Onlyacht, the UK company specializing in genuine antique superyacht interiors and antiques as well as consultancy for the luxury yacht industry, was contacted by a 42-metre motor yacht owners’ interior designer to discuss if it was possible to fit a valuable 18th-century card table into the owners motor yacht, which was about to undergo a comprehensive refit. At the meeting the designers were extremely clear that the installation could not compromise the integrity of the 42m superyacht as the owners felt sure that at some stage in the future they might like to remove the table to one of their homes.
18th Century table by Onlyacht installed onto 42m Motor Yacht
Onlyacht was given a simple brief; the owner had recently inherited the piece that was of particular sentimental value and would require conservation treatment. They were also asked to develop a solution to install the table on-board the yacht so it could be used safely both in the stowed position (up against the cabin wall), and also in the open position (in the middle of the cabin so the owners may play cards around it). The designer had specified that any solution they were to produce should look convincingly antique, so that the solution was not an obviously new addition that would be recognisable as such and anything they provided should pass as an original fitting of the table.
This was exactly the type of problem that the company was founded to solve, and after several meetings at the company’s Port Solent offices details were agreed and the item was shipped directly to their UK workshops for a full survey using a specialist carrier.
Conservation
After delivery Onlyacht was able to make a full assessment of the conservation treatment necessary before they could develop an installation solution. The table was a fine example of its type, with a structure built from French oak and a decorative surface consisting of brass, tortoiseshell and ebony veneer, under the top was a mahogany well, the final addition of ormolu mounts completed the bold baroque design.
The table had numerous areas of cleavage; most caused by the desiccation of the original keratinous glue used to secure the Boulle marquetry, a common problem with this type of mixed media decorative surface.
Boulle table for a 42m superyacht after conservation
Various areas of brass and tortoise-shell had lifted and required careful cleaning, realignment and a careful bonding back into place. Other areas had lost both tortoiseshell and brass therefore replacement sections were hand cut for these areas. A common problem with brass as an inlay material is the Verdigris (the natural patina formed when copper alloys corrode) that inevitably accumulates on the underside of any loose brass inlay – this corrosion deposit has to be removed; a very time-consuming part of the process.
All loose areas of brass and tortoise-shell had been carefully cleaned and dry assembled. The replacement sections were engraved and aged before being fitted into place using speciality adhesives. Every mount was removed and cleaned, also every brass pin used to secure the mounts was removed, carefully cleaned and waxed before being replaced. The hinges were sympathetically lubricated and the baize card table surface was carefully cleaned and brushed to lift the pile.
After consolidation and restoration of the surface the entire table was carefully waxed to provide a protective surface for its new marine environment, and a small container of suitable wax along with corresponding instructions for the future care of the object prepared to hand over to the interior crew.
Boulle table for a 42m luxury yacht half open
Installation solution
Next Onlyacht began to develop a method of fixing the card table securely to the cabin wall in such a manner that it could be easily released by interior crew for its intended purpose: (card tables of this design have a top that rotates around a fixing bolt which opens up to reveal the baize surface inside).
Their brief was to leave as little evidence as possible showing where the table had been fixed to the wall, along with producing a solution that would “appear” stylistically similar in age and design as the original table.
Onlyacht developed a two-part bracket that could be fixed to the cabin wall with a single M12 fixing, meaning the only visible evidence when the table was away from the wall would be a small 6 mm hole at the cabin wall.
They decided to use the natural shape of the “mask” on the rear of the table as a suitable point to fix to as it was the strongest point on the rear of the table and it was held in place with four long brass pins. This approach also avoids having the fixing plate make contact with the delicate Boulle marquetry surface.
Boulle table for a 42m motor yacht - mask
Initially Onlyacht took a Silicon mould from the rear mask and used that to produce a polyurethane facsimile of the mask that they could use as a carving guide. The next stage was to carve out the reverse profile of the mask from a piece of straight grained period mahogany. After the carving was completed the reverse profile of the mask was lined with high-quality felt in order to provide a suitable surface that would not damage the mask. We then developed a retaining clip from antique brass that would ultimately hold the table into place when stowed at the cabin wall. Again high-quality high impact felt was used to cushion the surfaces that would be in contact with the frame of the table.
The final solution therefore is a simple and easy to deploy two-part bracket that is capable of holding the card table firmly in place whenever the vessel is either under way, alongside or at anchor, that can be removed by the interior crew allowing the table to be placed in the middle of the cabin for the owner’s pleasure in less than 15 minutes.
Onlyacht supplied the fittings as explained above along with instructions to keep with the table in order to be sure the interior crew understand what is required of them when deploying or stowing the table. Before delivery the table underwent a climate stabilisation process at their workshops in the UK; spending 7 weeks within a “microclimate tent” kept at a constant temperature and relative humidity based on agreed parameters of the eventual yacht climate. This allowed them to be sure that all of the materials used in the conservation process reached equilibrium before installation.
About ONLYACHT
Onlyacht was conceived by the CEO David Burton in 2003 in response to the lack of professional companies specialising in the sensitive installation of genuine antique furniture into yachts. After a long and successful career as an antique furniture conservator David embarked on a career break in the sailing industry and before long he found himself employed for several years on large luxury sail and motor yachts. It became obvious to him that boat owners specifying traditional interiors could not in fact specify genuine antique furniture and objects as part of the project as there was no formal or professional expertise available to install the items into yachts. Reproduction furniture and objects may approximate the sensual quality of a real period interior but this is a compromise as the end result is harsher and brighter, often lacking the timeless elegance and the subtle cues that speak of past ages.
In starting the company David sought to rectify this and bring the skills and expertise available from top level furniture conservators, cabinetmakers, clockmakers, carvers and other artisans into the yachting industry, allowing owners to have genuine antique and period interior spaces without compromising their items integrity and value.
