Website

Australian Boat Restoration now has it's own dedicated website. Rather than relying solely on the blog, I've created an easy to navigate site to compile all the features and details of the project, from a chronological history to the finished specifications. Click below to take a look.

Click here to visit the site

Interior Mock-Up

Using a few car loads of MDF, hardboard and whatever was laying around the workshop I have mocked-up the interior, primarily the aft cabin and wheelhouse. I did this for two reasons, firstly as proof of concept of my drawings and secondly to allow further design inspirations to flourish within the now 3d space. It's great to be able to sit, ponder and pose in this space rather simply study drawings. Also it was quite annoying trying to show people round the boat and having them slide in to the concave void that is a boat bilges.

The fore cabin I have yet to tackle, I have multiple designs depending on the practical demands of the final customer, whether it be a larger bed, bigger bathroom, more storage, extra bunks, etc. I didn't want to obstruct the overall view with some clumsy erections.

Classic Boat

Classic Boat

The Magazine For The World's Most Beautiful Boats

Onboard Romance

There is something romantic about boats. While some of them chose to show off their alluring luxurious glow with floating glass wine bars, bubbling hot jacuzzis and proudly displaying the name of the vessel, and most likely the name of the owners lover with backlit stainless steel letters strewn across the stern for everyone to see. Others however are propelled by edwardian engineering, sport the name of a 19th century black faced minstrel doll, and have all the glamour and luxury of a rickshaw. But let's not forget, Gollywog is still a yacht, a boat built purely for pleasure and even tho it didn't have romance billowing from it's boilers, John Goddard still found the time to firmly screw this lovely picture, in-scripted with a message of love from his wife, Katie Goddard, to the wall adjoining the toilet.

To John "God Bless Our Captain"  With Love. Katie.   15.11.75

Personally speaking I can't say I'm entirely sold on the idea of naming 10 tons of buoyant wood and nails after a beautiful significant other, but the way in which my girlfriend kissed me in the wheelhouse while I was in the middle of explaining how the tightly packed grain of the huon pine makes it ideal for boatbuilding leads me to believe, there is something romantic about boats. 

Photo Shoot

With approximately 80 percent of the exterior complete it was a good time to tidy the place up a bit and take some photos.

And after a bit of colouring in we had a picture good enough to send to Classic Boat Magazine where this restoration will be featured in next months Yard News.