July Update

Shamrock's latest progress report.

Decks.
Fore deck and both side decks caulked and tarred. Aft port side caulking and tarring started after being cleaned and sanded.

Cargo hatch.
Two lines of a combination of old and new steal rubbing strips fitted to inner faces of both sides. Old hatch boards fitted, checked and adjusted as required.

Bulwarks
Where the bulwark stanchions slot through the covering boards, especially the cargo gate stanchions, was an area where water leaked into Shamrock resulting in the large amount of the wet rot found during the current restoration. To insure a better seal, after caulking and tarring the slots, Shaune has made moulds, poured tar around them building up the seal above deck level and finally rounded the edges off with a hot knife. Completed: fitting, plugging and priming of the starboard bulwark side planks. The port side planks are currently in the process of being fitted.

Other
Three out of the four of the cavils have been fitted. Oak stern fairleads now completed. Work has started on the wash strakes with the both fore sections being cut from oak these will have the fairleads cut into them replacing the stag horns and matching the stern fairleads.

January Update

Shamrock's busy start to the New Year.

• The third visit from Bob Medler, the Ships Surveyor, checking the standard of work completed to date and seeing what else needs renewing/repairing.   
• Mass production of Shamrock's bulwark stanchions has been ongoing as all 36 of her stanchions required replacement. The new stanchions were cut from 5 in (12 cm) square oak to a height of 1 ft.4 in (41 cm) above the deck and tapered in on the inboard face to 3 in (7.5 cm) at the top, with the below deck section then cut to fit between the beamshelf and sheer strake. Only three more to go!

• The cargo hold hatch coaming has been removed, and the new coamings of 12 ft. (3.7 m) sides of 12 in (30 cm) x 6  in (15 cm) the 11 ft. (3.4 m) ends of 11 in (28 cm) x 5 in (13 cm) cut from large bulks of larch in the boat shed. Cotehele rangers assisted in carrying the cut timber onto Shamrock where further shaping carried out. Both sides have been bolted in place with weather check dovetail having been cut on the sides and ends ready for the end coaming pieces to be fitted.

Coaming conga.

• Plugging of old nail holes and new hull plank nail/bolt holes with ether oak or larch is continuing. The manufacture of these plugs is a very time consuming activity but fortunately it can be carried out in the boat shed.

Cargo Hatch

To enable easy access to Shamrock's hold the 22ft (6.7m) long by 11ft (3.3m) cargo hatch is sub-divided into nine sections starting with two 'drop in' beams with there ends resting in wooden shoe cleats bolted into the hatch coamings. The beams and head ledges are fitted with similar shoe cleats for the the six fore and aft timbers which fit between the hatch beams. Each of these six timbers, along with the side hatch combings have rebates in their upper faces for the edges of the hatch-covers. Each of the twenty seven individual hatch boards are a slightly different size and are marked with their positions to save time when refitting them. Visitors to Shamrock are advised that the easiest way to view below deck is via the ladder located under the forward starboard corner hatch board, little do they realise that when she was a working boat there would have been no ladder. Access to the hold was achieved via the forward or after cabins. 

Ladder and four hatch boards removed.

Hatch board starboard three.