A View From Astern

Plenty of sanding and epoxy work (and not much else) going on…

Actually, there is more going on - it just isn't visible. I am writing out lists of what needs to be done (or what I think needs to be done) this winter. Big-picture items include the bunk flats, the cockpit seats and the decking. Heck, that's it! That's all I have to do before turning the boat to fair and paint the bottom… Of course, there is a lot of detail and fiddly work to be done before those big-picture items are completed. Then, too, I have my list of tasks to do inside when winter really sets in. Pretty soon, though, I'll need to figure out how to support the hull while I bumble around working on the interior - I don't want to capsize Gardens in the shop!

The view from astern:

…which is an interesting perspective. I like it. I think I'll use this angle (among others) as the interior work progresses.

Tingles... and Sanding

Thanksgiving Day was absolutely beautiful with sunshiny skies and temperatures in the low 60s. It was a perfect day to work on Gardens and It was also a perfect day for visiting with family and friends. Family and friends won out over boat work.

Last night the weather changed - wind, rain, lightning and thunder in the evening followed by dropping temperatures and more wind in the early morning hours. Snow flurries have been blowing around off and on all day. Despite the dismal conditions outside, I was able to get some work done on Gardens.

The nine remaining 'tingles' (reinforcing/backing strips aka butt straps spanning the joins between pieces of planking) were cut and installed today. The tingles are not difficult to cut, fit and install so this really isn't much to report - just another of the small but necessary steps to take toward completion.

Sanding continues...

Thoughts and an Idea

It is the night before Thanksgiving, pies are baked, turkey is thawed, the house is clean and company won't arrive until tomorrow.

No new progress on Gardens to report - sanding is sanding and not very exciting at that - but I have been thinking about upcoming steps and stages in the building process. One of those steps is to install the bottom of the anchor well. Fine, I will do that because I suspect that piece of plywood adds to the strength of the bow. But I have begun to wonder just how functional that anchor well is for storing AND using ground tackle.

The anchor well is forward of the mast and well forward of the cockpit. It seems - and I haven't really tried that reach yet or even asked for comments based on experience - the anchor well is too far out of reach to be practical and, perhaps, a bit small to boot.

So, I am contemplating foregoing the anchor well - and its necessary deck cut-out - for a cockpit anchor storage/deployment//retrieval set-up. This will, for the time being, eliminate the deck cut-out and, as a result, simplify the building process. Installing the anchor well bottom now means I can always modify things if a future need arises.

Probably won't get much boat work done tomorrow, but Friday should be a good day in the shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Work Continues… and a Note re the New Shop Accessory

Sanding, in preparation for epoxy coating and painting, has begun. The stem/spine and all the frames were coated with epoxy when they were built but none of the planking (other than the glued portions) has been coated as yet.

Beginning at the forward end: sanding all surfaces, vacuuming; and covering with two coats of epoxy. Once that is done, I will measure, mark, cut and fit the bottom piece for the anchor well. The interior of the bow section will then be painted before the anchor well deck is installed. That all may happen this week - but with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, well, let's just see how things progress.

A note regarding that new shop accessory I commented on earlier this month: It works well enough keeping large bits and pieces from getting to the main shop-vac but it does not keep the shop-vac filter from clogging with fine dust. This is so because there is no "cyclone" effect created by the Woodstock fitting. In fact, a close look of the item would have suggested this outcome: The pick-up hose feeding into the bucket and the vacuum hose from the shop-vac are nearly opposite one another. The fine dust and sawdust is sucked right into the shop-vac. Perhaps a baffle of some sort or, perhaps a screen over the end of the hose to the shop-vac, would improve the performance. Hmmm… perhaps a baffle made of screening would do the trick? At any rate, the Woodstock item does seem to improve the shop-vac's performance.

Good news: Upon further review, the band-saw does NOT need a new motor. A new start capacitor should have the saw back in operating condition.

Preparing for the Next Stage

Yesterday and today have been quieter and less frantic than the last few days of the planking. I didn't do much actual boat work but I did things that will facilitate the next stages of this build:

• Reviewed the plans and drawings to make sure I know what's next
• Checked materials on hand to make sure I have what I need before I need it!
• Cleaned up the shop - lots of dust (from grinding the bevels for the planking) everywhere
• Began winterizing the shop - not so much to make it toasty warm throughout the winter, more to minimize the drafts and to help keep the shop at a working temperature for epoxy
• Tool repair and maintenance:
  • New blades for the thickness planer
  • New wheel tires and, possibly, a new motor for the bandsaw

So, what are the next stages?

1. Sanding, epoxy coating and painting the inside of the hull.
2. Marking, cutting, fitting and installing the anchor well deck.
3. Marking cutting, fitting ad installing the bunk decks.
4. Marking, cutting, fitting and installing the cockpit seat tops.

This will keep me busy for a while. When the weather closes in and it is too cold to work in the shop, I'll have my list of 'indoor' projects to keep me busy.

Isn't that the Truth?!

The planking is done. The last two pieces of planking were glued in place early this afternoon.

The last bit of planking installed on a hull is sometimes called the "shutter plank" (as in "Shutting or closing the hull") but more often it is referred to as the "whiskey plank." Tradition has it that completing the planking is a milestone deserving a celebration - a shot of whiskey being the traditional form of celebration. (Makes you wonder which came first: the celebration or the name.)

From wisegeek.com:
A whiskey plank is the last plank which needs to be put in place to finish a ship's hull. Although a ship is far from finished once the whiskey plank has been installed, mounting the whiskey plank marks a major milestone in the construction of a ship, and many shipbuilders treat it as a cause for celebration.

At any rate, yesterday I thought it a bit presumptuous to consider Gardens' last bit of planking as a "whiskey plank" worthy of celebration. Not so today. When that last piece was glued in place (for the record, it was the aft section of the starboard sheer strake), I felt a great sense of accomplishment and relief. We celebrated the milestone with a toast of Jack Daniels.

"...a ship is far from finished once the whiskey plank has been installed..."

Isn't that the truth?! Sealing, fairing and sanding the hull; fitting out the interior and outfitting - quite a lot left to do. But for tonight I will enjoy the moment.

Cold Shop

Today was too cold in the shop to work with epoxy so the last two pieces of the planking were not installed today. Everything is ready and tomorrow is supposed to be warmer - perhaps warm enough…

Dry fit of the last piece on the port side: the lower aft corner has been tightened -eliminating that apparent little flair.

Bow roughed in - needs some work. That top plank looks oddly wide and the sheer looks terribly flat - but it is the camera angle distorting the look.

I've given some thought to how to winterize the shop: plastic film on the three windows, block the edges of the overhead door to eliminate (minimize) drafts, and a heater. I'll also use the warming box I made last winter to keep the epoxy resin and hardener workable. I still have the warming tent that worked so well last winter to facilitate epoxy curing.