Welcome to the Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society Blog
7 November 2011
Coming back on line. A variety of tedious issues have collaborated to interfere with updates to this site. I am happy to report that not only have they been cleared away, we also have a new webmaster in the person of Paul.
There has been lots of activity at Britannia, if not on the website:
- Iona's refit is largely complete (only finishing work remains) and she has been launched;
- Little Mukail likewise is largely complete and has been moved out of Richmond Boatbuilders to the yard;
- Starliner has been moved in the yard to make room for her new 'house,' a large industrial tent structure to be erected next weekend. Shell be moved into the tent as soon as it is ready and her restoration work will begin;
- Merrilee II was hauled to Richmond Boat Builders on Saturday where she will undergo repainting and general upgrading. She is expected to be back in the water next spring.
- Plans are being drawn up to rebuild one of the carts on the small marine railway (ways.)
So, for those of you who like to spend part of a Saturday working with tools, hanging out with like-minded people in a really neat environment, get on down to Britannia and sign up for a challenge. We're preserving BC's maritime history, Come help us.
2 April 2011
March was, in spite of the dismal weather, a very busy month. The Society's AGM was held mid-month. with election of members to the Board of Directors. We thanked four outgoing members for their contributions and welcomed three new members. That means we're still looking for another member so if you are looking for a way to contribute to your community do come down to Britannia and talk to us.
I've mentioned the model boats project before. (I'll post a few pictures of the end result soon.)
We make up and distribute a couple thousand of these every year. This turns out to be a pretty significant project.
Although there are only three manufactured pieces in the final kit (hull, wheel house and wheel house roof,) there
are a lot of each. So we get a little assembly line goiong to do the sawing, sanding and branding required.
Here is recently joined Neils< working through the stack of hulls you see behind him.
The material list for this order runs to about one hundred 8 foot 2x4s, two sheets of 1/4" plywood and a couple of 2x6s, enoughto have the lumber yard deliver the load on a Hiab truck.
A big part of the activity at Britannia is moving stuff around. We never seem to have quite enough space 
and things never seem to be in exactly the right place.
Here we see Jim, a true expert in moving big, awkward items shifting a collection of shafts and pullies with a general pyrpose jack and a couple of timbers. These heavy shaft, four or five hundred pounds each are about as awkward as any one could wish so it is a tribute indeed to JIm's ability that he can handle a chore like this single handed.
These items are the pieces of a table lift (for lifting boats. The lift was taken out of service when the new wharf was constructed a decade or so ago. Long term plans are to re-install it but we can't say when the project will rise to the top of the queue. It will be a lot of fun, no doubt, figuring how to put this particular humpty dumpty back together.
The fork lift has been acting up again. This time it was the fuel pump. This masterpiece of modern industrial design re quires that the machine be lpretty well broken down to its component parts to get at the offending pump.
The real mystery is: why is the beast consumming fuel pumps?? The durn thing was replaced last fall and in our minds, a fual pump ought to last the better part of a decade. Especially when they cost a hundred bucks or so and an inordinate amount f time to install.
We used to call this venerable old machine "Old Smokey" but I think it might be better renamed "Sea King" after the aging helicopters operated by the Cnadian Armed Services. These ancient machines, it is said, require about 80 hours of service for each hour of flight.
If anyone knows why an aging six-cylinder Continental engine fitted with an aging Zenith carburettor eats fual pumps (and how to make it stiop) we sure would like to hear from you.
26 February 2011
Progress on Iona continues, if perhaps a bit slower than a professional shipyard would manage.
Heck, who wants to put her back in the water when it's so cold - and wet - anyway?
Here Jack is seen working on her wiring. The installation is as simple as we can make it and still maintain a modicum of marine safety: (12VDC) running lights, bilge pumps, charging and starting and enough shore power (120VAC) circuitry to run a battery charger.
Because we have collected and will soon display the Lubzinski wheel plant equipment we are very aware of these wheels and can spot them at a considerable distance. I have counted four on the site (not counting the wheel plant collection), three attached to vessels we have collected over the years and one that came in by itself and will soon be installed in a vessel.
