Symbolism

• "Ah'm gonnae get ma da tae fix it up. My da's a sailmaker."

  Alec is optimistic — he believes his dad's promise to repair the yacht. It becomes a symbol of hope. He admires his father and his former profession.
• "Ah'll take it away wi me. Get it done this week."

  Billy, unlike Davie, is a man of action - he makes a promise and gets underway.
• "...there's yer yacht. A blue and white it is!"

  Billy, unlike Davie, fulfils his promise to Alec.
• "Soon. Just you wait an see!"

  Once again, Davie puts off fixing up the yacht. He lacks any motivation, any spark.
• "Ah'll shove this in the glory hole. Out the road."

  Alec realises that the yacht, which symbolised hope, has become representative of his dad's broken promises.
• "And the yacht had a sail of flame."

  The yacht, once a symbol of hope, is given to the flames. It has a sail at last - a "sail of flame". It burns as a symbol of unfulfilled ambitions and broken promises.
• "There's a big crack doon the middle. The two halfs don't sit right - aw squinty."

  The broken mirror symbolises Davie's unwillingness to fix anything in his life. The mirror frustrates Alec - another sign of his dad giving up.
• "Hardest wood in the world. Should burn nice an slow."

  Davie's fine tools, once the heart of his trade as a sailmaker, are burnt as fuel to heat the flat - worthless, just like Davie feels.