Winter Repairs: Slow but Steady

Progress on the boat 2/28/11 through 3/12/11

Ten weeks in – slow but steady.

Chris gluing up white oak for new toe rails forward

Detail of glue joint

Steam box

Toe rails need to be steamed to take the bend at bow. Chris built a steam box. Propane fired steam generator is in the white barrel. Steam is fed into a PVC tube and toe rails are inside the tube.

He steamed for 1 ½ hours once temperature was up in the steam box

The inside end of the steam box is inside our tent so the stock can be removed quickly and bent over clamping forms. The wood cools real fast – there’s no time to waste.

Chris and Luke clamping the hot piece in place.
The oak was easy to bend – rubbery. 

There is some anxiety cause by now there is a lot of time invested in these pre-shaped, glued up pieces. If one broke it would be a bad thing.

Success – happy men

Steam bending toe rail on starboard side went well too

Chris in shop

Chris and Luke spent several days repairing small defects and rot patches in the six topside planks we removed earlier.

A couple planks needed new ends scarfed on.
This is aftermost top plank on starboard side.

More rot

We found more rot in plywood inside face of side deck at cockpit, hidden by fiberglass sheathing. We only saw it when we took off the sheer strakes and got to see the back side of the pieces.

Luke milling a step scarf to repair the rot in side deck inside faces

Detail of step scarf

Chris grinding fiberglass sheathing off deck edge forward
after removal of the old toe rails 

We’ll glue down new toe rails and we want a wood to wood joint – not wood to fiberglass.