Ariel #1

[walberts]

When I asked John "Where do you start?" when you have a derilict boat like Kestrel was when he found her in an Oxford boatyard, he responded:
"Start with the nastiest job. Do it when you're still in love. Don't begin by refinishing the brightwork."

Kestrel had a long list of really nasty jobs vying for the honor of being the nastiest. A lot of 'glass work on the decks and coachroof'; the keel had vater in the voids. He drained and reglassed that. He removed the old engine and replaced it with a Yanmar 2GM diesel. New driveshaft and rudderpost and the tube that holds the post had to be reglassed. New fuel tank and water lift muffler. The pictures will some of the story better than I can.

These have been taken over a period of two years. l hope to take some new ones this weekend.

[Tony G]

I like it. The combination of her being hull number one and the 'feel' of the interior cabinetry really sets off a genuine lust here. While we all are focusing on Kestrel, did anyone else notice the shop? I bet a guy could live there when he's into the job. And I noticed a fire extinguisher in one of the pictures. That's something we don't see that often in the gallery pages.

I talked to the gentleman that owns the number one Hinckley pilot and asked him how or where one starts a restore job like that. He replied, "It's like eating an elephant, just one bite at a time." After seeing Kestrel it's plain and simple, a guy can't own just one of these beauties.

[Mike Goodwin]

A restoration would be putting an Atomic 4 back in with a generator instead of alternator , putting the icebox back in .
You guys are awfully loose with the lingo. I can accept , rebuild , refurbish, renovate, repair , upgrade and modernize , but restore is pretty specific in it's meaning .
You can restore it to 1962 condition , even 1972 condition , but adding an engine that was never offered can't be a restoration .

Unless a restoration is done right , it can lower the value of an object. Any maritime museum would laugh their butts off at this " restoration" .
IMHO #1 has been stripped of her historical value , as if you took the 1st Corvette and replaced the Blue Flame 6 with a 350 V8 .