The ghosts of fittings past...

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   Hello,
  A couple of questions if anybody can help;
  I've stripped up the last of the deck-planking from my 40' ST, just what little was left directly over the transom.  I then took up the ply used under the deck planking to reveal the cambered deck support beam that spans the transom and have revealed a couple of features I didn't know were there;
  Firstly, I've found two pairs of holes drilled down through the beam, which I presume are mounting points for two stern cleats.  What I don't understand, though, are three shallow indentations cut into the top of beam, one in the centre and the two equidistant from the centre and the gunwale.  They're about 4" long, 1" wide and about 1/4" deep; they don't have anything in them or any holes/fixing points associated with them.
  What on earth could they be for?  I thought at first that it was just the way the wood had been cut during construction, but I've decided now that they've been purposefully carved out; if anybody knows, I'd be interested to hear from you...
  Secondly, a confusing feature (or lack of feature) of my boat is the lack of the wide belting strake midway between the gunwale and the chine, typical of most other early ST's.  A chap pointed out to me, the other day, four faintly scribed lines in the planking.  They are in pairs, about 2" apart and then these two pairs are seperated by about 6", apparently marking the upper and lower sides of a belting strake were one fitted.  There are no screw/bolt holes in the hull, however, so could these lines indicate my boat did, once, have this missing belting or are they for something else?  I can't think what...
  I appreciate, all of this is probably quite difficult to visualise, so I'll add some pictures when I get the chance...
  Many thanks and best regards,
Paul

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FlyByWire Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 53	Post Options Post Reply Quote FlyByWire Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: The ghosts of fittings past... Posted: 28 May 2007 at 9:25am
	Hello, A couple of questions if anybody can help; I've stripped up the last of the deck-planking from my 40' ST, just what little was left directly over the transom. I then took up the ply used under the deck planking to reveal the cambered deck support beam that spans the transom and have revealed a couple of features I didn't know were there; Firstly, I've found two pairs of holes drilled down through the beam, which I presume are mounting points for two stern cleats. What I don't understand, though, are three shallow indentations cut into the top of beam, one in the centre and the two equidistant from the centre and the gunwale. They're about 4" long, 1" wide and about 1/4" deep; they don't have anything in them or any holes/fixing points associated with them. What on earth could they be for? I thought at first that it was just the way the wood had been cut during construction, but I've decided now that they've been purposefully carved out; if anybody knows, I'd be interested to hear from you... Secondly, a confusing feature (or lack of feature) of my boat is the lack of the wide belting strake midway between the gunwale and the chine, typical of most other early ST's. A chap pointed out to me, the other day, four faintly scribed lines in the planking. They are in pairs, about 2" apart and then these two pairs are seperated by about 6", apparently marking the upper and lower sides of a belting strake were one fitted. There are no screw/bolt holes in the hull, however, so could these lines indicate my boat did, once, have this missing belting or are they for something else? I can't think what... I appreciate, all of this is probably quite difficult to visualise, so I'll add some pictures when I get the chance... Many thanks and best regards, Paul

rafwebfoot Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2007 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote rafwebfoot Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 May 2007 at 12:47pm
	Hi Paul, I will cehck the construction drafwings and get back to you on this one. Regards,Donald
	FAIR WINDS AND A FAVOURABLE TIDE Donald

FlyByWire Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 53	Post Options Post Reply Quote FlyByWire Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 May 2007 at 7:55pm
	Here are a couple of pictures; This is a composite of the transom; hopefully, you can see the three recesses in the transom deck beam... Here are the strange lines on the hull; I've tried to highlight them...

dgray Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 24 November 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 580	Post Options Post Reply Quote dgray Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 May 2007 at 8:31pm
	Hi Paul, See: http://www.rania.co.uk/boat%20photos/ST/OtherSeaplaneTenders /st357.html Look at the transom and you'll see two fairleads at each corner. Perhaps yours had a similar setup and a jackstaff/cleat in the center. Is the center one slightly smaller? If not fairleads, perhaps a railing/ladder was fitted at some stage. What was bolted into the 4 holes visible on the transom? it may give a clue....
	Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame?

dgray Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 24 November 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 580	Post Options Post Reply Quote dgray Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 May 2007 at 8:38pm
	Just a thought on the belt lines. Probably wrong but.... http://www.rania.co.uk/boat%20photos/ST/OtherSeaplaneTenders /st440.html Do the lines run full length of the hull?
	Don Only a number, not even a name. How shall posterity hear of thy fame?

FlyByWire Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 53	Post Options Post Reply Quote FlyByWire Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 May 2007 at 9:34pm
	Hi Don, Each of the recesses is the same size- the dodgy photo doesn't show it too well... The photo of ST357 is interesting - if you look just to the outside of the outer two recesses on my boat, though, you can just make out two sets of holes which are about where the fairleads on ST357 are, so it's not cleats I should be fitting, then... The rubbing strakes on ST440 are very reminiscent of my boat - I would still have thought there would have been evidence of screws/bolts, but perhaps they were just glued on? I don't thinkmy lines go all the way forward, so it may be very much like you see on ST440... The four holes either side of the transom were for the biggest cleats you've ever seen! Somebody had bolted them half way down the transom in the boats house-boat years...the stupid thing was, to tie anything onto them, you had to be in the water, as you couldn't actually reach them from the roof of the aft cabin... Thanks for the pictures, Paul

tramontana Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 April 2007 Status: Offline Points: 418	Post Options Post Reply Quote tramontana Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 29 May 2007 at 6:21pm
	It don't think she has ever had rubbing strakes fitted as they would have been bolted on, the lines look like painter's lines to me, was she used at any time by an airline?

rafwebfoot Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2007 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote rafwebfoot Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 May 2007 at 6:43am
	Paul, The centre recess was where the ensign staff socket was mounted and the outer ones were the positions of the quarter fairleads. AS for the lines down her sides they appear as cut lines for painting, but certainly not from her RAF days. Do you have her service number.
	FAIR WINDS AND A FAVOURABLE TIDE Donald

rafwebfoot Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2007 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote rafwebfoot Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 May 2007 at 10:19am
	Just to elaborate, the recesses were to take tapped plates for the holding down bolts for the fairleads and ensign staff socket. This method was used as access was difficult for through bolting.
	FAIR WINDS AND A FAVOURABLE TIDE Donald

FlyByWire Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 53	Post Options Post Reply Quote FlyByWire Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 May 2007 at 9:20am
	I see... After doing a little more work on her, I decided that the wood on the inboard side of the transom beam wasn't original, so I removed it and the three recesses are now on the inboard edge of the transom...I wondered if they were for deck support planking, as I'm pretty sure the fairlead mounting holes are aft of the recesses... Thanks for all your thoughts, though. I agree that the lines on the sides are probably painting lines - I have no idea of her history prior to about 1965, when she was bought from the estate of Richard Dimbleby and worked as a shark-fishing boat out of Falmouth for ten years or so before being stripped of everything removable and turned into a house-boat...poor old thing. None of the previous owners ever remember seeing a number on her and I've not found one despite hours and hours of searching...what airline might have used her? Does anybody know of a livery that would fit these two stripes? Thanks for your time, all :) Paul