Aurora Restoration Project

[DegoRed]

Came across this today on YouTube and it sucked me in. I have nothing to do with this project other that love watching cool projects and people doing this type of stuff, I'm not shilling for anything or anyone.

Did a quick search and didn't see that anyone has previously posted on this, but thought some others might enjoy this as well. Will say this, dude taking on this project got big ole balls, this doesn't look cheap or easy.

Did enjoy this history behind this boat, had no idea until watching this this is where "Love Boat" came from and this boat was in James Bond movie. Even funnier, dude bought it off Craigslist.

Here is the YouTube link for those interested

 

[ScottC]

Wow! He must be independently wealthy to undertake such a project -- hands-on. Doesn't appear like he has a large team. This looks like it will soak up serious $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Nice to save an old ship, but to my untrained eye, it certainly looks like a high-risk undertaking.

 

[Crux]

Thanks for the link!
Seems like the right guy, with a good grasp of the project.

 

[GoneDiving]

I remember seeing a few videos on this a while ago. To be honest it seemed like a lost cause back then but the newer series by the owner seem far more hopeful. Some of his results are very impressive

 

[Mako]

Question I ask myself is "why?" but that's his own personal story.

Funny how he focuses a day's energy on removing some brackets from the stern. That represents about one-one millionth of the energy required to restore this 300ft ship.

Assuming he has the spare $10+ million needed for a basic restoration, I'd suggest sailing it to China or Vietnam or Indonesia for a refit. Or take the ten mil and buy a nice used superyacht.

Anyway, back to reality. Should I post a message to him to perhaps wear double layer hearing protection, a face shield, or at least safety glasses instead of sunglasses when he's grinding, or is that a waste of time?

 

[Bmarler]

They’re safety glasses, just a little more fashionable. I have tinted ones for when I’m working out in the sun too.
There’s something just a little off on this story. ( just my observation by looking at a small sample of the footage)
The guys tools are a bit too unused looking to me. And chipping up the rotten steel with a tiny air chisel, then loading the debris into plastic hefty bags? Just doesn’t seem realistic. I feel like he’s just showing what he wants done, then off camera the real crew comes in to really do the work.
You can’t possibly do this by yourself. The ship will be falling apart faster than you can put it back together. Restoring one section of handrail is a one week job, and will need new varnish again next year.
You need a large crew to really entertain a restoration that has any hope of completion. And then you need a large maintenance crew to keep it from falling into disrepair again.
Cool project though, and something fun to do if you have the resources.

 

[GoneDiving]

Question I ask myself is "why?" but that's his own personal story.

I'll admit this was one of the first questions I asked myself. What's the driver and ultimate aim? The vessel seems to have a back story worthy of preservation but if it's purely an attempt to get a cruiser business going again the $$ will never stack up. Not to mention the years of no income this is going to involve.

I'd agree that it's going to be difficult for one man and a couple of buddies to outpace the natural decay. Perhaps that's the aim of the YouTube account: generate helping hands and some $$.

It's a huge job but hopefully this is one of those where the nay sayers piled on in the early days only to be proven wrong.

I wonder what the purchase price was?

 

[twistedtree]

If I followed the story, he's been at this since 2008, so 14 years. I think he fell in love, and now this is his baby. Sounds like he got a few gigs using it as a movie set which I expect paid well. And now he's trying the YouTube route. I hope it works out for him. It's a big project, to say the least.