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Launch Day
</aGreat evening as Dotsie and Ripple hit the water for the first time. Congratulations to the building team led by Steve Ward.
Now to figure out how to get the best from these boats for Club Members.
The Skiffs are finished🙂
Our two St Ayles Skiffs that we started building at RFBYC on July 6th 2015 are finished.
Ripple and Dotsie have their names on the bow and their Club on their sides thanks to a kind donation from Michael Duffield of Artek Signs.
Tomorrow, the 28th January, they will be launched at 1745 at RFBYC.
Launch date set
The launch date for both boats has now been set as 1745 Thursday 28th January.
The launch will be at the eastern end of the RFBYC fueling dock.
Both boats will be swung into the Swan River simultaneously and will then be rowed to the dinghy lawn.
As is always the case when a launch is imminent we are full on getting ready.
The final paint coats are being applied, second set of oars finished, rudders hung and painted and so it goes on.
Rob Perrin working on one of the rudders
Steve Ward applying the final coat to Boat #1 while Charles Colvin leathers the second set of oars
Undercoats and thwarts
As the end of the year draws to an end we have both of our boats pretty much at the same stage and we are fitting them out side by side.
Both hulls are now under coated and the varnish is coming along on the gunnels.
We have started to fit the Huon Pine thwarts and the coxswain seats.
Next we will screw in the spreader supports from underneath the hulls and then start on sealing and painting the inside.
The colours are only undercoats and will end up nearer the RFBYC blue and white but we want to use a standard paint colour to make repairs easier.
We are working on a launch date for the end of January.
First varnish
A small but significant stage was reached this week when we put the first varnish on to Boat #1.
We also fitted the inwales and breasthooks to Boat #2.
Gunnels on
Another good week on Boat #1 in that the gunnels and breast hooks have been fitted. She is starting to look very smart.
There is a picture of the bow breast hook which I sourced from a Bangalay (eucalyptus botryoides) that I planted back in 1989.
The plan from here is to start painting Boat #1 while we get Boat #2 to the same point. After painting we will fit out the thwarts, kabes and footrests.
Major progress is being made on the oars with the first finished, from a shaping point of view, and the other 7 all at some stage of shaping.
Inwales affixed
This week we made and glued the inwales into the first boat. We have gone for the type that has a spacer between the two laminations that is stronger and makes the boat easier to pick up.
We also had a major sanding session on boat #2.
The oar team is going flat out on the eight oars we need. They even had a young helper.
Next week we will do the inwales for Boat #2 and maybe the gunnels for Boat #1
Boat #2 turned over
Last night the team gathered to take our second St Ayles Skiff off the moulds and turn her over.
We then wheeled her out of the shed to join her sister.
The building frame was then removed and taken over to the Dragon shed from where it will be picked up by the team that plans to build two St Ayles skiffs for the Navy Sea Cadets.
Our skiffs were then put side by side in the St Ayles Shed.
The plan now will be to start fitting the inwhales and gunnels to the first boat while we start cleaning and filling the interior of the second.
Ready to roll
Boat #2 is all but ready to turn over.
The outer stems and keel have been fitted and plugged.
The hull has been filled and sanded.
Tomorrow afternoon we will do the final sanding at then turn her over at 1800.
