IYRS Through the Eyes of William Flaherty
Boatbuilding & Restoration Student, ‘09
Like most work places we start at 9:00 am, but by 8:00 the building is already alive. The smell of cedar is thick in the air, and the first wisps of steam are beginning to rise. Old tools are being given a new lease on life, and personal projects are coming together.
The Stoop, First Bell. We are awaiting a profound bit of wisdom to start the day, Walt (Walt Ansel, Managing Instructor) answers with a morsel of knowledge from a lifetime of building boats: “Boats are never finished, the owners just come and take them away.”
Rolling a Boat. Step 1: Shovel out the forklift. Step 2: Roll boat over gently. We decide to roll our boat onto its side to ease in the fairing. Some blocking, chain falls, ropes and a forklift are all it takes. Once we’ve stolen the forklift from the hands of winter, it is employed to lift Corsair, our 35-foot powerboat, upright and lay her down on her port side; we finish by the second ringing of the bell.
Fairing. After a morning break, we press on with the starboard side, planes and battens in hand, planning away all wood that is not to be part of Corsair. A great man once told us the trick to carving an elephant; just carve everything away that isn’t an elephant. So that’s exactly what we do.
After Lunch. The inside of the boat is being sanded and prepped for paint as we fair the outside. I stop occasionally to look around and catch my breath, amazed by the activity surrounding me. In all directions people are at the serious business of moving wood and building boats. Walt and Jen McNally are busy with the questions of building ten Beetle Cats®, while Warren Barker (Senior Instructor) handles the dilemmas associated with our two larger projects. Warren is always ready to remind you to worry about every detail and that it will all turn out okay.
Fourth Toll. I stroll over to see the progress on the Herreshoff 12 ½. They are fitting covering boards, and the interior is really coming together. While I am not working on this boat, I feel I have learned a lot from Hurrah, just by watching.
Shaping Corsair. Many hands make light work. The seven of us move swiftly. We can really see her shape develop: a fine entry at the base of a nearly plumb bow, a hollow forefoot turning into a long clean run towards the stern, a slight flare at the bow morphing to a tight turn at the bilge. Doesn’t look like she needs much encouragement to move through the water.
Final bell. Tomorrow will bring the return of the long board. Some of us go to work at our jobs repairing boats while others put a few extra hours into the boat to gain a little on our June 6 deadline. The lights usually stay on fairly late at night, and I have a feeling as dusk approaches that tonight, they will be on even later.