Once again, two months have flown by, and a lot of progress has been made on our Iain Oughtred designed Gannet build.
Last Saturday we glued on the last of the deck, really giving a feel for the shape of the boat!!
In our last post, we had installed most of the foredeck beams. Here, we mocked up the curve of the cockpit, and some suggested deck beams to support the edge of deck.
Next, we cut down the transom and capped it with a strip of hardwood – it was nice to get rid of that oversized chunk of plywood!
The forward bulkhead got an access hatch cut, which will allow us to store things in the dry compartment, and will give us access for inspection and repair – we had to test that someone could get in! That access will also be needed in order to apply epoxy sealer to the underside of the decking, something we neglected to do before gluing it on. Not the best workspace.
The aft deck / stern sheets got a cosmetic series of grooves cut in with a router, to mimic individual boards, break up the broad surface, and if we want to get practical, it will also provide a bit of grip when stepping on it. Half of the foredeck also got glued in at this time.
The deck carlin and the coaming got laminated next, creating the curved forward edge of the cockpit. This called for a lot of hands and clamps to get it in place and secured. The coaming was removed after the epoxy cured, to make way for the plywood deck.
The rest of the foredeck and the side decks were shaped and glued in next, a major milestone, making it feel like we’re almost done! (spoiler – we’re not quite there yet)
Meanwhile, we’ve been chipping away at the centreboard trunk, gluing the sides together, attaching the reinforcing rails, and applying a capping to finish off the top edge. It’s just about ready to go into the boat.
Out in our tent workshop, Enke got new oarlock pads, and got put back in the water. The tent got a floor, thanks to the donation of plywood from neighbours of Arnt & Valerie – and Arnt provided a portable workbench with a nice heavy top. This will make the tent much more useful, as we won’t have to worry as much about dropping tools through the rather large gaps between the boards, and we’ve got a bench that’s heavy enough to stand up to planing and sawing.
We’ve had a couple of other very generous donations lately – a box containing two sets of oarlocks, sockets and collars was shipped out from Ontario by Pete Code, owner of TenderCraft Boat Shop, a family friend of one of our members. One pair of oarlocks is going on Enke, and the other one will become part of our new boat. Thanks Pete – we really appreciate it!
A few weeks ago, we had a visit from Faith at Milwaukee Tools Canada, bearing a bag of gifts! She provided us with battery operated router, multi-tool, and driver, along with 3 batteries and a charger, a tape measure, safety glasses, and t-shirts. The router was promptly put to work rounding over some corners – thanks Faith!!
On Saturday we raised a glass to Iain Oughtred, the designer of our boat, as he had passed away a couple of days before. Our condolences to his family and friends.
He was a prolific and well-respected designer of small boats, and popularised glued plywood lapstrake construction, which is the method we’re using for this boat. This photo shows him visiting our club when they were still meeting at Dave Bradford’s Alder Bay Boats on Granville Island in the club’s early days.
Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club 