OK...time to update.

Wow. Time flies. Can't believe my last post was in March. You probably think I've abandoned the build or lost interest. Far from it. I've been working on my Nav as diligently as time will allow. However, it's Wisconsin in the summer, which is waaay too short as it is, and so truth be told there's been less time in the shop these past few months. One of the things I've been doing is this:

'Andiamo" - my tandem wherry. 6am on Lake Nagawicka, WI.

Different view. 

You may recall I this was my first build two winters ago from a CLC kit. It's my second season rowing on the lake. Kim, my rowing buddy and I have been getting as many hours as work allows. It's about a 5.5 mile row around the perimeter. Good for a solid hour's sweat. These pictures were taken on a particularly still morning. As we say, the lake was "butter"...smooth and creamy rowing!

The other thing that's been taking me away is the usual family duties of work and the endless shuttling of children to their various summer activities: lacrosse practices, tournaments, games, dance practices, recitals, competitions. I'm sure you all know the drill.

A quick update here, and then I'll do some individual posts with lots of pictures.

I got the first three rows of stringers attached to the boat, and didn't like my workmanship. Frankly, it was pretty dang shoddy. I got depressed and moped around for a few weeks dreading what I knew I HAD to do. I finally decided to UN-install them. and try again. By the way, not a fun process. I cut them off and cleaned out the dried epoxy and re-installed new ones. Which, as anybody knows is a multiple step process. First I had to create the stringers, and plane them down to size, then scarf and glue them up to the right length, and then refit and re-glue. This time paying closer attention to fit and finish.

Meanwhile, there is other work to be done. I made and installed the mast steps and finally got around to making the rudder blade and fit it into the cheeks which I had made months before.

Then I set about planing the stem and stringers to accept the planks.

And finally, I've begun planking the boat. I was really dreading this part...mostly because I wasn't perfectly clear on how to go about it. Joel Bergen has been tremendously helpful in setting me straight and showing me a very understandable method that any idjit can follow...myself included. I don't have his permission, otherwise, I'd post the nice powerpoint slide show he sent me with step-by-step instructions. But if you want to know, I think he has these posted on his blog.

The planking of the bow forefoot has been a small nightmare. I've snapped 2 pieces of pricey okume trying to get everything to fit just right. I think as both Joel and Barrett Faneuf, and even JW himself have stated. It IS possible to get plywood to perform compound bends in multiple planes. You just have to be very very patient and very very careful. My third attempt appears to be going much better.

I'm feeling a little pressure to get the planking finished. As it turns out, we may be moving! There's some possibility that I will have to be out of the house by October 1. If that happens, I will want to make sure the boat is in a state of being able to be removed from the building jig. I can't bear to think about trying to move the whole thing as it sits right now.

So I'm back to motivated, and I think by the end of this coming winter, I'm hoping to have a boat that I can launch when the ice finally clears off the lakes around here.

OHHHHH YEAH....did I mention that I'm contemplating the purchase of K. Aage Nielsen's 36' centerboard yawl, MAGIC? Yeah...cool boat. Launched in 1961. Historically significant. Built by Paul Luke in Maine. And now lying in Chicago. Maybe next spring she'll be lying in Milwaukee. Maybe my Nav could be Magic's tender???

Life is full!!

Nielsen's yawl, MAGIC