My house is 60 years old.

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

Alden had the hull and deck of my boat cast in fibre glass in the UK in 1959-60. Hallmatic shipped the hull and attached deck, along with a thick roll of blue prints, to the Poul Molich boatyard in Denmark to be finished. There, along with the cockpit, interior, spars, the Danes built my house 60 years ago. 

When I bought the boat, the house was already 40 years old. I was an experienced home builder but I didn't know much about these houses. We sailed it every season but the house was showing some battle scars after 40 years. Christened in the Great Lakes, it made it's way to the Bahamas as a charter boat for a few years. Somewhere in that time it raced to Bermuda a couple times, which left big metal threaded inserts for storm panels stuck in the side of the house.

And because of it's peculiar construction (solid glass deck joining a 20' plank of mahogany), you can see in these old photos(my son at about 10 in the port is now 29),  there were problems with moisture along the joint. Still, the boat never missed a full season of sailing on the coast of Maine.

I knew wood; keep it sealed, keep it dry. An annual coat of varnish stabilized the old house. 

The old Danish house is 60 years old this season. I've grown and learned from wooden boat building friends. New techniques have evolved like an epoxy filet joint from glass deck to wood with a 1" tape set in a shallow gain to replace the old caulking and covering board. And simple wood plugs and a few 'dutchman patches' to repair the inevitable splits and cracks, that is the nature of wood. 

But wood is an amazing material. Strong, resilient, even a little forgiving of poor care. It waited while I learned some needed skills to care for it. 

The old house at 59: 

But I knew the area of the house along the deck was still ailing.

I could keep it sealed but the varnish would still fail prematurely in this area. It was an annoyance. Once you build a varnish coat you want many years out of simply applying a maintenance coat each year. 

 

So I went to one of my expert consultants; a world class wooden boat builder friend.

He only needed my description. He chuckled and said, "yeah,...when wood won't hold varnish, just get rid of it". 

I knew what he meant. I needed to cut out that area and fit a patch. The only tough part was that the patch was nearly 20 feet long. 

So I scarfed together some straight pine to make a 20' track, and mounted it on the house side. A boatyard would have removed the ports and wooden trim (and worked in a building!), but I installed that 10 years ago and I know I'll get another 10 without a drop of water coming through. 

 

With spacers and a few shims and a little square for a depth gauge, it was a little tricky, but I got the track a uniform distance out from the house.

My router and fence would 'ride' the 20' track. I set the bit in an offset router to the correct depth,  took a deep breath,....and started 'riding'. 

 

 

I ended with 3 passes (my track and jig were prepared to do 4). This revealed strong wood, partially rot damaged stock was gone and I also saw what I suspected was causing much of the problem over the years. 

The interior handrails that run the length of the house interior, nicely done and stout, were perhaps fastened a bit too deeply in the house. I was knicking off some of the points of the bronze woodscrews that were set to hold the handrails. 

This was good. 

 

I had run into the same problem on the front of the house a few years before. I believe the Danes overset the screws (no easy task!).

Some thinning of the house is inevitable (I've lost about 1/8" I'd guess).

But I believe a problem develops over decades with a screw point close to the woods surface. Wood moves seasonally, with moisture: many of the screw points, acting as tiny wedges,  had opened nearly invisible cracks to the surface.

You can seal them with varnish but the seal will fail prematurely as the crack moves beneath. Varnish is soft and moves, but not that much. 

 

The wood house forgives the Danes. 

 

[kimbottles 714]

WOW!! Strong work Kris. Beautiful vessel, she is lucky to have you as her caretaker. Bravo!

[Russell Brown 842]

Thanks for the effort to photograph and write that. That looked challenging!

Still can't see how the router could cut at deck level. What am I missing?

[IStream 2,464]

Post of the month.

[SloopJonB 8,818]

Do you enjoy making us feel inadequate?

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

55 minutes ago, Russell Brown said:

Thanks for the effort to photograph and write that. That looked challenging!

Still can't see how the router could cut at deck level. What am I missing?

The router has an offset base attachment. Outboard of the sleeve the router slides into is a remote mandrel(shaft with a bit collet). The remote mandrel is turned by a cogged belt running from the main router. 

