The Dory, Raw and Uncut!

I have been gone for quite some time, but behold!

                                                               the glory of the dory!!!

Like the new butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, the dory has taken form...

Ok so the last few weeks I have been extremely derelict in posting my boat build. For this I apologize, but anyone who has become deeply obsessed with a project knows that any spare time one may possess is quickly used up. Since school ended I have been at the boat from 9-5, sometimes even later. Add a high-maintenance girlfriend (I will pay for that comment) and a the new Call of Duty: Black Ops online and you can quickly see that I have been stretched thin.

Let's take a look back at what she looked like:

If you look at the extreme right you can see a transom knee!

Nothing but  wooden basket "some even quietly referred to her as the emperor's new clothes..." (Inside joke about the Elissa, email me if you want to know!).

With school, beatings, and exams, I really struggled to get that much done. But I had my work cut out for me, well not really, I still had to cut it out. I added the transom so that I could begin the fairing and the planking.

Blood, sweat, tears, wood glue

The transom, or tombstone, has been left unfinished at the top. I have left the excess on in many pieces so that I can always have it to make adjustments. I never read about this technique but I found it was very beneficial and allows me to customize my boat as I go along.

There she is, one last picture of the glory:

There she is her her raw and basic form. I know I have omitted the planking stories, but soon grasshopper, soon.

Like I said, extremely basic, but now she is technically a boat. Can she float? Well I don't know yet, I still have a little more finishing out before I water test, but I bet (hope) she will.

Thanks to all my friends who helped, your efforts will be rewarded with free boat rides!

Check out my friends at JPL Marine Labs and another great blog about tall ships Sailing Monster. 

Email me if you want to lend a hand or for questions in general!

Back from Florida, time to turn it on!

Just got off the plane from Tampa, had a great weekend with Kelly's family, and I am definitely 10 pounds heavier. What better way to work it off than shaping and planing my stem and transom?

These next few weeks are going to be really interesting. I am moments away from connecting my stem and transom, next step will be fairing and planking.

Fairing is the process by which the outside edge (edges) will be smoothed down to receive the planks. This means that when the plank is applied, all the surfaces that will make contact with the plank will be absolutely flush. Sounds easy, but this is what will make or break the quality of the boat.

In order to fair, I have to use a fairing batten. A fairing batten is a long strip of wood, in this case the exact thickness of the plank (that way I can get a good read on how the actual planks will respond). Where do I get one? Well, as soon as I get my planking stock in and plane it down (with machine, not by hand, are you crazy!?) I will use a strip of the excess. I have never faired anything before, so this should prove interesting. An old salt once said, "You can plane wood off but not back on." Basically, just go really slow and be extra cautious, and if I mess up? Just slather some glue or something on it, I dunno, I'll figure something out.

This weekend coming up is my other life at the Elissa and Dickens on the Strand all courtesy of the Galveston Historic Foundation, so I must admit that my attentions will be somewhere else. Oh and I have a few tests and papers due... sigh... I am so ready for a zombie apocalypse.

There I am in all my splendor last year

Tell ye friends, tell ye enemies, just please, tell somebody!

Fair winds, stong rum!

Brett