Bottom of the boat...

This boat was made last year

Two postings this week lots of things happened. Yesterday we went to the shed to see the marking out of the bottom of the boat. The lads had the planks already set up for the bottom of the boat which will be made of white deal. Nails were placed in the wood to mark out the width.. Later on one of the gentlemen from the oral history project came in and we had a great chat with him, he told us a lot about the boats and was explaining the parts of the boats that were in the yard. 

White deal bottom of boat

The boat is designed  on the Mermaid dingy style. He explained in the past people used flour sacks for the sails because money was scarce. There was a very good atmosphere as the lads explained each step to us as they went along there was also a great sense of teamwork between the lads.

The bottom of the boat is flat the reason for this is because of the harbour in Wexford and if the boat was to get stuck on anything it could be pushed off easily. With greater accessibility to power tools it makes the process much faster unlike years ago when all the jobs where done with hand tools. Next week I will be back again to see the next step the ribs/knees will be put on the boat these are made of oak and the stern is made of teak. Hopefully I have the names right.... but I'm sure I will know them for sure after a few weeks it's all very interesting.



I think to have this project is great for the area but the people are the important part and the skills that have been learn't and are being passed onto younger groups. Funding is so difficult to get for these projects but the positive impact they have on a community I think is priceless and the funding for these types of  projects should continue and always be there.

Really looking forward to going back next week and seeing some of the next steps ..... watch this space....as this boat will last many many years if maintained and cared for, some parts might need to be replaced but I think it's brilliant to see something so iconic being made..

Marking the shape of the bottom of the boat

Cutting out the bottom

The underside was then planed