Progress has Struck!

It was a busy day at the IP&NCo. fleet yards! The S/V Sea Hawk is nearing it's launch date, with luck this coming Sunday! How did we get here? Well with the help of some friends and lots of work, as all such things happen.
Last week I managed to snap one of the gunwales while putting it on. Note to self, start at the pointy end! So Sea Hawk was put on a brief hold while I helped The Typesetter work on his boat, the S/V Pica. He needed access to a table saw and my neighbor has one so he came over to use it. Turns out we had to dig it out of assorted clutter but in the end his 1x4x16 was turned into a beautiful set of gunwales for his teal. And since I had him over he helped me put on my chines. One of the issues was that all my tools are spread between his yard and mine and since I was visiting on a regular basis I sent Sea Hawk home with him figuring I could work on her next time I came over.

Sea Hawk underway for the first time!

Later in the week we picked up a few 1x2's to be used as gunwales and soaked them over night. Adding water to cheap lumber really helps to assist it in making a curve! And on an 8' boat those curves can be pretty intense! Gunwales were applied as was the bottom. Because I put the frame in the wrong position I have a slightly curvier boat then the plans call for and the remaining luann sheet was not enough for the bottom. In my defense the plans are slightly confusing if you read them quickly. Okay that's not much of a defense but we had some more luann. Of course the sheet had been torn in half during a move but we know how to make a butt joint and it worked out perfectly!
I was out in the truck today so we swung by The Typesetters and picked up the boat. Then it was to work! The goal for today was get the mast in place. I'm following the build notes for the Cygnet so it's run inside, pull up the site, get a measurement, run back out and work. It should be noted that the OSS was not designed to take a sail rig, so there is not a whole lot of info out there on converting the boat to sail. But so far I think I'm doing alright.

Mast partner and step

 According to the plans the mast partner is 26" behind the tip of the bow and the step has three settings for rake. I'm really pleased with how my mast step came out. It's just a scrap of 3/8" I had lying around with a 1/2" plate underneath it for reinforcement. But it looks clean and works quite well. The other rack positions are a bit superfluous as they don't work. But it looks cool! I'm still planing on adding some sides for a 'well' look to it. And if you are wondering, yes I made sure to add some money, in this case a 2007 Montana state quarter beneath the step.

With the partner and step in place I had to put the sail up! I cut it down about a foot to make the height the same as in the photo's of Cygnet. With a bit of finagling I got the sail working and went yard sailing. It worked perfectly! I was very pleased with it's performance and am sure if the boat doesn't sink, the COE is in the right place and the rudder works I'll have a sail boat.

And I leave you with a song. Yes, a song. I have a habit of singing sea chanteys when I work on a boat and got one stuck in my head and figured I'd record it. I'm not the best singer but neither were those who sang this when it was used for work. You'll also get a blurry tour of the boat. Enjoy!

What remains are what The Typesetter and myself call "The Bits". Rudder, leeboard, fit and finish. I'm contemplating doing Cunard colors with varnish in board. Should be a sharp little boat when I'm done. Looking forward to it.