A model sailing boat

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I realise that this is not railway orientated but I thought some may be able to relate to these wonderful models. I was recently contacted and asked if I could restore an old sailing boat, always up for a challenge I agreed to take a look at the model and see if I could help. It turned out that the model is of a pond sailing boat built by a company in Birkenhead, Star Yachts manufactured these over a number of years and some research on the internet gave me quite a lot of information that was vital when it came to doing the restoration. The owner had been able to narrow down the original purchase of this model by his father to around 1950. The condition I received it in was pretty poor but over a few weeks I was able to complete the restoration using as much of the original parts as I could. The sails were in very bad shape and I had to sew a new set and print the Star logo which was a feature on the original mainsail. There were remnants of the Birkenhead gold logo which I had to replicate, the one thing that did have me confused was the rigging but after a few attempts I finally got it sorted. I made a nice base for the model to sit in so that it could be displayed easily and this turned out quite good. The owner was almost in tears when he picked up the yacht as the recent loss of his Dad meant that this model had a lot of sentimental value.

Robyn









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Fantastic!  It looks like it's straight out of the box, Robyn.
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[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:
Fantastic!  It looks like it's straight out of the box, Robyn.
Thank you Max, it certainly lifted my spirits when I saw the owners reaction.

Robyn
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Hi Robyn Better new I like the plinth and logo, good on you, From South Wales U.K.
Best of Luck

Dave D

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Wow, what a fine job Robyn, which brought a huge smile to my face and a massive dose of nostalgia for sailing the little Star yacht mum and dad gave me in 1958, in Newsham Park, directly opposite our home in Liverpool. As you said, these delightful little boats were made in my home town. Now, I wonder if I could acquire one for the library :)

Very many thanks and the owner must be as proud of his departed dad as am I.

Bill

At 6'4'', Bill is a tall chap, then again, when horizontal he is rather long and people often used to trip over him! . . . and so a nickname was born :)
 
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[user=1814]Longchap[/user] wrote:
Wow, what a fine job Robyn, which brought a huge smile to my face and a massive dose of nostalgia for sailing the little Star yacht mum and dad gave me in 1958, in Newsham Park, directly opposite our home in Liverpool. As you said, these delightful little boats were made in my home town. Now, I wonder if I could acquire one for the library :)

Very many thanks and the owner must be as proud of his departed dad as am I.

Bill
Thanks for sharing your story Bill, I was quite amazed at the availability of information on these models and the fact that they were made for over 50 years stands testament to their popularity. A simple google search revealed a wonderful range of historical information that I found enthralling. I can understand the link between these boats and the relationship between father and son, sadly this bond is not as strong today. These are available quite readily on Ebay ranging in condition from almost new to "well used and abused" with a variety of prices so I am sure you would be able to find one for your library.

All the best,
Robyn
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