From there, it's jury rigged with fences to keep the router straight. In fact, the cut is 5/8" up from the deck. I could have gone lower but I only wanted to cut into my fairing just above the epoxy and cloth filet, 1/2" total,  that attaches and seals the house to deck joint. I did that 9 years ago and it's tight as a drum. 

 

 

 

[Panoramix 1,447]

Thanks for writing this.

Wooden boats that have crossed my path were either traditional workboats or wood epoxy jobs. I know little about "traditional yachts" and your post got me wondering... How thick are the house sides? Is it just solid wood or 3 layers laminated at 90 degrees?

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

3 hours ago, Panoramix said:

Thanks for writing this.

Wooden boats that have crossed my path were either traditional workboats or wood epoxy jobs. I know little about "traditional yachts" and your post got me wondering... How thick are the house sides? Is it just solid wood or 3 layers laminated at 90 degrees?

2 Solid African Mahogany plank nearly 20' X 16 or so inches wide. Last time I had a port out and checked, it was a full inch thick. It may have been 1 1/8" (5/4) in 1960.

There are bronze drifts (1/4" rods) running through it from house top to deck between - and at the ends - of the big ports.

They were master boat builders back then. Amazingly today,  we have boat builders that can do the same things. 

[Zonker 2,988]

Nice photos and explanation.

Makes me think if I was going to build this I'd carry the fiberglass up a few inches from the deck so the seam is higher?

 

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

32 minutes ago, Zonker said:

Nice photos and explanation.

Makes me think if I was going to build this I'd carry the fiberglass up a few inches from the deck so the seam is higher?

 

That makes sense. But I followed the lead of some boats that were done with the low filet. The reason the yard did it was to make it look like there was no joint. In fact, because it's a filet, the eye doesn't pick up the joint at all. I have a friend with a boat, wood house and plywood deck that is glassed, that done this way over 20 years ago, and still dry as a bone. 

 

Mine was different as it's a solid fiberglass deck connecting a solid plank side. This was my plan back then. So far, so good. It was surprisingly easy, especially when you compare it to servicing this joint with typical sealant - covering trim. 

 

I used West 6/10 epoxy in the tube to build the joint. Then filled once or twice using a squeegee with the corner shaped. Tape above the 3/4" mark kept the epoxy off the wood. 

 

 

[Bull City 1,649]

^^ Nice. I'm hoping you'll post some pics. I thought you were going to fill the space with with a mahogany batten-like piece, like you did with the front.

[sculpin 113]

Nice work!  Very nice.  Now I want an offset router though...

[Ishmael 6,644]

28 minutes ago, sculpin said:

Nice work!  Very nice.  Now I want an offset router though...

Bugger that. I can hardly keep it going with a centered cutter.

Part of the problem is that my #1 router is a Makita that weighs about 38 pounds.

[Panoramix 1,447]

9 hours ago, Kris Cringle said:

2 Solid African Mahogany plank nearly 20' X 16 or so inches wide. Last time I had a port out and checked, it was a full inch thick. It may have been 1 1/8" (5/4) in 1960.

There are bronze drifts (1/4" rods) running through it from house top to deck between - and at the ends - of the big ports.

They were master boat builders back then. Amazingly today,  we have boat builders that can do the same things. 

Thanks, how are the Mahogany planks secured side by side together ?

It takes some confidence to plunge the router into the side of this beautifully varnished roof. Many years ago, I was part of a team who built a wood-epoxy boat and I remember the adrenaline when you take the saw to cut stuff knowing that if you mess up you can add several weeks of work. I remember vividly the day we cut the stern. On an old boat this might be even harder psychologically as you are starting from a point where the boat is functional to an intermediate one where you can't sail her!

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

3 hours ago, Panoramix said:

Thanks, how are the Mahogany planks secured side by side together ?

It takes some confidence to plunge the router into the side of this beautifully varnished roof. Many years ago, I was part of a team who built a wood-epoxy boat and I remember the adrenaline when you take the saw to cut stuff knowing that if you mess up you can add several weeks of work. I remember vividly the day we cut the stern. On an old boat this might be even harder psychologically as you are starting from a point where the boat is functional to an intermediate one where you can't sail her!

