The process of creating a solid and long lasting hull is time consuming but worth the effort!

Ok so this week has been full of long hard days of work on the hull of Good Expectation. The week started with Mr Cochrane finishing the work of replacing rotten and damaged planking on both the hull, deck and doghouse sections.

Meanwhile Herbert and I focussed upon cleaning out the seams of the hull to ensure that when it came time to caulk and seal them that there would be a tough strong bonding surface to ensure many years of healthy planking.

The Topsides, which is the part of the hull above the water on the side of the boat were taken to bare wood and the seams thoroughly excavated by hand and electric grinder leaving a solid platform on which to build the new layers of protection for the wood.

A different section of the topsides, this section is original "purpleheart" a type of wood commonly sourced from Guyana in South America, its very hard, strong and longlasting, dense like mahogony and beautiful, but very tough going to sand!

So once the seams have been cleaned out its time to caulk them. This involves banging cotton string into them, the string is called caulking twine and its a long and labourious process which includes rolling the twine on your thigh like you're making a Cuban Cigar! This specialised job was undertaken this week by Manny a new member on the team. He is very experienced in this process. By the end of the week Cochrane and Bowtie had joined in the caulking and the side they worked on was a constant mix of banging and heated debate on many topics, but mostly about the state of local politics and understanding the fairer sex!

Caulking Mallet and Twine

Once the seams have been caulked its time to fill them. Above the waterline this is done with Putty, mixed with linseed oil and redlead powder. Its a surprisingly tiring job and tough on the fingers as the constant kneading of the putty gives you cramp! The putty is similar to that used to bed window panes. Below Herbert prepares the putty for filling the topsides seams...

Below the waterline we use a different material - West System epoxy, which hardens like cement but stronger. Not only does it make the wood totally impervious to water, it also forms an impenetrable barrier to the dreaded worms! Not as obvious as the orange putty, below image shows the West System sanded smooth and filling the seams. Next job here is to paint a film of West System epoxy other the entire bottom to make a complete impervious barrier. This is a costly process but well worth the investment for the long term benefit of the boat.



Here you can see the putty clearly filling the seams. Next it needs to be sanded and then a coat of the primer can be applied, once this stage is reached the boat will start to take shape very quickly with the back breaking works all behind us...

Earlier in the week we were treated to an amazing lightning display out to the West over Montserrat. I managed to capture a couple of shots, but as usual they do not do the display justice!



This Week - Rumbles the Spaniel, Tyre Fire, Engine arrives, Good eating spots in St John's and the Arrival of Sweetheart!

Its amazing how much can happen in a week and how quickly it all blends together over the passing days.

Last Sunday I was invited to go sailing with George, Stacy, Sam and her lovable dog Rumbles. No offense to the other shipmates but Rumbles was the highlight of the sail due to her love of swimming.

Spaniels were bred to retrieve dead ducks from lakes after being shot, so they have a natural urge to leap into the water. Rumbles is no exception and Sam has a doggie lifevest for her, not that she needs it because she is such a strong swimmer, but it does make it a LOT easier getting her back on board as she can be lifted by the strap on the back of the vest!!! It is still under debate whether her constantly wagging tail helps with propulsion...?

Another source of excitement that morning as we sailed out of Jolly Harbour was the plume of black smoke rising from the otherside of the hills North of Jolly Harbour. Later that day it came through the news that a dump of used car tyres had caught fire (arson suspected). It seems there is a mountain of old tyres at the municipal dump and recent contracts had been signed to ship them overseas for recycling. Its a shame the Antiguan government don't invest in the machine to chip them up for use in road aggregate which not only increases the lifespan of the road surface but saves huge amounts of money as well as providing an excellent end use for the tyres...

The juxtaposition of the fire so close to holiday centres such as Jolly Harbour and the ultra exclusive Hermitage resort must have had many people feeling very uncomfortable...



Monday was eventful in that we discovered that the stem (the front) of the boat was suffering from rot and needed replacing. Mr Cochrane was not phased and wasted no time in cutting out the rot leaving a gaping hole in the front of the boat...

