Charles W Morgan Restoration; A Volunteer's Perspective-1

[Morgan Volunteer]

Regarding the question above, I don't know, but I will ask.

In my last post I showed the demonstration crew practicing for a man overboard on the Joseph Conrad.

A couple of years ago I watched a different rescue technique that the crew demonstrated on the green.

If a ship went aground near enough to shore but the sea was too dangerous to row out for a rescue, a Lyle gun would shoot a line out to the stricken ship.

http://www.mainememory.net/bin/Detail?ln=13548

A heavier line would be attached up in the mast and then the sailors would come to shore in the breeches buoy.

This is the mast on the green at Mystic Seaport.



The rescue crew is setting up the rig for rescue.













More in the next post

[Morgan Volunteer]

Another crew saved.

And another place I hope never to be.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The annual Wooden Boat Show was this weekend at Mystic Seaport.



It was my first time there for the show and I was surprised that most of these beautiful boats were open to go aboard. I was also surprised at the number of displays and vendors in attendance. They were all over the place!

The first boat I saw was Star Song.









Just ahead of Star Song.



I am limited to six pictures per entry so tomorrow I will have more.

[mmd]

I think I can answer the question about the jug & lines on the shipsaw - it is for blade lubricant. The blade gets pretty hot when trying to cut curves and bevels on dense wood, so lubricant is applied to the blade to cool and grease it. Often this is dish soap or liquid floor wax, but every shipsaw operator has his favourite slush.

[Morgan Volunteer]

More pictures from last weekend's Wooden Boat Show.





There was a lot of boat building going on.

[Morgan Volunteer]

[Morgan Volunteer]

[Morgan Volunteer]

[Morgan Volunteer]

Before




During







After

[Morgan Volunteer]

Mystic Seaport has boats to rent. Some of these belong to visitors.




http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=12CC49F 1-4757-12EB-A2C8D17B21123D7C












Vendors and displays were everywhere.

[Morgan Volunteer]

As the sign above says,

"Boat for sale, some assembly required."

The yard did well with this sale. The Seaport gained some much needed money to help restore the Morgan and some visitors ended up with a good deal on wood.

As the project continues I'm pretty sure this wood will remain available throughout the restoration.

Come by and ask for Scott.

[Morgan Volunteer]

This gentleman was demonstrating "Do it yourself" bronze casting. The guys in the marine engine repair shop built the furnace with $300 worth of materials. A 5 gallon steel pail, some pipe, a blower and some refractory cement gets you started. Then you need a crucible and other tools for handling the hot stuff.

Here he is casting oarlock sockets. He started out with the original and coated it with graphite powder to help release it from the sand mold before casting.



After placing the original in the bottom of the frame, he packed the casting sand around it.



After pounding it tight and making it smooth he flipped it over revealing the bottom of the original and a smooth sand surface around it. Then he added the other half to complete the mold. This is the side that contains the sprue so the molten bronze can be poured in.







After carefully removing the originals and the sprue core it was time to pour.

Chunks of bronze sit on top of the furnace being preheated. This eliminates the possibilities of any moisture getting into the hot melt.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The new copy looked just like the original except a tiny bit smaller. He told me it shrank 3/16 of an inch per one foot. If original size is needed he said you can dip the original in wax to build up size.

This guy was next door doing fancy blacksmithing.

[Canoez]

That gentleman pouring bronze would be Sam Johnson who is, among other things, the executive director of the Columbia River Maritime Museum and an instructor for the WoodenBoat School.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Some of her extra hardware.



Another dealer.

[Morgan Volunteer]

More on the Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport.

At the end of my day I walked over to the warehouse where the collections of small boats and engines are stored when they are not on display .

Just inside the door this gentleman was demonstrating the art of drawing boat plans using the tools my generation grew up with.

He was showing me how to draw the smooth and graceful line of the deck surface.



Using the weights he bent and held the edge to just the right curve.



Then he showed me this tool. It is used to determine the area of a drawn shape. If you know the area of each section of the drawing and the distance between the two, you can figure out the volume and from that, the displacement.




Walking deeper into the warehouse, boats are stacked all over the place and one on top of the other.

[Peerie Maa]

Just inside the door this gentleman was demonstrating the art of drawing boat plans using the tools my generation grew up with.



