Our Bevin’s Skiff boatbuilding class is moving right along. Now the class is working on the smaller details that make a boat work well.
First, the team installed the gunwales (rub rails) using waterproof carpenter’s glue and nails, with about 40 clamps holding everything in place. The one-inch nails are spaced four inches apart.
To drive them from inside the boat, someone holds a heavy weight called a “bucking iron” against the outside of the rail, which adds force to each hammer stroke. Our volunteers talked through the physics behind the technique and showed why it works.
Next, the class cut off the tops of the seat risers. They then installed the knees in the stern and the breast hook in the bow, which help the skiff keep its shape when it gets bumped.
As usual, everyone spent a lot of time sanding sharp wood corners. That makes the boat safer and helps the paint hold, because a sharp corner dents easily, and the paint often chips there.
Much more sanding to come, but it really looks like a boat now!