Irene Rebuild                                          

Page Twelve

8th March 2007

We are now approaching the day when Irene will leave the grid, ‘launched’ as some have put it. However, before she is subjected to the strains of a mud berth, it is important that she be completely decked and caulked, both deck and hull planking. And there is the rub. The weather has been absolutely impossible for these jobs. What is more, caulking itself will be insufficient without paying. The rain will make a mockery of the oakum. So we have taken every opportunity when the rain stops to get everybody in the team busy caulking - where necessary drying out the seams with a heat gun.

Weather impossible.

The deck planking has been lying under a plastic sheet for several weeks. We have now thicknessed the planks top and bottom to three inches and have wrapped them all in a big plastic ‘sack’ plus an industrial dehumidifier. Hopefully they will shrink to the size they will in the summer sun. To complicate matters many planks in the process of seasoning have developed a distinct trapezoid profile. In order to get a right-angled profile the gurus designed a ‘wood fingered’ jig cum guide to go across the planer top. It didn’t work. An alternative wooden ‘jig’ kept the planking vertical and the thicknesser could then create the right angle. The fourth side has been passed though the thicknesser reducing plank width to three and a half inches.

From there a small moulding will be put on an edge on the underside with the help of a router. The router will also be used to create the caulking seam on the upper side.

Shugs with the router and Ben with the sander.

The last process before fastening is to paint the underside. Meanwhile the whole area has been prepared. The covering boards are complete, landings and margin board are in place and the ten inch king plank graces the centre line of the vessel. By the time this dictated report is on the web, the decking itself will be under way.

It is impractical to hope that she will be ready for ‘launch’ by the big tides towards the end of this month, but the late April tides are a definite target.

Ben has been preparing the coamings, but with some exceptions has been unable to fit them in. The reason is the roof, which does not allow a free scope for a long drill bit to go vertically through coaming and beam.

With a change in the weather, the roof comes of & work is easier..................Better without the roof.

However, when the deck is complete, the roof will be redundant and Irene will re-emerge into the sunshine (if there is any).

Roof debris.

Down below the engine mounts are back with us after their visit to the galvanisers. They are in the process of being bolted together and through bolted to the hull. We don’t plan to put the engines into the vessel until she is off the grid.

Engine beds & prop shafts.

This is the first reminder of the annual dinner on board on Irene’s birthday on May 29th. It is of course her hundredth anniversary. The dinner will be excellent, the wines will be good and for this special occasion open to all members of the Irene Sailing Society, we are making a charge of £25. So buy a plank and join.
 

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