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

[Morgan Volunteer]

Now back to electrifying Morgan's stove.

"Management" says that's a good idea and one they have thought about.

The LA Dunton has a pot belly stove that is used in the winter. The problem is that when the interpreters are busy they are not able to watch the stove.

So 'Management" asked me if I would like to see about making it electric as a warm up to doing Morgan's stove.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=B3EABFF 8-A9BC-A3DC-5BC891E3E4FD18A0

Naturally the first thing I needed to do was take a picture.







This is the back side.



A wood stove can get away from you if the damper is not controlled. Here you can see the char around the stack.



So far, I've made some calls. We'll see where it leads.


So now I have another project to work on.


I love it!


My Scrapin' & Paintin' partner told me there is another stove in the chandlery.


http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=B953B50 C-EF32-7A33-F8B02323AA88E62E


Actually there are lots of stoves around Mystic and this one is well shielded.

[Morgan Volunteer]

You can spend a lot of time in here if you want to see it all.

[Morgan Volunteer]

[Morgan Volunteer]

Some time back I showed a computer generated picture of Morgan showing a lot of details in a CAD drawing.




Sometimes you just have to go outside with a ruler and take a measurement.





Lasers can only do just so much. This is the man doing all the CAD work on Morgan.




Over in the engine shop this steam engine is done. It's going to take a lot more than a small air compressor to turn it over. It would slowly turn 1/2 revolution and stop. It's going to have to wait for the engine show when a sizable boiler will be brought in to run it.



The Packard PT Boat engine will not be ready. It's still frozen. Every week more oil is added through the spark plug holes.





It will be exciting to see this one run.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=C9C0254 2-AAAC-8C70-9F8BEDDAB342FD5F

[Morgan Volunteer]

Making trunnels.



Installing trunnels.



Watching the trunnels getting installed.



Meanwhile it's back to work for us.



In the cook house.



It's in the details. This is a shelf in the cook house.

[Morgan Volunteer]

While talking to the shipwright above, he pointed out one of the futtocks.

Take a close look at numbers 80 and 81. They both end just under the deck clamp.

81 is a very short frame. When the upper part was installed during a repair years ago there was no way to extend the frame below the waterline.




Now the shipwrights have installed a short replacement to keep the ship true. When the outside planking is removed the two short pieces will be replaced with one long one. Overlapping frames will add strength to the ship.

While he didn't say so, my guess is there are more and number 79 is one of them.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Poking around on the Internet last night I found this.

http://tallships.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/update-on-charles-w-morgan.pdf

This is the first time I have seen the ports of call planned for the 38th voyage.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Many people have asked about the white paint on the Morgan. The paint is just primer to give the wood a little protection until she is launched in 2013.

The old paint was black and now the ship is noticeably cooler in the hot sun. Just being cooler has to be better for the wood.

The ship is beginning to get lost in the scaffolding. That's too bad for visitors in one sense in that the ship will be hard to see.

On the other hand it will be reminiscent of centuries of shipbuilding where the entire hull is surrounded by scaffolding. That is not something anyone sees very often.



New wood is arriving all the time.

We in the northeast have been lucky so far this summer in that the temperature has been relatively comfortable.

However our luck has run out and it’s getting hot. The shipyard is doing their best to keep the wood cool and moist so it doesn’t dry out too fast.



They have been turning it on several times a day.




Mystic Seaport is giving away some wood.

[schoonerpacket]

Wonder what it would cost to have one mailed to Montana? Ahhhh

[Morgan Volunteer]

Just in case you weren't sure, here is where Mystic Seaport is located. The sign is on the back of the Hays and Ros Clark Shiplift control house. The whole lift operates using a PC.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...7F7EDE603DC26E




Must be an old sign, Loran C (the TD's) was turned off in February of 2010.


This is a vey common sight at the seaport.

Lots of groups will come with their own special shirt. It makes it easy to find your group if you get separated.



This group was almost as big but they were spread out.




We ran into a friend. Earlier in the year she was the interpreter on board the Morgan. You may remember this picture from an earlier entry.




She looks very different in her current roll.

That’s her on the left talking to visitors.




They were talking outside of the Seamen's Friend Society Reading Room.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...172791E1E80432



http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...0F5ADC323041CF

[Morgan Volunteer]

Not too much new going on while I was down below. This plank is new though.