Sorry, I meant to describe each house side is a plank. That 1" solid plank is the structure of the house. The large ports weaken the house side so along with drifts there are other means like this laminated knee, to strengthen it. 

[Panoramix 1,447]

4 minutes ago, Kris Cringle said:

Sorry, I meant to describe each house side is a plank. That 1" solid plank is the structure of the house. The large ports weaken the house side so along with drifts there are other means like this laminated knee, to strengthen it. 

Got you!

 

It's impressive how they managed to work with wood movement!

[suider 96]

Did you not even have to pull the bungs? It doesn't appear so on the cabin front anyway... nice work!

[SASSAFRASS 611]

I think the key to making the two boat build methods work is keeping them a little separate.  We have solid house sides and landed on a base high enough for a planked deck.  We ended up with a laminated deck but left the caulked seam to separate the house from the deck. Used pre glasses yellow cedar to make the edge.  It's one building method meeting another and has worked well.

[Willin' 972]

Excellent and beautiful work! Very inspiring to see how much good a mere amateur (no snide intended) can accomplish. There's a similar Challenger moored in a cove near my oyster farm, which appears to be similarly well maintained. I think I'll go in for a closer look this summer. Thanks for sharing.

[El Mariachi 519]

I once owned an Ohlson 35' yawl, launched in 1957 in Sweden......and built entirely out of real mahogany. 

I feel your pain. But in a good way........

[accnick 544]

20 hours ago, Willin' said:

Excellent and beautiful work! Very inspiring to see how much good a mere amateur (no snide intended) can accomplish. There's a similar Challenger moored in a cove near my oyster farm, which appears to be similarly well maintained. I think I'll go in for a closer look this summer. Thanks for sharing.

The difference between a talented amateur and a professional is not the quality of the work. It's the time it takes to do the job.

[Fleetwood 190]

And the amount they get paid.....

[Panoramix 1,447]

3 hours ago, Fleetwood said:

And the amount they get paid.....

Which is directly linked to their speed!

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

Quite often the amateur (me) is attempting something new. The professionals, I find, have been there - done that, several times. Or that experience is in the workforce and easily 'looked up'. They have made all the mistakes. Some of those mistakes are inevitable for the amateur. 

They look at 'houses' with a different archive of knowledge and experience. 

Take this house I shot walking the dog a few years ago: 

 

Same house in better days (I have no idea who the people are): 

And today: 

The professional archive is vast. 

 

 

[accnick 544]

4 hours ago, Kris Cringle said:

Quite often the amateur (me) is attempting something new. The professionals, I find, have been there - done that, several times. Or that experience is in the workforce and easily 'looked up'. They have made all the mistakes. Some of those mistakes are inevitable for the amateur. 

They look at 'houses' with a different archive of knowledge and experience. 

Take this house I shot walking the dog a few years ago: 

 

Same house in better days (I have no idea who the people are): 

And today: 

 

I assume you are joking when you say you have no idea who the people are.  That's Teddy Kennedy aboard Mya.

[El Mariachi 519]

3 hours ago, accnick said:

I assume you are joking when you say you have no idea who the people are.  That's Teddy Kennedy aboard Mya.

I much prefer David  Crosby's Mayan.......

 

 

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

3 hours ago, accnick said:

I assume you are joking when you say you have no idea who the people are.  That's Teddy Kennedy aboard Mya.

I was just keeping politics out CA. Afterall, that is a loaded boat. 

 

MYA had quite a bit of work done here just a few years ago. She's owned by one of Ted's sons. 

 

Come to think of it, another Kennedy (a son of Bobby K),  had a house cut down here in Rockport. Kennedy's are sailors. 

 

A 60's Ohlsen 38 or 41. The house was shortened to allow a 12' cockpit. 

Now it sleeps 2 and drinks 12. 

 

 

[El Mariachi 519]

20 hours ago, accnick said:

The difference between a talented amateur and a professional is not the quality of the work. It's the time it takes to do the job.

1). I'm actually one helluva finish carpenter, know exactly what I'm doing, clean, fast and neat. Which is why I could charge $500 to $900 @ day in Hell-A....with absolutely zero remorse nor regret.

 

2). I'm also very good at keeping old classic cars mechanically sound and on the road. Unfortunately (career-wise), I'm too damn slow & too damn anal to ever get hired by any auto restoration shop. I'd be told to pack my shit & leave before my first lunch hour opportunity.....