He then went home to get some mahogony in the form of a raw trunk and proceeded to fashion a replacement with a chainsaw. In my view, its art, sculpture and the science of boat building all rolled into one and exactly what makes these boats and the people who build and maintain them so special....

Tuesday was also Antiguan independence day so the boat yard was shut, but by Wednesday morning the stem was being replaced...

And then by Wednesday lunch time it was fixed in place and looking better than ever...

Also on Wednesday the Engine arrived newly renovated by diesel mechanic Dassa. Shiny Fire Engine Red to boot! Its a make from Denmark called Bukh and they are used in North Sea lifeboats, designed to be indestructable, reliable and very fuel efficient, sounds good to us! The goal is to have her fitted back into the boat sometime this coming week and then have the prop shaft lined up and attached by this time next week...

By Thursday Good Expectation had also been joined in the yard by another Carriacou Sloop coming out for renovation. The well known Sweetheart, who like Good Expectation had been neglected for a couple of years and now needs some close attention as well. Its great to have a sister ship being put back to her former glory in the yard at the sametime. Its also interesting to note the similarities but also the subtle differences in lines, design and layout of the different sloops, all with their own unique individual charm and character...

Like Good Expectation Sweetheart is going to enjoy plenty of new planking...

On thursday it also became clear that a trip to town was required to purchase some tools and a vacuum cleaner to help stay on top of the dust and wood chippings down below. This gave me a chance to explore the capital of Antigua - St John's for some good places to eat. The following spots all looked good for various reasons. AJ's for its pure Caribbean flare in the colours of the building (located on the southern side street from the cinema - which you can the top of in the back ground of the picture)...

Swhole looked great for its clean contemporary take on fresah and healthy vegan foods its located on the opposite northern side of the Cinema to AJ's...



However, this time round I chose Roti King on High St. due to the simple fact that it had a steady stream of local office staff coming and going for their lunch break, always a good sign! And I have to say, the wholewheat boneless chicken Roti and fresh local Guava juice did not disappoint one bit!

I also loved the little sign in the small outside eating area, scrawled upon the plastic water tank, that itself sat upon a much older original stone and brick cistern, which probably dates to the 18th Century...

Watch out for more updates next week when we will be showing progress on the replacement of some of the deck planks, the frame to the doghouse, cleaning of the seams and the caulking process (filling the gaps between the planks with cotton prior to sealing)....

After our first week of sanding and scraping the bare wood appears!

So along with First Mate Herbert this week has been long hours of sanding and scraping to uncover the original wood in preparation for priming and repainting...

Herbert the master sander shows no mercy to old paint...

So now the topsides have been sanded, the seams need to be resealed before wiping down with thinners to clean up any residue and dust, then its time to prime!

In addition  to the topsides (the side of the boat above the waterline) Herbert and I have been busy preparing the deck in the same way. Securing a watertight deck and worm free, sealed hull are absolutely crucial to maintaing a seaworthy wooden boat. The deck is therefore not be rushed...

Whilst scraping the seams of the starboard side deck which itself came up nicely...

A nasty bity of freshwater created rot was uncovered along the edge of the doghouse, a leak around which was picked up by the surveyor so we knew it needed fixing, however, the photo below indicates how important it is to spot any cracks in the paint and caulking and take preventative action ASAP because over time the water works its way through the timbers completely dissolving the wood but there was no obvious problem under the old paint, which needed to be scraped off in order to expose the true extent of the problem...

Luckily Mr Cochrane and Bowtie are adept at cutting out the rot and replacing with new planking , making it stronger than before with no obvious sign of the work, this week between them they have almost replanked the entire portside below the waterline (the dreaded worm strikes again).

Bowtie lines up a new plank. And fits it...



Also during the week I visited A&F sails in English Harbour to get the sail inventory checked and prepared for some repairs and possible recutting of the mainsail. Franklyn and his team have a stunning working environment in an original building of Nelson's Dockyard...

The sail loft (absolutely no shoes allowed)...