Along with the new scaffolding outside, the support for the temporary cover needs to be modified. It is going to be supported on from the deck instead of the gunwale to make room for work on the hull.

Some of the framing needs replacement in the bow along with some of the planking. It looks like the bulwarks will be replaced in the bow was well. We just painted that!







A frequent visitor was leaving as I arrived on Wednesday. The Harvey Gamage shows up often at the seaport. The tug is helping her off.




http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...DC9A2F0A99073B


The bridge is up and it's time to go.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Our new/old paint scraper (She was around last year for a week or two.) had never seen the captain's quarters on Morgan, so we took a look.

This is the captain's private head. To use it he had to bend down. There is no head room.(No pun intended.)



Compared to the men in the fo'c'sle the captain had luxury.



The captain and his wife had this for storage.



The captain's swinging bed.



Some plumbing.



When we are done on deck, the Scrapin' and Paintin' crew is hoping we will have time to clean up down here too.


Located in a room further aft, these are the fire and security alarm panels on board. This room is blocked off to visitors.

[Morgan Volunteer]

You may have recognized by now that I love the kids and their toy boats.

Take a close look at this. Cannons, a plank to make the prisoners walk off to eternity, supports for the bowsprit, bulwarks, crow's nest, and the must have, pirates flag.





When he gets it home a hot glue gun can always restore it like new.

My paintin' and scrapin' partner is the volunteer who makes all the hulls and wooden parts for these boats. To date, she has made 7,000 hulls this year. Last year it was more than 10,000 hulls. I looked and I don't have a really nice picture of her because she is always working.

Always!

[Rick_Tatum]

This is a wonderful thread. Thanks so much for taking the time to post the pictures and the explanations.

Post script: "Futtocks" has to be my new favorite word. It has such a delightful ring to it

[Morgan Volunteer]

If you're in the neighborhood.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...536E45E4C1F210

On board Morgan the ceiling project only has a few more weeks to go. (The ceiling on a ship is the inner planking of the hull.)





A lot of thought goes into every piece.



Recently I mentioned that some of the futtocks were only installed temporarily. To keep the ship true while she was so far apart, the crew had to install several temporary futtocks. (Marked in orange.) While the inner ceiling was missing, the outer planking was holding the ship together. There was no way to replace these old futtocks with new ones of the proper length. When the ceiling is done and the outer planking is removed, these frames will be exposed from the outside and then replaced. As you can imagine, this is very expensive and time consuming.




Also above, a shipwright is getting ready for the next ceiling plank by installing the clamps that will hold it in place.

Still studying.

[Morgan Volunteer]

This is one of the two davits located on the hurricane deck on Morgan’s stern. They are coming off so the deck can be restored.

The davits will be another part of the ship we will strip and paint.



I was told by the man removing them that they have no idea what they were used for. They were probably for a smaller boat for the captain's use, but who knows? If I hear any other “official” explanation I will correct it here.





The outside of the galley is done so we have removed the temporary partitions from the starboard side.



Just to my partner's left is the companion way entrance to go below to the captain's and officers' quarters.



The starboard side of the skylight is done. Now we will finish the port side.

[Morgan Volunteer]

A couple of weeks ago I took the Shipmate stove home so I could work on it in my shop. After it was disassembled I took it over to American Dry Strip near my business. I give them a plug here because they really did a great job and didn’t charge me nearly as much as the job really cost.

http://www.amerstrip.com/

I have all the parts home now and it’s time to put it back together. The first project is to give it a coat of stove black.





This is going to take a while, so I'll have more on this as we work on it.



The engine show is coming.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...8BEDDAB342FD5F

To get ready, the yard needs to be rearranged.

The steam engines will need steam and the boiler and manifold will go next to the paint shop. The wood needs moving.









170 yeas ago oxen would have been used.

Of course this in not 170 years ago. This an odd sight on Morgan but not so odd that anyone else paid attention.

[Saltiguy]

This is an amazing thread. Thank you so much for your effort. I was a Connecticut resident for years and visited the Seaport regularly. One of the interesting things I recall about the Morgan was the small size of the crew's berths. I never measured, but they appeared to be about 5'-6" - indicating that men were much smaller in those days

[Morgan Volunteer]

Another ceiling plank goes in on the starboard side. It will go in the space on the upper right.