Then he showed me this tool. It is used to determine the area of a drawn shape. If you know the area of each section of the drawing and the distance between the two, you can figure out the volume and from that, the displacement.

Now there is a coincidence. We are teaching a student apprentice how to use a planimiter to measure the area of some rudder lift curves as a check on the mathematical method.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Here are two boats of the hundreds in storage.


Used by loggers working the rivers to float logs to the mill, these boats were easy to build, cheap, and very stable.





This is a surf-boat from Massachusetts.






An LED flashlight came in handy here. I could not see what this was until I crawled under a boat and lit it up.



Any ideas on this? My guess is something for making rope.



The warehouse is filled to the rafters with treasures like these. (What ever they are.)

[Morgan Volunteer]

Here is another old treasure.



This is an outboard motor.




More outboard motors.



And one more treasure.




Note the serial number of this boat.

I took a picture of this before but it was jammed deep in the warehouse so I had to stitch two pictures together to show the whole boat.




According to Wikipedia there were more than 15,000 Lightnings built and this is number 1.

[Morgan Volunteer]

For several weeks we have been redoing the varnish on the Conrad.

It took all day to burn the finish off of just two of the stanchions.




I did have some help.

This young man was a visitor.



I hope he will come back.

Elsewhere at Mystic Seaport budding marine architects are getting their feet wet.

This is the toy boat exhibit where young marine architects and boat builders can try their hand at it.





They look great to me!

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=E283A54 7-0752-7B97-165848B40E9B4B8C

Meanwhile back to the varnish.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Enough with the varnishing already.

We went for a ride on the Breck Marshall






http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=BE72197 E-F926-B56F-A009EEC2FB74ECA9

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=71E9F9B 3-F665-DEE4-618D15CA42C3416F

Our captain.







Sabino seen from a different perspective.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Back to work.

When we got back to work the demonstration crew had a gang of visitors lifting the lifeboat back on board.





The crew had a man overboard drill as we left for lunch and now it was time to put things away.



When lifted high enough the chains are attached. Then the boat is lowered onto the chains and the tackle is stowed.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Everything is easy when you know how. I finally figured out how to correct a "Closed Thread."

I must have pushed a wrong button somewhere, but now it's fixed.

Now if I can only secure world peace.

[J. Dillon]

Thanks for a good informative thread.

JD

[CootBuilder]

Bruce, in post #88, mentioned the Morgan sailing again. I spoke with one of the shipwrights at last year's boat show, and he said that in order to secure a large amount of funding for the project, they had to promise (and prove) that she would be restored to sailing condition.

They have to take her out for at least one sail before she's brought back to her berth at the museum. I want to be there when she sets sail and comes back to life again.

Thanks for keeping us up to date and showing us all of the dedication that's going into the Morgan's restoration.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The common knowledge (At my yacht club we call it "Bar Talk") is that she will sail. She will be towed to New London where her rigging and ballast will be installed because the river is no longer deep enough.

Then it will be on to New Bedford and points East with several stops along the way.

More of the talk says the Coast Guard will allow 12 crew and 12 "passengers" at any one time. I can imagine a rather large donation will secure a ride, but remember, this is just "Bar Talk."

When this all becomes "Really Official" I will post it all here.

For now, back to the bar.

[Morgan Volunteer]

More futtocks are being worked on. As I talked with this man he told me he is also a volunteer. He works for Wooden Boat Magazine and decided to stay on for a week of hard work after the show. (Hard work? Play is what I would call it.)



He had a type of template I have not seen before. This template more accurately duplicates the inner surface of the hull planking. Each smaller piece of wood was placed against the planking matching the seams and then fastened to the template.

He then transfered the lines onto the futtock and here he is using the plane to match the hull.




Once the lines are transfered to the futtock and the plaining can begin.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The raw materials are still coming down the Assembly line.







Another small but very necessary job. This man is making stickers for stacking the wood after sawing.

[Morgan Volunteer]

My friend John finally signed up as a member at Mystic Seaport. You have seen him before sitting on top of the Hall Scott PT Boat engine earlier in the blog.



Of course you can be a member too.

https://secure2.convio.net/mystic/site/Donation2?df_id=1200&1200.donation=form1

Since it was so hot last week we stayed in the shade and painted up on the Morgan. We'll get back to the varnish on Conrad next week.



