Wooden Boat Show Eve

Checking the oil and kicking the tires before heading to Mystic tomorrow.  Time to wander dreamily through the hand tool vendors, display boats and chandlers.  We'll miss a Saturday working on the deck, but there are priorities ... Speaking of the deck:

One side is now done and we're wrestling in the starboard side.  Cover boards are ripped and awaiting planing.  (The scrap of plywood over the starboard foredeck is to ward off a stubborn intermittent leak in the roof that manifests itself during some summer thunderstorms.)

And the Decking is "Proceeding According to Precedent ..."

... To quote Kipling.

What a winter! The Works were locked in a temperature-induced, productivity death grip.  I was able to continue slowly on the smokebox and boiler at work, but since that involves a commute, it is not near as handy.  Below is a shot of the foredeck.  The joggle fit and trim will be exciting to do.

The king plank and cover boards are on hand and await planing to the same thickness (0.312").  The question was raised, "So how far can you bend that teak sideways?"  On the stern deck, the curve is to a sixty (60") inch radius.  One piece protested while bending to the dry fit.  It shattered in my hand, not unlike glass.  We were impressed.

Another piece jumped the clamps - I'm not really sure how that happened - whirled through the air like a Venetian blind and landed butter-side up.  Phew!

"So how will that engine work anyway?"

A common question, and up until now, I had yet to find a compelling graphic aside from some video links that show marine compounds in operation.  But wonder no more ... colleague Mr Anderson sent me a link that contains a graphic of an Olympic class engine.  The White Star Line Memorial Foundation has produced this graphic:

[Throw the reverse lever over and crack the throttle ...]

Iona's engine has a high pressure and low pressure cylinder, but no intermediate cylinders.

Some holiday work

Work has slowed a little here in the dead of winter, though tonight we are experiencing a relative heat wave of 24F (-4C) compared to recent temperatures.

Christmas was duly celebrated by all at the Works ...

Here, Quinx is deep in her cups, polishing off the last of the eggnog.

I took advantage of a relatively mild day to begin laying the decking.  The sub-deck was warmed with heat lamps to help kick the epoxy.  It responded admirably.  I was surprised about the willingness of the teak to be bent laterally through as tight a curve as a 60-inch radius.  In this shot, the clamps have been removed at the sweep of the bow.  One can see the faint marks for the following planks, where they will rest against the king plank.

Meanwhile, the heated shop at work allows for continued tack up of the smoke box: