Cariad

Wildfox
Anthony Swanston
Tue 25 Oct 2022 07:24
Cariad is a teak strip plank boat of over 100 feetfirst built in 1896.  My friend DesKearns rebuilt her 14 years ago.  A longstory but two owners in a row went under and Cariad lay in a Singapore marina uncaredfor for 13 years.  Enter a newbillionaire owner and restoration number two is planned.  Des moves his team to Satun in southernThailand and many of the old original team are dug out of the woodwork.  She is towed (engine completely seized up)out of Singapore and the mizzen mast falls down, full of termites.  Satun has silted up so Des has fishing boatsplying up and down at low water to gouge a channel.  At the famous PSS yard he has to reduce theweight of the boat by 12 tons for it to be light enough for the winch to haulit out. And then the work starts.  When Iwent to visit the workforce had edged up to 44. Because teak will not bend even when steamed the new planks have to becarved four ways to fit – the curve at the back end of the plank is slightlydifferent to the curve at the front end etc. There are very few people left in the world who know how to do this.



Des says “It is wonderful to have a project with nobudget”.  Good for you Des.




















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