This is the second coat of Morgan Brown,



The privy still needs primer.




Down in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard parts for the Conrad are shaping up.

[Canoez]

More futtocks are being worked on. As I talked with this man he told me he is also a volunteer. He works for Wooden Boat Magazine and decided to stay on for a week of hard work after the show. (Hard work? Play is what I would call it.)



He had a type of template I have not seen before. This template more accurately duplicates the inner surface of the hull planking. Each smaller piece of wood was placed against the planking matching the seams and then fastened to the template.

He then transfered the lines onto the futtock and here he is using the plane to match the hull.




Once the lines are transfered to the futtock and the plaining can begin.

Tom Jackson, by any chance?

[Morgan Volunteer]

I have been coming to Mystic since about 1948. As a kid and as an adult I remember seeing the top of the prisms on the Morgans deck. In all those years of walking through the lower deck I never once looked up to see the bottom side of what I call "An Early American 100 Watter."

Here is a picture of the deck side.



The deck had been hosed down and was still wet. The white flecks are salt to help preserve the ship.


Replica prisms are for sale in the store.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=shop.home&storeNavigationID=2 0DFADB4-B0D0-D05E-1AF8D96DB01BC796



So just before we left last week, we made a trip below to search the for the under side of the "100 Watter."

I was amazed how much light actually got through. Remember, the deck is covered with shrink wrap during the restoration and that day was not particularly sunny.

This is just what the camera took. Because of the difference in light, the facets of the prism are not clear but you can see how it makes living below possible.



One other picture from last week.

If you bring your boat to Mystic Seaport to tie up at the transient dock you need to register with the marina office.

It's a good deal, especially for members. You get the boat load of people into the seaport and have the run of the place all day and night. The cost is very reasonable for the Connecticut area at $3.25 per foot for members.

Check here for the details.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=BA08043 9-A119-8820-1D705FD4D44241E2

Last week the marina directer asked me if I would make up a simple 2 x 4 system with dowels to display the burgees that have been donated by visiting yacht clubs.



My club is the red, white, and blue on the left.

Pequonnock Yacht Club in New Haven.

[Canoez]

With a little patience, I was able to get a shot of probably the exact same prism:

[Morgan Volunteer]

That's great, thanks

[Tom Jackson]

Tom Jackson, by any chance?

Yep!

[Morgan Volunteer]

Guess who is having a birthday?

Next Wednesday at 10:AM will mark 169 years since Charles W. Morgan was launched in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Details to be announced.

There is also some more good news. Yesterday while painting on deck on the Morgan a visitor stopped by and told us about a recent find and donation to Mystic Seaport.

18 truck loads of wood for the Morgan are being delivered from the Charleston Naval Shipyard (a/k/a Boston Naval Shipyard). Click below and read about our good fortune.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=25C92B3 C-1E4F-379B-60CB5E58DA0AFB44

[Morgan Volunteer]

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the sandbagger, Annie. See the lower end of page two, entry #94.

Yesterday as I walked past the paint shop she was sitting there an a trailer.



Climbing the ladder, this is the best view I could get.

That $13,000 piece of sitka spruce will replace the stump she is sporting now.



http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=4F14BE0 7-B8FE-B1BB-9AB330C09B2F125B

Meanwhile we paint.



Here, the final coat goes on the ladder to the hurricane deck.



When our work was done, Mystic Seaport threw a party. From 4:30 to 6:30 we ate and drank, met friends, and listened to music as awards and praises were handed out. This was the annual "Celebration of volunteers."





Mystic Seaport has 1,125 volunteers who put in just over 80,000 man hours last year. That is equal to just over 38 full time employees working a forty hour week all year long.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Last Wednesday marked the 169th anniversary of the launching of Charles W Morgan.

Mystic Seaport's president Steve White is talking to visitors and inviting them on board for more of the ceremony.





On board, others gave speeches too.



Lots of visitors.









And a wreath.



Morgan WILL be ready in 2013 for another voyage.

[Morgan Volunteer]

We finally finished the outhouse on deck! Yes, I know, it's really a head. The last coat of paint was applied and the hardware was replaced. Yet another volunteer gets to have his picture taken while sitting on the throne.




As we have heard the story, this unit was rebuilt in the 1970's. An observation made by the volunteer above is the original probably had a hole for light. He said it's very dark in there with the door closed.

