roller fitting, which appeared to be a gunmetal casting and was surprisingly heavy.

In its place I fashioned a thick stem head from three layers of laminated 19mm ply shaped to continue the external curve of the stem.