Betelgeuse
Betelguese was built in Deagon QLD by Clem Masters in 1963 as an off-shore game fishing boat. She was powered by twin V8's and could travel at speeds of up to 27 knots. Today she lives a much simpler life as Michael and Catriona's family boat co-owned with Catriona's sister Maryanne and her husband, Adrian.
In early 2011 Betelguese sank on her mooring in Felix Bay during a storm. She was salvaged and ended up in the yard at Rozelle Bay. Michael was contacted by a friend who thought he could use another project as she was about to be cut up and scrapped. Thus began the extensive restoration to turn a tired fishing vessel into a luxury family cruiser.
The Restoration
In August of 2011, Betelguese was put on the small project slip at Woolwich Marina. The two first year apprentices, Brendan Jenkins and Andrew Stephenson, were tasked with removing the dead fish from the swollen drawers and the initial stripping of her interior, including the enclosed chipboard galley.
Under the direction of Peter "Senior" Bellingham and his hand-knitted woollen socks, Brendan and Andrew began the 3000+ hours journey of restoration.
The brief for Betelguese was simple. She needed to become a boat for Michael and Catriona to spend time with family and friends while eating excellent food and drinking far too much champagne. Enjoying all that Sydney Harbour and Pittwater have to offer while also maintaining the traditional integrity of her quality build. Therefore the restoration primarily revolved around the open galley space.
The team removed the aft bulkhead cabin doors and panelling. The bulkhead was re-structured to support the new open-plan galley configuration with Queensland maple being used for the cabinetry. A modern Corian benchtop was designed and fitted, incorporating twin sinks, a gas cooktop, pantry and refrigerator.
Entrusted with re-powering Betelguese, Herman Valtwise installed two Volvo D-55 diesel engines. The original Borg-Warner gearboxes were re-conditioned and fitted to the Volvo's. She now cruises along at a comfortable 9 knots, a little less than her original 28.5 knots, while using a fraction of the fuel.
While the back half of the boat received a dramatic facelift, the bathroom and front V-berth remained largely untouched, with the exception of the Fisherman's locker, which was removed to open up the space.
While travelling home from a day up the harbour Michael and family were stopped by Betelguese's previous owners, who recognised her instantly. After a brief chat, Michael invited them down to Woolwich Marina to see her transformation. They were delighted to see that someone had brought her back to life after losing her after sinking.
After seeing how much time, effort and love had been poured into her restoration they gifted Michael and Catriona the original chrome-plated lettering and a book filled with original images from her days as a fishing vessel, as shown below.
