Councillors Bill Grant and Elaine Little pictured at Watchful as the final coats of paint were applied.
The fishing vessel "Watchful BA124," an iconic symbol of the glory days of Clyde coastal fishing, is about to enjoy a renewed lease of life, thanks to the combined efforts of South Ayrshire Council and specialist contractors West Coast Marine Services.
The timber fishing vessel, owned and skippered by Matt Sloan, went into dry dock at the old McKnights shipyard in Ayr 15 years ago and was part of the original Citadel project.
Built in by Weatherhead and Blakey at Port Seton during 1955, she was a ring-net herring boat until decommissioned at Campbeltown in 1995.
Her final resting place at the dry dock in Ayr is just a few nautical miles up the coast from her home port of Maidens.
The improvement project has taken three months and began with West Coast Marine undertaking a series of complex processes including the removal of old paint and rust from wooden and metal fixtures, the sanding, bleaching and refinishing of the deck and the refurbishment of old wood.
Following this, over a period of four weeks, eight people supervised by the Council's Community Service Team, primed and repainted the hull and deck of the vessel as part of their rehabilitation programme.
The team spent 278 hours working on the boat, the equivalent of sixteen full days work and the finishing touch was the addition of Watchful's carved name boards in hard wood with her name picked out in gold paint.
Now, with her exterior restored to its former glory, a dry launch is planned for Watchful on Ayr's North Harbour Street, for the middle of June.
Local Councillor Bill Grant said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have seen the vessel Watchful slowly re-emerge as the fine sea faring trawler she once was. The way the lads have tackled the project has been absolutely first class, building on the excellent preparation work undertaken by West Coast Marine."
Duncan Sinclair Community Service Officer at South Ayrshire Council said: "When the idea to restore Watchful was first raised, we jumped at the chance to get involved. Many of the offenders we work with have real hands on skills and have a deep interest in local history. It was an ideal combination and the work they have done is simply fantastic.
"One of the team who worked on Watchful used to work on a similar boat as a fisherman and he has been so motivated by this project, he is aiming to go back to sea and resume his career. It's a real step forward for him and we're delighted that Watchful's restoration has inspired another success story."
Speaking on a visit as the ship was being painted, Ayr West councillor Elaine Little commented: "Watchful represents a bygone era, when the Clyde was full of these trawlers setting out to sea, the backbone of the fishing industry and I'm excited about seeing her restored to her former glory."
"I'm sure she'll be a fitting memorial to fishermen and a classy harbour attraction."