April, 2005

This page has a variety of reference photos taken as I removed the bottom planks. All the planks below the waterline are off, with one row above that left in place until I re-plank (I'm saving the planks visible from the inside, since they're not too bad, and the mahogany inner ply will look great after I refinish. The planks I removed were so rotten they often fell apart just being carried - I have saved the pieces to use as patterns. The old glue in the plys didn't last. Once I removed the planks, the true condition of the ribs became obvious. I knew there were bad ribs (some are missing big chunks!), but in truth there isn't a usable rib on the boat. All the ribs must have been sitting in bilge water, and they're all totally decayed along the keel, if not elsewhere - again, I will take these off the boat a few at a time to use as patterns for steaming new ribs. The keel, gripe and stem are also dried out/decayed, and the forward joints all suffer from compression-set failure. Those big pieces of oak will be replaced, as well.

    I now have a nice stack of clear, flat-sawn white oak of appropriate sizes stickered up in my basement slowly air-drying. While the clock spins around a few more times, I'm working on the engine and other parts.

Grant Turner,
 P.O. Box 809
 Manchester Center, Vermont 05255-0809
 Ph. 802-362-7318
 Fax 802-362-4956
 EMail grantt@sover.net