During the first half of 2017, CREST volunteers Brett, Dennis, Gary, Ian, James, Mike, Paul, Rob, Stan, Steve & Wendy, under the supervision of Dave Lewis, undertook the following restoration work . . .
HANDRAIL
In May and June, the handrail was taken down from temporary storage 
and Mike got to work on removing rust from the bases of the uprights ….
…… Gary welded the cut …..
…… kill rust was applied ….
…. the first coat of white undercoat applied . . .
….. and later applied the first blue overcoat ….
Painting completed, the handrail is now back where it was meant to be and is in the process of being secured – Mike is most happy . . .
HAND TOOLS
Former Alf Settree hand tools de-accessioned by the Museum’s Curatorial Management Centre to the CREST project are put into use …
The ball peine hammer, shown below, is used for rounding the ends of cut-off copper nails over a copper washer…
COIN washers
Brett recorded the internal positions of 3 coppercoin washers,
after removal from their stringer ……
BRASS PORTHOLES
Brett, having removed the last of the brass portholes last week, returned today with the aft s’board porthole, looking new and shiny. Using a motorised buffer wheel and other implements, he had removed all the verdigris, and made it look like new.
PORTHOLE GLASS
Later, Stan took measurements for the replacement glass.
RIBs
Paul cut and shaped a “v shaped” replacement rib … which will sit on top of an existing rib amidships .. the “v Shape” was a first for the project ..
achieved by matching the shape required without having to cut 2 short ribs ….
STRINGERs
Shaping and fastening by Brett of overlapping replacement stringer in January…
and in mid-March, another replacement 6.3m stringer – steamed, twisted, positioned, drilled, nailed and roved – went in
At the end of March, all hands and feet under front deck for the 8ft long replacement stringer with 2ft overlapping chamfer, which was steamed then nailed….
Of the 16 securing nails, 4 were roved with the original copper pennies.
PLANKs
Gary removed 2 lengths of planks in need of replacement ….
Ian prepared and replaced another plank butt-end …
In late February, Ian completed his 16th plank-butt replacement – this is being second where the technique, as suggested by Gary, that the top face of the internal pieces (either side of the ribs) is curved and that there is a slight gap between the vertical face of these pieces with the ribs – in order to let water flow.
In March, Ian shaped, fitted & glued a replacement plug out of Kauri for a plank drain hole
Gary, using the spiling technique, drew up and shaped 2 Kauri replacement planks.
Spiling uses a smaller component as a pattern against which the outline of the larger component can be drawn and is often used for creating planks on traditionally built boats that have complex shapes. First, a piece of timber the same length as the desired plank but both thinner and narrower is cut. This is called the spiling batten.
The batten is then temporarily attached in the place of the removed plank . The shape required can then be traced onto the batten using a compass, or a dummy stick. The batten is then lifted out, placed on the new stock, and moved around to find the optimum use of the stock material, using the same compass or dummy stick, the exact shape required can be traced off the batten onto the new stock.
In early April, Gary shaped 2 replacement planks, 1 of which, at 2.3meters, (can be seen in the 2nd photo) is the longest to date . . .
GARBOARD planks
In early May, Dave and Gary made the decision that both port and starboard garboard planks – the planks either side the keel – will have to be removed and replaced … there has been too much damage to the rebate between their edges and the keel timber. Removing and replacing will be a big job but is necessary.
By the end of May, both planks, still pretty much intact, had been removed, and Gary had made a start on making up the template for the replacement garboards..
Barry used a wood thickness gauge to set the rebate line for the new garboard plank . . .
Plank replacement number 5
In mid-June, the 5th plank replacement went in . . . Gary fired up the steamer, heated the plank, and with the help of Brett, Dave, Mike, Ian, and James, propped, fine-trimmed, twisted and copper nailed it into position . . . .
FLOORs
In early April, Ian took on the big job of replacing all of the floors ….
6 of the original 7 floors shown below.
… the next 2 photos show floor 1 (the most forward) in position and its template
Over the next few weeks, Ian continued with making templates for the other floors …
The replacement floors to be made from iron bark.
WASH BOX
Also in April, Brett began work on the wash box timber refurbishment …
A wash box is the timber housing for the gal pipe in which the rudder stock sits..
Brett cut, sanded down and marked out the profile for the wash box replacement timber pieces, bench cut and the round planed to shape …
….. preservative brushed on …
Brett’s replacement wash box ready to be installed
and, new washbox in place….
PAINT
Applied undercoats and overcoats by Mike and Rob
…. external ……
. . . and internal . . .
LISTER Diesel motor
From early January to the end of June, Steve continued work on the Lister motor…
. .. setting the fuel supply . . .
… the tappets and the timing . . .
…. and in February, fitted the starter motor, which had been refurbished by
Bay&Basin Auto Electrics,
and in early April, Steve kicked over and ran over the Lister, …
and next week checked with Dave the replacement propellor drive shaft and one of the ss ball bearings and its housing …..
and in May, fine tuning fuel supply, in particular the choke …
and later, having repaired the timing mechanism in his home workshop,
re-attached it, connected the starter motor and got the Lister running a lot smoother …
OTHER EVENTS
Surprise at smoko, just after the cookies run out, Nerole arrived with precisely 8 homemade pineapple tarts, delicious . . . much appreciated.
ANMM visit
In mid-March, the Museum and the Crest project was paid a visit by David Payne. David is Curator of Historic Vessels at Australian National Maritime Museum, and through the Australian Register of Historic Vessels, works closely with heritage boats in Australia – researching and advising on the craft and their social connections. David also documents many of the ANMM’s vessels with extensive drawings, and which includes the CREST.
Photo below shows from left – volunteers Stan & Gary, then David Payne, ANMM, Diana, JBMM Director, Dave Lewis, Graham Hinton JBMM CMC Manager, and John Ferguson, JBMM President.
Below, Crest’s supervising restorer David Lewis shows David Payne 1 of the floors recently removed from the Crest. 
CREST PROJECT SPONSORSHIP
On the last Tuesday of June, the CREST crew were most pleased to hear that their application to the Bendigo Bank under their Community Grants scheme was successful!
Many thanks to Ian, the Museum and to the CREST crew.
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Crest Restoration Project 