Side Decks

The latest news from Shamrock.

• The laying of both port and starboard side deck planks, up to the cargo hold hatch coaming, has now been completed. After completion it was found that both of the side decks had a spring to them when walked on. So, to stiffen them, a total of eight Oak straps of 4 in (100 mm) x 2 in (50 mm) have been fitted to the underside of the decks at evenly spaced distances between the ‘hanging knee’ supported half beams. The outer ends are tenon-jointed into the beamshelf, and the inner ends coach screwed to the underside of cargo hatch coaming. The deck planks were then ‘coach’ screwed onto the straps. The extra stiffness will reduce the plank movement that can be compromising to the water-tightness of the caulked seams.

• Fitting of the fore deck planking has started and is progressing well.

• Both the forward companionway and the aft deckhouse coamings have been completed and bolted into place. The companionway and deckhouse now need to be removed from storage to check if they fit correctly.

Goodbye Josh

Josh, one of our team of Shipwrights, is advancing his career by taking on a new project. He has been offered, and accepted, a four month contract fitting out MV Cape Race in Reykjavík, Iceland and so Wednesday 30th January was his last working day on Shamrock. The crew would like to thank him for all his hard work and wish him all the best for the future.

Josh at work.

More oak has been sourced for the covering boards as the oak originally earmarked for the job has been used for the oak seer strake. A start has been made on the covering boards with a plywood pattern used to mark out the starboard forward section before being cut roughly to shape and thickness.

Fitting of the cargo hatch coaming has been completed with the sides through bolted to their respective beams. Weather check dovetails joints have been used, instead of simple half lap joint, locking the coaming side together as well as insuring any water ingress will always run out of the joint. As usual all butted surfaces have received coating of 'black butter' before being joined.

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.