Friday, March 12, 2010

Project Update: Planks and Bungs

By Zach Simonson-Bond

Wednesday was a noteworthy day in the restoration of Adventuress. Working from aft to the bow, the shipwrights have been working diligently over the last couple of weeks putting on our new planking. Today however, witnessed the first new-plank to tie into the stem. That means there is now a new strake of continuous planking running from our stem to stern!

Additionally, the shipwrights are over half-way replanking the hull. Of course, it takes a lot of bronze fasteners to hold those planks in place, which subsequently means those fastener holes need to be plugged. We are careful not to waste, so our volunteers have been using scraps that come off the new planks to create the bungs. At the end of the project, our head shipwright, Blaise, estimates that we will have used roughly 1,200 to 1,500 bungs to seal the holes.

Once the planking is on and the fasteners sealed, the shipwrights will begin calking the seams. That is a process I am really excited to learn about and I will eagerly create a blog post for it!

The fo'c'sle is coming along beautifully. The new layout makes that space feel more open and comfortable. I am excited to sleep there this upcoming sailing season. The shipwrights have finished their part, and just the finish work is left before we can use it!

Sadie, our lovable, albeit temperamental diesel stove, underwent an operation to rebuild her firebox this last Saturday. Under our engineer Asa's careful hands, and guidance from retired Dickinson representative, her operation was a success and she is running wonderfully.

That's about it for now. If you're interested in seeing what we do, or getting your hands dirty, come visit any time. We can definitely give you an engaging job! Contact Captain Korie: korie@soundexp.org.

1 comment:

  1. That's quite an undertaking to restore a beauty like the Adventuress, but obviously well worth it!

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