Loggerheads and lumber

Lots of projects are underway, and good progress is being made on all of them.  In addition, a great load of white oak and another of white cedar arrived at the shop and were stickered and stacked in anticipation of boats yet to be built.  The shop was busy with the staff and a half dozen volunteers scurrying about nearly all day on Thursday.

The whaleboat is in the trim phase now that the ceiling is completely installed and primed.  Charles worked on fastening the aft deck, along with Newt.  They also installed and fastened the lion's tongue, which gives stability to the loggerhead, and began the installation of the loggerhead.

The aft deck installed, and primed.  Square hole is for loggerhead.

Lion's tongue bedded and screwed.  Loggerhead in position.

Loggerhead leveled and ready for installation.

The loggerhead post needs to be let into the ceiling on the port side so that it will sit flush on the deck and be supported by the hull.  Then, the loggerhead base can be scribed and cut to allow it to sit level on the aft deck.  A tenon inserted through the post below the deck will keep it from popping out. At that point, the aft deck will be essentially done and ready for painting.

Bruce has been working hard on the Marsh Cat Obadiah, repairing delaminations  in the outer layer of the cold molded hull.  The process has been to remove the damaged delaminated areas, fill them with epoxy thickened with fairing filler, and sand smooth.  Later, a layer of fiberglas will be installed on the outside of the hull.

Bruce sanding the patches prior to installing fiberglas.

A close look at the better-than-new repaired hull.

The stitch and glue rowing boat built in Annapolis by Bruce and Nick is in the shop for some cosmetic finishing.  She is a pretty boat, beautifully constructed, and will obviously be a joy to row.

The stitch and glue rowing boat gets a good pre-varnish sanding

Lee works on sanding the transom.

Mid-day, work stopped to receive and stack a pile of cedar, fresh from the forests of Maine.  Nearly the whole crew got involved because there was a LOT of wood to unload and stack.

Steve, Charlie and John sticker and stack white cedar boards

One more cartload rolled in by Lee, Charlie and Jeff.

ISM is preparing for the holiday season, and so the Whitehall Puffin was brought into the shop to be used in a holiday display.  The green topsides and red bottom makes her a very Christmas-y boat indeed.

Puffin with her temporary display base nearly ready for Santa.