Here Bob & Jim endure the cramped quarters of the fish hold to apply a final coat of paint.
As we don't expect her to carry fish again any time soon extra attention has been employed to bring the
finish levels up to a very high state. Other interesting work onsite has been the reorganisation of the Society's collection of non-vessel artifacts stored in the Netloft, also known as Building 9. The decision has beeen taken to turn most of the Society's non-vessel collection over to the Richmond Museum Society.This work was necessitated by the upcoming creation of the Lubzinski Wheel Plant display. They also manufactured and sold other components for marine steering systems. At its peak, in the late 1980s the factory produced more than a hundred wheels a day. The factory wound down its operations in the late 1980s. Jack and Joseph donated the entire inventory of machinery to the City of Richmond in 2006. Some 40 tons of woodworking, metal working and foundry equipment were placed in storage at that time. The collection is now being brought out of storage and will be set up, in working order, as a display. The exhibit will be located in Building 9 and will be open to the public in June of this year. OK, so compared to Winnipeg its not that cold but it's a damp cold! This shot of the Britannia Shipyard building gives an idea of the feeling of the place on a misty morning. Speaking of volunteers, we've no end of fascinating projects, each of which brings the site a tiny step closer to the world class cultural facility we envision. If you've not been down to the site recently, do drop by. Saturdays are the best 'cause that;s when most of the crews assemble to work on vessels or do other activities. And, if you have an urge to swing a hammer. wield a paint brush or a saw then we really want to make you an offer We have opportunities for volunteers of every skill and interest level. Here Bob and Jerry are wrestling the heavy rudder into position where it will be bolted to the newly installed rudder post. That white stuff hanging down in the foreground is cotton caulking and the tan stuff is oakum. This material is forced into
the cracks between the hull planks. It must be flexible enough to absorb the motion of the planks when they swell with water
when the boat is in its natural element and when they move from the pressures of waves and the the boat's motion through the
water. In the background you can see the propeller has been installed, evidence that the drive train is nearly ready for service. Here Bob caulks the seams around the final hull plank which could be placed now that the rudder post is properly in place.
The process of caulking (pronounced 'corking') is a critical one.
Caulking is a trade in it's own right,
In Iona's case a mix of cotton and oakum is used.
It is forced into the cracks between the planks with special tools called caulking irons. Working under the boat, as Bob is doing here, is one of the most awkward, least pleasant chores in the shipyard.
After just a few minutes draped on your back over a scantly padded box, holding tools above your head both arms
and tools feel heavier than lead; every speck of sawdust or paint dislodged by your pounding falls on your face.
The best part of this job is always finishing it. Once the caulking is in place the seam is then filled with a putty. The traditional filling material was red lead putty,
a mixture of clay, linseed oil and red oxide of lead, resisted corrosion and stayed flexible for a long time.
We at Britannia no longer use red lead putty due to its toxic nature,
The seams in Iona have been filled with an automotive body filler called 'kitty hair' due to the presence
of long glass fibers. Red sky at night - sailor's delight. 10 February 2011
Work on Iona continues towards her immanent re-launch. now planned for April of this year.
We'll have to see if we can't get a party going for that special occasion.
The Lubzinski brothers, Jack & Joseph, built and operated their ship steering wheel factory in Richmond (on Number 3 Road) for some fifty years. In the factory, employing an impressive array of custom built machines, they manufactured some of the best and most beautiful ship steering wheels to be found on the seven seas. Their wheels, of beautiful classic design, made from mahogany and bronze and finished like pieces of art, were installed on vessels all over the world. Jack reports, with an entirely justifiable glint of pride in his eye, that one of their wheels, the massive 6 foot model, is installed on the bridge of the Queen Elizabeth II. Of course, it is not connected to the ship's steering system and is there only for photo opportunities but still ...
The winter weather continues to place a damper on shipyard operations. If its not wet, its cold. Most often it is both. The volunteers continue to come out in impressive numbers on Saturdays and, often, other days of the week but opt for in door tasks whenever possible. 17 January 2011
Mother nature, never far from the site, gave an apparent thumbs up to the doings of the day with one of
her spectacular sunsets,