Coming out of the steam box.



Waiting at the door.



There it is.

[Morgan Volunteer]

This anchor is the first thing a visitor sees when they enter the museum courtyard.

I have been told that it comes from the Benjamin F. Packard, a 244 foot square rigged ship built in Bath, Maine in 1883.

The Packard is just one of thousands of ships that outlived their time. Read about her below.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...929D55089AB7A3

Mystic Seaport has been able to restore and display her magnificent after cabins including the captain’s quarters and day room.



High tide often does this. The water backs up through the drain. The only thing you can do is go around it.

It adds to the adventure.



This thread is supposed to be about Mystic Seaport and the Charles W Morgan. However once a year I promote another of my passions.

The St. Vincent's SWIM Across Long Island Sound raises money for cancer care. I have been able to participate for 14 years by escorting swimmers 15 miles from Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York to Captain’s Cove Seaport in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

This year our team was dedicated to a wonderful lady who swam in last year’s event and then lost her battle with cancer four weeks later.

We raised $15,000.



I don't know where we placed but we were all winners.





If you can find it your heart to share my other passion, click here.

http://give.stvincents.org/page.aspx...ab=0&frtid=170

[Morgan Volunteer]

Working as a volunteer at Mystic Seaport does have a few perks. One of our former Scrapin’ and Paintin’ partners spent a few days “On the house” at the marina because there was extra room.

When I met him yesterday morning, he and his son were getting ready to make the 9:40 bridge opening.





One of the perks for members is the second night free if you come on your boat. If your yacht club comes they will even display your burgee.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...705FD4D44241E2



We have a new member of the Scrapin’ and Paintin’ squad. (On the right.) Our first project for the day was to take a look at Roann, Mystic’s eastern rig trawler. No reason for this other than to expand our overall knowledge of Mystic. This, of course, applies to you too.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...07F9974A58F136



The volunteer on the left has been working on Roann since 1998.

Down below in the crew quarters a mix of projects are all going on at the same time. A while back I posted some pictures of the cabinets that were rebuilt in the woodshop.



The counter tops will be covered in Formica with a butcher block pattern. While not original to the 1947 built boat, the restoration is being done to the date that the seaport acquired her.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The closet is the icebox. Just another one of many projects, it needs the sheet metal parts to be fabricated. For now it’s a white closet.



Most of the recent work has gone on in the engine room. Last summer the rebuilt engine was installed and a few weeks ago she took a shakedown cruise. All went well.



A 12-71 Detroit Diesel. 852 cubic inches putting out 250 horsepower.

The boat runs on 32 volts. There is a place where you can buy 32 volt light bulbs. They bought quite a few for that time when they are no longer available.

Since modern electronics work on 12 volts the crew installed an additional circuit for them running off an alternator on the diesel. You can see it just to the right of center on top and at the front of the engine. It's painted black.

Below is the auxiliary, 32 volt, 4 horse power generator. The primary 32 volt source is also one mounted on the diesel.



This is the 32 volt bilge pump and the deck wash down pump.



The white box on the right shields the chain that takes power from auxiliary take off to the winch on deck. Because the winch had to be over the engine the eastern side rig was the only option. Now with hydraulic motors the rig can run off the stern.



If you look down the red air vent you can see the chain and sprocket inside.

This is the heat source for the boat. It has a water jacket and uses thermo-siphoning to put heat into radiators on board.



You can see just the lower corner of the engine room radiator in the picture of the 32 volt generator in the 3rd picture of this post. It is the same radiator you will find in many older homes. It looks like is came out of Grandma’s kitchen. It probably did!

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...07F9974A58F136

[Morgan Volunteer]

An auxiliary bilge pump. All that is needed it to slip on the belt to make it work.



The stuffing box and a dedicated broken wrench to keep it drip free.



Up on the bridge.



An old paper recording fish/depth finder and an old Loran C.



This thing is huge. It wouldn't surprise me if it had vacuum tubes inside.



The radar.



It worked up till recently but now it is blowing fuses.

Anybody want a project?

[Morgan Volunteer]

Time to leave Roann and go to work.

Back to the galley. What ever this white paint is, it's the toughest paint we have come across to date. We have put several coats of stripper on but we're not down to bare wood yet.



