A 1948 Graveatte dispro .
Greavette Boats in Gravenhurst bought the rights to produce the dispro in 1940 and built Dispros until 1956 . This boat came into the shop as a home project that had stalled and involved repairing the hull , re-finnishing and mechanical assembly and instaltion .
The owners sent me a few photos of the parts while we discussed the job
A lot of the parts had been re-finnished or started
the device
this is a shim beside the keep were the device will be installed . If the joint isn't water tight the water will run freely from the device hole into the hull
It apeared that the inside of the hull had been media blasted . Stripping the inside of a Dispro is slow tedious work . Somebody is always trying to find that easier softer way .
Work began as usual with new Stem and sternpost and a new keel
I have a wooden device that I use when doing the plank work around the keel . This ensures that the device will fit into the restored hull . If it isn't right there is no easy fix .
I like to glue the device shim to the garboard and clamp it . this ensures that there is no leak between the shim and the plank .
when restoring any hull I like to follow the way that it was built initially . In this case the hull was planked and the ribs were steamed in later . By doing the planking first , the planks have a tendancy to fair themselves and the new ribs will support the faired shape .
I've seen boats were new ribs have been steamed into a distorted hull , and the restorer trys to force the new planks to follow the new ribs that had duplicated the distorted shape
The plank work completed . The hull is braced and leveled in prepreration for the new ribs . If care is not exercised here the seats won't fit when the ribbing is finnished
The old ribs are split out with a chisel
The advantage of removing the ribs is that it's much easier to clen up the inside of the planking
A sharp scraper and a high speed detai sander are used while the new ribs cook in the steam box
it's impotant to keep track of the seat support positions while replacing the ribs .
It's also inportant to make sure that the dash board will fit
The Saint Lawrence engines used in this series was heavy and violent . It's critical that the engine bed fits really well and is secure
New decks and the orriginal seats still fit the hull ! . This
trial fit of the device
I spray the inside . It usually takes 16 -20 quarts of varnish to do the entire boat with the parts
Mechanicals installed
The owners come up to have thenew trailer fitted to the boat and to go out for a sea trial
