It was nearly 100 degrees outside. Tom, Bob, and Don worked inside the air-conditioned Welcome Center to survey the frequency and size of checks and cracks in the planking of small craft on display. Monitoring the effect of the building’s HVAC system.
It was 28 degrees with a cold breeze. The shipyard crew made room for us to work in the boat shop. (The big wood stove is just out of view to the right.)
Willem, Mike, and Jenn cleaned and lightly sanded the cradle while Don did a run to Easton for flat black paint.
Jenn had a side job going in the heated paint room – new paint for the centerboard of the 1925 Smith Island skiff.
We used the shipyard forklift to raise the boat and position its keel above the edge of our plywood floor. The edge served as centerline for our half-breadth measurements.
We used a plumb line and framing square to transfer the centerline to the plywood lofting floor below the boat. Then we transferred keel, chine, and sheer half-breadth measurements from the centerline at 8 stations, plus stem and rudder post, to the lofting floor. We measured the height of each of these points above the plywood baseline. We transcribed these measurements to a table of offsets.
This was our first meeting. Sam led us on a tour of the Small Boat Shed. He briefed us on how to open the building, access the electrical panel and turn on systems, on safety measures, and on interacting with visitors to the Shed while we’re working there. He also gave us a brief history of each vessel and an explanation of different preservation and conservation options that might be best for each one.
