IRH gets a scarf.

Put the first two panels together for the IRH this afternoon.

 Using a big joiner plane and a batten its just a mater of working the edges down to the layout lines. Its kind of fun to watch the layers come out.

Wet out the joint add thickened epoxy and clamp down. One panel down, i really hope it will bend to the rocker.

Meanwhile in the background the Powell boats wait patiently for more work.

Oh god, my sinuses. Oh, and whisky.

Whisky really isn't the thing for someone with a sinus infection/ cold. I know a lot of people (college buddies) who would disagree but i've tried it, i won't try it again. I did today have a wee drop at the last whisky plank on the Powell boats.

I got up this morning feeling like an elephant was standing on the right side of my head, after  a Neti Pot, shower, and DayQuil i was off to finish up the last plank on what is now going to be known as Kitty Clyde's Sister (KCS). The other boat, the one we flipped over yesterday is now the Maid of the Canyon (MOC). We decided by flipping a coin.

The whisky plank went on , with a little heavy persuasion (8 lb sledge). I would have posted some photos of the ceremony but this place has been crawling with press types, and i had to give the toast for the plank. I'm sure photos will surface eventually.

While i was finishing KCS the MOC was getting her internal bits lined out. We also coverd her in shrink wrap, were trying to control the planks shrinking.

 OK, i'm off to hot soup and NyQuil.

All plugged up and flipped over.

We've been plugging all the holes in the planking, fairing the completed hull sides and simply working to stay on target. 

 With plugs in the boats look like they have contracted some odd sort of disease until they are fared off.

 Meanwhile underneath the molds are being wrecked out. Finally were going to see what this thing looks like without all that stuff in the way.

The first boat over and looking good. 

An IRH update.

Got the fixtures for the IRH's stem and transom built and installed on the strong back.

 After I got then into place i started putting battens on to see how the lofting turned out.

 The curve in the bow is to much for the batten but i think i will be able to get it in plywood. The stern looks great, i cant wait to see what the panels look like.

One down!

Its been really dusty here in the shop, so a mask is the name of the game. Unless of course you wand to blow oak buggers for days and possibly do damage to your respiratory system. The only problem i have with it is what a pain in the ass talking and drinking water becomes.

Despite the mask i have been getting a lot done. I made up thwart blanks, uninteresting pieces to be later turned into the thwarts of the boats. I have also been building the out-whale, rub rail, or bash guards. For one of the boats. You can see them in the background of the above picture.

I tried to shoot a small video of the process. The rail is shaped like a upper case D. The idea being that it is easy to grab from above but if the rail is coming down on top of an object, rock, boat, general what not, the rail will not catch on the object it will be pushed off.

So its a lot of long shavings that make up the creation of a rub rail.

With some long-board sanding they turn out great and are taken to a warmer dryer shop to dry until they are needed.


Meanwhile the planking on one of the boats was coming to an end. While this means a whisky plank it also means a huge amount of fairing or sanding, depending how you want to put it.

 Here is the last plank on the starboard side of the first boat. With the fastening of the plank the fairing begins.

 Lots of planing gets the seams closer and closer to fair.

 Then long-board sanding....

On the other side of the boat the last plank was going on and the whisky plank was announced  One boat planked up!

The crowd arrived to celebrate the passing of the planking milestone for one of our boats.

There was some shots drunken and some shots taken. Ben had the dubious honor of playing Powell on the planked inverted hull.

The other hull is getting closer and closer to completion.