Busy Days-Boat Report...

While I've been fully engaged 24/7 this past week with the St. George Book Festival, hubby has been making GREAT PROGRESS on the boat project. Figuring out how to soak his wood strips for the gunnels on his boat––that's the upper railing on the curved sides. He is a creative engineer who loves to figure out how to create processes for furthering this special retirement project. It's going to be beautiful and PERFECT when it's done. Probably another two more years to finish up this 16 foot wooden sail, row and solar powered motor boat. Each piece of the gunnel has to be soaked in water for two days, then steamed, then held in place with clamps and eventually epoxy glued into place. More photos when I can find them as I have a new camera and new mac mini and can't get them to work together...

It starts with soaking the strips for two days in this homemade soaking tube.

Then he has to steam the board to be able to curve it to fit the boat's shape

Clamps help keep the gunnels tight to sides of boat
to take the right shape for gluing later.

Ingenius solution for steaming with a long plastic sleeve
connected to an old coleman stove and a old gas container.

It looks easy but it's very carefully measured and attached to fit perfectly.

Another view of the steamer...

All clamped together, it will dry then be stuck on with epoxy.