Everyone fond of water, water sports, and spending time in nature has, at some point, at least considered buying a boat. Now, some go with this though and buy one for themselves, but many are afraid to do so because there is a lot of false news regarding how much it all costs and how much time is needed for maintenance.
Overall, if you know your way around vessels, everything else will come much easier, and, as the end result, you will not end up spending too much. On the other hand, restoring antique boats is also a great way to go here, as even though this might be a bit more time-consuming, it will definitely cost you less. If you are considering doing so, one thing that might trouble you is not knowing what’s the most difficult part of restoring an antique boat, which is why we will further focus on that.
Finding the right location
Source: stewartriver.com
You might think that restoring a vessel is challenging and time-consuming, but only if you don’t have the right tools and proper space, with the latter being even more important. Namely, antique and wooden boat restoration is far from a difficult task, unlike some other types, as all that’s needed is dedication. On the plus side, everything about owning a boat or a yacht or maintaining them connects you on a much deeper level with the vessels, as all that time and effort placed into maintaining them will simply make you fall in love with them.
As for why finding the right place for restoring vessels is so important, mostly that’s because you cannot perform any restoring action if there is not enough room and if someone is constantly bothering you.
Of course, no one wants to trouble other people and cause them any discomfort, which is why a preferred place to restore your antique boat for many owners is a backyard or a garage. A garage is the best possible solution, but only if it is a big one so that you can move around and actually be able to do some work. Otherwise, it will just prolong the entire process. Placing a vessel in a backyard is the second best solution, but because it is exposed to nature and weather conditions, doing so could do more harm than good.
Overall, before making any decision and taking any action, it’s highly recommended to explore all the options, just to be sure you will end up with enough space to do all the work needed. Besides that, keep in mind that boat restoration can also take quite some time, and in some cases, even years, so placing the boat somewhere it will not disturb you is simply a must.
Detailed cleaning
One of the most challenging steps when it comes to boat restoration is the step that should be taken before it even starts and right after finding the best location, and it will surely require setting aside some time. Yes, we are talking about cleaning the boat detailly, and although it seems like something that anyone knows they should do, it is something we need to mention because it really is important.
The reason for that is simple – detailed cleaning requires time, and it is not easy to finish, but it is the only way to see all the potential problems and find the best solution to fix them. It will make all the further steps much easier, as we will know exactly how big the damage is and where to start once we decide to restore the ship to its old glory. In essence, even the best restoring job, combined with great polishing and vaxing, would be for nothing if the cleaning process wasn’t done properly, so make sure not to skip any spot.
Replacing the damaged planks
Source: boatsetter.com
Wooden boats are made of planks, and when some of them are damaged or rotten, they need to be replaced if we want to have a fully functional boat. Replacing them is not easy, and it requires a lot of time and skills, but even more difficult is deciding which of the planks is still good enough and which of them needs to be changed. Luckily, experienced restorers have a tip on how to do that, which makes determining the good and bad planks much easier for beginners and speeds up the entire process.
All the necessary tools are the rubber mallet and the ice pick, and you can easily check whether the plank needs to be changed or the wood is still healthy. In order to check it, you need to try to hammer the ice pick into the wood, and if it is easy to penetrate, that plank surely needs to be replaced. If not, it is still good, and there is no need to change it.
Electrical parts and structure of the boat
Okay, these two are entirely separate things, and those familiar with boat restoration are well familiar with it. Now, the thing that might confuse people is that these two separate parts might overlap, and the biggest reason why these two components might be the most difficult thing to restore is that if one of them requires it, it will not be that time-consuming, but if both components seek your immediate reaction and intervention, then be prepared to spend many hours working on your boat.
The biggest problem with these two components is that they require much detailing and precision, and even though many compare it to painting and other types of “fine work,” here, even if we make one small mistake, the entire system might fail. All in all, it all depends on how damaged the boat is, and if it requires some detailing and easy fixing, the entire job will go smoothly, but if electrical parts and structure of the boat are damaged, then you’ll need much more time to restore your antique boat.
Source: boatingmag.com
To summarize
As you can see, restoring an antique boat is not easy and requires a lot of time and dedication, but it is a project that can only be done with a lot of love, and because of that, it is reserved only for true enthusiasts. If you are interested in this topic and in need of some advice and tips, or even some accessories to enhance the look of your boat, antique boat restoration is the best place to find everything you need in one place.
