The moment of truth....

Because craning in had to fit in with so many other schedules, it happened all of a sudden on Monday afternoon in the pouring rain. Official launching will be on the 18th of July at the Glandore Classic Regatta.

That gives Happy Return enough time to swell up and get back into shape. Summer adventure here we come!

Last minute preparations at Roaringwater pier

The moment of truth - about to touch the water after decades on dry land ( sometimes not so dry).

The difficulties of bringing a boat to water....

During the many years of restoring Happy Return, we never thought much about finally bringing her to the water once she was ready. So, there were a lot of last minute logistics to sort out: new wheels on the trailer, a help from neighbour Connie O'Sullivan with his tractor on Sunday morning, organizing the crane at Roaringwater pier with the Whooley brothers.
Impossible to plan in detail!

Gleaming in the sunshine - ready to go to sea!

At the pier at last - loading fenders, mattresses, sails and camping cookers

Happy Return finally hatching!

Sometimes it seemed like this day would never come - finally Happy Return is on her trailer, almost ready to head towards the sea. Some minor details still have to be taken care of, such as positioning of the travellers, cutting the sheets and halyards, fixing the hatch hinges...and of course the name on the transom! But still, the sense of achievement is elating!

Happy Return almost ready for launching!

Unrelenting attention to detail!

A boat like Happy Return (26ft Stella One Design), is like a miniature house with engine, electrics and plumbing. Because of the limited space, every single item has to be placed very carefully, keeping in mind everything that is going to happen on board.
There are many books and articles which attempt to teach and help with boat electrics/plumbing/rigging - but ultimately, one has to really imagine oneself sailing the boat to make those crucial decisions...

Shroud plates finally fitted

Laying cables for windlass

Wiring up switches

Very nearly ready to paint!

Nosing through the door towards the sea!

One step at a time - finishing touches on Happy Return

With our self-imposed deadline creeping ever closer, the amount of details and small but important jobs to be done on Happy Return seem to be increasing rather than decreasing...

The coachroof was laid out in Samba onto the deckbeams, and then finished with fibreglass and white flowcoat.

Sliding hatch in mahogany. Traditional dovetail construction.

The anchor winch was taken apart and serviced completely before fitting to Happy Return's new swept deck.

Restoring Happy Return's Rudder

The old rudder fittings on Happy Return had completely corroded away, leaving quite a bit of rust damage in the rudder itself. New fittings will have to be made...
Purpleheart pieces were scarfed into the rudder where necessary:

Dry weather ideal for annual maintenance

One has to take advantage of this dry West Cork weather at the moment to do that necessary annual varnishing and maintenance of the wooden boats in our care.
With a few days of special care per year these boats will still be sailing off the west cork coast when we are long gone... hope fully they'll remember us - the mad boatbuilders of West Cork!

We have managed to fit three of the Ettes ( all built by us) into our workshop, as well as their spars.
To create optimal curing conditions for the varnish, we heat with two ceramic infrared heaters.

Creating optimal varnishing conditions can be challenging - so we pack as many boats into the shed as possible to take full advantage of it.

Varnishing spars. The mast to the right is that of Happy Return ( our Stella One Design)

No time for hibernation!

There is no time to be wasted now - the sailing season is practically upon us!
Even over the Christmas holidays "Happy Return" was not forgotten, with new deck beams fitted for her cabin roof, as well as all those niggly details which come with fitting out a boat. Every piece fitted has to be thought through carefully; everything must work; everything has a purpose.
That is the true challenge of fitting out a sailing boat like this - it's all about function, practicality and safety.
You will notice how Rui has kept the interior of the boat as simple as absolutely possible to ensure easy access and comfortable moving space below deck. The galley has been sacrificed for more sleeping and sitting space.

Rui fitting the cabin roof deck-beams of douglas fir

Starting to look cosy: every piece fitted requires careful thought to ensure functionality and simplicity. Chart table to starboard, and battery storage to port

Deck beams have to be fitted with dovetails to ensure reliable strength for the cabin roof

 The plan is to upcycle this old hollow mast to the right. Happy Return's broken mast can be seen to the left.

Cockpit and cabin sides taking shape...

