We’ve riveted the first few planks to the boat! The sheer strake and garboard on both sides are in place and fastened. We’re now working on the next sets of planks, and will be working our way up and down on both sides of the gap to meet in the middle.
The first boards to be fastened to the boat were the sheer strakes, the uppermost planks on the boat. After shaping the edges of the planks, we had to “back out”, which is rounding out the inner face of the plank, to fit the curve of the frames. We used a hollowing plane with a convex set of gauges to guide us. Once we got them riveted in place, we were free to trim off the excess length of the frames, giving us the first look at the final height of the boat.
The garboard planks needed to be steamed thoroughly in order to get the nearly 90 degree twist. Those are the most extreme shape in the boat, and the next plank will need some finesse to fit to it. The joint between the garboard plank and the keel is the most prone to leakage, so to prevent that, we used sealant in that joint, and then clamped them in place. The following week we riveted the planks to the frames – that was the most awkward place to work, so we gave that job to some of our newest members.
We’ve shaped the next pair of planks, and are working on backing them out to prepare for fastening. This will give us the first joint between planks that we need to carefully fit. And then repeat the process a few more times!
We’ve got (and nearly sold out) a new shipment of t-shirts! And we’ve started on some boat maintenance, beginning with new gaff jaw leathers for Button Swan.
A couple of months ago we had the pleasure of helping a group of young people launch their new boat! One of our members has been working with them to build a small sail & row boat, and it was a delight to see them so proud of their work!
We recently lost a member of our Heritage Harbour community. George Egerton, owner of Mysterion passed away, and we raised a glass as a toast to his life. He was our resident piano tuner, and his work on that has been enjoyed by many. His grandson was one of the boys building the boat, and George got to take part in the launch. He will be missed by many.
Oarlock & Sail Wooden Boat Club 