Project Handed Over

Since the last post announcing that I was having to abandon the boat, I've found someone who wants to take the project over. I was in a bit of a quandary about what to do, as I really didn't want to have it thrown out.

I won't be blogging on this topic any more, unless, where I end up in my next position, I take on another boat restoration...

All the best,
Walter

Sad to report

Sad to report that I won't be able to finish this project. Anyone in NZ who wants to take up the gauntlet and finish restoring this boat can have it, and the kauri wood that I've prepared for use in its restoration.

It's in pretty delicate condition - you'll need to collect it and treat it with kid gloves while taking it to your workshop.

Please contact me through the comments section on this blog if you want it...

More later...

Walter

Slowed to a crawl

(*&%*^$(*&_ bandsaw blade broke.
Grrrr.
Japanese draw-saw works fine and makes good straight, clean cuts, but it's not that nice for cutting long "rip" cuts. Bandsaw much faster.
*&^%(*& where to get it welded.
W

The patch

Here's the patch after all the excess stuff was taken off. I'm not sure it's the best patch from a mechanical perspective. (ok, I know it's not) but it replaces a spot on the hull where a previous attempt at repair had sanded through, creating a hole. The hole was about 1/3 of the way in from the right edge of where the patch is now. As well as replacing that bit, the patch reclaims some (not all) of the normal curvature you'd expect to see in a hull - there were some flats and then too-sharp curves which have been somewhat normalised.

If I remember correctly from when Werner Kahl, (late boatbuilder from Stampfli) showed me some things when he was repairing a Vancouver RC Stampfli 4-, the next phase, before continuing with external work, is to get all the internal structures rebuilt. That's going to require some careful work getting it all to go together straight, so that when I re-fix the skin to the framing where it has come loose, the boat is in its proper lines..
W

Some random work

Well, I'm not 100% sure how this blogger editor thing works but it's sure awkward putting photos in - they all seem to want to go to the top, and require moving about thereafter...
Bit frustrating. Anyway..

A few days ago I cut the patch shown in the photo below, and then cut out the damaged bits of the hull (a previous repair featured the hull being sanded through to nothing, then coated with fabric inside and out, with a part of the hull warped quite badly). Took that home intending to bend it to approximate the curve of the hull, so it would be easier to fit in. That failed when the patch split. So, I've cut a new patch (not the one in this photo) done a bit of carving and sanding, and glued it in place. Using a "gap-filling polyurethane glue" for this one, so it's gloves, masking, and some hopes...




This photo shows the patch from the inside, with the expansion of the poly-glue. The stick you see on the right is pushing outwards on the skin, (held on the other side by the boat-tie-strap that's pulling the stick against the skin) with the intent of keeping the hull shape a little better. Ugly.



This photo shows the patch being held in place from the outside. There are strips of wood holding the edges of the patch down, and good old black tape being used as a "glue clamp" The area around the patch has been masked off with a bit of plastic to keep the glue from getting too far.

Next phase is going to be to get the patch and the hull to be smooth at the edges and "fitting" the hull shape. The glue should be cured by the time I get back to it - possibly later today.


After glueing and taping the patch in place, while waiting to see if the glue would do its desired thing, a start was made on cutting the Kauri crossmembers for the stern. Numbered 1-9 from stern to cockpit, most of the old ones were there in one form or another. Where possible I used the old ones as templates. #4 had to be estimated. Eventually, they'll all have a notch cut top-centre for the deck-stringer, and they'll be carved/sanded to better shapes. For now, though, I wanted to get the sizes cut and see if they fit. The big cut-out in #9 is needed to fit over the central keel brace.

Nuf said for now. Dentist appointment calls.

Oil

Here's hoping that Raw Linseed Oil is the right stuff. In the hope that it would remedy some of the dryness and brittleness of the aged wooden hull and interior bits of wood, I've taken a 2:1 mix of raw linseed oil and mineral turpentine, and given the whole boat a coating. Inside and out. It masks some flaws, brings out others, and returns some of the dark lustre of the wood from its weathered and ?rotting? condition. Seemed to soak in really well.

Bandsaw and glue go out to the boatshed soon. When the interior of the boat has been re-constructed a little, I'll return to taking off all the really cruddy finish from outside.

Autumn is hitting New Zealand - we had torrential rainfall at 4:30 this morning and while it's sunny today, it sure isn't warm. All the deciduous trees are well into their fall colours.

Patience

An e-mail from a friend reminded me of a conversation I had many moons ago, with Frank Cunningham. If I remember correctly, Frank was boatman at U of Washington (Seattle) into the 1980s.

Cunningham: "The most important tool in your workshop is patience."

That might be a quote, or it might be a paraphrase, but it's true. It's true for a coach developing young athletes, too.

W