New pilings at the dock

Last week, 3 of the piles at the dock got replaced, as they were in bad shape. Thanks Duane for recording the action, and compiling this video!

Last week a couple more planks got steamed and bent in place on the Auk project. This week they were further fitted and the gains were cut.

Enke is getting closer to having her new floorboards in place – the black locust cleats are looking gorgeous with a coat of oil – too bad they’ll be out of sight!

When the tide is low, and the breeze calls, we do what we need to to get the boats out! With some help, Arnt and his friend were able to get out to enjoy one more sail before he leaves town for a while.

During the piling replacement, the boats were moved around to give the crew access, and North Star ended up next to Providence – they look so good together! At the museum, they’re using proper nautical measurements for physical distancing.

Due to the pandemic, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival is going virtual – they’ll be showing a series of films, presentations and demos, including the premier of the Race to Alaska movie. Head over to https://virtualwbf.org/ for details and tickets. They’re also inviting submissions of boat or shop tours – hmm, do we show our stuff??

Hope you’re enjoying your summer – come on down to the dock on a Saturday to see what we’re up to!

Garboard planks

Last week we steamed the garboard planks, this week we installed them!

After spiling and shaping the planks the previous week, we set up Nick’s steam box and steamed the forward end of the two garboard planks, then clamped them in place with a tight twist at the stem. It worked nicely – amazing what the steam allows us to do!

This week we nailed them in place with copper ring nails, starting at the transom and working forward along the hog, finishing at the stem. The tip of the planks was clamped in place using a specially made caul, carefully fitted to the back of the stem, allowing well-directed clamping pressure. So great to get started on planking!

Enke’s floorboards are getting close to completion – some fine-tuning to get the cleats to fit, and we got a start on the toggles to hold them in place. It’s been nice to have the pop-up tent on the dock for shade from the hot sun.

Our neighbours on the dock Joost and Josje have been busy giving Milo a fresh coat of paint, after having had a bunch of work done on her. Looking great!

Our boats have been providing a lot of enjoyment in the fine summer weather we’ve been having lately! They’re great little boats, and a lot of fun!