I have know Tom for going on fifteen years now. He's an old fart like me. He
is a very skillful machinist, and has been involved in many aspects of
manufacturing and repair.

Cautionary advice is always helpful, but, knowing Tom, I'm sure he
considered all that was involved in the restoration of this boat prior to
purchasing it.

Not ever having restored a "boat" before, I think he was just looking for
someone to point him in the right direction. Looking for some very basic
information to get started. I'm sure he would have been a regular on this
NG, and would have probably been able to add some very useful commentary.


"Al" wrote in message
...
Stephen,

Thanks for the support, I did try to make it clear that my advice was free
and worth just that. As you say, learning that Mr Ford is a craftsman
changes the picture a little. I believe that cautionary advice can often
act as a way to reassess exactly what is hoped for and exactly how it is
expected to achieve that. From my own experience, it is very easy to get
carried away with something and realise somewhere down the line that more
time and money has been invested than is really wise. It's better to stop
and think about these things before you get that far.

However, this should never stop someone from doing anything. If these
questions are answered acceptably the the person, in this instance
performing a restoration, should then be in a better place from which to
move forwards working more efficiently and effectively with fewer checks
along the way to producing a better quality product. The restorer should
have more confidence in the project and himself.

Al