Catterline Coastal Rowing Club

Week 19 – 29 Jan 2012

In which the boat is sanded, cake is eaten, and disaster averted.

"Could I have a piece of sandpaper, please."

The boatshed received Mrs Martin's P6/7 class on Friday morning.  After a short intro about the community project and how we are building the boat, by Rob, Gary and Chris, the class was put to work  And did they work hard.  There were oar blades to be planed into shape.  Spokeshaves were operating at both ends of the boat as the ends of plank 3 were shaped into the stems.  There was great enthusiasm combined with patience as they waited there turn on a plane. 

Gary also got them started on sanding down the hull.  And the rare phrase, "Can I have a piece of sandpaper, please" was heard.  With ten enthusiastic sanders, the shed was soon full of dust.

Week 18 – 22 Jan 2012

“Wow it’s starting to look like a boat.”, Brendan Hall, Catterline boat builder

Six people were flat out on Sunday and were very productive.  Both planks #2 were bevelled and prepared for plank 3.  The component parts of plank 4 were scarphed.  The blades on the first two oars were worked on to start getting the blades into shape. Then there was a big epoxy session with two more oars glued up and two planks glued into position (plank #3).

This week coming we have a visit from the P6/P7 class of Catterline Primary School on Friday.  They  will be put to work as well as learning about the project.

Hopefully the planks 4 can be glued together, which will allow them to be attached next Sunday.

I forgot to report last week that we had our first lost time injury.  Whilst cleaning up excess glue, a finger managed to get in the way of a chisel.  A hospital visit was not required but a plaster was. 

This week, we somehow had glue in teenager hair.  The unfortunate was spotted trying to rinse his hair with water at the tap.  When challenged, he explained his predicament and then looked very concerned, when it was pointed out that we are using water insoluble glue for this boat. The question, “So what do I do?” followed.  The response ”cut it out” had his fellow teenager in stitches.

Week 16 – 8 Jan 2012

The battle to get plank 2 recommenced after the Christmas Break.  A slow afternoon to ensure that the planks fit perfectly, complicated by a slight error on plank 1, which means there is a slight bulge in the bow.  However this should be minimal.

Whilst the plankers were scratching their heads, the oars were started and the blades for the first two were glued to the shafts.  There will be plenty of planing to come.

Week 17 – 15 Jan 2012

The two plank # 2s (port and starboard) were glued in position on the Friday and Sunday sessions.  All the head scratching and tweaking seems to have paid off as the planks both sat easily and snugly with  the garboard (plank #1).  The process just has to be repeated for the next four planks. 

In preparation, the components of plank 3 were glued together, so plank 3 will be ready to be fitted this coming week.  Scarphing of the remaining planks will also be needed, so that we are not held up by the preparation of these planks.

Tom Robertson and his Dad popped into the boatshed on Sunday to have a look at the boat, on their way to buy a Christmas tree. Tom was keen to see what was going on and soon found a spokeshave in his hand and was busy tidying up the end of the bow end first plank, whilst Dad was chatting. Then the stern end of the plank needed tidying. Then it was time for some doughnuts (chocolate and jam). Then the rudder blade was faired. Then… It was 5 o’clock, dark and time to go home.

The Christmas tree…

Fortunately, Dad had cut down a tree and delivered it home in the time being.

The focus of the week has been the fitting of Plank 2. To ensure it fits, the edge of Plank 1 has to be bevelled and at the bow and stern, rebates have to be planed to get a snug fit. All fiddly and time consuming. But by the end of Sunday afternoon, the port side of Plank 2 fits snugly and is ready to be glued. Next week will be the last build before Christmas.

So what has been going on in the boatshed, with a title like that, you ask.

Well, the wood burning stove went red, not in embarrassment, but due to the amount of heat it was throwing out.  Off cuts of plywood burn well.  The Spanish lassies refers to a number of Spanish windlasses that used to the attach the second garboard (Plank #1) to the hog.

These traditional techniques proved the best way to clamp the second garboard to the hog.  For the first garboard we used 35 clamps to bond the garboard to the hog.  However attaching the second garboard was not so easy as the first garboard was now in the way and the clamps could not fit around it and on to the hog.  Hence some ingenuity was required, with wood off cuts used to apply pressure to the garboard, with ropes from each end tied to the frame.  Then the rope was twisted to tighten and pull the wood off cuts down on to the garboard.