The view from the sail loft entrance...

And finally here's the view in front of Good Expectation in Jolly Harbour Boat yard, notice the Pelican on the dock who keeps us amused with his high dives into the water to catch fish...



So watch this space for more updates next week.... Till then fair winds and calm seas to everyone!

Refit of Good Expectation continues apace ~ Transom finished & hull planks going on thick and fast...

So over the past week Mr Cochrane and his second in command Mr Bowtie have made excellent progress with the refit. The transom has been completely rebuilt in treated white pine & is now closed up and ready for the next stage which is the caulking of the gaps between the timbers to seal and make watertight...

The Portside has had a number of planks replaced from the transom for'ard, when fresh water ingress occurs it will spread quickly, that is why constant maintanence is so important in these vessels, regular checks and licks of paint to keep the water out will make a world of difference to the lifespan of the timbers...

The Starboard side has had a similar amount of new topside planking inserted as well, its safest to replace quite a way past where any rot was found to ensure the soundest timbers are maintained.



This is a crucial stage the replacement of the Garboard planks including the Devil plank, so called because its the toughest to fit correctly! Garboard? you say! What's that? A definition for you from the The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company ~
gar·board (gärbôrd, -brd)

n.

The first range or strake of planks laid next to a ship's keel.

---

[Obsolete Dutch gaarboord : possibly Dutch gaar, cooked, done (from Middle Dutch gaer) + Dutch boord, board (from Middle Dutch boort).]

 

So there you go the first strake laid next to the keel... A strake being a strip of planking in a wooden vessel or of plating in a metal one, running longitudinally along the vessel's side, bottom or the turn of the bilge, usually from one end of the vessel to the other. (as taken from Wikipedia!)

 

Mr Cochrane and Mr Bowtie undertaking the tricky task of attaching the devil plank, the devil being a seam where two planks meet, in this case at the junction between the vertical keel garboards and the rounded hull planks. Interestingly, this devil may be the one referred to in the old saying "between the devil and the deep blue sea"... So there, you learned something new today to amaze your friends over dinner or in the pub!

 

 

Replacing these planks takes strength, skill and patience, notice how the shipwrights have to contend with curvature over 3 dimensions following the gentle curve of the hull lengthways, vertically and laterally, its quite a task and not a moment to disturb them with inane questions. Maintaining the correct width is critical to ensure a tight fit, notice how the space is maintained by banging in thick wooden chocks towards the bow.

 

Once these tricky jobs are completed work will continue apace, so watch this space for further updates.

Sharing some wonderful images of Carriacou Sloops from Alexis Andrews

Alexis has kindly allowed Jus' Sail to use some of the images from his wonderful coffee table books, which we are happy to share here on the blog...

The next set of images cover the construction of his own vessel Genesis...

This is a great shot of the frame starting to take shape, very early in the
process.

Whereas this one really shows that these vessels are made right on the beach and from the raw material of local timber, carved by hand in situ! Such scenes have been increasingly rare in the Caribbean over the past four decades. Even St Lucia had its own wooden boat builders in the past including my wife's grandfather in the village of Canaries on St lucia's west coast who made wooden fishing boats on the beach until the 1960's.

Notice the hull planks being formed to the shape of the frames and the skills required to make these joins watertight and durable in the harsh tropical climate. By this time next week Good Expectation will also be having hull planks removed and replaced in a similar manner.

Basic hand tools are used for most of he refining of the wood, such as this shot of an adze being ably handled on the keel....

This wonderful shot below Alexis scanned from a Grenadan newspaper in the 1990's, its of master Carriacou shipwright Zepharin McKlaren the man who originally built our own Good Expectation. it is the only shot we have access to of him so expect to see it again on our website in the near future where we will be paying our respects to this great craftsman.

Zepharin we hope we do justice to your boat during our renovation and trust that you approve of her new life, back as a working boat, but in a different guise here in St Lucia, where she will be laden with people rather than cargo!

Next post we will share some shots of the vessels at sail and some of the characters who sail them!