Start of new boatbuilding season!
It was a long and heavy winter indeed.
Only this week - by the end of April! - we got proper spring weather but temperatures at night were still below zero: too cold to leave curing epoxy without additional heat source.
The snow finally melted and my island show its green clothes. I could finally take out my new sail and unroll it on the grass.
Bosse and Misha, my neighbors, came to see it, too. Oh men, this is what I call a proper sail! It is Oceanus fabric so quite heavy (300g/m2) but it has a feel of traditional cotton - even though it is man-made material which will not rot!
I took out the drawing, to check some dimensions - of course all was spot-on. You can’t go wrong with this sail maker: Sailservice in Gdansk, Poland.
I asked for traditional sail, with hand-saw grommets and leather reinforcements. It costed a bit more but I am happy to pay the price if the result is so pleasing.
These folks saw sails for square-riggers and other traditional vessels all over the world.
I went to our local wood chandler and bought several meters of pine wood - it will be used for sole boards and aft-deck. At first I was considering using my stock of Siberian lark but it is too thick. Plaining it down to 16mm would result in a lot of waste and there is no way I can buy this wood now, with war raging in Ukraine and embargo on Russian wood.
Luckily Woody in Nysättra has very nice, clear pine planks in 15mm which will fit the job. It feels good to use locally-sourced material.
For fore-deck and mast partner I will use oak, in 22mm - as stated on plans. All the rest will be pine, varnished. Thwarts will most probably be in Siberian lark.
I’ve used most of the day to chop wood - in preparations for the next winter. After some rest I continued with the boat.
Most of sole boards supports are fitted. I also cleaned up these few epoxy blobs left after hull planking - hot air gun and sharp blade made a job quick and efficient.
As a last thing before leaving my boat-shed I sat down in my new boat and enjoyed the view. It will be a big-little boat indeed! I had the same feeling with my very first boat, back then in Poland when I was a teenager: a boat big enough to feel safe but small enough to handle all maneuvers just with muscle power. It was not like that with Meritaten. And it was one of the main reasons I sold her. It has to be basic. It has to be hard-core sailing - no “systems”, no complicated handling. Pure and basic sailing experience. With all its consequences, of course.
But who said it has to be safe & easy?
Plan for tomorrow:
gluing and screwing of all battens
gluing of rub- and gun-rails
During the week - if my day-work will not kill me - I plan to fit sole boards and aft deck. Next weekend would be spent on epoxy-coating the interior. I plan to keep the interior bright, with frames painted white (or black?).
Excitement never stops!