So one of the pieces (a short one!) shot by the video crew who visited the Dory Shop Boatyard May 21 is up on the Internet. It's actually a promo for the new site, shot with the host alongside one of the framed up schooners (before she impaled her hand on a big angelique splinter). Check it out at http://seaandbescene.com

Sheer strakes

Now that the schooners are all framed up, it's time to add the sheer strakes. These planks define the upper edge of the deck and, in many ways, the schooners' shape. Dave and the gang are making them from Angelique, a rot-proof tropical hardwood that's awfully hard on tools. Seriously, sparks fly when you cut it!

The twin schooners are almost completely in frame.
Between each of the double-sawn Osage Orange frames are two of steam-bent White Oak and Dave is looking to soon put on the sheer strakes. This auspicious event may well call for a celebration, so stay tuned!
The old timers who drop by the boatyard on a regular basis tell us they approve of the construction to date, and that they’ll be “some strong boats.”
Once framing is completed, the schooners will be left to set up and season for the summer and early fall. This was the preferred practice in places like Holland and Germany where the frames of old pilot schooners were let to set for a year before planking to ensure the greatest longevity. This plan will also allow Dave to enjoy some summer sailing in his own fine schooner!

Construction will resume in late fall and continue through the winter and spring, with plans for a twin schooner launch in summer 2011.

Dave down under

Photo fun

So I just love this house located directly up the hill from the Dory Shop Boatyard. It houses two different families and, as you can see, has different cladding and paint colours on each side.

Indoor work

Two weeks of sunshine have come to an abrupt end, so the gang's been doing a bit of indoor work inside Plant 2 at the Dory Shop.

Sunshine and schooner frames

A person would have to be a fool to think that spring is really sprung and that Nova Scotia's wintry weather is done for another year.

Still, a week's worth of sunshine does the heart good after months of grey and wet, and it sure makes it more pleasant to be working outside in The Dory Shop Boatyard.

Boat lumber delivery

Dave was glad to have a shipment of excellent new boat lumber arrive today.

It's primarily Osage Orange, an extremely durable southern hardwood that creates such crazy, almost neon sawdust. You can see that the pieces are curved, a characteristic that makes them especially useful, even labour-saving, for frame construction.

There were also a few pieces of Black Walnut and Oak.

You know all that hooey about double-sawn frames two posts again? Well, the reality is if you can find timber to fit the curve then you darn well use it, as shown in this shot of a forward frame made from solid pieces of Osage Orange.

Frame by frame

We promised these schooners would be twins, built up together, frame by frame, plank by plank, creating a new class of vessels that can genuinely compete. And so the logical next step after installing the first frames on one schooner was to install the same on schooner two, as shown below.

First frames!

A truly significant and happy milestone for this project. But let's let the pictures do the talking this time.