Rigging

Well I think I will probably launch this boat next weekend. I've exceeded my 1 year target for completion by a couple of weeks. Finishing all the little pieces is consuming every free moment. Today I worked on getting the trailer set up to accommodate the boat; I put leather and buttons on the oars with mixed success; I mounted some blocks/pulleys on the boat; I installed the last permanent board on the whole boat-- a cap to the center board case. Would we be justified calling this a whiskey plank? And... I placed a silver half-dollar in the mast step.

It's a 1935 "walking Liberty" half dollar. And now that there's a hole through it, the only value it has is for luck or scrap.

I still need to finish screwing the seats down. I'm contemplating whether I might need to put a mizzen mast in the middle of the back seat. Perhaps sea trials will illuminate the worth of this idea.

My next posting will likely be from the launching. Praise be!

Bright Work

It's the mistake of a first-time boat builder: going overboard with bright work. Uncle Doug, the salty seaman who guided me through this journey, says it would be better to paint it all. I followed his advice half-way: I'm oiling the wood rather than varnishing.

Today I got the center board case closed in (the last of the "structural" carpentry; the "whiskey plank" if you will). I also installed the jamb cleat just forward of the mast partner. This will hold the lashing that keeps the mast in the partner. Tomorrow I'm hoping to finish the spars.

At any rate, it's been a year since I started cutting plywood for this project. With any luck I should be able to launch within the next couple of weeks. My goal is to make it to the "Blessing of the Fleet" at the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club, first Saturday in May.