Details, Details

The final week before launch is all about the finer details. Christeen is going to be one gorgeous lady on Saturday.

8 Days

Christeen’s repairs continue to roll along as we approach the final week before her re-launch. All the caulking is going to be finished up today while the prep continues to take place for her new paint job. The blocks for the halyards are continuing to receive some needed TLC with additional coats of varnish, the new benches are coming together and the cap rail is receiving the final coat of red. The engine received a final tune-up before it gets lowered into the engine bay. All the final pieces are coming together and the Shipwrights plan to finish all the work by Thursday, giving them one buffer day to tie up the loose ends before she is splashed on Saturday morning. Considering the size and length of the project one buffer day is in relative terms like a second. However, as with most projects of this nature it always seems to come down to the wire and the quality of the job is certainly not being comprised by pushing to the deadline date. The WFC is confident in the ability of all those  working on Christeen and we can’t wait to get her back sailing!

Closing Time

The launch date is fast approaching, April 30th is right around the corner. Our shipwrights and volunteers have been working long hours and going for the last push to get Christeen in excellent shape in time to show her off to all onlookers. The final plank, the gar-board plank, as seen below is getting fitted and put into place. With the gar-board plank in place and the caulking nearly finished all that is needed is a final fair and sanding of the planks, finishing up the work being done on the cabin tops, cap rail, mast and standing rigging and some other minor details. Then the final touch, a glossy paint job, all nice and shiny. 

 

More Planking and Unplanking

Planked

The weather is turning and so is the calendar. What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than to put Christeen’s planks back on her frames. The Red Oak frames have, for the most part, held their shape and are going back on as easily as could be expected. With few surprises expected from here on out everything is on target for the April 30^th launch. Shipwright Josh Herman expects all the planks to be back on the boat by the end of this week! Next week the deconstruction of the cradle, which supported Christeen during her keel replacement, begins. Once the cradle has been dismantled four additional Red Oak planks, all of which are below the water line, are going to be removed. Once they are removed the frames will be faired and the planks will be re-bedded and refastened to give us the best fit possible to prepare for Christeen’s re-launch.

 

The work being done on the planks to refasten them to Christeen’s frames is fairly strait forward but time consuming. All planks being reused need to have the previous fastening holes bunged or plugged. Some of the planks experienced some cupping while they were stored during the winter so they need to be planed in order to create a solid contact point with the frames. Once they have been painted and the frames have been tarred the planks are clamped and fitted back into place. The fit is the most critical piece of the puzzle, as long as the fit is acceptable, the planks are refastened with screws to hold them in place. We are using screws as opposed to iron nails in hopes of having an easier time during Christeen’s ten year US Coast Guard inspection which requires the removal of several underwater and above water fastenings. 

  

Big Tools for Little Hands

This article was published in the New York Times March 31, 2011. What a great way to get kids interacting, getting their hands dirty and engaging in something real and tactile. The WaterFront Center loves these types of activities and hopes every child and adult has a chance to become engaged no matter the time of year or location.

IN honor of President’s Day last month, Deb Winsor, a carpenter with a workshop in Brooklyn, led a crew in the construction of an 8-foot-wide model of the White House, complete with north and south porticos and two dozen hand-painted windows. 

After reviewing the plans with the workers, Ms. Winsor, 50, supervised them as they laid out two-by-fours for the front and back walls and then hammered the studs and plates together with three-inch nails. Next, she watched as some of them raised the walls and sheathed them in plywood while others used an electric jigsaw to cut bases for the portico columns. Finally, one of the carpenters used a screw gun to attach a flagpole to the roof and secure the pediment to the freshly painted facade. 

At quitting time, the workers removed their protective headphones, put their tools back in their holsters and cleaned up their work stations. Then they gathered up the wooden toys they had made during break and ran to the door to greet their parents. 

“Good job today,” Ms. Winsor hollered cheerfully at Oscar Markowitz, a 5-year-old boy with orange hair, flushed cheeks and a big grin, one of a dozen children (including the reporter’s son) participating in a weeklong camp she was holding at her workshop on Flatbush Avenue. 

To read the entire article click the following link:  

Big Tools for Little Hands - By JULIE SCELFO Published: March 30, 2011