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By Charlie Jones – Magnolia Beach, Texas – USA

To Part One

More on the repair job. We now have the second layer of planking installed. Most may not know, but each plank must be spiled to fit against the edge of the preceding plank. Like staves in a barrel, because of the curvature of the hull. This is done with a block plane, fitting down the plank as you go. There are about 35 planks per layer. That's the owner looking on as I cut the edge. He's learned to do it and has been doing a good job since.

And here's what it looks like half way done:

And that layer all finished, ready for the third.

The third layer progresses a bit slower, since all the staples get removed on this one. Here's the owner and his wife stapling a plank in place:

We size the staples to go through three layers, but not four, then use strips of wood under the staples, so they can be more easily removed.

And here's where we are as of this afternoon. As you can see, the staples have been pulled from the forward section. Oh, and all those points will be cut off at the end. Easier to just run them past the edge and cut all at once.

Once this layer is complete, we'll epoxy coat, then a light sanding of the surface, a shaping of the keel line and deck edge so it's all smooth and the now 9 MM thick hull will be ready for a layer of 10 oz glass cloth. Hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, if this WIND WILL QUIT! Gonna be hard to glass outside in winds gusting close to 25 mph. Meanwhile, I've been busy repairing a damaged section on the inner side of the hull (ama), but that's a whole other story.

Closing in on completion. Got the last planking done at the transom:

And the owner and wife installing the very last plank needed, at bow. The one we've been looking for!

14 feet of new deck installed, replacing damaged edge.

And yours truly, laying down on the job Actually the lounge chair worked very well. I had 32 feet of keel to shape, with the new planking sticking past the old. Saved LOTS of grief for my back

Glassing has begun.

 

Last installment - Glassing, here showing the fiberglass tape epoxied to all edges - deck and keelson.

And wide fiber glass applied to the hull side. It was VERY windy so we glassed in 60 inch wide vertical strips, taped and weighted up top, then draped and epoxied.

And here wrapped around the transom. The tape holds it in place until the epoxy cures. Bricks also:

And here's what it looks like with fill coats all applied, ready for final sanding and paint.

And now my job here is done. We can concentrate on getting our stuff together, ready to head back to Tehani, right after May 1st.

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