PLUGGING ALONG

And Soothing the Soul

Here on STEADFAST, resources are limited but our determination is boundless. That’s not literal; we liveaboard but are still holed up in that little apartment above the tattoo parlor; the north wind whistles right through all those wide slots in the hull where our planks will soon be. Even today, in the freezing rain, we checked things off the to-do list. Those’ll get us where we want to be and since we are here, we’re plugging along doing all the things we’ve ever wanted done.

I have two major outdoor responsibilities while Steve and the angels are planking. The first is sealing up all that recycled, repurposed old growth long leaf yellow pine (that’s a big handle for a piece of wood!). I do that in two ways. After installation, all the raw surfaces receive two liberal dousings of the natural sealant that has been used for generations; boiled linseed oil and turpentine, mixed together in equal parts. To me, it smells wonderful and woodsy with a tang of old-fashioned. Good thing I like it because that liquid gold tends to run down my sleeve and permeate the layers as I brush.

These planks are sealed with the exception of the areas just around the fastenings as that is where the epoxy will adhere.

Let’s be clear that most of the time I am working inside as close as I can get to my little portable heater, sanding decades-old paint and refreshing our substantial interior. The good news is that it’s February already!

There’s something about fresh paint and old style ports.

The second responsibility I have is making sure that after we drill holes through said planking those holes are sealed to the point of near invisibility from the outside. We call them plugs, they are commonly called bungs. With a new, tougher drill press the original planks are utilized/recycled/reused as much as possible. Yes, that’s smoke.(!)

It's a tremendous process to keep the water where it should be...

Utilizing G-flex by West System, a two-part epoxy, the plugs are carefully inserted with the grain parallel and then tapped to completely fill the hole, ending with a satisfying squish around the entire circumference. You may already know that there are as many methods and opinions on boatbuilding materials, adhesives and coatings as there are wooden boat gurus; I’m just telling you what we utilize, please feel free to comment, as always.

The process of plugging all those holes (there will be 1200 when we’re done) is remarkably, surprisingly, soothing; I am making STEADFAST whole again, keeping Mother Nature’s destructive elements at bay, piece by piece, step by step.

The port side of this section was completed with winter sun on my back, evoking a response that has been a bit hard to describe; what is it about natural elements that calms regardless of the situation? I can feel both our souls (me and the boat) become ever more confident that this was the right thing to do, regardless of the costs.

Each of these little guys cover up the head of a bronze screw that holds all these components together. It looks like a lovely day but that is a wool hat. Just sayin’.

What more could a girl ask for than reinforcement of such a decision? Well, there’s one thing. Better weather. I am asking for better weather; there’s a couple days of snow mixed in with freezing rain this week, sorely lacking in the sunshine I crave. That’s the only other thing we could use. We’re enjoying just plugging along.

If you’re partial to wooden boats and would like to get caught up on the details of what we have accomplished thus far, please click these links to read up on our many-details-required REPAIR AND REFIT.

Here on STEADFAST, resources are limited but our determination is boundless. That may become our theme song of sorts, note the repetition. I have passed (with flying fish colors!) the United States Coast Guard exam for my Captain’s License, allowing STEADFAST to charter for groups up to six and offer other Captain-ish responsibilities to my fellow water travelers. Thank you for all the good wishes on that front!

~J

Know another unique boat lover or just someone interesting? Please send SPARRING along.