Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

A dedicated area to showcase your ongoing and completed restorations.

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Rapier
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

This is all the hardware unique to this model. Unlike later boats the bow and transom corners / caps are not cast. Sizing / design of these bits is different to earlier and later Pearly Miss models. Gone too is the scripted Windboats Wroxham logo'd corner braces of my previous Pearly Miss...must have been an economy measure.
Attachments
Early Pearly scripted corners.
Early Pearly scripted corners.
Transom / corner pieces. Top for this boat and again, welded rather than cast.
Transom / corner pieces. Top for this boat and again, welded rather than cast.
Inner design - not cast; welded.
Inner design - not cast; welded.
Background handle is for this boat.
Background handle is for this boat.
Cutaway gunwales.
Cutaway gunwales.
Bow handle.
Bow handle.
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Rapier
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

Somehow I'd primed, but not painted, PM4s seat interiors. That happened last weekend..the silver paint was a leftover from an antique outboard job.

The aluminium sheets came back from Forgetec - with extra sheet / offcuts that are useful (the excuse for all hoarders). The diagram shows PM4 and PM3 difrerences. I had alluded to the corrosion and holes drilled for hinges, etc., and also needed to flatten PM4s front seat, due to someone extremely large using the right hand seat, and then add an extra skin to cover water damage. Peter from Forgetec cut enough extra that I could glue / skin the underside of each seat. Tomorrow I will do the outer 'skin', as I have done with PM3 today.
Attachments
Etch primed and sprayed ready for bouyancy and final fitting of seat bases. The idea is to isolate the noodles from the hull.
Etch primed and sprayed ready for bouyancy and final fitting of seat bases. The idea is to isolate the noodles from the hull.
Front and rear seats with 'inner' skin glued. I'd specified  as close to the original 17 guage, around 1.52mm.
Front and rear seats with 'inner' skin glued. I'd specified as close to the original 17 guage, around 1.52mm.
The diagram shows the different sizes in seat bases. With the repair panels I didn't take each to the edge of seat seat base, so this is not the actual width.
The diagram shows the different sizes in seat bases. With the repair panels I didn't take each to the edge of seat seat base, so this is not the actual width.
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Rapier
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

Fitted a new bung. New metal seat bases glued on, installed in the boat and the seat brackets and bases rivetted back up to the hull / box sections. Lined up the transom to drill the holes for the ski eyes. Ply transom inner and outer and seat backs cut to size, I have raised the transom height overall to 17ins. Am not overly impressed with the ply...11 layers in 18mm, outer veneers are very very thin and prone to splintering when cut (& exposing the orange glue used to laminate), lots of voids and faults too. It is more suited to paint than varnish. Morells stains were tested (2 coats) prior to the real thing and coated with 2 coats of ordinary varnish. All the wood is now sanded down and No4s stained and ready for epifanes. Various stanless brackets / mounting hardware en-route from the orient, but will go with stainless Seasure hinges for the seats backs as have used them before.
Attachments
Morells Light Fast stain - 0181/600 Antique Mahogany and 0181/400 Plum Mahogany
Morells Light Fast stain - 0181/600 Antique Mahogany and 0181/400 Plum Mahogany
Drill holes for the factory fitted ski eyes. New bung fitted.
Drill holes for the factory fitted ski eyes. New bung fitted.
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

Fitted a few more sections of flat bar to hide a multitude of drilled holes and corrosion. Days and nights spent varnishing...
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The varnish shop.
The varnish shop.
New seat panels, flat bar 'trim' fitted to gunwales and lip on seat base where the seat cushions were originally fastened with poppers. Most have wood cappings screwed into the steering channel / gunwale.
New seat panels, flat bar 'trim' fitted to gunwales and lip on seat base where the seat cushions were originally fastened with poppers. Most have wood cappings screwed into the steering channel / gunwale.
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

The steering sheaves on a Pearly Miss tend to be of two types. Both types are the same internal dimensions, but the later versions have a wider profile. I suspect they always were made by Holt Allen, but the original 50s versions are unbranded. Pics show side-by-side profile and dimensions. Later versions are labelled Holt Allen HA-4, or recently, just Allen A-4. Typically they're fastened to the gunwale with brass screws, which react with the aluminium - requiring impact drivers and or drills to remove. If in doubt, don't replace them - I had the spares in stock, but the old plastcic sheaves were looking a bit chewed up and I wanted to go back to cable steering on this boat. Fitting them is a doddle, the ali being soft enough to widen the hole with a small file if necessary and I used a 4mm x 7mm ali pop rivet to fasten them to the channel.
Attachments
When removed, is worthwhile jet washing the channel to clear any bug nests, sand and dust.
When removed, is worthwhile jet washing the channel to clear any bug nests, sand and dust.
Original (R) vs older replacement
Original (R) vs older replacement
Original (Top) vs older replacement
Original (Top) vs older replacement
Holt Allen HA-4 or Allen A-4
Holt Allen HA-4 or Allen A-4
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

This one next for the transom treatment. It has a different 'lip' to No3 - the metal is folded upwards and riveted to the outer skin. The problem with this consrtruction is that the metal has split where the ski eyes are located, obviousy due to the stresses involved in lugging around a skier. I have sealed those to prevent any water from the splashwell from entering the closed box secction underneath it. The inner transom is clamped up and drying, but with the onset of rain and a 10 degree drop in temp here tomorrow and poor weather for a week thereafter, am not sure I'll get to the outer section soon. The adhesive will cure in lower temps but will take much longer.
Attachments
Small splits sealed (black line). The inner plywood transom needs to be made to accommodate the lip and rivets.
Small splits sealed (black line). The inner plywood transom needs to be made to accommodate the lip and rivets.
Inner transom clamped
Inner transom clamped
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

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Prepared the outer skin for the outer plywood transom. This involved keying up the aluminium for the adhesive, wiping off with acetone / thinners and filled a series of holes drilled through the transom where the speedo tube and bracket exited. Only saw these at the last moment, as had assumed that as we had cut the transom shape to match No3 that it was larger than the 'original' and would ostensibly cover them up. Not a big fan of drilling holes in aluminium boats for ancillaries, esp below the wtaerline...my speedo tubes typically route down the side of the splashwell and edge of the transom.

