Mai Star II Restoration Project

16/02/2026

Can anyone lend a hand with volunteering to give us a hand to keep the project going.

I need a hand to hand to fit the carlins and the short side beams Also a hand to make and fit the two aft cabin deck beams that connect to t...

16/02/2026

If you would like to help us with the restoration of this classic East Coast Gaffer, why not come along and volunteer and give us a hand, any type of help would be gratefully receviced

Simon & his family's mission to restore Mai Star II

31/12/2025

The Mai Star II restoration project team are wishing our followers and supporters a happy new year and hope to download new and interesting videos over the coming months as we get to grips with getting more of Mai Star II back together.

11/12/2025

Getting the floor back down in the cabin so it will make working on the inside a lot easier and safer.

Starting to get the floorboards back down after refitting the floor bearers with new "A4" stainless screws so these floor bearers will not m...

05/12/2025

https://youtu.be/s1PjSAoWb24
This is an update about what has been happening or not on this project. Had a few downs as well as ups lately. A turn down in work and losing my apprentice as had an affect on the progress on the project, so it is a matter of dusting one self down and moving forward again

This is an update about what has been happening or not on this project. Had a few downs as well as ups lately. A turn down in work and losing my apprentice a...

05/12/2025

https://youtu.be/NFYW0uYMlK0
Making the spacers for the hanging knees ahead of the cabin front & making up the two upright posts for the aft end of main cabin to which the short aft deck beams will be jointed into with half lap and half dovetail joints. Also I am making up the spacers to go in between the hanging knees and the deck beam ahead of the main cabin and the grown frame on the hull to make the whole area a ring frame which will tie the deck beam to the hull framing and when the rig is under tension the stress will be spread around the whole structure and not just on one part of the hull.
In the meantime, I will be making up studding to bolt the frames to the hanging knees and also the deck beam to the hanging knees.

Making the spacers for the hanging knees ahead of the cabin front & making up the two upright posts for the aft end of main cabin to which the short aft deck...

04/12/2025

Next jobs on the foredeck rebuilding work

Before my apprentice left he clamped the iron knees in position apart from making and fitting the spacers in position. Once these are in pos...

19/10/2025

These are the videos of Mai Star II's Reborn and the up and down adventures along the way. The challenges we have faced and set backs we have accounted along the way and how we over come them and carry on with the project when many people would give up. It take a lot of tenacity and as an old saying goes "Stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, It'd when things are worse that you mustn't quit" That is the motto we work by and as seen you through a lot of problems we have faced along the way.

These are the videos of Mai Star II's Reborn and the up and down adventures along the way. The challenges we have faced and set backs we have accounted along...

21/09/2025

https://youtu.be/Kho60fSMt6Y

Over the past week there as been a lot of of work done on a number of projects from refitting floor bearers in the hull to repairs to the cabin sides and finally repairs to the samson post which needed a new heal piece making to fit on the lower section of the original samson post. The majority of the samson post was in good condition and rather than make a completely new samson post it was decided that it was just as good to make up a new lower section out of same well seasoned oak we have in the yard and make up a new heal piece. The cabin sides need to have some more major repairs done, however, it was decided that grading pieces were the way to go so these were made up and glued in position. The reasoning behind doing this rather than cut whole section out and gluing new complete pieces in place was that the inside face of the cabin side was not damage and therefore it was not going to need a repair to be seen when it was not needed to be.
The next job on Mai Star II will be to makeup a new aft cabin beam and to vertical post to connect the half beams to and then be able to refit the new carlins and refit the cabin sides and front back into position.

Over the past week there as been a lot of of work done on a number of projects from refitting floor bearers in the hull to repairs to the cabin sides and fin...

12/09/2025

https://restorationoftheclassicyachtmaistarii.blogspot.com/2025/09/sanding-downthe-cabin-sides-of-mai-star.html

Having got the cabin side out of storage it was time to get them down and put on the bench and sand down both sides and inspect them for dam...

12/09/2025

https://restorationoftheclassicyachtmaistarii.blogspot.com/2025/09/repairs-to-samson-post-remaking-lower.html

The original samson post for the most part is in good condition and just the lower end needed replacing so it is just as easy to cut a 12 in...