Cullen T.M. McGough
04-23-2005, 12:49 PM
You don't see this all that often so I thought I would post some pictures. This boat is RANGER a 30' power cruiser. We haven't had much luck tracking down the original builder and plans, but it looks like it was built back in the 30's.
I start drooling every time I crawl under the bastard, because there isn't a single butte block in the whole damn boat. All the planking is knot-less strakes of 7/8 spruce.
Anyway, this luckless creature sat uncovered next to the road for several years and filled with a few feet of rainwater. The keel is shot, the floors rotted, the frame heels are all rotten and the engine is seized. Ice filled the battery box and ruptured the batteries, sending battery acid into the bilge every spring. The list goes on, but for the sake of children, women and gentle readers who lack trust funds, I'll refrain from mentioning the more horrific details.
But never fear! No job is too dirty, dangerous or thankless for the boss to send (me) crawling down into the bilge with a chisel and a sawzall. Rebuilding on RANGER is booming along as we replace the keel, floors, sister all the frames, replank the bilge and scrape, sand and paint our way to enlightenment.
So without further needless commentary, here are the pix:
Here is ranger in the (cold, oh so very cold) barn. Below her is the new keel, jammed in place for fitting, but not yet attached.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger1.jpg
And from the front. The bottom few strakes have been unfastened and forced back from the stem to allow the old knee to be removed. (Old boats are fun to repair because a single plank may have several different types of fasteners rammed in by successive generations of owners. This particular boat has copper rivets, bronze screws (frearson and slotted), iron bolts, bronze lags, stainless screws (square and phillips), galvanized nails and some godless rubber compound that is boatbuilder-proof, but little else.)
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger2.jpg
Port fwd. You can see the new keel below. It is shaped down from a 26' 8"x10" oak stick. The two black poles sticking down through the bottom of the boat are bracing beams that run along the cabin top beams to keep the bow from sagging.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger3.jpg
Here's a look at the aft end of the new keel and the deadwood stack.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger4.jpg
And last a peek inside. You can see the new floor timbers (yellow locust) and the new sister frames (white oak). These have all been fastened down with new bronze bolts.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger6.jpg
Cullen T.M. McGough
I start drooling every time I crawl under the bastard, because there isn't a single butte block in the whole damn boat. All the planking is knot-less strakes of 7/8 spruce.
Anyway, this luckless creature sat uncovered next to the road for several years and filled with a few feet of rainwater. The keel is shot, the floors rotted, the frame heels are all rotten and the engine is seized. Ice filled the battery box and ruptured the batteries, sending battery acid into the bilge every spring. The list goes on, but for the sake of children, women and gentle readers who lack trust funds, I'll refrain from mentioning the more horrific details.
But never fear! No job is too dirty, dangerous or thankless for the boss to send (me) crawling down into the bilge with a chisel and a sawzall. Rebuilding on RANGER is booming along as we replace the keel, floors, sister all the frames, replank the bilge and scrape, sand and paint our way to enlightenment.
So without further needless commentary, here are the pix:
Here is ranger in the (cold, oh so very cold) barn. Below her is the new keel, jammed in place for fitting, but not yet attached.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger1.jpg
And from the front. The bottom few strakes have been unfastened and forced back from the stem to allow the old knee to be removed. (Old boats are fun to repair because a single plank may have several different types of fasteners rammed in by successive generations of owners. This particular boat has copper rivets, bronze screws (frearson and slotted), iron bolts, bronze lags, stainless screws (square and phillips), galvanized nails and some godless rubber compound that is boatbuilder-proof, but little else.)
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger2.jpg
Port fwd. You can see the new keel below. It is shaped down from a 26' 8"x10" oak stick. The two black poles sticking down through the bottom of the boat are bracing beams that run along the cabin top beams to keep the bow from sagging.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger3.jpg
Here's a look at the aft end of the new keel and the deadwood stack.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger4.jpg
And last a peek inside. You can see the new floor timbers (yellow locust) and the new sister frames (white oak). These have all been fastened down with new bronze bolts.
http://www.camphawthorne.org/finn/ranger6.jpg
Cullen T.M. McGough