[accnick 544]

1 hour ago, El Mariachi said:

I much prefer David  Crosby's Mayan.......

 

 

She's a really nice boat.  A friend of mine from Santa Cruz owns her now.

[El Mariachi 519]

34 minutes ago, accnick said:

She's a really nice boat.  A friend of mine from Santa Cruz owns her now.

Nice, gorgeous f'ng ride. David let me have a quick deck 'tour' on her a couple of weeks after she got re-splashed from the yard in So Cal (Wilmington?) when they pulled into Two Harbors for fuel one morning. Everyone I saw on board (above decks) looked comfortably numb....but happy. Apparently there were a few more 'passengers' down below.....who were a bit more medicated than the others....so I turned down the offer of looking inside. Regardless, fresh out of the yard, in the 0900 morning light.....she just looked....m stunning......

[IStream 2,464]

20 hours ago, El Mariachi said:

1). I'm actually one helluva finish carpenter, know exactly what I'm doing, clean, fast and neat. Which is why I could charge $500 to $900 @ day in Hell-A....with absolutely zero remorse nor regret.

 

2). I'm also very good at keeping old classic cars mechanically sound and on the road. Unfortunately (career-wise), I'm too damn slow & too damn anal to ever get hired by any auto restoration shop. I'd be told to pack my shit & leave before my first lunch hour opportunity.....

Nice. I had a 72 Travelall but none of the later ones ever looked as good as this.. 

[El Mariachi 519]

3 hours ago, IStream said:

Nice. I had a 72 Travelall but none of the later ones ever looked as good as this.. 

I had two of them. Until one beautiful morning in BFE Baja....

[IStream 2,464]

Sounds familiar...

[El Mariachi 519]

40 minutes ago, IStream said:

Sounds familiar...

I almost stood the white one back her feet.....but could only get her to do a 1 & 3/4 Gainer with a weak twist. The brown did however do the full double. Transferred all the shit out of the towed vehicle and played a game of Tetris stuffing it all in the other rig.....brand new 750 piece tool set, one rollaway tool box, 14 empty cases of Corona & Pacifico bottles, my brand new Pat Reardon 6'-4" four finner and bunch of other misc Baja camping crap. Left the white one, 4x4'd the brown one thru the brush for a half mile before I could eventually claw may way up a hill and back onto Mex Hwy 1 (I landed heading north.....but was actually heading south when the big rig came around the corner about 2 feet over the middle line and I ran out of real estate).

Noticed a couple holes in the radiator where the fan had bounced into. Three gallons of water later I limped into a rancher's 'driveway' (him and his wife were living there secluded since at LEAST 1972....so I was grateful they hadn't moved, 20-plus years later). We pinched off a couple core tubes and stopped the leaks, topped off with well water, had a couple shaken up Pacificos....and I then headed south again to my Dad's beach place....almost 190 miles further. Real fun drive with just 3 windows out of 10 still intact. 

 

Rolled up on Dad at the foot of his driveway, jumped out....and just said Hi. He got up out of his beach chair, looking like he was gonna walk down to where I parked.....then thought better of, sat back down, smiled, shook his head and then finally said.....'Lucky for you that I'm out of beer....but I got Oso Negro vodka.....and some really shitty tequila'.....

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

Back at the house: I work in stints, a couple hours here, a couple hours there. I'm busy with 'work' most of the time.

 

A big time saver is just leaving everything on deck. You can climb under the cover and pick up where you left off, yesterday, last week,...Tools on the 'house' , a shop vac, lights all strung, etc.  

 

Dry fitting: Out of a piece of Sipo (a sustainable tropical hardwood that looks just like mahogany, but it's not),  I've been saving for this, I ripped 2 strips 1 - 15/32", then re-sawed those down the middle for 4 - 5/16" X 1 15/32"  'patches'. I cut a scarf joint on all 4, stacked and taped together, on a miter saw, for the join in the middle.

 

With a handsaw and a sliding bevel T square, I'm making the end cuts on the boat. 

 

 

I was anxious to see how this idea will work out. A small cut, a little bit of planing with a sharp block plane.  I cut a helping hand from some scrap to hold the end. 