I mentioned earlier about the seaport's good fortune in receiving 18 truckloads of timbers discovered in the Charleston Naval Shipyard (a/k/a Boston Naval Shipyard)


Here is what they look like.







They appear to be precut as futtocks. It's my guess that they date to the time of the civil war or earlier. Ring dating has been mentioned.

After 150 years buried in the dirt the wood still looks like it was cut down yesterday.





And finally for today, here is a budding Marine Architect with his latest creation. Nathanael Herreshoff, watch your back, new talent is on the way.

[PaulC]

Not only am I thankful you volunteer, I am most appreciative that you take me along.

[Sailor]

Great thread. I love it. Keep up the good work. It's a benefit to us all...

[Gerarddm]

Fabulous, keep it up.

I must say, though, that I thought there'd be more visitors at Mystic...

[Morgan Volunteer]

Amazon has been at Mystic Seaport since late last summer. While she is a private yacht she has become an attraction for visitors. Built with steam power in 1885 she was re-powered with diesel for the first time in the 1930's.

She is made of wood with a frame of iron. The bottom is copper clad. Since she no longer needs the stack for a steam engine, the owner has made the top of the smoke stack out of fiberglass to hide the radar. (Or a similar material so the radar works.)

A few weeks ago while the owner was in the shower the rear mast was hit by lightning. Good thing the plumbing is plastic! I also heard the same strike took out the computers in the visitor's center.

This week Amazon was hauled for inspection and bottom cleaning.

She was hauled out on the Hays and Ros Clark Ship lift

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=DDD9EE4 0-65B8-D398-787F7EDE603DC26E




This is very high tech!

It is all run from a computer.



Computer?

To center the boat a string with a ribbon is used.



Then the divers suited up and went to work.





http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=27958A8 7-1E4F-379B-6040C7F28517D68E

[Morgan Volunteer]

Once the boat was centered and supported it was time for everyone to go ashore.



And up she comes.







A little fine tuning.



Now she is ready to roll ashore.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Now comes the ugly part. This is the owner and his son.



At thirteen, he sure pulls his own weight. Dad can be proud!







One last picture. This is part of the graving plan(?) drawn up so the keel was well supported.



I really did do some work on the Morgan this week. We are starting to remove paint on deck again. No pictures this time.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Amazon haul out.

[Morgan Volunteer]

When we were at Mystic for a few days on our boat, my wife and I took a ride on Sabino.

The seaport offers an extended, 1 1/2 hour cruise, starting at 5:30 every evening. The cruise takes you down to the mouth of the Mystic River and back.



http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=9FDC5DB B-B0D0-D05E-1AFF4F8D9D7F35B4

The cruise is timed so the Mystic River Bridge opens just before our arrival. That is both going out and returning.







It is not a beautiful cruise for everyone. It is really hot in there!

[Morgan Volunteer]

Almost home again.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Home again.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Here is something very different.

Volunteering at Mystic Seaport has been wonderful, but as they say on television,

"But wait, there's more!"

This will be my thirteenth year as a volunteer helping raise money for cancer care for the Saint Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport Connecticut.

Every year swimmers raise money to help people with cancer in our area. From free breast exams to wigs for chemo patients to paying for transportation to treatment, the list goes on and on. They even helped with one family's mortgage!

So this Saturday is the

23rd Annual SWIM Marathon Across Long Island Sound

I have had the same basic team of relay swimmers for five years.

This is last years team with this years name in place.

Starting at Port Jefferson New York, the team swims 15 1/2 miles to Captain's Cove in Bridgeport.

Heading out to the start.

The start.

After the start, where it's real important to not run over a swimmer, the race settles to six or more hours of "Don't run over the swimmer!"

Our team is a relay team so each swimmer is in the water for twenty minutes. Between times in the water there isn't much to do except cheer on the current swimmer.

Almost to the finish line.

[Morgan Volunteer]

This is last years team. They raised $10,000

This is from a couple of years ago and they raised $10,000 then too.

Approaching the finish line

Captains Cove in Bridgeport.

And while we have never won or even been close to winning, the hug at the end is all I need.

So if you can spare a couple of dollars to support our team, the money will be well used.

http://give.stvincents.org/Page.aspx?pid=424&frtid=101

Next time, back to Mystic, promise!