…because (hopefully) the next photos I take from inside will show it transformed with a repaired frame section, re-sealed planking, new paintwork and reinforced racking held together with shiny bronze screws.
One big question I don’t have the answer to yet is just what to do with all the buoyancy boxes that previously filled the space. Back in the day, these were vital in protecting the boat from sinking in the event of a hull breach. Filled with nothing but air, they would have allowed Dowager to remain afloat if the compartment had ever flooded.
Each wooden box is wrapped in what looks like calico or possibly canvas, then coated and painted to make it waterproof. Yet after more than ninety years stored below decks, often wet, this covering has degraded badly, and the paint is flaking-off under the lightest touch. Most of the boxes were waterlogged when I found them, but the vast majority are salvageable.
Each box is uniquely shaped for its allocated space, hence why every one is stencilled with a simple code to ensure it can be put back correctly whenever it is taken out. So far I’ve mulled over all sorts of various options (one idea I’ve had is to convert them into waterproof luggage boxes), but for now I’ll be placing them into storage. Once Dowager is safely back on the water, I’ll need to keep all the holds empty to have visual confirmation that none of the compartments are flooding. Only then would I be able to consider bringing the boxes back on board.
Until that day comes, refurbishing the boxes will stay firmly on my ‘nice to have’ list rather than my ridiculously long ‘need to have’ one.
At least all my hard work in the hold will be on show a while longer. I can’t wait to share the photos but still have a fair bit of work left to do before its ‘showroom ready’
Until next time, stay safe,
Tim
DOWAGER 
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