Tap tap tap along the deck with a hammer. 

I think this dog will hunt. I'm relieved. 

The second, forward piece, fit the scarf and more tapping along the deck,.... 

A 5/16" strip doesn't have a lot of back bone and the depth of my 'gain' cut, varies a bit, so also cut 1" X 3/4" pine strips.

My thinking is: these pine strips drilled and fastened with a washer head screw, will act as a strong back to pull the patch in - uniformly - for a good (thickened) epoxy joint.

12" spacing felt like it did the trick and will keep holes (to be filled), to a minimum. 

 

 

 

 

 

[accnick 544]

1 hour ago, Kris Cringle said:

Back at the house: I work in stints, a couple hours here, a couple hours there. I'm busy with 'work' most of the time.

 

A big time saver is just leaving everything on deck. You can climb under the cover and pick up where you left off, yesterday, last week,...Tools on the 'house' , a shop vac, lights all strung, etc.  

 

Dry fitting: Out of a piece of Sipo (a sustainable tropical hardwood that looks just like mahogany, but it's not),  I've been saving for this, I ripped 2 strips 1 - 15/32", then re-sawed those down the middle for 4 - 5/16" X 1 15/32"  'patches'. I cut a scarf joint on all 4, stacked and taped together, on a miter saw, for the join in the middle.

 

With a handsaw and a sliding bevel T square, I'm making the end cuts on the boat. 

 

 

I was anxious to see how this idea will work out. A small cut, a little bit of planing with a sharp block plane.  I cut a helping hand from some scrap to hold the end. 

Tap tap tap along the deck with a hammer. 

I think this dog will hunt. I'm relieved. 

The second, forward piece, fit the scarf and more tapping along the deck,.... 

A 5/16" strip doesn't have a lot of back bone and the depth of my 'gain' cut, varies a bit, so also cut 1" X 3/4" pine strips.

My thinking is: these pine strips drilled and fastened with a washer head screw, will act as a strong back to pull the patch in - uniformly - for a good (thickened) epoxy joint.

12" spacing felt like it did the trick and will keep holes (to be filled), to a minimum. 

 

 

 

 

 

That should work just fine. I've never used sipo, so don't know how it works, holds up, or will blend in. It's hard to find mahogany these days that has any decent color to it compared to the stuff used when your boat was built.

What are you going to use as a thickener for your epoxy? It's tricky to find the right additive blend to reduce the appearance of the joint. I use different blends for teak and mahogany.

When I do something like this, I typically tape both sides of the joint to minimize epoxy bleed, since it can be hard to sand out. I then dry-scrape the joint with an ultra-sharp scraper before the epoxy is rock-hard before block sanding the joint.

You could probably space out the fasteners more and use additional scrap pieces wedged against the toe rail like you did at the ends. Those helping hands don't have to be carefully fitted. I use wedges like you would use setting windows or door frames in house construction to wedge them tightly against the backing strip for the new pieces. You need at least a few fastenings to make sure nothing slips while you are gluing.

This is a case where you have to work pretty fast, although it is still cold enough in Maine to slow the epoxy down once it is spread.

I like this type of picky work, and you are doing a really nice job.

That looks like my old faithful Stanley block plane, which I've had for about 50 years now.

[El Mariachi 519]

Cedar shim shingles....are your friend (NOT the 'white wood' ones from H-Depot. I think they're Hemlock fir..and the suck. Western Red Cedar is best).

If you own a wooden boat it's almost impossible to own too many clamps. Of every size, type and shape imaginable. 

 

(also a variety of tapes....3M Blue, Yellow and Green, duct tape, two-sided carpet tape, aluminum foil tape (a/c & heating duct type), electrical tape, butyl rubber tape, medical tape....even Scotch tape. Trust me, they all have a purpose and one day you'll be happy to have 'em on hand. Just remember to keep them out of the Sun....

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

The next afternoon, 2 hours of dry fitting the starboard side. That's a 60 year old solid fiberglass deck, original non-skid (needs it's umpteenth coat of paint).

It's not quite as stiff as cored, but it's 60 years old and never had a problem. Well it did have one: Alden had to add more framing below around 1970.

Must weigh a ton. Crazy idea.

