Gunwales Complete

The gunwale capping strips are all in place and cleaned up. I fitted the quarter knees and a block on the transom to hold a rowlock for a sculling oar.  Having glued the capping strip on the transom I realised I would have to cut some of it away to provide clearance for the rudder stock to swing. Here is a photo showing the cut out. Also visible is the block for the rowlock and the portside quarter knee. I made these knees very strong. They are 5 x 10 mm thick laminations, not bent but blocked up like bricks in the corner. I will mount substantial cleats on these knees so I wanted them to be strong.

While I had the rudder mounted I saw that the skeg is thicker than the blade of the rudder by about 25 mm, it varies a bit because my skeg is tapered. This will cause some turbulent flow as the water passes from the skeg onto the rudder blade and I am thinking about adding some ply cheeks to the rudder below the waterline. This sill smooth the water flow and hopefully improve the effectiveness of the rudder. Here is what I was looking at while these thoughts were going through my mind.

At the other end of the boat I have fitted the bowsprit. This was simple enough; a couple of holes, one for a bolt through the breasthook and one for a pin through the stem. The duck is a souvenir from a rowing trip on the Brisbane River, he was bobbing along on the tide so I scooped him up (he isn't permanent but I might try a figurehead under the bowsprit).

Finally a couple of photos of the interior of the boat to show where things are up to. Most of the construction is complete. The plans call for 3 thumb cleats on each gunwale and I am still deciding how to do these which depends on what they will be used for!

Now the construction is mostly done there is some sanding and filling to be done before the painting of the inside starts. This will take a while because I am going sailing next week and a week or so after that am going to the UK for a couple of months. I have been working towards finishing the interior painting before I headed to the UK but have finally had to accept that I can't do it.

The cover on the centreboard case is a piece of Kwila decking; it will be screwed down on a bed of sealant so that it can be removed if/when the centreboard needs to be removed. Kwila is a very hard timber that needs little or no protection from the weather.