Masked the top of the inner again, and the whole way around the edge of the outer transom, then mounted the transom to match the drain holes and masked the shape with a few mm extra, so I can scrape the adhesive to shape and peel it off to have a straight edge. Applied the adhesive and fitted it while the helper clamped the 1st 2 clamps, added the rest of the clamps and as the adhesive squeezed out used a palette blade to spread it into various gaps.

I had a good look at the bottom edge of the outer transom and noticed it sat too proud of the metal. On the Pearly MIss Deluxe and full ali deck versions I bolted the transom and the transom handles helped pull it all in; was reluctant to do that this time, so had to come up with a way to clamp the bottom quarter while the adhesive cured (see pics). I have practical neighbours with more clamps than they know what to do with, so have been able to borrow and suplement my B&Q specials.
Attachments
Transom skin 'keyed' up, degreased, masked and plenty of sealant applied around 'proud' rivets.
Transom skin 'keyed' up, degreased, masked and plenty of sealant applied around 'proud' rivets.
Inner transom clamped to outer..inner has already cured, so remains a stable clamping point.
Inner transom clamped to outer..inner has already cured, so remains a stable clamping point.
Outer transom clamped and curing. The bottom clamp is on the trailer crossmember.
Outer transom clamped and curing. The bottom clamp is on the trailer crossmember.
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

Added the ali transom caps today, on this boat they're cut and welded, rather than cast. These are fitted over the end of the transom wood and attach to both the transom and gunwales with large screws - these caps 'tie' the transom to the boat gunwales. The gunwales have embedded blocks of wood to bed the screws in the stern and bow of the boat (for the bow cap / handle). I drilled pilot holes in the transom and used the new screws, applied with a blob of epoxy, in order to protect the transom wood where drilled. Alternatively it would have been possible where the holes might be too large on the gunwale sides, to fill them and then re-screw them.

The ski eyes were re-fitted, along with the tubular aluminium drain holes and caps. These were sealed in with sikaflex 291 on pre-drilled varnished holes. The whole lot looks good, the varnish offsets the dark stain I used (the blurry bits are the reflection of gravel on the drive) - I'll add an ali engine pad to the outside in order to protect the wood from the outboard saddle - the inner version is aluminium and is screwed in with eposxy. I also sprayed up the bracket pieces...still not sure about my paint choice, or the quality of the aircraft paint, but it can be done again without much work.
Attachments
Outer transom with ski eyes, splashwell drain holes and transom caps mounted.
Outer transom with ski eyes, splashwell drain holes and transom caps mounted.
Inner transom wood showing splashwell drain holes and pad to clamp outboard motor.
Inner transom wood showing splashwell drain holes and pad to clamp outboard motor.
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haventaclue
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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by haventaclue »

Very nice :notworthy:
no matter how bad it is,it can always get worse,I'm an optimist

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Re: Pearly Miss No4 Restoration

Post by Rapier »

After a few weeks of rain when it wasn't needed...I had to do a few jobs on No3 to finish too.

Fitted my Broom cleats..they're overkill, but until this week were all I had available. An eBay purchase last winter meant I didn't have to source expensive period hardware from the US..unfortunately only Perko still make period cleats small enough. The other 'period' bits one can buy off the shelf are either of huge proportions or poorly cast and chromed, or where stainless; just plain ugly.

Fitted another steering sheave from Holt - this time under the right foredeck (hate trying to squeeze under there) - it had seized and pulled out of the gunwale on one side. Luckily it didn't need the impact driver...

Then I test fitted the steering wheel and cable system. Will use a traditional cable system, rather than teleflex / ultraflex. The 20 degree angled boss looks like one is driving an old jeep, so I am using both the plastic boss (90deg) and a plastic thingamabob from Aqua Marine, rather than the original Attwood system...that boss (monkey metal) is so pitted that there isn't much I can do with it..but may change my mind later.

Fitted the stainless spring and on the opposite side of the transom, a rigging screw. Tomorrow I'll wind the cable (plastic coated steel 4.8mm) onto the sheave, duct tape it in situ (making sure the cable comes off the middle top and that left really is left and right is right...), strap the wheel in position, feed the cables down either gunwales, pull them through the rear boat-sheaves, around the engine-side-sheaves, cable tie the spring closed, clamp the cables, fit one to the rigging screw and the other to the spring. Then tension it up, check all works and then clip the cable tie...I always gear my steering down, direct to motor means elbows flying when :wot:

Struggled to get perspex, hinges and inflatable boat valves...all out of stock, or suppliers / manufacturers shut. Still, people bending over backwards to help get what I need. :thumbsup:
Attachments
Stainless spring to counteract feedback in the steering. Only one needed...
Stainless spring to counteract feedback in the steering. Only one needed...
Small stainless rigging screw
Small stainless rigging screw
Aqua Marine steering system
Aqua Marine steering system
Broom foredeck cleat
Broom foredeck cleat
Typical 60s Broom deck hardware..all chrome on brass, small cleats are stern, central foredeck cleat is larger, fairleads in the same style as bow handle.
Typical 60s Broom deck hardware..all chrome on brass, small cleats are stern, central foredeck cleat is larger, fairleads in the same style as bow handle.
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