Harbour Marine Services
Incorporating Southwold & Ipswich Boatyards
Harbour Marine Services
Incorporating Southwold & Ipswich Boatyards
Benita is a classic example of a West Solent One Design or ‘W’ boats, she is W30 built by Berthon Marine in 1930 build number 358. They were one of the first affordable competitive racing boats needing only a small crew and ideal for coastal cruising.
Throughout January and February the hull has been repainted and the beautiful classic Davey & Co fittings have been refitted. Her transformation has been remarkable. She is soon to be moved out of the boatshed and her mast and rigging reinstated and her hull finished with a final coat of antifoul prior to launching.
Throughout October and November the HMS team have been busy filing, fairing, priming and varnishing Benita’s hull and topsides and the transformation is in full swing, her elegant lines are starting to shine once again.
Placing Benita in a mud bath was a successful mission, her planks took up and when we lifted her we were able to establish the extent of splining that was required to make her watertight once again. Several weeks were then spent splining and caulking her hull seams, we then launched her a second time for the next phase of the taking up process. The second time she took on very little water so we knew process had been successful.
Benita has come to HMS for ongoing restoration. Following the initial survey it was confirmed she had dried out, she had been out of the water for several years and the planks had opened up. With much discussion with the surveyor it was decided the best course of action was to place her in the mud and allow for her planks to take up water slowly and swell. This is not for the faint hearted but a well known boatbuilding practice. We dug a hole and rested her there for a few weeks. We then lifted her and began the clean up of the mud. We are now in the process of splining and caulking the seams. This process will enable us to repair the hull effectively and make her watertight once again.
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