Another busy week has past and, as ever, we continue to make an even bigger dent in this mammoth amount of work that is otherwise known as “Chinook”. The planking is well advanced now and we are looking into saving some of the better bits high on the topsides. We will save what we can, but each time I look at it, it becomes increasingly difficult to find sound timber in the old structure. I have finished the placement of the deck beams and the sheer line has now been defined. A hellishly difficult piece of work, both physically and mentally and I’m happy that it’s done. We have removed all the structural bracing added at the beginning to hold her in shape and now we have a nice view of what the finished hull will look like. The hull structure becomes stiffer each day and I am very happy to see that nothing has moved during the work to date. We have removed the old chain plates and new ones will be made next week. The new bowsprit now has 10 coats of varnish and the gaff is in construction. The butterfly hatches have been completely dismantled and re glued. The will hopefully be ready to start varnishing by the end of next week. There are a multitude of repairs going on to various bits and pieces too numerous to mention in a concerted effort to save time during fit out. The engine and electronics package are both on the way which will allow me to make a start on the propulsion system.
So there you have it………………..there’s a lot going on.
Jono.