- Interior fit-out
- Bulkheads
- Floors
- Inwales
- Seat knees
- Deck beams
- Centreboard trunk
- Thwart cleats
- North Star of Herschel Island YouTube series
- Light Up the Harbour
We’ve made a lot of progress on the Gannet project in the last two months. Sorry for the lack of reports – the lead-up to Christmas is always a hectic time in one way or another! Get a cup of coffee or tea, and settle in for a longer report!! For more frequent updates, follow our Instagram or Facebook.
Before starting on the interior fit-out, we used a laser “level” to check our seat riser lines. Of course, in our floating boat shed we can’t really rely anything with the word Level in it, but this just gave us a consistent line around the inside of the hull. This let us set the height of the seats and the aft bulkhead, as well as the height of the centreboard trunk. (It was fiddly work, and the photos don’t quite show the final position of the laser)
The first parts to go in were the bulkheads, with nice big fillets of epoxy and sawdust holding them in place. We pre-cut the hole for the waterproof hatch in the aft bulkhead, but are waiting a bit for the forward hatch, to figure out how it fits with some of the other features of the interior.
Next up was the Floors, the structural members spanning the bottom of the hull, adding a lot of stiffness to the boat. The floorboards will rest on top of the floors. The floor that’s halfway along the centreboard trunk was glued in in one piece, and then cut to make room for the trunk.
The inwales were glued in along the sheer, helping to hold the shape of the hull. The outwale/rub strake will come later, after the deck is installed.
The yellow cedar seat knees came next, further reinforcing the hull and providing support for the future side seats.
The foredeck structure was built up of fir and yellow cedar, forming the support for the curve of the deck. The beams were shaped and fitted, along with the breasthook at the stem.
The king plank along the centreline was fitted into mortises in the breast-hook and bulkhead deck beam. After some further fitting to adjust the curves to what the plywood deck can do, we glued in the deck structure.
The centreboard trunk is progressing. The yellow cedar spacers have been glued to one side of the 1/4″ plywood, and white oak cheeks glued to the outside to reinforce where the pivot bolt will go. The inner face has been epoxy sealed, with a layer of fibreglass for strength and wear-resistance.
And finally, we also shaped and glued in the thwart cleats. The interior is really taking shape, and it’s getting easier to imagine sailing the boat!
North Star of Hershel Island – the YouTube series
The team involved in rebuilding of North Star has started a YouTube series giving us a look at the project. They’re planning for weekly videos, released each Friday. Start with the trailer and episode 1, and be sure to subscribe and Like!
Light up the Harbour
The Museum put on a family event a couple of weeks ago with children’s choir, hot chocolate, and celebrating the lights in the harbour. We lit up our shop and boat, and welcomed a LOT of visitors to our little bit of paradise! Enke took over the duties of carrying the Grinch display, since we sold the Fancy Pram earlier this year.
It’s been a great year at the club, with a whole bunch of new members, and the camaraderie of long-time friends! We wish you all a safe and happy New Year!
Oarlock & Sail Wooden Boat Club 