Repairs Begin

Steaming frames, scarfing spars, and removing 10,000 rusty, rusty nails.

In The Shop

After spending a month carefully stripping paint from the smaller spars, it is finally time to begin repairs. Though they were not in terrible condition, each spar needed at least a little bit of work.

The bowsprit, which is a horizontal spar extending from the front of a ship, had a patch of rot through the heel. In order to repair it, Becky not only had to cut off the last eight inches, but had to carve a long taper in the remaining wood to create enough area for a long glue joint.

Becky then laminated (glued) together several fir planks, cut those at an opposing angle, then glued all of that to the bowsprit. Next, we’ll shape it all back down until it resembles the Firefly’s original bowsprit. 

The jibboom is a smaller spar that extends forward from the top of the bowsprit. The Firefly’s jibboom had a long wear patch where a piece of hardware tended to chafe against it. To repair it, Alex put in a dutchman. She removed the damaged wood, cleaned up the area, then shaped a piece of fir plank to fit into the void. After gluing it in, she planed the patch down until it was flush with the rest of the jibboom. The jibboom will also be getting some spiffy new hardware, as well as chafe guards to prevent further unnecessary wear.

Though mostly in good condition, the staystail club had a small patch of dry rot in one end. To repair it, Alex chiseled out the rot, then used a router to cut the area into a geometric shape in preparation for a dutchman. She then cut a small piece of wood to fit the void, glued it in place, and planed it down.

The main gaff, fore gaff, and fore boom also need various dutchmans, scarfs, new hardwear, and other attention. After all the repairs are completed, the spars will be treated with a preventative fungicide. Next, they will get a coat of linseed oil to keep the wood healthy and help paint adhere, followed by finish coats of paint and varnish.

On The Boat

Now that we have removed the remainder of the Firefly’s interior and much of her ceiling planking, we have started replacing frames. We had to be careful not to remove too many frames in one area, so we could maintain the structural integrity of the planking in order to use it to shape the new frames. So, we have been replacing frames in rolling batches over the last month.

After removing a frame, we were often left with a line of old fasteners. The Firefly was refastened below the waterline with stainless screws a decade or two ago, but most of the original iron clinch nails (along with some iron screws of indeterminate vintage) were left in place. The stainless fasteners are easy to pull with an impact driver once their bungs are located and removed. However, the nails have to be driven out, often with a punch. We have been bunging up the holes left by the fasteners, as we are removing far more screws and nails than we will be replacing.

Next, we mill down our frame stock. We are using green white oak for framing. It is important to use wood that is still green so it maintains its flexibility, with straight grain and no knots. Once the frame stock is cut down to size (2 ? x 1 in) we fire up the steam box and toss it in.

The general rule of thumb is to steam wood for 1 hour per inch of thickness. After an hour, we pull the wood, fit it against the keel, quickly cut it to length, and bend it into place. We brace it in place, then drive temporary fasteners through the hull to hold it while it cools. Often, we steam in 6-7 frames in a single session.

Spring Is In The Air

After a frigid February and a few false starts, spring on the Maine coast has begun in earnest. Though it is increasingly nice to work down at the boat, the warming weather brings a few changes to the rebuild.

Becky and Nathan will return their full focus to the Lewis R. French as they begin to ramp up for the season. Meanwhile, Alex and Ken are looking forward to a much busier shipyard as the Windjammers begin their yearly haul outs.

The spars have been put away for now. The shop space is needed for the French’s fit out, and indoor projects are better saved for either the dead of summer or the dead of winter.

We have also officially changed our projected start from August 2026 to June 2027. Though it’s good to have ambitious goals, it’s better to do a good job than a fast job.

Finally, we are hosting open houses at the North End Shipyard in Rockland every first and third Friday from 5-6 pm. And as always, if you happen to be in the area during normal work hours, feel free to stop by and see if anyone is home!