I normally get round to writing up projects when they finish.  However, in the case of Fortuna II,  I think that a few interim ‘position reports’ are needed.

After hauling Fortuna out at Baltic Wharf in August 2013 I stripped off her paint, removed a few obviously rotten planks and undertook a detailed condition assessment.  She had suffered, as is all too frequently the case, from rainwater damage.  Basically sound below the waterline, but failing at the deck margins, work required included: new frame heads more or less all-round; beam shelf repairs; a rebuild of the deck step which had failed and about 450′ of above-waterline planking.  Most of the electro mechanical systems (with the exception of the engine) were rejected and the tankage, wiring and plumbing systems slated for replacement.

How we identified the need for a new deck is a good example of how, once you start on a restoration intending to create a boat that will be sound for a good few years, things often snowball.  The deck, tongue and groove western read cedar currently sheathed in glass/epoxy was basically waterproof and in order.  However, there were a large number of raised (but currently intact) blisters.

The cause was the galvanised nails used to secure the deck planking. The galvanisation had (after 55 years) failed and the nails, starting to rust, had expanded and forced their way out of the top of the deck.  Replacing the deck two or three years after she gets re-launched would not make sense, digging out the nails was not viable – so a new deck went on the job list.

Anyway, here are a few pictures.