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If you happen to pass through our west cork neighbourhood these days, make sure you call in to see the daily progress on our Stella One Design, Happy Return. Every step is accompanied by lots of decision making and design considerations. For every big step, countless tiny steps have to be made: like fitting a new gland for the propeller before finally lowering the engine into the boat, deciding where the toilet is going to go before finally finishing the deck, deciding how the cabin roof is going to look before shaping the side cabins and cutting windows into them.

Carefully cutting the port sidecabin to fit into the deck.
The timber used is Sipo Mahogany, part of an amazing
tree we bought nearly eight years ago.
This is also the timber used for the deck

Before lowering the engine into place with a pulley system fixed to the rafters,
the cockpit had to be prepared as well as everything that goes with having an engine:
exhaust, sea cocks, propeller shaft and gland, engine bedding.

Swept Deck on Stella One Design

Rui is now determined to finish Happy Return - perhaps ( yes,yes,yes) in time for Glandore Classic 2015. Fionn is helping him most afternoons after school, with plenty of discerning questions and discussions.
The layout of the deck worked out well - only the transom required a little "cheating".

Fionn and Rui discussing how to position the toilet and beds in the bow of Happy Return

A little working out required at the transom

Returning to Happy Return

It's been such a busy summer, that it was difficult to even think about those longterm projects waiting in the yard. But now the quiet autumn days have set in, it is definitely time to focus once again on the return of Happy Return.In our last teaching workshop here, the deck structure was prepared, including hanging knees and deck beams. We have now got out all the timber for the decking: some beautiful mahogany stored away for many years. We machined it to 45mm x 17mm thickness. The previous decking was 12mm marine ply, but this mahogany comes in at a lower density than the ply - so we can afford to go that little bit thicker, giving more structural strength. Caulking seams were machined on at 2.5mm each side.

Coamings being fitted on Happy Return

Preparing the king plank requires careful planning - the whole deck has to planned out before the joggles can be cut into it correctly. There is very little room for play when fitting the deck planks afterwards: every little mistake and asymmetry is easily noticed...

Notice how the padding for the windlass has been built into the king plank - this detail will look amazing when the deck is finished!

Boatbuilding Workshops scheduled for Autumn 2014

With the weather getting better, and the days longer, the boating season is fast approaching and things are getting very busy here in our workshop in Dereenalomane, so, our programme of courses will resume in Autumn.

Visit our workshop blog for more information on our upcoming courses.

Boatbuilding on a wintery, stormy January weekend

It was a great pleasure to welcome the four enthusiastic participants of our boatbuilding/restoration workshop last weekend. Once again, it proved to be an intense and satisfying experience enjoyed by all, with great progress visible on Happy Return. Next big task: a beautiful swept deck!

Preparing for the fitting of deck beams

Graham Bailey showing Rob the art of chiselling housings

A well deserved lunchbreak!

Pádraig sculpturing a hanging knee

The weekend team! Rui, Isaac, Paul, Rob, Pádraig and Graham happy with the jobs done....

Restoration Workshops on Happy Return

We are currently preparing a series of weekend workshops giving participants the rare opportunity to learn the details of professional classic boat restoration. The first of these workshops, which will take place on the 24th - 26th of January, will cover the following skills:

Fitting sheer planks

Making and fitting deck beams and knees

Planning and laying out a swept deck.

9am - 4pm, 1 hour lunch break
Cost: €300

All tools and and materials provided.

Please visit our workshop blog for more details: http://boatbuildingskills.blogspot.ie/

Or contact us: ruiandanke@gmail.com   tel: 0868243073

Tideway Dinghy Saoirse returns to our workshop

Saoirse, on the day she was launched in 2000,
 with Dermot O'Brien who comissioned her
 and our son Fionn, 6 months old.

After a very busy summer of sailing the Ettes all over West Cork and with the first autumn storms blowing in, the workshop is a cosy place to be. Saoirse, the first boat we ever built together in the year 2000, has returned to us for some alterations. She is nearly 14 years old, and still as good as new!

An extension is being scarfed into the mast
in order to extend it to give more head-room to
skipper and crew.

Saoirse is in fact named after the sister ship of the AK Ilen.
She was comissioned by Dermot O'Brien, the grandson of Conor Cruise O'Brien, who was the naval architect of both Saoirse and the AK Ilen. Upon selling the archives of his grandfather's work, he decided to use the money to get a little ship built for his own grandchildren....