Back at home we have assembled the body of the stove.



To fill cracks and rust voids I found a 2,000 degree putty. (Pyro-Putty) When hardened it can be machined.



To answer a question a few posts back, the average height of the crew was very close to the average height of people today. I spoke with the Morgan’s interpreter about it. While he did not have access to it yesterday, he said there is a list of bunk sizes. The range is from just under six feet up to seven feet. I measured just one bunk to prove the point.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Work on the bow is becoming more visible. It’s easy to see where parts are now missing.



The gunwale is gone from here forward.



The bulwarks will be removed so the framing can be replaced. The futtocks are apparently made of green heart and although relatively new they have not stood up well.

The stem is checking badly and will be replaced. The steel plate is holding it together for now.



Outside, the planking is coming off exposing the futtocks.

[Morgan Volunteer]

It would not pull out so he hammered it through.



You can see there is a long way to go.





Down in the DuPont barn, more ceiling planks line up.



This one has quite a curve to it.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Things are moving along.

June 15, 2011



August 10, 2011



It may look like he's goofing off but I got him just crawling out from between the two logs. The yard is getting spruced up for the engine show this weekend. He was pulling weeds just before I got there.

The two logs have been sitting there a long time. The one he's sitting on says stem on the end. I assume the new Morgan stem will come out of it.



The bucket loader had just dropped a load of gravel so the display engines will sit on a solid base.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.c...8BEDDAB342FD5F


Spruce it up guys, company is comin'.

I am leaving tomorrow on my boat for the show. I'll be there through Sunday afternoon so I will post pictures from the show when I get back next week.

[s1120]

Thanks for the updates!!! Im hoping to be there this weekend for the show!!!!!!!!

[Morgan Volunteer]

I took my boat to Mystic last week to help set up for the engine show. I am only home for a change of clothes and what I hope will be a quick dentist appointment. Then I will be off for part two of my short summer vacation.

Posting all the pictures up is going to take a few days.

Going to Mystic Seaport is always a treat but going by boat is really special. The river is beautiful.




An island retreat.




Plenty of places to stop and eat.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The homes are beautiful.







The boats are colorful.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The only challenge is the bridges. They have to be open to get to the seaport. You never know about the railroad bridge. Catch it wrong and it can be a long wait.

The next bridge opens at 40 minutes past the hour. This is only a problem if you get stuck at the railroad bridge. You then may have another hour to wait for the second bridge.

We got through fine----this time.





This is a fun website where you can take control of the camera and take a look around.

http://www.mystictoday.com/bascule-bridge-camera/

Last year I told a friend in Sweden what time I was going through and he sent a picture of us going by the bridge.



The next morning I woke to see my new neighbor, all 158 feet of her. This boat is longer than the Morgan.



In the morning calm everything was doubled.



Later the wind came up.



Now this was Wednesday morning and it was time to go to work. Wednesday is my scrapin' and paintin’ day. Engine Show work will start on Thursday. More on all this later.

[Morgan Volunteer]

I've been on vacation so I haven't been able to do much on this thread. There is a lot to report on the Marine Engine Show, but that will have to wait a few more days.

There’s a hurricane coming!

Our usual scrapin’ and paintin’ job was put on hold as the whole seaport battened down for Irene.

They handed us a strapping tool and we made the rounds banding piles of lumber all over the yard.

Everyone was tying things down or storing them in a secure location.

We had already banded the stack behind.



These blocks are not apt to fly, but they may float away in a storm surge.





Small boats are stored in the DuPont barn.





The steamer is too light to stay outside.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Up on Morgan a shipwright was rigging a block and tackle to hoist a storm brace into place.



The forklift could not reach this corner so the support was hauled up the old fashioned way.








The 8,000 pound concrete block will hold it in place.

[Morgan Volunteer]

You can see how heavy they are.



On the port side the brace is drilled and bolted to one of the vertical supports.



As I took this picture he asked if I was going to use it. He wants to show it to his dad.

Hi Dad.



Now I have to go take care of my own boat.

[Eric D]

hopefully you all fair well!!
thanks for the update.

[Daniel Welch]

You can see how heavy they are.



On the port side the brace is drilled and bolted to one of the vertical supports.



As I took this picture he asked if I was going to use it. He wants to show it to his dad.

