Camp Skiff Update
by Bob Chamberland

previous update

Hi Chuck, here is an update on progress here in Suttons Bay. Most of what I'm doing now is cut and fit kind of work. As you can see from the photos I'm fairly well along. My current goal is to get all of the basic assemblies ready to install. When everything fits I'll remove the loose stuff and then coat all the bare wood topsides with a couple of coats of epoxy. Mostly that is the deck, hatches doors, coamings etc.

I decided to make my own cleats which I'll soak in linseed oil and turps. I had intended to use galvanized cleats but those that I've seen were pretty rough and would probably mess up mooring lines pretty quickly. I've had a pattern for years that I got from a class on spar and oar building at Great Lakes Boatbuilding. I had never used it and since I had some hardwood scraps I decided to do it. I was suprised how quickly the project went; five in one saturday morning. I havn't oiled them yet.

You can see in the pictures that I've managed to stuff quite a bit of foam under the floorboards and berths. I 've used up 2 4x8x2" sheets of foam plus some scraps that were laying around. That should do since it only need keep the engine and me afloat. Most every thing else floats.

I'm thinking that I'll have everything just about done by the end of June but having said that I have to keep in mind all the nitty little details that surprise one as a project nears the end.

That's it for now.

Bob Chamberland