There's a lot of catching up to do, so these next few blogs will be broken down by boat project. That way we can get some pics out there a little faster and you can see how much progress happens over about 3 weeks. The students have been on vacation this past week for the President's day holiday.
Starting off with the 12 1/2
The boat has been set up, leveled, and locked into position. Those braces at the bow help to keep the boat from rocking.
Now the students can get to work on the inside of the boat. It's tempting to think that once the hull is finished that you're mostly done, but Not So. For instance, there are little oak fairing pieces that connect the sheer clamp to the transom.
The sheer clamp is the long, lighter piece of wood clamped to the one long frame. That clamp holds it out of the way as the darker triangular oak piece below it is fit.
There's a lot of testing, working on the part off the boat,
and checking the fit on the boat again. Fitting the sheer strakes is tricky, because they have to fit just right in the front of the boat, spring out along the sides of the boat, and then land at just the right angle at the back of the boat.
Even though both the forward and aft ends of the sheer are hidden below decks, it's a point of pride to know that you nailed the fits at the ends.
These boats aren't that large, so you can't just swarm them with your whole team all at once. While some people are working on the boat itself, others are working on parts that they'll install later. For instance, here's one such pile of parts.
These will become the frame and bullhead of the forward and aft watertight compartments on the boat.
Like that. The student on the right is working on the deck beams, while the student on the left is installing the bulkhead supports. That oak deck beam is made extra thick because it will later support the mast.
One of the reasons it's good to level the boat is that it makes it easier to align other parts as you're working on the interior. The rear deck beams can be installed and easily checked for level now.
There's a rudder to be built as well. This student is driving bronze drifts through the rudder.
Drifts are rods that go crosswise through critical wooden parts to strengthen them. They're like nails without heads, and they're completely buried in the wood so you don't see them from the outside.
It's hard to believe that she's still a good ways away from being finished.