The 1st Pearly Miss I saw was pre my CMBA days ..I didn't know they existed..CMBA, not Pearlys..this red one pitched up and I really wanted it despite lack of funds and the electric shift box.

Having owned and restored one I became hooked - now I know much more about them from the Pevensey Bay Pearly Miss owners and hopefully No2 will be as fun for as little money. I think there are 4 in the CMBA, but would be nice to see more on the water..

There is another owned by a fellow Sunbeam Alpine owner who lives very close to Ivy Lake and has been to all three of our meetings there but without his Pearly Miss as he's not yet a member. He should be joining the C.M.B.A. fairly soon.

Yes, met him there - he's wanting to run a period 18hp Evinrude on it I believe.

Not sure about that but I believe he did buy a period outboard of some sort at the last meeting.

Day 6 - cleaned up the transom, removed and chucked the the 'bouyancy' and cleaned up the deck hardware, trim pieces and managed to get the paint off the badge without damaging.. . Need to hunt down some windshield deck rubber for the split screen I plan to use. Tomorrow will cut a new transom and glue the decks down where the spot welds to the frame have broken.

Day 6.5.. Having promised that the transom would get cut last weekend it didn't; the rotting remains of the previous lying beside the boat all week. Despite having done Miss Daisy's (over-measuring, doing the wobbly jigsaw thing, then using a belt sander to fair it up) I viewed the exercise with the same trepidation as jumping over an athletics 'horse' as a kid. It would all go OK until I got a foot caught on the top edge of the horse and I'd end up with a mouthful of coir mat. My last woodworking lesson was in 1976 too...

On a whim, it took a very kind CMBA member give up most of his Saturday to show me how to measure it up properly, draw a freehand sketch and make a template of the cutout (see above) with an offcut of flexiply. He showed me how to cut my sheet of cherry faced ply properly too (no loss of apendages) so that I have now added a circular saw to my wish list.

I am of course very chuffed, and learnt something interesting for a change.

Day 7. Not warm out there, but no doubt warmer than anywhere else in the country. Out with the old in with new....This is a time-consuming job on a Pearly Miss, where the previous has rotted away. Hoping will have a warmer day soon to fit it permanently.

Turned her upside down today..the joys of a bare 140lb shell meant I could do most of the manhandling myself. 16 missing or broken rivets, and some nice 'fizzy' bits! I'll spend the next few days cleaning off the dried remnants of pond scum too.

More pics from today - sponge sanders work for me..Already had the head of a sound looking rivet pop off though.

Ha this is like top trumps snap !