July Update

Shamrock's aft deckhouse coaming has been removed allowing its supporting beams and the mizzen tabernacle to be inspected. The good news is that the beams and tabernacle are sound, and it was already known that the coaming needed to be renewed. The new aft 'deadwood' has been black buttered and bolted into place and the new transom board is in the process of being fitted. The timber for the decking, hatch coaming, knees, etc. has been delivered and drying out nicely under the cover of a tarpaulin, while the large Oak timber required for her new main beam is still being sourced.

Deckhouse coming.

Exposed beams.

Ready for fitting.

Old and new bolts.

Deadwood fitted.

More wood.

New Deck Planks

The first batch of new Cornish timber has arrived, delivered by Penryn's ‘Jo Sawmill’. The delivery consists of a large quantity of quarter sawn Douglas fir for Shamrock's new deck. This has been ‘sticked’ out and is being allowed to dry before it can be used. Quarter sawn boards have two advantages: they are more resistant against warping with changes in moisture and, while shrinkage can occur, it is less troublesome, just what Shamrock needs to keep her deck watertight.

 From Wikipedia
Quarter sawing gets its name from the fact that the log is first quartered lengthwise, resulting in wedges with a right angle ending at approximately the centre of the original log. Each quarter is then cut separately by tipping it up on its point and sawing boards successively along the axis. That results in boards with the annual rings mostly perpendicular to the faces. Quarter sawing yields boards with straight striped grain lines and greater stability than flat sawn wood. It also yields narrower boards, because the log is first quartered, which is more wasteful.

New deck planks.

Quarter sawn grain lines.