I have brown pigment to add to the epoxy which I'll then brush on neat, on both the gain and the patch. 

 

Then mix in some 406 filler to trowel into some of the deeper divots in the house before snapping in the patch and driving the screws back into the same holes. Tape above and below, and well onto the deck far enough (wide tape) to give a work surface. 

 

1 piece at a time, existing screw holes will locate pieces, 4 small batches epoy, should go quickly(?).  

[Ishmael 6,644]

8 hours ago, Kris Cringle said:

The next afternoon, 2 hours of dry fitting the starboard side. That's a 60 year old solid fiberglass deck, original non-skid (needs it's umpteenth coat of paint).

It's not quite as stiff as cored, but it's 60 years old and never had a problem. Well it did have one: Alden had to add more framing below around 1970.

Must weigh a ton. Crazy idea.

I have brown pigment to add to the epoxy which I'll then brush on neat, on both the gain and the patch. 

 

Then mix in some 406 filler to trowel into some of the deeper divots in the house before snapping in the patch and driving the screws back into the same holes. Tape above and below, and well onto the deck far enough (wide tape) to give a work surface. 

 

1 piece at a time, existing screw holes will locate pieces, 4 small batches epoy, should go quickly(?).  

How did you do the cut below the windows? Doesn't look like there's room for a router.

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

6 hours ago, Ishmael said:

How did you do the cut below the windows? Doesn't look like there's room for a router.

Offset router base. The router went over the ports, the offset bit plowed out the wood below the fence. 

[accnick 544]

1 hour ago, Kris Cringle said:

Offset router base. The router went over the ports, the offset bit plowed out the wood below the fence. 

Look at the color of that mahogany dust! You don't see that quality of wood anymore. I might have saved that to use as filler for the epoxy, since you aren't really using it for its structural properties.

I have a few smaller pieces of mahogany like that, as well as some larger gorgeous teak planks, which I've been saving for 30 years, "just in case."  It's a fine line between OCD and compulsive hoarding.

[Ishmael 6,644]

5 hours ago, Kris Cringle said:

Offset router base. The router went over the ports, the offset bit plowed out the wood below the fence. 

Ah, I forgot you could take the ports out. Duh.

[Priscilla 2,501]

3 hours ago, Ishmael said:

Ah, I forgot you could take the ports out. Duh.

Kris left the ports in on the sides of the cabin trunk and just packed the runner cleat to suit.

[Ishmael 6,644]

1 hour ago, Priscilla said:

Kris left the ports in on the sides of the cabin trunk and just packed the runner cleat to suit.

That's the piece I was missing. Thanks. 

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

1 hour ago, Priscilla said:

Kris left the ports in on the sides of the cabin trunk and just packed the runner cleat to suit.

You get an A+++

[El Mariachi 519]

Gawd but I love olde skool Mahogany. Ain't nothing else like it on the planet.

 

(Except perhaps English Wormy Chestnut. Or Wormy Elm....can't quite recall exactly. But in 1970 our shop teacher in high school bought like a thousand b/feet of one of those in 5/4, and had it delivered right to the student parking lot. So this is like 51 years ago so I may be a bit fuzzy on details....but I remember him saying that this lumber is literally from the very last Wormy Whatever Trees in Great Britain.....and is now technically.....extinct. Didn't mean a whole lot to us 14 y/olds back then.....but it kinda does today. That lumber was simply gorgeous with just a few coats of hand rubbed linseed oil on it. The only thing I ever made with it was a picture frame for one of my first Manhattan Beach Pier surf pics. Sadly the frame is long gone.....but I still have the pic.

 

I may have to Google that once I get off the beach later today.....

[El Mariachi 519]

Well....I knew if I fudged my bets enough.....I'd be right eventually.....

 

https://www.wood-database.com/wormy-chestnut/

[toddster 510]

Ah yeah... in like, 1974 my shop project was a big-ass cutting board in stripes of “light and dark mahogany” and framed in dark, sized to fit into the gap between the top of Mom’s fridge and the cabinets. Just finished in vegetable oil.  Still looks great.  

Was in Costa Rica a few years ago, astonished to be sipping drinks on beach chairs made from 2-inch slabs of mahogany.  I swear the bus rolled past a pig pen made of teak...

