Into the sea again!

I was working very intensive for the last months to finish all needed repair and be able to put Meritaten into water by the beginning of May. The longer one waits into spring the harder it becomes - spring air is dry and wood starts to be affected ny that, leading to more leaks and longer time the boat needs to be supervised with pumps etc.

Finally the day has come - I was ready. I agreed with Anders that I’ll take a day off from work to be on place when we put her into water. Anders was afraid if she will not leak like sieve.

That was my first time with Meritaten so I was surprised and scared hearing that. Nobody told me when I bought her!

It turned out well. Anders and Peter were surprised - she leaked almost noll. Well, for a wooden boat. The pump started automatically after 2 hours so it was around 2l per hour. Nothing.

Seems that my work with putting linseed oil all over the bottom in autumn has payed itself: the wood was not shrank, saving copper rivets big strain and keeping her tight.

Covering the bottom with plastic “tent“ could have also helped, inhibiting drastic humidity changes and loss.

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The whole trick with wooden boats is to keep their humidity level constant. This prohibits wood swelling thus keeping the hull tight, saving fastenings (rivets in my case) and making varnish last longer.

Americans keep their boats in water during winter. Here, in Sweden, almos nobody does that. Partly because we want to work on our boats, keeping them in shape, partly because we are afraid of ice and frost damage, especially to tropical hardwood like mahogny.

But that puts a rigour of shielding the hull from drying out. We accomplish it by oiling the bottom, storing boats well covered and by putting them back to sea as soon as ice is gone.

Since my boat was the first to be sliped - with no queue of other boats waiting - I could leave her in the slip for a few days, just in case some sudden leak would come.

Few days later I could put back the mast and install all rigg.

On coming weekend I will sail her to my summer harbour!