Dinghy progress on Target.

Today the laying down of the ply strips was completed and gave a certain measure of of achievement. The task was more arduous than expected. Almost nine sheets of 8' X 4' marine ply was used so I have three and a half sheets left over. Turning her over  will happen in a few days time but there is the keel band to fit and rubbing strakes at the bilge.
I plan to add stub floor timbers across the hog that will taper to a feather edge and support a light removable floor. The seats will be of Cedar  and backed with a laminate of  some surplus 3mm ply to prevent any splitting .
I shall use some contrasting timbers to edge the seats with - Sycamore or American Walnut ,depending on availability at Beech Bros.
The sheer is to be stiffened by an inwhale and  tapered stub timbers extending down ten or twelve inches. For this I may use some of the larch strips recovered from the mold.
I am careful to avoid using screws or nails prefering to use dowels or trenails of bamboo instead.
The nails will be cut from green bamboo, dried in the microwave oven to remove as much moisture as possible. I have used the microwave before on knees made of green timber and the method is quick and very effective . The wood is put in rough cut and during cooking it shrinks and distorts. Final shaping is completed after this drying is done. The wood reaches a temperature where the water content boils off
Yet to be done are the rowlock cheeks and seat risers. I am getting useful tips from watching You-tube videos by the legendary master shipwright Louis Sauzedde.
Talking of shipwrights reminds me of John Leather and his book that describes in a final brief chapter the construction method of this cold-molded craft and inspired me to begin it. He does say it is a more expensive method and says it requires less skill than the equivalent clinker craft. My findings tell me something to the contrary.

Cathedral Top Bar Hives - Four colonies doing well

23rd May and a standard top bar hive was shaken down into a prepared Cathedral TopHive so that each hive has interchangeable bars and can be manipulated more easily
To make ready the recipient hive two combs of nectar / honey was taken from another hive that is full from end to end. I then put in place the queen excluder to prevent her flying off after the change over. Some empty bars were placed at the inner end and away from the entrance. Close to the entrance was put foundation and the filled combs of  honey/nectar.  A void was left for the bees to be shaken into and onto the floor for the actual shake down. The queen was captured and kept safe until the full compliment of bees were in the new hive and the feed supplement and fondant put in place on top of the bars.  The gap was closed up and the insulation foil then placed on top of that before the lid was lowered.
After twenty four hours the queen excluder  was removed and the colony seen settled in although some appeared a little confused as to where their entrance was. The recipient hive placed exactly in the place previously occupied by the old hive.

Padstow or Cadiz

Plans to take ourselves in the Morgan to Cadiz, Meridos and Ponta da Lima this month had to be shelved due to an unexpected medical issue. Since Christmas I had been troubled with a small spot on my neck that slowly increased in size and was eventaully diagnosed as sun damage and required excision. The procedure was painless done under local anasthetic and I now have the scar to prove it that is rapidly healing thanks to the NHS and the RD&E hospital .

The majority of the costs incurrred with the bookings made were recoved, and the whole of our ferry fare to Santander was refunded ,due in part to the fact that a fire on the ship (Pont Aven) meant that our sailing would have had to be re-sheduled in any case

So this week our Morgan took us instead on a local trip down memory lane to Padstow, Port Issac and St Agnes.

At Little Petherick

Port Isaac gifts  -  This lovely lamp priced at £500.

Port Isaac

Magazine masking 

Breakers building up on the incoming tide

Shaping up the Cold Moulded hull

Phew !  At last I begin to see something worth the effort. Its wooden and coming together. Staples have been removed and a light sanding given, the shape is slowly emerging of some sort of craft. The outside gunnel strip added,  previously steam bent and spliced together out of two lengths of Oak and now glued in place. It will add stiffness as the hull is turned over - right side up.
As  I  begin to lay lay down the ply strips on the port side the benefit of re-reading the John Leather book on the subject of cold moulding becomes more apparant.
Much better to cut the ply strips in batches and prepare a dozen or more together then fit them in a session so that constant switching of tools is reduced.
The weight upon the mobile jig is becoming more noticable as one of the caster wheels has shed its rubber tyre and had to be helped by a lash up support alongside and formed with the use of a skateboard.

The coloured mould strips are simply adorned with insulating tape to prevent glue attaching the ply to the mould and making it difficult to lift off the hull. I shall need help at that stage.

Alternate strips of  3mm ply being laid - the first of three layers on the port side