We bring part I of a series of articles about the Lowestoft trawler ‘Excelsior’, contributed by one of the volunteers at the Trust. ‘Excelsior’ was built in 1921 and fished under no. LT472 before being sold to Norway in 1930.
Unlike many of her sisters, the Lowestoft trawler ‘Excelsior’ is still very active in the North Sea, accruing a tremendous annual milage. The 2024 season included a trip to the Faroe Islands, the Orkneys and the Shetlands. Later on, she revisited Svinør – the Norwegian island she was sold to, having been retired at Lowestoft. It’s incredible to see her at the same pier, in the two photographs.
For me, it was pure chance that I became a volunteer with the Excelsior Trust in early 2024. The Trust staff were open, helpful and trusting. Almost immediately I was asked to undertake some remedial work, which included spiling/fitting an oak plank, 16ft long and 3inches thick . . . add into that, a rolling bevel on both edges, it was a test (!). Proof that it wasn’t too bad came in the fitting. Having steamed for 3 1/2 hours, the gang which fitted the plank did so in early February, in the dark. What felt like an eternity with sledge hammers and wedges, when filmed showed it was 7 1/2 minutes from the steamer to in and chocked into place (gulp).
My work is now much more focused, and allows me to speculate a little. For example we’ve all heard the phrase “wooden ships, and iron crew”, but how true is it? There can be no doubt that sailing in the late 19th and 20th centuries in engineless vessels, throughout the year would have been an extreme test. Add into that mix that most skippers couldn’t read and navigated by the colour/taste of the water and it becomes more remarkable. They also had minimal crew, to keep running costs down. So they’d have had to been tough, no doubt. However, that said, heavy boats and gear demand a simplicity and robustness to ensure the return on any catch, given the variable prices at market. First boat home got the best price. So function had to include speed. Frequently you’d see skippers weren’t shy of ‘pressing on’.
Anyway. The question being, how do you minimise effort, reduce wear and add lightness to an 80ft (?) vessel, allowing for the fact she operates intensively for five months of the year, covering 17,000 miles in the 2024 season alone. High mileages come with increased wear and it was noticed that the gaff tumbler had uneven wear. The battons on the mainmast were sprinkling sawdust onto the deck if tallow wasn’t liberally applied. Onboard there was also a distinct disadvantage, in that no lockers contained a spare Ox (or two) to render more tallow. So, this winter, the gaff has been removed and a plan made. To reduce the wear, I had to increase the angle/spacing at the jaws and also address some shakes which had opened, given the excessive loads the tumbler was exerting on the spar. To counter this, chisels were wielded, to create a space for a graving piece. Greenheart was chosen, in that not much will better it in terms of compressive loading. Care was taken to think of this as cross-grain loading. Clearance from the tumbler will be everything. As an amateur sawdust maker, I have really benefitted from the presence of machine tools in the yard, the making of the piece actually didn’t take too long. With X6 No. 12 bronze CSK woodscrews and some WEST to see that it hopefully doesn’t move and with the hole for the pin centred and bored, it’s all glued up. I’ve also made a decision (brave) to change the metalwork here. The luff/throat pin would benefit from a slightly larger plate, to spread loading. This will be told in Part 2.
Lessons: part 1 Greenheart is VERY hard. My planes and chisels are sharp, but final shaping was done with a power plane. My favoured Record made no impression (or, very little). So thanks to el cheapo electric planer to make sawdust in a hurry. I also need to refresh my mind on how to sharpen drill bits.
The next stage will be to remove some sharp edges, like a straight line they have no place on a boat, so I’ll see if I can fettle those, to reduce friction and the chance for the gaff to ‘grab’ as it twists at the jaws. Then it’s dry fit the metal work, and play with dollies until the through fastenings are tight again (as I think they may have stretched slightly).
Find part two here when we’ll meet my new friend, Rolls L’Plate.
If you are interested in sailing on ‘Excelsior’, or wish to support the Trust in other ways, please do get in touch. There are multiple opportunities for everyone at all stages of their sailing. The boat is wooden, gaff rigged and the people you’ll meet are remarkable.
[Else, if you’ve worked out who I am, get in touch.]
Photos and words contributed by ‘an unconfident wood butcher’.
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