Hi Dad.



Now I have to go take care of my own boat.

Dad appreciates the photo - Thanks

[Morgan Volunteer]

Good night Irene!

Personally I fared well. I lost a few branches and cable but not power. At work I am without power and cable so I am doing this at home where the cable came back this afternoon. My boat and all the others in my marina were fine too.

Sadly, not everyone fared as well. In a town nearby several houses were destroyed and in too many cases power will not be restored for several days yet.

On to brighter thoughts.

I made a call this afternoon to my scrapin' and paintin' partner and she said the seaport is ok.

Before hurricane Irene paid a visit, the seaport hosted the annual Marine Engine Show. Lots and lots of engines.







Model engines and model boats too.

[Morgan Volunteer]

A picture of the original.



The model











The mugs and pillows have the name of the boat on them.



s

[Morgan Volunteer]

Look at the detail.

[Morgan Volunteer]

This gentleman and his brother built these three models.



The captain of the horse powered ferry on the left ended up as the captain of the paddle wheeler on the right.




The torpedo works!





A wind up outboard motor

[Morgan Volunteer]

Just a few more, these models are too great not to share.

Recognize this one?



Orca from the movie Jaws.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Some real engines.

This one folds up for easy storage.



This one has the engine under water ahead of the prop.



Too start it you wrap a rope around the propeller.







Ever see one like this?



It may not be well lubricated but it runs cool.

[Morgan Volunteer]

One of several trailers loaded with engines.



A video of the engines running.

[Brian Palmer]

Awesome video, thank you! The audio part is half the fun. Keep your hands out of the way!

Did the seaport provide steam? It looked like there was a steam line running down one of the exhibits.

Very nice,

Brian

[Morgan Volunteer]

Yes, the seaport supplied the steam. A box truck with a boiler built into the back supplied all that was needed.

Take a look at Face Book for pictures of the seaport during the hurrican.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...id=27795854287

Click on the picture to advance.

[beernd]

Now I really regret that I live on the wrong side of the atlantic ocean.
I really would have liked to visit that show.
The outboard engines are simply unbelievable.

And the peddle steamboats, well I have been searching the web to find a design or at least a side, and top view of one of those, because I would love to build a model of one of them.

Keep the pics and stories coming please

[s1120]

The show was real nice!! lots of nice engines, and the sounds and smells are out of this world!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That boat model he posted with the twin V12's.... pictures dont do it justice!!!! Just a jewel of workmanship!!! Wish i could hear those engines run!!!!! Ive always been a engine guy myself so this was right up my alley!!!

[Morgan Volunteer]

Hurricane and Labor Day has taken its toll on my output here. A few days after the hurricane Mystic was almost back to normal. Power came back on the night before so when I arrived almost everything was in good shape.

During the storm some people made arrangements to run up the river to hunker down during the storm. One of those is the University of Connecticut's trawler.

Time to go home.



Looks like UConn would have been fun to attend.



Things were back to normal inside the Morgan. Except for the ceiling planks that will cover the access holes, the port side is done.

This is the last plank on the port side.






Just a bit more.



A little persuasion and it was done. While it did not fit yet, the length of the arc is longer than the chord so when the plank was clamped down to the curved shape of the hull it snapped into place.

Amazing work these guys do!

[Morgan Volunteer]

Our Scrapin' and Paintin' crew reached a milestone yesterday. We took down the temporary walls and reassembled the skylight. We have worked on this thing over the last two years.



A little cleaning up.



Installing the windows.



The crew brought the top half up on deck for us.





Done!!!

[Morgan Volunteer]

The stern of the Morgan was rebuilt sometime ago and thought to be in good shape. However as we scraped paint we found some soft wood. Last week we pointed it out to the lead shipwright and this week parts were coming out to make room for the fix.

Here is what we found.



More poking and the shipwright found this in the head. The picture above is on the starboard side and the head below is on the port side.



We had already finished scraping and painting the head and never picked up the problem in here.

It needs to be repaired and there is no better time to get started than right now.

The ships wheel was removed and disassembled first.







Then the cover and walls surrounding the rudder shaft were taken down.

Seems a bit naked back there now.



The larger square piece is the rudder shaft. The rudder is hanging on the smaller post.

I'm sure a lot more will come down before the real problem can be addressed.