[accnick 544]

7 hours ago, toddster said:

Ah yeah... in like, 1974 my shop project was a big-ass cutting board in stripes of “light and dark mahogany” and framed in dark, sized to fit into the gap between the top of Mom’s fridge and the cabinets. Just finished in vegetable oil.  Still looks great.  

Was in Costa Rica a few years ago, astonished to be sipping drinks on beach chairs made from 2-inch slabs of mahogany.  I swear the bus rolled past a pig pen made of teak...

Some boats built in Taiwan and Hong Kong back in the 1970s used to ship the the US on teak cradles. It wasn't flawless teak, but it was teak.

When we were cruising SE Asia about 20 years ago, we visited wood yards in Thailand that had massive teak slabs: think 4" thick, 24" wide, and 20+ feet long. I would just love to have some of that sitting in storage somewhere. But I'm a hoarder.

[toddster 510]

Oh yeah... the railings around the open staircase in my parents house are made from mahogany 4 x 6’s (or something like) that a Kubota tractor came crated in.  

[Cruisin Loser 1,766]

On 4/10/2021 at 4:14 PM, accnick said:

She's a really nice boat.  A friend of mine from Santa Cruz owns her now.

BV used to post here quite a bit.

[accnick 544]

12 minutes ago, Cruisin Loser said:

BV used to post here quite a bit.

He seems pretty busy these days. He and I sit on a board of directors together.

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

My church. 

[Ishmael 6,644]

18 minutes ago, Kris Cringle said:

My church. 

Your pulpit is a long way from the pews.

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

2 minutes ago, Ishmael said:

Your pulpit is a long way from the pews.

But that is a good thing, in any church. 

[Elegua 952]

59 minutes ago, Kris Cringle said:

My church. 

Our Lady of the Exalted Woody? Varnished Woody?

I like sitting in my own pew. 

[IStream 2,464]

It's even better to have your own church!

[sculpin 113]

7 hours ago, toddster said:

Oh yeah... the railings around the open staircase in my parents house are made from mahogany 4 x 6’s (or something like) that a Kubota tractor came crated in.  

When I was a kid (OK, some 40 years ago, fuck...), my mom talked the local hospital out of the sides of the crate some new x-ray machine arrived in.  2 sheets of 4x12ft 1" mahogany plywood.  We had one bitchin' backyard fort, I tell you...

[accnick 544]

3 hours ago, Kris Cringle said:

My church. 

The Church of What's Happenin' Now.

I have worshipped there for many years, and have kept the offering plates full.

[Kris Cringle 1,246]

The surgery was a success. Colored epoxy brushed into the gain and on the patch, then thickened brushed again, especially the low spots, it all fit back into place to be clamped down with the strong backs. It sat for days. 

I revisited every wood cutting tool until settling on this old plane that has been hanging for years. Other planes were too long, too short, this one was just right. I kept a wehtstone and a bottle of water in the cockpit (the water was for both of us). A couple layers of painters tape on the sole edges let it ride on the cabin above the patch, and the deck fillet below. Constant fiddling with the blade depth and several trips to the whetstone (and water) in the cockpit, brought the patch down, nearly flush with the house. 

 

Then one trip up the deck with 80 grit in various tools,...and one trip back down with #120 grit. I used a detail sander only as last resort. The real tool was a hand block with a dust attachment. I was able to place my sand paper only over the patch area (notice the partial strip of paper on the hand sander) . 

Obviously I'm leaving the varnish on the house. It's in good condition and will give a few years before it needs wooding (will go at least 10 years total). 

This is a challenge to match the finish. I did experiment with a filler stain vs no stain. The Sipo scraps showed a better match with the filler stain and a sealer coat. So that's what it got today, filler stain. Time will tell. I'll put on 2 - 3 coats of Petit sealer, fill the screw holes, sand, and build up some varnish. 

 

Cover sewed back up for a few days. I wanted to get this done as I head into Portland in the morning for an Ulnar nerve entrapment surgery on my elbow. They tell me I'll be working one handed for a while. That's ok, I'm on the downhill side of this. 

 

[accnick 544]

If you can only have two planes, they are the Stanley regular block plane and the Stanley 9 3/4" bench plane.

When I sold off my shop, those were the two I kept.