Back to work

I'm finally getting back to work on the canoe. I have 3 long planks replaced on the starboard side, but one of them cracked and will probably be redone.

Planking on the starboard side

I've started to plank on the starboard side now. My weekend pattern is to remove a plank and cut the replacement on Saturday, steam and nail on the new one Sunday.

Port planking almost finished

Except for a few small trim planks along the edges, and the centerline planks, the left side planking is on. Laura did all the nailing on the last plank we put on (the long tapered curved one one the right).

Steaming a too-long plank

This plank was about 6 inches longer than my steam box, so I improvised a door out of foam board. Laura was enlisted to help nail on the plank and this time she did some of the hammering.  She claims the ones she put in are ones without hammer marks around them.

Here's the plank all nailed on. It's the darker of the two long replacement planks.

Another plank

I nailed on another plank on the port side. There are about 4 more to go on this side, including the ends at the keel and a curved and tapered one in the middle.

Some on, some off

I put on two planks, one long and one short. And I took off two long pieces.

New steam box

My old steam box didn't make the move with us. It was made from insulation board and duct tape, and really wasn't going to last through too many more heating cycles. It was starting to melt a bit.

The new one is made from scraps of plywood. I gave it a test run steaming this plank.

Long plank

Put on a couple more planks, one really little one, and one really long one. The long one was close enough to the centerline that I had to enlist Laura to hold the clinching iron. I hammered while she held up a big chunk of iron and got a sawdust shower. True love, I'd say.

Stern seat mounting & patches

I cut spacers to mount the stern seat. These had to be beveled on both ends and drilled through, which took a few tries to get right.

I also resumed patching the planking; starting with a couple of small holes. I picked up some 8 foot western red cedar boards to use where the 6 footers aren't long enough. I found some nice heartwood pieces which match the original wood color better than the other new wood.

Indoors again

The canoe is finally back indoors and in a functioning workshop. We cleared out enough of the garage and got the shop organized (to a point) so the canoe could come in.