Restoration status: Painting
How we found out about Tina
Best things happen when they are unexpected. And that’s how we got to know about Tina’s existence – by chance and unexpectedly.
In June 2021, at the shipyard where we are used to storing our RIB during the winter season, Massimo (the dad) asked the owner whether he had prepared the “Gozzo” for us. Gozzo is a typical Italian craft, suited to a slow navigation, either on the sea or lakes. Massimo loves the style of such craft and always said he wished one. The shipyard’s owner pointed in the direction of Tina, standing on a base in a corner. We came back a week later to check it out again and ask for more details. It was love at first sight.
The transport
On October 15th, 2021, Tina was moved from the shipyard to our warehouse. In total, it took us approximately 4 hours to lift it up and place the boat in the new space.
The way to the warehouse was quite challenging. We were afraid we would have had complications with the railway line’s power cables and not be able to make it through. Eventually, we managed to get it to the warehouse safe and sound, aware that Tina was within the limits imposed for the exceptional transport (with a width of 2.95 metres).
From now onwards, Tina’s new life starts!
The restoration
Dismantling
Before going into the actual process of the renovation, we had to empty the cabins, which happened to have both all sorts of objects from previous owners and original branded pieces belonging to the boat. The emptying took us an entire day, and it required the inventory of all we found on board.
As we finished this operation, we continued with the dismantling of the interiors, proceeding with one piece at a time. To facilitate the procedure, we installed movable lights within the cabins, allowing for artificial light to come in and lighting the spaces. In order to be able to reassemble all components as they currently stand (an operation that is likely to happen in a couple of years from now when the renovation will be completed), we have mapped them all out on paper, cataloging them by numbers and sections.
We found out that for most of the planks and details of the interiors a lot of nails were used, which made it difficult for their removal as we had to be careful not to damage the wood. The reason of the dismantling is to allow the evaluation of the condition of the hull and structures of the boat. Thus far, we have noticed that some areas are badly damaged or even rotten, and it therefore requires the replacement of some of the planks and pieces with new wooden ones.
Sanding
We begin sanding all the planking of both the hull below and above the waterline. We equip ourselves with respiratory masks and eye protection.
To sand the hull, we use sandpaper with 40/80 grit, finishing with 120 grit as specified in the paint’s technical sheet, along with two sanders—a belt sander and a mouse sander.
Working conditions are far from ideal: it’s November-December, and the temperatures in the workshop are less than favorable. Heavy clothing helps shield us from the cold but restricts our movements. Our physical endurance is tested by the challenging positions we must take, especially for the hull, where negative angles require unusual movements and gravity force is not helping us!
We divide the workload evenly between the starboard and port sides of Tina, and as father and son, we encourage each other in the face of the demanding labor.
The sanders buzz and grind tirelessly, countless abrasive belts are worn out, and the dust weighs us down. Fatigue makes every movement harder, but in the end, we reach our goal: Tina sanded bare. It’s no exaggeration to say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and we played our part to the very end
Steam Box for Bending Wood
After the paint stripping, we can assess the internal and external condition of the planking of the hull and the superstructure. The wood beneath the removed paint is in excellent condition, while some planks are rotten. Tina’s planking was made of pine, the superstructures and bulkhead of mahogany, and other parts like the bow and stern wheels of oak.
For the pine wood, we turn to a trusted carpenter from Lake Maggiore, while for the bending process, we need to build a steam box.
We also make the steam box out of wood, with a length of 4 meters, paying close attention to sealing all the joints. Finally, we connect the machines for steam production, which will be used to steam the wood for proper processing and ribbing.
We purchase part of this material and equipment (steam machines) or build it ourselves by recovering expansion vessels from a scrapyard, to which we connect a gas coil for steam production.
The planking boards are 18 mm thick, and bending them was not easy, but in the end, we succeeded.
In some cases, instead of using the steam box, we cook the boards in special high-temperature bags, powered by steam machines.
We had difficulty bending the 25 mm thick frames; some broke due to internal knots in the wood, so we proceeded by gluing 5 mm iroko strips (5 layers) together.
Replacement of Planks and Frames
Each operation of steaming the planks corresponds to its replacement in Tina’s planking.
Once ready, or rather steamed, we position the plank on Tina’s planking to relieve stress and give it the correct bend. The plank is clamped and left to dry for about three weeks.
At the end of the drying period, the plank is ready to be worked according to the shape of the planking. The work requires shaping the plank, especially near the edges, and preparing the through holes for the fastening screws. Care must be taken in marking the holes, selecting those that need to be deeper at the frames or specific fastening points of the hull.
Along with the planks, we also prepare all the plugs that will be used to close the screw holes anchoring the planking to the hull. The whole family is involved in the work of positioning the plugs, cutting, and sanding.
Simultaneously with the replacement of the planks, we begin to prepare the frames, using the same steam ribbing method or, even better in some cases, by laminating and bending 5 layers of 5 mm iroko strips, glued with epoxy resin.
On the planking, we proceed to clean all the seams of the original caulking. It was quite emotional to remove the rope and putty used during the construction phase (back in 1968 and later during the 1990 restoration). The new caulking operation will involve the use of the specific sealing product Sikaflex.
